Episode Guide: Season 5 1958-1959

June Lockhart and Hugh Reilly take over the roles of Timmy's parents in the first episode of fifth season.

Replacing Kelly Junge Jr. as Timmy's friend was Todd Ferrell, playing "Boomer." Boomer, rather chubby, appeared to be an effort to imitate the Jeff and Porky friendship, but the character was never very popular and was dropped at the end of the season. In the years following, a semi-regular group of boys played Timmy's friends, including Richard Correll and Steven Talbot (both once regulars on Leave It to Beaver), Flip Mark, and Eddie Little.

The farm gets a little sprucing up for fifth season: the house is painted white and somehow without hiring a builder, the closet in the hallway becomes a window between the back door and the window to Timmy's room. Paul also gets a new truck.

It was also during this season that the music that most people associate with Lassie began, including the famous "whistle" theme. Although the credits indicate that the music was done by "Sid Sidney," Jon Burlingame's book TV's Greatest Hits indicates that the composer was Les Baxter. Baxter's score was highly detailed—each situation had its own theme music, to the point where you could tell what action was happening on the screen by simply listening to the music. When MCI did their now infamous black and white 1-800-COLLECT Lassie commercial, it was the Les Baxter music they used.

"The Storm" (09/07/58):

Timmy and Boomer try to teach Boomer's new dog Mike, a cute but distant little terrier, farm ways, but he seems unable to learn. Doc Weaver: Arthur Space. Boomer: Todd Ferrell.
   • Note: Boomer, a.k.a. Ralph, is never formally introduced. Suddenly Scott is gone and Boomer is Timmy's best friend.

"Wishing" (09/14/58):

After Timmy rides "Star," a pinto pony, at a concession, he falls in love with the animal and wishes very hard for a pony just like him, so Lassie steals out after dark and takes Star back to the farm, just as the concessionaires skip town without paying their bills. But Star ends up in claims court because of the past-due bills. Sheriff Miller: Robert Foulk. Judge Baxter: Malcolm Atterbury. With Orville Sherman.
   • Note: Star never appears in another episode. Actor Malcolm Atterbury made a career out of playing slightly cantankerous older authority figures. The role of Judge Baxter was later played by Nolan Leary.

"The Teacher" (09/21/58):

The Calverton schoolchildren adore their teacher Miss Hazlit, so when they find out she may have to leave because of budget constraints, Timmy, Boomer, and their pals Bill and Roy earn money to keep her on. But the money is lost on their way to speak to the school board. Sam Burke: Trevor Bardette. Miss Hazlit: Sally Bliss. Jim Teal: Ray Teal. Silas Huff: Jon Lormer. Boomer: Todd Ferrell.
   • Trivia: If the school board is looking for a teacher who will accept $2,400.00 per year and $5 per week or $200 would make up the difference of Miss Hazlit's salary, it must mean she earns $2,600.00. Two farmers named John and Tom are also on the school board. Apparently the kids once had a "mean" teacher named Mr. Platt as a substitute.
   • Note: Bill, Roy, the boy chopping wood, and John and Tom are uncredited.

"The Owl" (09/28/58):

Timmy and Boomer are so desperate to be useful that Ruth entrusts a fresh egg delivery to the boys, but they're sidetracked by an aggressive barn ow1 after they try to replace two broken eggs. Boomer: Todd Ferrell.

"The Crash" (10/05/58):

The boys are out searching for gold when Lassie finds an injured pilot in a crashed plane. She helps free the man and then goes for help while the boys set the man's leg, but falls into a pit before she can reach home. Meanwhile, the pilot shoots off a flare that starts a fire. Mr. Matthews: Russell Johnson. Boomer: Todd Ferrell.

"The Rocking Chair" (10/12/58):

Lassie falls in love with a rocking chair she found in the haymow which is destined for donation to a benefit sale, and when it's sold to cranky Joe Bascomb, she determines to do something to get it back. Joe Bascomb: Rusty Lane. Sheriff Miller: Robert Foulk.
   • Note: The auctioneer is uncredited. One wonders what the rocker's attraction is to Lassie; could it have belonged to Gramps? If so, it was evidently used early in the series because apparently Timmy doesn't remember it.

