Remembering 'Lassie'
Jon Provost found stardom alongside TV's most famous dog
by Audrey Hingley
Like many little boys, Jon Provost grew up with a dog. But unlike most kids, little Jon's dog happened to be the most famous canine in the world.
Provost, now 58, was 7 when selected to play Timmy, the TV owner of Lassie. The blond, angelic-faced Provost replaced Tommy Rettig (Lassie's companion from 1954 to 1957) in a revamped storyline that ran to 1964.
Timmy became an iconic character. His checked shirt and jeans are in the Smithsonian Institution, and Provost was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994.
Still boyishly handsome, Provost has fond memories of working with Lassie and the dog's owner/trainer, Rudd Weatherwax, who became a "surrogate grandfather" to the young star.
"I really loved Rudd," Provost says. "How he loved his dogs really made an impression on me. I worked with three different Lassies—the son of Pal, the original Lassie; the grandson; and the great-grandson."
Jeannie Russell, a Hollywood chiropractor who played Margaret on TV's Dennis The Menace, has been friends with Provost since their early days as child stars.
"He was the cutest child on earth, with a terrific devil-may-care spirit, and yet he was a total professional," she remembers.
Before Provost could read, his mother would read lines to him, which he quickly memorized. One of his first roles, at just over 2 years old, was portraying Jane Wyman's son in the movie So Big. He went on to act with Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly before TV stardom came calling on Jeff's Collie, a Lassie spinoff. (The show later was syndicated under the title Timmy and Lassie.)
Struggling to read hit TV scripts, he learned he was dyslexic.
"Back then, they didn't even know what that was," he says. "But if I heard it, I memorized it."
At 14, Provost voluntarily left the show, which aired until 1974. He continued working in television and films, including This Property Is Condemned with Natalie Wood and Robert Redford, before appearing in his final movie at age 18.
"I'd been working 15 years and it was time for a break," he says. "I wanted to be a normal college kid."
He married and fathered two children, Ryan, now 25, and Katie, 23, and worked in the real estate industry. Since 1983, he's been involved with Canine Companions, a nonprofit organization that provides assistance dogs for people with disabilities. In 1989, he returned to television on the syndicated The New Lassie for two seasons.
"It felt like coming home to your bedroom in your parents' house that you hadn't been in for 20 years," he recalls.
A 1993 divorce threw him into deep depression. Unlike his TV persona, there was no dog to save him, but friends, family and talking to other people helped. Three years later, he met writer Laurie Jacobsen at a celebrity autograph show, and they married in 1999. His Jeff's Collie TV mom, June Lockhart, now 84, was first to respond to the wedding invitation. The Provosts co-authored Timmy's in the Well: The Jon Provost Story in 2007.
Provost, who lives in northern California, has appeared in several "classic TV" documentaries and recently did a voiceover for a pilot cartoon show. He makes personal appearances several times a month and is pleased when younger fans who watched Lassie reruns approach him. He recalls with a laugh a 20-something guy covered in tattoos and piercings, with his head shaved bald. "He said, 'Timmy, I grew up with you—please sign my head!'
"The majority of shows today, no one will remember in 10 years. But the classics—and I consider Lassie one of the classics—will be around forever."
first appeared: 10/15/2009
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10/15/09 9:08 PM
Do I remember Lassie??? Yes the show was a family time spent together in one room. Enjoying this cute little Blond Boy and his shadow Dog Lassie was indeed a pleasure. Their adventures in which any normal young boy and a dog would go through for one another as well as many brave experiences. Tiny Timmy Martin...Blond blue eyed and adorable dimples,... who wouldn't want to watch this cute little guy. Many Classic t.v. show's are now seen every day, with the exception of Lassie, the one show which should be back on, a well discipline show, of all the trials and tribulations, punishments etc. I hope one day the Lassie show come's back to the t.v. so that I can repeat the same togetherness with my family today as I have when I was younger. It was truly a pleasure getting the chance to meet with Jon and his Wife Laurie in which I value this meeting and the beautiful friendship that came from it. Much Love goes to Jon,Laurie and Lassie and my fond memories of "Remembering Lassie".
10/15/09 11:18 PM
Timmy and Lassie have always been a very endearing show to me as a child. I have always wanted to meet the cast;and one day I did meet a member of the cast which has alway's been a special treat. To see how Jon and Laurie Provost look today is very charming. I can still see that Jon has his dimples from all these years, Jon's grin has never changed from all the years too. Jon still looks cute as he did in the happy days of Timmy and Lassie. your article about Jon is put together in a very lovely manner. Forexample the story about Jon's history and present is written in a very clear manner. The photo's are awesome too. Thank you for all of your work that went into this article about remembering Lassie. Keep up the good work. Best regards to you and your staff Cindy and Paul Pekareks.
10/16/09 9:35 AM
Thank you for this nice article!
The Lassie show with Jon Provost was one of my dearest moments during my childhood! Even though I´m from Sweden, we all loved the Lassie shows on Sunday evenings in the late ´50s and early ´60s! The series was imensley popular here and we were many kids,also buying the comic book (with the same title) every month! It was so special seeing Jon on the cover every time!
Back then, I envied Jon and wanted to be the child he was, taking care of Lassie and all the adventures they experienced together! I knew it was impossible and if someone then would have said that one day long, long time ahead, I was going to meet him, I would probably had thought: "Yes, sure! Tell me another story!!!"
But, I did, several times on my trips to the U.S. and I must say that nicer people than Jon and his lovely wife, Laurie, you can´t find on this planet!
I just say; Read the great book "Timmy´s in the Well" - the story of Jon´s life! A real look into his movie experiences and other interesting things in his life!
Thanks again for a splendid article!
Chris Lindstrom in Sweden!
10/17/09 5:41 AM
Thanks for this very nice article about my favourite actor Jon Provost and "Lassie".
I grew up with Jon Provost as "Timmy" and his adventures with "Lassie".After school and homework,"Lassie" was the favourite TV-show for children in Germany at the 60`s and 70`s.So I hope,the "Lassie"-show with Jon Provost as "Timmy" will return to the television program in Germany sometimes again.
Helmut Heisig,Stuttgart,Germany
10/17/09 1:15 PM
Nice article. Yes, I too grew up with Lassie but not with Timmy. Jeff was Lassie's master during my pre-teen years. I cried when Gramps died and Jeff and his mother Ellen moved to the city and gave Lassie to Timmy and his adopted parents, the Martins. And even to this day it has been hard for me to accept Timmy as her master but I applaud Jon Provost and his wife for keeping Lassie's memory alive. There should be more shows on tv like this one. By the way, it is very apparent that the author of the story, Audrey Hingley, is under the age of 50. Jeff's Collie was not a spin-off of Lassie. That title was used when they syndicated the old eposides with Jeff. All during Timmy's stay with Lassie, the show continued to be called Lassie.
10/19/09 10:08 AM
What a wonderful article on Jon Provost! The Lassie show was such a great show, and in my home we watched it faithfully. It is fun to share these old shows with my grandchildren now. I am glad that they are available on DVD!! As Jon grew and left the Lassie show, I became even more interested in him. He became one of my teen idols, and I continue to follow his career to this day. Having met him several times (and even having my name mentioned in his book!) has allowed me to be able to call Jon (and his lovely wife, Laurie) "friends".
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