If James Stewart wasn't in this movie, I would have absolutely turned it off. But with his warbling voice, his tearing eyes, and his poor grandfatherly heart that kept getting broken, I couldn't turn it off. No matter how terrible it was when he wasn't on the screen - which was pretty terrible.
As happens in most Lassie movies, the beloved family dog is taken away from her home and has to find her way back. This one's story is extremely sad, so if you're watching it with little kids, you might want to reassure them that everything will work itself out. James Stewart owns a family vineyard in Glen Ellen and refuses to sell to wealthy tycoon Pernell Roberts. Out for revenge, Pernell claims that Jimmy's dog Lassie is actually his own and demands to take her back. Jimmy reveals that after his wife and child died, Lassie was the only reason for him and his grandkids to keep living - but Pernell is evil and takes the dog. When Lassie runs away from her new Colorado home, everyone tries to find her.
One staple in a Lassie movie is that she runs across colorful characters in little vignettes as she travels across the countryside. In this one, she sees Alice Faye in a diner, Mickey Rooney as a wrestler's manager, and the Mike Curb Congregation as they're singing songs in a park. Trust me, whenever James Stewart isn't on the screen, the movie is shockingly terrible. I don't know how all these big names got enticed to act in this movie, but obviously they were all embarrassed by the end result. Alice retired entirely, and Jimmy stuck to television where he wouldn't be so heavily criticized.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. When the little boy is running through the trucker parking lot, the camera swirls around a little that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"
As happens in most Lassie movies, the beloved family dog is taken away from her home and has to find her way back. This one's story is extremely sad, so if you're watching it with little kids, you might want to reassure them that everything will work itself out. James Stewart owns a family vineyard in Glen Ellen and refuses to sell to wealthy tycoon Pernell Roberts. Out for revenge, Pernell claims that Jimmy's dog Lassie is actually his own and demands to take her back. Jimmy reveals that after his wife and child died, Lassie was the only reason for him and his grandkids to keep living - but Pernell is evil and takes the dog. When Lassie runs away from her new Colorado home, everyone tries to find her.
One staple in a Lassie movie is that she runs across colorful characters in little vignettes as she travels across the countryside. In this one, she sees Alice Faye in a diner, Mickey Rooney as a wrestler's manager, and the Mike Curb Congregation as they're singing songs in a park. Trust me, whenever James Stewart isn't on the screen, the movie is shockingly terrible. I don't know how all these big names got enticed to act in this movie, but obviously they were all embarrassed by the end result. Alice retired entirely, and Jimmy stuck to television where he wouldn't be so heavily criticized.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. When the little boy is running through the trucker parking lot, the camera swirls around a little that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"