"Fish Out of Water" (10/19/58):

Timmy brings home Speckles, a trout Lassie caught, to keep it as her "pet" and take it for an "interactive experience" for sharing period at school (in part to best Roy, who's collecting butterflies), but the siphoning system they set up to keep the fish alive is undermined by a fisher who's been raiding the henhouse—and the termite-rotted timbers in the barn. Miss Hazlit: Sally Bliss. Willy Brewster: Linda Wrather. Boomer: Todd Ferrell. (Roy is uncredited.)

"Trapped" (10/26/58):

So that they will scare girls into not kissing them at Martha Tyson's Halloween party, Timmy and Boomer hunt foxfire to smear on their faces and become trapped in an abandoned house in the woods that is scheduled for demolition. Bulldozer Operator: Rand Brooks. Foreman: Harold Goodwin.
   • Note: Rand Brooks previously played Corporal Randy Boone in the Rin Tin Tin series starring Lee Aaker. He played Scarlett O'Hara's first husband Charles Hamilton in Gone With the Wind.

"Our Gal" (11/02/58):

Paul's expensive new sow "Our Gal" has an predeliction for running away, even through reinforced fencing, and on one of her journeys she farrows and leaves her litter of piglets in the woods. When the babies are returned to her, she refuses to nurse. Herb: Jason Johnson. Boomer: Todd Ferrell.

"Lassie's Decision" (11/09/58):

Timmy's plan to help his new friend Henry Bridell, who is terrified of dogs, backfires when Henry mistakes Lassie's extra attention as love for him and believes she wants to stay with him. Mrs. Bridell: Judith Ames. Henry: Earl Robie. Boomer: Todd Ferrell.
   • Trivia: The Bridells have moved into the old Stoddard place. Henry is afraid of dogs because his mother is; there was once a mad dog in her hometown.
   • Note: The dog Henry picks out at the pound turns up in many other roles, including Mr. Jensen's dog Ruff, Flip's dog Butch, and Spot (see "Stable Mates" below).

"The Egret" (11/16/58):

On an expedition for his Audobon Junior Club, Timmy sees rare American egrets, but no one will believe him. But after a hunter shoots at and scares the egrets away from their nest, they try to have Henrietta the goose incubate the last egg, while Lassie captures one of the birds' plumes as evidence. Boomer: Todd Ferrell. Mr. Binns: Harry Cheshire. Hunter: Dennis Moore.
   • Trivia: Egrets have not been seen in the state for twenty years.

"The Archers" (11/23/58):

Two callous young bow hunters wander the woods shooting animals, then leave them for dead, but Lassie's discovery of one of their arrows leads the Martins to a wounded bear cub which they try to save. Boomer: Todd Ferrell. Doc Weaver: Arthur Space. Archers: Ron Hagerthy and Harry Harvey Jr.
   • Note: Keeping Lassie appearances "all in the family, Harry Harvey Sr appears in the episode "The Black Woods," below.

"The Bundle from Britain" (11/30/58):

Boomer is jealous when Timmy seems to prefer the company of his English visitor, Robin, and his little Cairn terrier Basil, so he and a classmate make fun of Robin's short pants and school tie. But Robin wants to leave after he realizes the rift he's caused between Timmy and Boomer. Miss Hazlit: Sally Bliss. Willy Brewster: Linda Wrather. Bud: Chris Olsen. Robin: Billy Potton. Boomer: Todd Ferrell.
   • Trivia: Timmy tells Boomer that his father stayed with Robin's parents while stationed in England, and Paul later reminisces with Robin about it. Robin has stopped to visit the Martins while enroute to Toronto.
   • Note: Poor Robin gets some of the most stereotypical British dialog you've ever heard, but at least he fares better than Willy, who simply gets to make sheep's eyes at Robin and serve cookies while the boys learn to play cricket!

