Search - Lassie: Best of Jeff's Collie on DVD

Vintage 1950s EpisodicTelevision

Mark D. Rockman | TAKOMA PARK, MARYLAND United States | 12/14/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD contains an early episode of the 1954 series starring Tommy Rettig, where Lassie is awarded to the boy after a relative dies. It also contains the transition episode aired in 1957 where an aging Rettig is replaced with tiny Jon Provost. Gramps has died, Ellen decides to move herself and her son to Capital City to teach music, and lease the farm to the Martins, who have adopted a little orphan boy. The dog decides what she wants to do in this episode as she does in the first episode. The actors in the first post-transitional season who play Timmy's parents are abruptly replaced without explanation. For those who remember this series from their early baby boomer years, the DVD brings back memories. Solid American virtue is everywhere to be found."

There should be more of this series

S. J. Fleay | Bandung Java Indonesia | 01/12/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"We first saw the Jeff's Collie Lassie series in late 1959 on ABQ channel 2 from Brisbane. The picture and sound quality from the original film was superb on our then Philips Magnalux TV.....so after all those years playing the DVD and displaying it on our Samsung LCD (we now live in Java Indonesia), the results technically were a little dissapointing. Picture quality even though it is NTSC on this DVD is "muddy" and the sound has not been corrected. There is an annoying audio "hum"! Surely there'd be plenty of good film copies around as this first Lassie TV series shot originally on 35 mm film was distributed to TV stations all over the world....and the audio could quite easily be restored before the film transfer is made. So how about it? Please do transfer other episodes of this Historic Series to DVD....and surely you can fit in excess of 3 episodes onto a double layer DVD?
Tommy Rettig....already was an experienced actor in major films...he'd appeared with Marilyn Monroe in "River of No Return" and before he died in 1996 Tommy was a pioneer of computer programming.
Lassie.....we had quite a chuckle in one of those 3 episodes to see several puppies "planted" on "Lassie" knowing full well "she was a he"...but we believed it all back then and still enjoy the series today. I'll be looking around for further classic series on DVD.....Sunset Strip will be one....but please if there's more to come of this first Lassie Series "Just Holler"! It will then delight a whole new generation!!!
Stephen Fleay
former BBC CBS correspondent Java Indonesia"

We need the complete Tommy Rettig series

Chloe | USA | 12/19/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"All of the episodes need to come out. The DVD quality was very good as were the episodes contained. I just wish there'd be more of Jeff's Collie released to DVD. I watched this over a decade ago on Nickelodeon & then found it to enjoy again on Animal Planet the cable channel. Go to TVShowsOnDVD to cast your vote for MORE of the original Lassie with Tommy Rettig. I am quickly engrossed in the stories of the Millers on the farm."