Tommy Rettig
Encyclopedia
Thomas Noel "Tommy" Rettig (December 10, 1941 – February 15, 1996) was an American
child actor
,computer
software engineer
, and author
. Rettig is best remembered for portraying the character "Jeff Miller" in the first three seasons of CBS
's Lassie
television series, from 1954–1957, later seen in syndicated
re-runs as Jeff's Collie. He also co-starred with another former child actor, Tony Dow
, in the mid-1960s television teen soap opera Never Too Young
and recorded the song by that title with the group The TR-4.
Italian American mother, Rosemary Nibali, in Jackson Heights
, Queens
, New York
. He started his career at age six, on tour with Mary Martin
in the play Annie Get Your Gun
, in which he played Little Jake.
Before his famous role as Jeff Miller in the first Lassie
television series, Rettig also appeared in about 18 feature film
s including So Big
, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T
(written by Dr. Seuss
) and River of No Return
with Marilyn Monroe
and Robert Mitchum
. It was his work with a dog in The 5000 Fingers Of Dr. T. that led animal trainer
Rudd Weatherwax
to urge him to audition for the Lassie role, for which Weatherwax supplied the famous collies
.
Rettig later told interviewers that he longed for a life as a normal teenager, and after four seasons, was able to get out of his contract. He was also critical of the treatment and compensation of child actors of his day. He reportedly received no residual payments from his work in the Lassie series, even though it was syndicated and widely shown under the name Jeff's Collie.
He graduated in 1959 from University High School in Los Angeles. In 1964–1965, he co-starred with another former child actor, Tony Dow
, in the ABC
television soap opera
for teens, Never Too Young
. With the group "The TR-4", he recorded the song by that title on the "Velvet Tone" label.
on his farm, and a cocaine
possession charge that he was exonerated of). Some years after he left acting, he became a motivational speaker
, which—through work on computer mailing lists—led to involvement in the early days of personal computer
s.
For the last 15 years of his life, Rettig was a well-known database
programmer
, author, and expert. He was an early employee of Ashton-Tate
, and specialized in (sequentially) dBASE
, Clipper
, FoxBASE and finally FoxPro
. Rettig moved to Marina del Rey in the late 1980s.
, with Jon Provost
, which aired on October 25, 1991. The series featured appearances from two other Lassie veterans, Roddy McDowall
, who had starred in the first movie Lassie Come Home
(1943) and June Lockhart
, who had starred in the 1945 movie Son of Lassie
, and the television series (as Timmy's mother in the years after Rettig left the show).
He died at fifty-four of a heart attack
. His memorial service in Marina del Rey, California
was attended by Roger Clinton, Jr.
, the half-brother of then U.S. President Bill Clinton
, and several former child stars, who were featured in a photo spread in The National Enquirer
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
child actor
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
,computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
software engineer
Software engineer
A software engineer is an engineer who applies the principles of software engineering to the design, development, testing, and evaluation of the software and systems that make computers or anything containing software, such as computer chips, work.- Overview :...
, and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. Rettig is best remembered for portraying the character "Jeff Miller" in the first three seasons of CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's Lassie
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...
television series, from 1954–1957, later seen in 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...
re-runs as Jeff's Collie. He also co-starred with another former child actor, Tony Dow
Tony Dow
Tony Lee Dow is an American film producer, director, sculptor, and a television child actor of the 1950s and 1960s.Dow is best known for his role in the television sitcom Leave It to Beaver, which ran in primetime from 1957 to 1963...
, in the mid-1960s television teen soap opera Never Too Young
Never Too Young
Never Too Young is an American teen soap opera that aired on ABC from September 27, 1965 to June 24, 1966 and was the first soap opera geared towards a teen audience.-Synopsis:...
and recorded the song by that title with the group The TR-4.
Early life and acting career
Rettig was born to a Jewish father, Elias Rettig, and a ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Italian American mother, Rosemary Nibali, in Jackson Heights
Jackson Heights, Queens
Jackson Heights is a neighborhood in the Northwestern portion of the borough of Queens in New York, New York, United States. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 3...
, Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He started his career at age six, on tour with Mary Martin
Mary Martin
Mary Virginia Martin was an American actress and singer. She originated many roles over her career including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific and Maria in The Sound of Music. She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1989...
in the play Annie Get Your Gun
Annie Get Your Gun (musical)
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley , who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.The 1946 Broadway production...
, in which he played Little Jake.
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...
television series, Rettig also appeared in about 18 feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
s including So Big
So Big (1953 film)
So Big is a 1953 American drama film directed by Robert Wise. The screenplay by John Twist is based on the 1924 novel by Edna Ferber. It is the third adaptation of the book, following a 1924 silent film with Colleen Moore and So Big! with Barbara Stanwyck, released in 1932.-Plot:In the late 1890s,...
, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T
The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T
The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. is a musical fantasy film, the only feature film ever written by Theodor Seuss Geisel , who was responsible for the story, screenplay and lyrics...
(written by Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone....
) and River of No Return
River of No Return
River of No Return is a 1954 American Western film directed by Otto Preminger and starring Robert Mitchum and Marilyn Monroe. The screenplay by Frank Fenton is based on a story by Louis Lantz, who borrowed his premise from the 1948 Italian film The Bicycle Thief...
with Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
and Robert Mitchum
Robert Mitchum
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum was an American film actor, author, composer and singer and is #23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time...
. It was his work with a dog in The 5000 Fingers Of Dr. T. that led animal trainer
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....
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...
to urge him to audition for the Lassie role, for which Weatherwax supplied the famous collies
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...
.
Rettig later told interviewers that he longed for a life as a normal teenager, and after four seasons, was able to get out of his contract. He was also critical of the treatment and compensation of child actors of his day. He reportedly received no residual payments from his work in the Lassie series, even though it was syndicated and widely shown under the name Jeff's Collie.
He graduated in 1959 from University High School in Los Angeles. In 1964–1965, he co-starred with another former child actor, Tony Dow
Tony Dow
Tony Lee Dow is an American film producer, director, sculptor, and a television child actor of the 1950s and 1960s.Dow is best known for his role in the television sitcom Leave It to Beaver, which ran in primetime from 1957 to 1963...
, in the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
for teens, Never Too Young
Never Too Young
Never Too Young is an American teen soap opera that aired on ABC from September 27, 1965 to June 24, 1966 and was the first soap opera geared towards a teen audience.-Synopsis:...
. With the group "The TR-4", he recorded the song by that title on the "Velvet Tone" label.
Post-acting career
As an adult, Rettig preferred to be called "Tom." He found the transition from child star difficult, and had several well-publicized legal entanglements relating to illegal recreational drugs (a conviction for growing marijuanaCannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
on his farm, and a cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
possession charge that he was exonerated of). Some years after he left acting, he became a motivational speaker
Motivational speaker
A motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...
, which—through work on computer mailing lists—led to involvement in the early days of personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
s.
For the last 15 years of his life, Rettig was a well-known database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
programmer
Software engineer
A software engineer is an engineer who applies the principles of software engineering to the design, development, testing, and evaluation of the software and systems that make computers or anything containing software, such as computer chips, work.- Overview :...
, author, and expert. He was an early employee of Ashton-Tate
Ashton-Tate
Ashton-Tate was a US based software company best known for developing the popular dBASE database application. Ashton-Tate grew from a small garage-based company to become a multinational corporation...
, and specialized in (sequentially) dBASE
DBASE
dBase II was the first widely used database management system for microcomputers. It was originally published by Ashton-Tate for CP/M, and later on ported to the Apple II and IBM PC under DOS...
, Clipper
Clipper programming language
Clipper is a computer programming language that is used to create software programs that originally operated primarily under DOS. Although it is a powerful general-purpose programming language, it was primarily used to create database/business programs....
, FoxBASE and finally FoxPro
FoxPro
' has two meanings:*Visual FoxPro, an object-oriented programming language and RDBMS, published by Microsoft, for Microsoft Windows*FoxPro 2, a text-based procedural programming language and DBMS, originally published by Fox Software and later by Microsoft, for MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, Macintosh,...
. Rettig moved to Marina del Rey in the late 1980s.
Later years and death
Rettig made a guest appearance in an episode of the later television series The New LassieThe 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...
, with Jon Provost
Jon Provost
Jon Provost is a former child actor of film and television. He is best known for his role as young Timmy Martin in the CBS series, Lassie....
, which aired on October 25, 1991. The series featured appearances from two other Lassie veterans, Roddy McDowall
Roddy McDowall
Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude "Roddy" McDowall was an English actor and photographer. His film roles included Cornelius and Caesar in the Planet of the Apes film series...
, who had starred in the first movie 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...
(1943) and June Lockhart
June Lockhart
June Lockhart is an American actress, primarily in 1950s and 1960s television, but with memorable performances on stage and in film too. She is remembered as the mother in two TV series, Lassie and Lost in Space. She also portrayed Dr...
, who had starred in the 1945 movie Son of Lassie
Son of Lassie
Son of Lassie is a 1945 feature film produced by MGM based on characters created by Eric Knight, and starring Peter Lawford, Donald Crisp, June Lockhart and Lassie...
, and the television series (as Timmy's mother in the years after Rettig left the show).