"The Black Woods" (12/07/58):

Having seen sugar maples while taking Timmy on a nature hike, Uncle Petrie returns to the woods to investigate—and runs into two men holding bank president Robert Hanson hostage. Remembering that he taught Timmy smoke signals on their hike, he makes a desperate gamble while helping one of the criminals make a fire. With Robert Hanson: Harry Harvey Sr. Men: William Henry and Keith Richards.
   • Trivia: The Martins' rescue of Mr. Hanson is reported in several newspapers, including the Calverton News and the Capitol City Spectator. The Spectator will be referenced again in "The Christmas Story."
   • Note: The kidnapper in the dark jacket is named "Joe," but I don't know which of the actors played the role.

"The Raffle" (12/14/58):

Tongues wag in the neighborhood after Lassie picks Ruth's ticket as a winner in a raffle for a piano—but the real loser is Timmy, who's forced to take lessons. Mrs. Graff: Kathleen Freeman. Mrs. Castro: Dorothy Neuman. Mrs. Heffer: Jeanne Bates.

"The Christmas Story" (12/21/58):

Several days before Christmas, Lassie is struck by a truck while saving a three-year-old girl and so seriously injured she needs a special veterinarian to operate on her. Willy: Linda Wrather. Doc Weaver: Arthur Space. Al Bronson: Larry Blake. Mrs. Bailey: Anne Barton. Dr. Watkins: Addison Richards. Boomer: Todd Ferrell. Carols by the Les Baxter Choir.
   • Trivia: Al Bronson works for the Capitol City Spectator. Dr. Watkins lives in Lafayette.
   • Note: This is the first in a series of classic Lassie Christmas episodes, this one featuring a delightful piece of dialog between Timmy and Boomer about all the delicious treats they'll get when they go out caroling on Christmas Eve, carols as lovely background music, and a Christmas miracle that includes a doctor who won't accept a fee! Yep, that's television!

"The Ladybugs" (12/28/58):

Timmy and Boomer want to be partners in a business, and, learning Paul is planning to spend $10 on ladybugs to help fight aphids in his apple orchard, are determined to find the cache of them Lassie discovered earlier. But the collie wants nothing to do with the itchy pests. John Garrett: John Maxwell. Boomer: Todd Ferrell.

"Junior GIs" (01/04/59):

The Army is conducting war games near the farm, and excited Timmy, Boomer, and their friends, plan their own maneuvers in what is a safe area. But it's no game when scout Timmy and his "war dog" Lassie are ordered to investigate a live mine field! Boomer: Todd Ferrell. With Bart Bradley and Sydney Smith.
   • Note: This is the first of several appearances made by U.S. Army characters in the Timmy episodes.

"The Big Cat" (01/11/59):

Ruth, taking a woods shortcut on her way to a Grange supper and having to replace a flat tire, is caught in a trap set by a state hunter to catch a marauding cougar. Bob Minor: Harlan Warde.
   • Extended Note: Lassie's supposedly "unbelievable" heroics fetching the "C" clamp needed to open the trap provide June Lockhart with an amusing story to tell in ABC's anniversary special Lassie Unleashed, but in reality she doesn't do anything more incredible than a dog competing in Utility competitions in obedience trials. Not only that, but Ruth's actions in this episode are rather novel for the usual woman character in a 1950s series: knowing she will be traveling along a potentially hazardous road with a cougar loose, she takes a firearm for protection. When she gets a flat tire she groans, but matter-of-factly prepares to change it. When caught in the trap, she shouts for help, then sensibly assesses the situation, tries a few ways to get free, then concentrates on keeping warm and alive. When Lassie shows up, she takes the chance and sends the dog for the "C" clamp. Although in pain, when Lassie shows up with the cheese slicer instead, she's very patient and tries again. Finally free, she doesn't panic when Lassie challenges the cougar; she goes to the car, gets the rifle, takes aim, and shoots the animal about to attack the family dog. She neither has hysterics nor acts stupid or fluttery, unlike the stereotypical idiot 1950s female television character. Bravo!

