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Lassie (1997 TV series)
Encyclopedia
Lassie is a Canadian
television series which aired from 1997 to 1999 on YTV in Canada and Sunday nights on the Animal Planet
network in the United States
, as a remake of the original Lassie TV series (1954–1974)
about a boy and his faithful dog. As with previous Lassie TV versions and several movies dating back to the original Lassie Come Home
movie of 1943, the star was Lassie
, a trained Rough Collie
.
Not to be confused with a previous, syndicated
remake entitled The New Lassie
which aired 1989–1991, this Canadian-produced Lassie series starred Corey Sevier
as 13-year old "Timmy Cabot" in the fictional town of Hudson Falls, Vermont. The show was filmed in Quebec
by Cinar Inc.
. In this series' story line, Timmy and his recently-widowed mother, Karen Cabot, move to Hudson Falls, where Karen takes over a veterinary practice.
In the first (1997) season, Lassie was played by "Howard", an eighth generation collie descended from "Pal"
, the dog in the original 1943 movie Lassie Come Home. As with all previous Lassie movies and television series beginning with Pal, Howard was owned and trained
by Weatherwax Trained Dogs, founded by brothers Frank
and Rudd Weatherwax
. Midway through production, Cinar replaced Howard with a non-Pal descended dog. Following Lassie fan protests, "Hey Hey", son of Howard and a ninth-generation direct descendent of Pal, was brought in to assume the role of Lassie for the final thirteen episodes of the show.
Although young Corey Sevier impressed critics, others complained that the series relegated Lassie to a bystander role by focusing more on the Cabot family's dealings with various townspeople, at the expense of featuring Lassie's action stunts and feats as had been traditional in the famous canine's previous movie and TV incarnations.
The show was canceled after two seasons. A total of 49 episodes were produced.
The entire first season is available on DVD
in Canada since April 4, 2006.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
television series which aired from 1997 to 1999 on YTV in Canada and Sunday nights on the Animal Planet
Animal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
network in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, as a remake of the original Lassie TV series (1954–1974)
Lassie (1954 TV series)
Lassie is an American television series that follows the adventures of a female Rough Collie named Lassie and her companions, human and animal. The show was the creation of producer Robert Maxwell and animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax and was televised from September 12, 1954, to March 24, 1973...
about a boy and his faithful dog. As with previous Lassie TV versions and several movies dating back to the original Lassie Come Home
Lassie Come Home
Lassie Come Home is a 1943 MGM film starring Roddy McDowall and canine actor, Pal, in a story about the profound bond between Yorkshire boy Joe Carraclough and his rough collie, Lassie. The film was directed by Fred M. Wilcox from a screenplay by Hugo Butler based upon the 1940 novel Lassie...
movie of 1943, the star was Lassie
Lassie
Lassie is a fictional collie dog character created by Eric Knight in a short story expanded to novel length called Lassie Come-Home. Published in 1940, the novel was filmed by MGM in 1943 as Lassie Come Home with a dog named Pal playing Lassie. Pal then appeared with the stage name "Lassie" in six...
, a trained Rough Collie
Rough Collie
The Rough Collie is a long coated breed of medium to large size dog that in its original form was a type of collie used and bred for herding in Scotland. Originating in the 1800's, it is now well known through the works of author Albert Payson Terhune, and through the Lassie novel, movies, and...
.
Not to be confused with a previous, syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
remake entitled The New Lassie
The New Lassie
The New Lassie was an American television series which aired in first-run syndication for two seasons beginning in 1989, reviving the beloved "Lassie" collie character who debuted in the 1943 film Lassie Come Home, followed by several more movies and a long-running earlier Lassie television series...
which aired 1989–1991, this Canadian-produced Lassie series starred Corey Sevier
Corey Sevier
Corey Daniel Sevier is a Canadian actor. He is perhaps best known for his role on the Fox television series North Shore as Gabriel McKay or as Timmy Cabot on the television series Lassie from the late 1990s.-Life and career:...
as 13-year old "Timmy Cabot" in the fictional town of Hudson Falls, Vermont. The show was filmed in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
by Cinar Inc.
Cookie Jar Entertainment
The Cookie Jar Group is an American and Canadian producer of children’s entertainment, consumer products and educational materials...
. In this series' story line, Timmy and his recently-widowed mother, Karen Cabot, move to Hudson Falls, where Karen takes over a veterinary practice.
In the first (1997) season, Lassie was played by "Howard", an eighth generation collie descended from "Pal"
Pal (dog actor)
Pal was a Rough Collie actor and the first in a line of such dogs to portray the fictional female collie Lassie in film and television. Pal was born in California in 1940 and eventually brought to the notice of Rudd Weatherwax, a Hollywood animal trainer. In 1943, the dog was chosen to play Lassie...
, the dog in the original 1943 movie Lassie Come Home. As with all previous Lassie movies and television series beginning with Pal, Howard was owned and trained
Animal training
Animal training refers to teaching animals specific responses to specific conditions or stimuli. Training may be for the purpose of companionship, detection, protection, entertainment or all of the above....
by Weatherwax Trained Dogs, founded by brothers Frank
Frank Weatherwax
Frank Thrall Weatherwax was an American actor and animal trainer. He is best remembered with his brother Rudd Weatherwax for their famous collie, Pal, the dog who became famous as Lassie in the 1943 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film Lassie Come Home.Weatherwax was born in Camp Palomas, New Mexico...
and Rudd Weatherwax
Rudd Weatherwax
Ruddell Bird "Rudd" Weatherwax was an American actor and animal trainer. He and his brother Frank Weatherwax are best remembered for training dogs for motion pictures and television. Frank's collie, Pal, became the original Lassie, handled by Rudd for the 1943 MGM film Lassie Come Home...
. Midway through production, Cinar replaced Howard with a non-Pal descended dog. Following Lassie fan protests, "Hey Hey", son of Howard and a ninth-generation direct descendent of Pal, was brought in to assume the role of Lassie for the final thirteen episodes of the show.
Although young Corey Sevier impressed critics, others complained that the series relegated Lassie to a bystander role by focusing more on the Cabot family's dealings with various townspeople, at the expense of featuring Lassie's action stunts and feats as had been traditional in the famous canine's previous movie and TV incarnations.
The show was canceled after two seasons. A total of 49 episodes were produced.
The entire first season is available on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in Canada since April 4, 2006.
Cast
- Corey SevierCorey SevierCorey Daniel Sevier is a Canadian actor. He is perhaps best known for his role on the Fox television series North Shore as Gabriel McKay or as Timmy Cabot on the television series Lassie from the late 1990s.-Life and career:...
as Timmy Cabot - Susan Almgren as Dr. Karen Cabot
- Walter MasseyWalter Massey (actor)Walter Edward Hart Massey is a Canadian actor. He has had numerous roles on stage, movies, and television for more than five decades. Massey is the cousin of actor Raymond Massey and is a founding member of Canadian Actors' Equity.He played the part of U.S. President Taft in the 2005 movie The...
as Dr. Donald Stewart - Tim Post as Ethan Bennet