Episode Guide: Season 1 1954-1955

Did You Know?: The theme music for the Jeff episodes was first heard in one of the Dr. Christian movies. Read more about the Lassie theme songs and visit my Lassie Titles and Credits page.

"Inheritance" (09/12/54):

Premiere episode/pilot. Jeff inherits Lassie from the late Homer Carey, but the young collie seems strangely reluctant to leave the Carey home. Caleb Brown: Myron Healy. Matt Willis: Jim Hayward. Edgar Carey: Lee Erickson. Emmett Carey: Everett Glass.
   • Trivia: This is one of only a few episodes where you see the front of the house.
   • Note: Lassie in this episode and in "The Well" (the second pilot) is portrayed by "Pal," the original Lassie of the movies. Subsequently the role is played by "Lassie Jr.," Pal's son. See "The Well," below, for a recent, surprise revelation about this episode.

"Arithmetic" (09/19/54):

Confused by fractions because he's not studying, Jeff fails two arithmetic tests, so Ellen arranges a Saturday makeup test, forgetting Gramps was taking the boy to the circus that day. Miss Amelia Robbins: Carol Brannon.

"The Colt" (09//26/54):

After being scolded by Ellen for ignoring Jeff, Gramps brings him home a colt Jeff names "Domino." But in his enthusiasm over having a horse, Jeff ignores Lassie, then goes out searching for her when she doesn't come home. With Walter Baldwin and Phil Chambers.

"The Gun" (10/03/54):

When Jeff finds his dad's rifle in the barn and wants to learn to use it, Gramps okays its use unloaded although Ellen is still terrified. But when the boy inadvertently gets some ammunition, he learns a hard lesson about gun safety. Joe King: Trevor Bardette.
   • Trivia: Jeff is eleven.
   • Note: In the Timmy episodes, Bardette changes names and becomes "Sam Burke."

"Mr. Peabody" (10/10/54):

Gramps is jealous when the flamboyant elderly traveling farm worker he hires for odd jobs charms Jeff with his tall tales of fighting Indians and other adventures— then thinks he's really up to something when he catches him skulking around the house after hours. Lester Peabody: James Bell. Clay: Richard Garland. Jenny: Florence Lake.

"The Convict" (10/17/54):

An escaped convict Jeff and Lassie meet near the lake threatens Ellen and Gramps if the boy doesn't get him food and clothing, so Jeff hides him in his secret cave. Joe Baker: Dabbs Greer. Clay: Richard Garland.
   • Note: First appearance of Jeff's cave, which plays a large role in the Whitman novel based on the series, Lassie and the Mystery at Blackberry Bog. Also the first appearance of Clay Horton, the town constable.

"Feud" (10/24/54):

When Gramps quarrels with Matt Brockway after a hotly contested checker game, both men forbid their sons to see with each other. Jeff and Porky's first attempt to fix the problem goes horribly wrong, so the boys hide in the woods in hopes that in "saving" them Gramps and Matt will be friends again. Brockway: Paul Maxey. Birdie Brockway: Marjorie Bennett.
   • Trivia: The boys hide in Tuckers Woods and eat blackberries—this is the setting for the Whitman book Lassie and the Mystery at Blackberry Bog.
   • Note: According to Ace Collins' Lassie book, "The Lion" was Porky's first appearance on Lassie, but this story was apparently broadcast first. Perhaps what Collins meant was that "The Lion" was the first Porky story filmed.

"The Lion" (10/31/54):

Jeff and Lassie are in the woods hunting rabbits with his new bow and arrow when Jeff sees a lion in the woods, but no one believes him. Then Gramps has to take Ellen to Capitol City to help her mother, and the lion begins stalking the farmyard! Jenny: Florence Lake. Clay: Richard Garland.
   • Note: This is a classic Jeff episode with some behind-the-scenes adventures: apparently the lion escaped his trainers and went rampaging through the set.