"The Tree" (01/18/59):

For a club project, Timmy and Boomer adopt a tree that folklore tells was planted by Johnny Appleseed, then discover it is scheduled to be cut down to make way for a highway, so Timmy writes a letter to the President of the United States. Boomer: Todd Ferrell. Older Engineer: Grant Richards. Younger Engineer: Charles Bateman. Mr. Hanby: Paul E. Burns
   • Note: Is this the tree planted by Johnny Appleseed found in the Jeff episode "The Apple Tree"?
   • Trivia: Uncle Petrie apparently has a little romance in his past; his fondness for apple trees stem from one he carved his and his sweetheart's initials in when he was young. Her first initial was "P."

"Timmy, the Oil Millionaire" (01/25/59):

When Lassie keeps coming home with greasy muck on her legs, Timmy and Boomer investigate, and discover a pool of oil on their property. But Uncle Petrie's investigation of the pool proves to be his undoing. Boomer: Todd Ferrell. George Flannery: Ray Montgomery.
   • Trivia: The oil refinery is at Whitfield.

"Beholden" (02/01/59):

Asa Winkler, a conniving handyman, claims Lassie bit him and tore his pants to obtain odd jobs at the Martins—and arranges other "accidents" to stay on. Winkler: J. Pat O'Malley. Mr. Bates: George Cisar.
   • Note: O'Malley, the quintessential character actor, was not a new entry to the Lassie "family"—in Lassie Come Home he plays Hynes, the incompetent kennelman. He appears once again in "The Ostrich." I believe this is the only episode where you see Boomer's father.

"Tartan Queen" (02/08/59):

A breeder says Lassie may be descended from a famous show dog and urges Timmy not to let her run wild, so the depressed collie must sit on the sidelines while Boomer's terrier Mike has all the fun. Then Mike vanishes. Boomer: Todd Ferrell. Mr. Carter: Philip Tonge.
   • Note: Philip Tonge played Mr. Shellhammer in the classic Christmas film Miracle on 34th Street, starring Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood, and Edmund Gwenn as Kris Kringle.

"The Horse Show" (02/15/59):

Timmy, disappointed that there are no contests in the county fair a small boy can participate in, enters his burro Lucky in a farm horse event.
   • Trivia: Paul enters his corn and Ruth her preserves (crabapple jelly, strawberry jam, and orange marmalade) in the various competitions and Uncle Petrie is in the whittling contest. Paul and Ruth both win prizes, but Uncle Petrie carves his thumb rather than wood!
   • Note: This is the last you see Lucky, who was in two episodes the previous season. Lucky was originally female, but is male in this story, at least as referred to by Timmy, who keeps saying "he." Uncle Petrie does refer to Lucky as "she." Mr. Tumulty the county fair official and the little girl whose doves Lassie and Lucky rescue are uncredited.

"The Cat Who Came to Dinner" (02/22/59):

The Martins adopt a cat they find half-drowned outside the house, but the conniving cat, dubbed "Mustard" by Timmy because of his color, immediately starts getting Lassie into trouble.

"The Bonnet" (03/01/59):

Knowing Ruth hasn't had a new hat in four years, Paul buys her a lovely spring hat he discovers she was longing for, but Timmy and Lassie inadvertently ruin it while playing. Shop Owner: Sheila Bromley.
   • Note: June Lockhart always joked about how Ruth and Paul rarely kissed on the series. But they share a kiss twice in this episode and the whole plot of Paul buying a hat Ruth admired (at Lassie's instigation) is rather romantic.

"The Puppy Story" (03/08/59):

Timmy and Boomer are heartbroken when they find out Lassie's puppies are to be sold, so Lassie hides them in an old pen in the woods. But the mischevious babies get free and wander into dangerous situations. Boomer: Todd Ferrell. Jerry: Charles Herbert. Edith: Mary Lawrence.
   • Note: Herbert and the puppy he adopts, Blacktail, also appear in a sequel, the seventh season opener. Charles Herbert was a popular child actor of the era, and appeared in movies such as The Boy and the Pirates.

