Although it has been the subject of many spoofs and misquotes, the one situation that Timmy never needed saving from in the entire history of the show was falling down a well.
Pal, the first ever dog to play the legendary dog Lassie in Heimweh (1943), appeared in the pilot of this TV series (broadcast as the first two episodes). It was his last appearance before his death in 1958.
This was one of the first long-running television shows to remain in its time slot and day of the week during its entire prime-time run on a US television network. It became a syndicated program for the last three years of its run.
The collie that played Lassie the longest was named Baby. Baby was the grandson of Pal, the original Lassie. Baby played the role for six years until he suddenly died at the age of eight. He is the only Lassie not to live to the age of seventeen.
Tommy Rettig wanted to leave the series after three seasons. He was fifteen and did not want to continue playing the role of a child. At the same time, Jan Clayton also wanted to return to musical theatre. Timmy was added to the cast to start a slow transition. But when George Cleveland suddenly died, the change to a new cast was accelerated.