He died at fifty-four of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. His memorial service in Marina del Rey, California
Marina del Rey, California
-Demographics:-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Marina del Rey had a population of 8,866. The population density was 6,094.6 people per square mile...
was attended by Roger Clinton, Jr.
Roger Clinton, Jr.
Roger Cassidy Clinton is an American actor and musician and the half-brother of former President Bill Clinton.Roger Clinton was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas , the son of Virginia Clinton Kelley and Roger M...
, the half-brother of then U.S. President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, and several former child stars, who were featured in a photo spread in The National Enquirer
The National Enquirer
The National Enquirer is an American supermarket tabloid now published by American Media Inc . Founded in 1926, the tabloid has gone through a variety of changes over the years....
.
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Panic in the Streets Panic in the Streets (film) Panic in the Streets is a 1950 film noir directed by Elia Kazan. It was shot exclusively on location in New Orleans, Louisiana and features numerous New Orleans citizens in speaking and non-speaking roles.... |
(not credited) |
| The Jackpot The Jackpot The Jackpot is a 1950 American comedy film directed by Walter Lang with James Stewart and Barbara Hale in the lead roles. It features a young Natalie Wood.... |
Tommy Lawrence | |
| Two Weeks With Love Two Weeks with Love Two Weeks with Love is a 1950 romantic musical film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by Roy Rowland, based on story by John Larkin who co-wrote the screenplay with Dorothy Kingsley.Set in the early 1900s, the film focuses on the Robinson family... |
Ricky Robinson | |
| For Heaven's Sake For Heaven's Sake (1950 film) For Heaven's Sake is a 1950 fantasy film starring Clifton Webb as an angel trying to save the marriage of a couple played by Joan Bennett and Robert Cummings... |
Joe | |
| 1951 | The Strip | Artie Ardrey |
| Elopement | Daniel Reagan | |
| Weekend With Father | David Bowen | |
| 1952 | Paula | David Larsen |
| Gobs and Gals | Bertram | |
| 1953 | The Lady Wants Mink | Ritchie Connors |
| The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. is a musical fantasy film, the only feature film ever written by Theodor Seuss Geisel , who was responsible for the story, screenplay and lyrics... |
Bartholomew Collins | |
| So Big So Big (1953 film) So Big is a 1953 American drama film directed by Robert Wise. The screenplay by John Twist is based on the 1924 novel by Edna Ferber. It is the third adaptation of the book, following a 1924 silent film with Colleen Moore and So Big! with Barbara Stanwyck, released in 1932.-Plot:In the late 1890s,... |
Dirk (age 8) | |
| 1954 | River of No Return River of No Return River of No Return is a 1954 American Western film directed by Otto Preminger and starring Robert Mitchum and Marilyn Monroe. The screenplay by Frank Fenton is based on a story by Louis Lantz, who borrowed his premise from the 1948 Italian film The Bicycle Thief... |
Mark Calder |
| The Raid The Raid The Raid is a Technicolor 1954 American film set during the American Civil War. It stars Van Heflin, Anne Bancroft, Richard Boone and Lee Marvin. In 1864 a group of Confederate prisoners held in a Union prison stockade at Plattsburg, New York, not many miles from the Canadian border, escape. They... |
Larry Bishop | |
| The Egyptian The Egyptian (film) The Egyptian is an American 1954 epic film made in CinemaScope by 20th Century Fox, directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. It is based on Mika Waltari's novel and the screenplay was adapted by Philip Dunne and Casey Robinson... |
Thoth (son of Meryt) | |
| 1955 | The Cobweb The Cobweb (film) The Cobweb is a MGM film. It was directed by Vincente Minnelli and based on a novel by William Gibson. It was released on DVD as part of the Warner Archive Collection on January 18, 2011.... |
Mark McIver |
| At Gunpoint | Billy Wright | |
| 1956 | The Last Wagon | Billy |
Notable quotes
- "It really pissed me off — producers had this general impression that whatever talent and gifts you had learned how to use as a kid, as soon as you were 21 it dried up. That was for boys. Girls were a different story. They can go from cute to gorgeous."
- "Yeah, I met her right after I graduated;— 1959. We got married that December; I was eighteen, she was fifteen. My son Tom came in the first year. I wanted to live life as a normal guy. I wanted to know what real life was like. I sold men's clothes, I delivered flowers."
- "I just wanted to have a chance at the real world. Then I found out through working a series of straight jobs that straight jobs suck! But you sell fourteen pairs of Levis and you go home that night and it doesn't make you feel like cracking open the champagne."
- "Out of necessity, not choice, I wound up with my own production company, Potpourri Productions. I had that from 1967 to 1971. Won a few awards for my quality, produced over a hundred TV commercials and business films;— all L.A. stuff."
- "Once in a while there was some TV offer, and I'd take it."