"The Young Flyers" (03/15/59):

The entire family pitches in to help Timmy win in his Cub Scout troop's kite-flying contest, especially after the original kite is lost. Scoutmaster: Michael Garth.
   • Note: Here's another episode with some romantic "action" for Paul and Ruth: a very sweet scene where a particularly memorable blue silk dress is sacrificed for Timmy's new kite where Paul and Ruth are definitely remembering some romantic times! There's also a nice romantic scene between the pair in the previous season's "The Baby Sitter."

"The Watch Dog" (03/22/59):

Lassie, staying at a neighbor's house while the family as at the county fair, is blamed for the damage done by Chipper, a chimpanzee being nursed back to health by Mrs. Collins. Seth Collins: Frank Ferguson. Bertha Collins: Martha Wentworth.
   • Note: Ferguson played Lassie's first vet, Dr. Peter Wilson, in the Jeff episodes. He was also Gus, the McLaughlin family ranch hand, in the series My Friend Flicka; Johnny Washbrook, who starred in that series, has a guest appearance later in the season.

"The Puppet" (03/29/59):

Lassie falls in love with Suzy, a canine hand puppet manipulated by a down-on-his-luck ventriloquist, and is upset when Suzy seems to "die" and is shoved in a valise. Mr. Ventrilo: Ted Knight.
   • Note: Ted Knight began his career as a ventriloquist. This is an episode that June Lockhart doesn't cut up about, but again a humorous one and a bit incongruous: this is Lassie who has trailed innumerable kids, animals, and adults through the woods and snow—and she can't smell that Ventrilo's puppet isn't a real dog?

"Rock Hound" (04/05/59):

After they accidentally break his window with a rock propelled by a slingshot, Timmy and Boomer collect rocks as repayment for their neighbor Mr. Brody, and suspect he is a bank robber after he gives them sacks emblazoned "Capitol City National Bank" to store them in. But revealing this information to Brody's new farmhand proves dangerous. Boomer: Todd Ferrell. Case Ferguson: James Anderson. Mr. Brody: J. Anthony Hughes. Bud/(Freddie?): Chris Olsen.
   • Blooper: When the boy runs up to Boomer and Timmy as the story opens, they say to him "Hi, Bud!" But later on Boomer says, "I wish we hadn't traded for that slingshot with Freddie."
   • Note: Chris Olsen (Bud or Freddie) is the brother of Susan Olsen, Cindy on The Brady Bunch.

"The Charm" (04/12/59):

Timmy and Boomer borrow Uncle Petrie's cat's-eye charm to have good luck in a leaf-gathering project for school, but Boomer loses it in the woods. Uncle Petrie immediately begins having bad luck! Boomer: Todd Ferrell.
   • Trivia: Uncle Petrie had a friend who served with Admiral Dewey in Manila.

"Teamwork" (04/19/59):

Timmy and Boomer, already arguing over a project to build a lean-to, are further annoyed by the prescence of Boomer's visiting cousin, a know-it-all older girl who wanders away from the boys to explore a cave. Boomer: Todd Ferrell. Millicent Radcliffe: Reba Waters.

"Stable Mates" (04/26/59):

When Timmy brings home a little dog that Lassie's been feeding, the animal is temporarily adopted as Lassie's "pet" and named "Spot." But when the three bring home a temperamental race horse named Monarch, Ruth is a bit perturbed. Mr. Kramer: Stuart Randall.
   • Note: The little dog who plays Spot turns up in at least two later episode, as "Butch," Flip's dog, and "Ruff," the pet of Mr. Jensen in "Lassie's Good Deed." Randall played several guest star roles on the series and became series semi-regular Al Livermore during the last season of Timmy episodes.

"The Camera" (05/03/59):

Timmy's new camera and an unpleasant neighbor who wants to hunt pheasant on the Martins' land figure in a story in which Uncle Petrie and Paul help Timmy find subjects for his photos. Amos Lovejoy: Daniel White. Sheriff Miller: Robert Foulk.

"Peace Patrol" (05/10/59):

During the show's original syndication run, this was one of two episodes—the other being sixth season's "The UNICEF Story"—never released for telecast. The Wrather Corporation also produced the popular Lone Ranger TV series and Clayton Moore and Silver, who make a cameo appearance, were "spokesmen" for the Peace Patrol. Since this episode was withdrawn from the original syndication, I have included a longer than usual summary for it.

