Lassie Come Home: A Visit to Nostalgia?

Looks like I'm on a roll with the 'pet' thing. Everyone at ThirdAge likes pets (well, the folks who write to me, do), and I like pets, and the pets like each other... so here's more pet news.

Who remembers Lassie? Come on - everyone raise his or her hand. You remember. You were sitting mesmerized in front of the TV back in the day, eager to get lost in Lassie's lastest adventure - rescuing Timmy. The show is in reruns on the Discovery Channel now. I don't get to watch it, but - I don't have to - I remember it so clearly! Funny thing is, I didn't really remember the people, as much as I remember Lassie. Sure, I know it was Timmy and Mom and Dad, and they lived on a farm. But, other than June Lockhart, I have no clear memory of the other characters' real names. For instance, who knew Cloris Leachman played Timmy's Mom, at one point? Not me!

Lassie was a fond favorite of mine - just as Rin-Tin-Tin was. But this story is about Lassie so we'll save Rin-Tin-Tin for another time. (even though I own a Rin-Tin-Tin kinda dog.)

The reason I'm writing about Lassie, today, is because I got a notice from a PR firm that Lassie is coming to a theatre near you, soon. Well, it didn't say that, it said, "Lassie is coming to theaters this September." Since I get a fair number of press releases, I am selective about which ones I open, and even more selective about which ones spark an interest to write. This one got my attention. In true Lassie form, here's the synopsis from the press release:

Synopsis: Lassie is the timeless and heart warming tale of a beloved dog and her long journey to reuinite with her family, starring Peter O'Toole, Smantha Morton, Peter Dinklage and Lassie. Set on the eve of World War II in a Yorkshire mining town. After falling on hard time, the Carraclough family is forced to sell Lassie, their beloved dog, to the Duke of Rudling. When she succeeds in escaping her cage, Lassie finds herself transported five hundred miles away to the Duke's remote castle on the northern coast of Scotland. However, she is determined to defy the odds and return to the home she loves. So begins an incredible adventure set against a stunning series of lanscapes that sees Lassie facing dangers both natural and human and finding help in unexpected places as she makes her way across the country to reach home in time for Christmas. <end>

This sounds like the classic Lassie Come Home Story, to me. The one that gets your eyes welling and your heartstrings humming. Anyone who can resist it - needs psychiatric help, in my opinion.

As a child, I remember being totally enthralled by the TV show, and always eager for the movies that would pop up now and then. I say movies, plural, without really knowing how many movies there were. Some must have been made-for-tv-movies, I expect. Regardless, anything about Lassie gets my attention - and might even get my cash. I'm a sucker for a dog-story - sell me toys and trinkets - I'll buy.