Lassie’s little Timmy reveals the secrets of TV’s most famous dog

For nearly two decades most of us can remember tuning in to see the latest adventures of the most famous dog on TV – Lassie.

This much-loved Rough Collie dog and her human companions graced our screens for 17 seasons from 1954 to 1973 and even made the transition from black and white to color in the ’60s.

But who could forget the adorable little boy who joined the show in its fourth season when he and his family adopted Lassie – 7-year-old Timmy Martin.

Now Jon Provost, who played Timmy, has celebrated his 74th birthday and shares the joy he had filming with his four-legged friend and how he was discovered by Hollywood at just 3 years old.

The Los Angeles-born actor said when he was 3 years old he was taken to an audition for a Jane Wyman movie because his mom was a huge fan and hoped to get her autograph. But, out of the 200 kids auditioning for the part, Jon got it.

It was far from evident that Jon would become an actor. His father worked with something completely different – he was an aeronautical engineer.

”My parents weren’t Hollywood people. My father is from Alabama and my mother is from Texas,” Jon said.

At age 4, he landed a role in a Grace Kelly and Bing Crosby movie.

“I didn’t have an agent. I got one and that led to more movies like The Country Girl with Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly. I did about 12 movies before I started ‘Lassie’”, he told Fox News.

Three different Lassies

Recalling the bonds he formed with the three different male dogs that played the part of the female Lassie, Jon said he developed the biggest bond with the last dog to play Lassie.

CBS/Getty Images

“I did the show for seven years, 249 half-hour episodes. I worked with three different Lassies. The last dog I worked with, I worked with him for five years alone,” he told Fox News.

“We grew up together. For five years, we saw each other five days a week and sometimes on weekends.

Revealing how well behaved the dog was he added: “The actors made more mistakes than the dog. They were more of a problem,” he laughed.

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After leaving the show at 14 years old he starred alongside the likes of Natalie Wood and Kurt Russell and never fell into the Hollywood child actor trap saying: “My parents let me pretty much do what I wanted to do. I didn’t have to take a job.

“When I left Hollywood, I thought it was good that I did.”

Jon Provost - Wikipedia
Wikipedia

Today Jon lives out of the limelight in Northern California but still gets fan mail from his time in “Lassie”. In 1994, the actor received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Meanwhile, Lassie, the canine character, became so popular that she even had a “Lassie” riveting radio series.

Jon Provost wife

In 1979, Jon Provost tied the knot with Sandy Goosens. Together, they had two children, Ryan and Katie.

After being married for 14 years, the two divorced on December 20, 1993.

In 1999, Jon Provost found love again when he married Laurie Jacobson, a well-known researcher, and author.

I was such a fan of the adventures this sweet duo got up to. And with a moral to every episode, it was the perfect show for kids.

Please share with all the “Lassie” fans you know.

I Love This Bar by Toby Keith

If you are a fan of country music, you might be familiar with the song “I Love This Bar” by Toby Keith. It is one of his most popular and successful songs, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in 2003. But do you know the story behind the song and what inspired Keith to write it?

According to Wikipedia, Keith wrote this song with his friend and fellow songwriter Scotty Emerick. They were inspired by a bar they visited in Syracuse, New York, where they saw a diverse crowd of people having fun and enjoying themselves. They decided to write a song that celebrates the bar culture and the sense of community it creates.

The song describes various characters that frequent the bar, such as bikers, yuppies, college kids, soldiers, and farmers. Keith sings about how he loves the bar for its atmosphere, music, drinks, and friendly staff. He also mentions some of the features of the bar, such as a jukebox, a dance floor, a pool table, and a big TV screen.

The song’s title also inspired a chain of restaurants owned by Keith named Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill. The restaurants feature live music, memorabilia, and southern-style food. The first one opened in 2005 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and since then more than 20 locations have been opened across the US.

You can listen to the song on Spotify or watch the official music video on YouTube. You can also read more about the meaning behind the song on this website. If you love this song as much as Toby Keith loves this bar, you might want to check out his other hits from his album Shock’n Y’all, such as “American Soldier” and “Beer for My Horses”.

See alsoAnnie’s Song by John Denver

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