The episode opens with a film of Clayton Moore as the Lone Ranger touring Washington, DC. He is promoting "the Peace Patrol," an organization for children to join to support the United States by saving their money to buy U.S. Savings Stamps and thus Savings Bonds when they have filled their stamp album. Mr. Rayburn, from the school administrator's office, then distributes sales kits to the children voted to represent each school—Timmy has been chosen captain representing the Calverton school. Mr. Rayburn sweetens the pot by telling the children that whichever school sells the most savings stamps will not only receive a plaque, but it will be presented by the Lone Ranger and Silver themselves! Timmy sells his first stamp to Boomer, who asks if he can help Timmy sell the stamps. Timmy agrees when Ruth reminds him that even the Lone Ranger has a lieutenant to assist him—Tonto. Later, Timmy mourns that he doesn't have more money to buy stamps to fill his own stamp album. Paul, Ruth, and Uncle Petrie, impressed by his resolve to save money to buy savings stamps, sneak into his room after he's asleep and add money to his cache. By Friday, everyone has joined the Peace Patrol but Frankie Jessup, who threatens to beat up anyone who asks him to join. Both Timmy and Boomer try without result and are angry until Ruth tells them to do what the Lone Ranger would do, find out why Frankie hates the club. They discover that the Jessups are in danger of losing their farm and Frankie can't afford to join the Peace Patrol. When Timmy finds out from Miss Hazlit that someone stole the box of money collected for the Peace Patrol, Boomer accuses Frankie of doing it to earn money. The boys rush to the school to see if they can find out what happened and find the window of the school broken and dried blood on the steps. Lassie trails the scent while the rest of the Martins stop at the Jessup farm, offering to help Mr. Jessup, but he tells them he is out looking for Frankie, who ran away when the sheriff came to question him about the missing Peace Patrol money. Lassie's trail ends at a deserted barn, where a vagrant who tried to get a job at the school earlier in the week is hiding with the missing box of money. The vagrant attacks Lassie with a knife and then a stick, and the Martins and Mr. Jessup arrive in time to capture him and save the box. Frankie then emerges from the woods to be reunited with his dad. The Calverton school evidently wins the prize, because at the end the Lone Ranger and Silver appear to present the award to Timmy and the school. Both Timmy and Boomer get to ride Silver and Lassie, now the second animal to be initiated into the Peace Patrol, gets to lead him. Frankie Jessup: Bobby Clark. Mr. Jessup: Ken Patterson. Vagrant: Buddy Lester. Mr. Rayburn: Oliver McGowan. Lone Ranger: Clayton Moore. And Silver.

"Swami" (05/17/59):

When the Martins offer to host the church carnival, Timmy and Boomer decide to have their own booth—and after trying other ideas, take Uncle Petrie's advice and have a fortunetelling concession. Boomer: Todd Ferrell. Willy: Linda Wrather. Thief: Ken Tellman. Sarcastic Boy: Ricky Kelman.
   • Note: While "Lassie Jr" plays Lassie in most of the episode, there is a scene with Timmy on the phone where another collie is playing the role. See the sixth season page to find out the story behind that.

"Campout" (05/24/59):

An older boy named Chuck, on the run from an uncle who didn't believe his story of a marauding bear, encourages Timmy and Boomer to camp out, so they try "roughing it" for the first time in the barn. Boomer: Todd Ferrell. Chuck: John Washbrook.
   • Note: Washbrook played "Ken McLaughlin" on the series My Friend Flicka.

"Lassie's Guest" (05/31/59):

Boomer leaves Mike in Timmy's care when he goes to visit his aunt and uncle—but Mike's favorite ball may be his undoing. Boomer: Todd Ferrell. Al: Hal Taggart.
   • Trivia: The license plate number of Martins' car is 2A4323.
   • Note: In the scene where Timmy is blowing bubbles, "Spook" is again playing Lassie. Again, check the sixth season page.

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