"Gramps" (11/07/54):

When Gramps has chest pains, Jeff and Ellen take over his chores until Doc Stuart can diagnose the problem. But Gramps chafes under the restrictions, and his sneaking out after bedtime almost proves his undoing. Dr. Stuart: Dayton Lummis.
   • Note: Watch for the very funny scene where Jeff teaches Lassie to bark every time Gramps sits up!

"Lassie's Pups" (11/14/54):

Lassie's about to have puppies, but as a storm rages outside, Gramps must respond to the clang of the firebell, leaving Ellen and Jeff to tend her. As her labor drags on, Jeff wants to go for the vet. Dr. Peter Wilson: Frank Ferguson. Mrs. Wilson: Frances Morris.

"The Job" (11/21/54):

When department store owner Phineas Monroe hears Ellen singing at church, he offers her a job singing on the radio show he sponsors—but she and Jeff must take an apartment in the city and leave Lassie with Gramps to do so. Monroe: Raymond Greenleaf. Crabby Neighbor: Anne O'Neal. With Thurston Hall.
   • Trivia: The radio series, Monroe's Musicale, sponsored by Monroe Furniture, is broadcast weeknights from 6 to 7 p.m.

"The Carnival" (11/28/54):

While at the carnival, Jeff leaves Gramps playing with "Checkers Charlie" and attends the sideshows, but makes the mistake of showing a carny at the trained dog tent Lassie's tricks. Thinking she can be a headliner, show owner Clegg and the carny steal her. Clay: Richard Garland. With Henry Slate, Victor Perrin, and Raymond Hatton.
   • Note: In the Corey Stuart episode, "Most Dangerous Game," Lassie puts out a cigarette and Corey tells the reporter that no one taught her to do so. Well, it looks like Jeff is the one who taught her to do it!

"Sale of Lassie" 12/05/54):

Jeff overhears only part of a conversation about the money required for Gramps' upcoming surgery for a slipped disc and decides to sell Lassie to Porky's cousin Tony to help raise the funds. Mike: Robert Foulk.

"The Rustlers" 12/12/54):

A calf Jeff is raising for the county fair vanishes the same night Lassie comes home injured and covered with mud—then she mysteriously starts chasing Ellen's car and a truck driven by the foreman of the Staples' farm, who tells Gramps he accidentally slaughtered the missing calf. Jenkins: Bill Phipps. Head Thief: Richard Karlan.
   • Trivia: Jeff's favorite radio program seems to be Two-Gun Marshal.

"The Fighter" (12/19/54):

Jeff is awed by a man he met on the road who was able to fix his bicycle and is excited when he discovers he'll be working for Gramps during the harvest. But when he backs down from a fight, the boy pegs him as a coward. Pete Barnum: Christian Drake. Frank Galloway: Gordon Jones.

"The Contest" 12/26/54):

Melanie, the pampered but emotionally disturbed daughter of Ellen's old friend Tom McLaughlin, is staying at the farm at the same time Lassie is participating in the annual dog race. Determined to hurt Jeff by making Lassie lose the race, Melanie feeds the collie some meat—which is dangerously spoiled. Dr. Wilson: Frank Ferguson.
   • Note: Ooops! Jeff says if Lassie wins the dog race, which is for children and their dogs, it will be her third time in a row and they can keep the winner's cup. But in actual chronology, he's only had her about four months!

"Runaways" (01/02/55):

After a fisherman sees Lassie "frothing at the mouth" (she drank from a bowl of a soap solution in for blowing bubbles), Clay arrives to take her to the pound for observation—but Jeff runs away with her and eventually hops a boxcar out of town. Clay: Richard Garland. Matt: Paul Maxey. Jason: Paul Burns. Tex: Bill Nelson.
   • Trivia: Doetown and Little River are two towns near Calverton. The hobo tells Jeff the train will be "across the state" by morning—and that that distance is 200 miles.

"The Brat" (01/09/55):

Ellen offers the boys a special treat if they will babysit a boy while she is called out on an errand. But the angelic-looking kid turns out to be more than Jeff and Porky can handle. Malcolm: Timothy Hovey.

"Father" (01/16/55):

The church is holding a father-son event and Jeff doesn't want Gramps to fill in for his dad, especially after Higgy tells him he doesn't belong and that he's a "mama's boy." Jeff is then even more embarrassed when Ellen decides to accompany him instead. Matt Brockway: Paul Maxey. Dr. Harding: Raymond Greenleaf. Higgy: Stuart Torres.
   • Note: We see Jeff's dad, John Miller, listed on a memorial board at church. It looks as if he were killed in World War II. His name is "irised" to point it out, a very old-fashioned film technique from the silent days.

"The Fawn" (01/23/55):

Gramps allows Jeff to keep a fawn whose mother has been killed until it's old enough to survive on its own, but insists Lassie must be kept away from the animal because domestic creatures and wild ones don't get along. Doc Wilson: Frank Ferguson. Joe King: Trevor Bardette.

"Blind Soldier" (01/30/55):

Fearing he will slip into depression, the parents of a blinded Korean War veteran try to buy Lassie—the young man's own collie Lassie died while he was away and they fear telling him the truth—so Jeff reluctantly loans them Lassie for two weeks until they can break the news to him. Walter Barton: Jonathan Hale. Dick Barton: Paul Richards. Mrs. Barton: Mary Newman.
   • Trivia: Jeff says he's eleven, going on twelve. The Barton estate is named "Green Acres." Domino is now five months old.
   • Note: You see a photo of Jeff's father in this episode, with some of his ribbons, but there is no close-up.

"The Cave" (02/06/55):

Braggart Ben lures Jeff and Lassie into a cave with the temptation of a "real live skeleton," which turns out to be an old cow skull. When Jeff won't pay off for this disappointment, Ben traps them in the cave—then can't get them out. Ben Neilsen: Sam Ogg. Mr. Neilsen: Robert Malcolm.

"The Injury" (02/13/55):

An automobile accident happens just outside the Miller gate and the injured, unconscious driver is brought to the house until he is well enough to be moved. When he comes to, he asks if he "hit the dog"—and Lassie is indeed acting strangely. Dr. Wallace Stuart: Dayton Lummis. (Miss Collins is uncredited.)
   • Trivia: Mrs. Stuart's name is Lydia. Dr. Stuart writes the Miller address as "Route 7."
   • Note: In this episode, Lassie isn't hungry, and it's passed off as her having "caught a rabbit and eaten it." This is a far cry from the Lassie of "The Odyssey," who won't kill a rabbit to survive in the wild. Watch Gramps falling all over himself to impress the matronly Miss Collins, the nurse Doc Stuart engages to take care of George Walton!

"The Well" (02/20/55):

A businessman wants to dredge an old well on the Miller property to use for his water company, but Gramps won't let them, so he schemes to get at the water some other way. Mr. Saunders: Hugh Beaumont. Mr. Hazlitt: Tristam Coffin. Liz Barton: Hallene Hill.
   • Trivia: Gramps says he's 68, which was George Cleveland's age at the time.
   • Note: Hallene Hill turns up again four years later as Timmy's elderly aunt. This episode and "The Inheritance" were the first two filmed as pilots for the series. They have a substantially different "look" than the other episodes in the series, and most of the incidental music is different as well. On the DVD release of four Lassie episodes, "A Mother's Love," the fourth "bonus" episode is an uncut, full color copy of "The Well," which begs the question: if they shot a color version of this second pilot for the series (see notation under "Inheritance"), is there a color copy of "Inheritance" somewhere?

"The Snake" (02/27/55):

Although Lassie fights off the creature, Jeff is bitten by a rattlesnake and Gramps and Ellen rush to get him to a doctor. But the truck breaks an axle when Gramps uses a shortcut and they must proceed on foot. Clay: Richard Garland. Dr. Stuart: Dayton Lummis. Jenny: Florence Garland.

"The Bear" (03/06/55):

Jeff's long-anticipated fishing trip with Gramps is finally here; they're having a great time until Gramps wrenches his back—and then a bear begins harassing them.

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