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Lockhart says enduring appeal of ‘Lassie’ stems from timeless story lines

By Lou Gaul Calkins Media Film Critic 7 min read

For June Lockhart, the enduring appeal of “Lassie” stems from timeless story lines. “The series is really a fairy tale,” Lockhart said from her California office during an interview to promote “Lassie: 50th TV Anniversary Collector’s Edition DVD” (Classic Media; $29.99), which arrived in stores earlier this month and contains numerous best-of episodes. “The shows that we did were like bedtime stories that a parent might read to a child.

“There were people to root for and a dog for children to identify with.”

The 79-year-old actress appeared in the series as Ruth Martin from 1958 to ’64 and she was teamed with child actor Jon Provost as Timmy, the orphan raised by Lockhart’s character and her husband, Paul (Jon Shepodd). The centerpiece of the show was the collie in the title role.

“‘Lassie’ has never been off the air,” said Lockhart, who recently played James Caan’s mother in an episode of the TV hit “Las Vegas.” “It’s on Discovery Kids every morning.”

And which installments provide the fondest memories?

“The Christmas episodes were the most fun,” said Lockhart, who has two daughters, a stepson and three grandchildren. “That was because the cast and crew members were allowed to have their children appear in them.”

The veteran actress made her acting debut at age 12 as Belinda Cratchet in “A Christmas Carol” (1938), starring her parents, Gene and Kathleen Lockhart. While a student at the Westlake School for Girls, she appeared in films such as “All this and Heaven, Too” (1940) with Bette Davis, “Sergeant York” (1941) with Gary Cooper and “Adam Had Four Sons” (1941) with Ingrid Bergman.

After graduating, she signed a contract with MGM and appeared in films such as “Meet Me in St. Louis” (1944) with Judy Garland, “Son of Lassie” (1945) with Peter Lawford and “The Yearling” (1946) with Gregory Peck.

Lockhart, who followed “Lassie” by starring in another TV favorite, “Lost in Space” (which also offers episodes in DVD sets), often makes guest appearances at film conventions across the country. With an avid interest in politics, the actress, who named Bill Maher’s HBO series, “Real Time,” as her favorite show, has strong opinions on the state of the world.

“I have a real lust for political journalism,” Lockhart said. And how does she feel about the upcoming presidential race?

“I’d like a change, but that’s as far as I’ll go on that subject,” she said.

A sunny ‘Mind’

In the cinematic universe of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” (Universal; $22.99, tape; $29.99, DVD), people can be like pencils.

Thanks to a questionable medical treatment, each person can have his or her own eraser to wipe away the memory of any mistakes – particularly messy romantic ones – from the past.

Penned by gifted screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (“Being John Malkovich”), the R-rated picture, which will arrive in video stores on Sept. 28, stresses that mistakes, even the most painful ones in matters of the heart, constitute an important part of what makes life worth living. That becomes abundantly clear to tightly wound Joel (an excellent Jim Carrey) after he agrees to a medical procedure that inflicts “brain damage” and makes a patient forget something or someone.

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” which co-stars Kate Winslet (“Titanic”), Mark Ruffalo (“In the Cut”), Kirsten Dunst (“Spider-Man”) and Elijah Wood (the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy), warns about medical treatments that can initially appear liberating and then seem dehumanizing. The insightful and challenging picture also reminds us of the precious nature of memories and cautions that a “Mind” is a terrible thing to waste.

The DVD will feature numerous extras, including deleted scenes, interviews with Carrey and director Michel Gondry and commentary by Gondry and Kaufman.

Coming Soon!

The following VHS and DVD titles either have been or soon will be released to video stores.

If your local outlet doesn’t stock them, the tape and disc offerings can be mail ordered by calling (800) 523-0823 or going to the Web sites www.amazon.com or www.moviesunlimited.com, unless otherwise noted.

Movies

– “The Alamo” (Touchstone; $24.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Sept. 24) with Billy Bob Thornton (“Bad Santa”), Dennis Quaid (“The Day After Tomorrow”) and Jason Patric (“Narc”) as Davy Crockett, Sam Houston and Jim Bowie, respectively, in a PG-13 epic about the famous battle between American patriots and the Mexican army.

– “Club Dread: Unrated” (Fox; $19.99, DVD only; Sept. 28) with Bill Paxton (“Aliens”) in a satire of slasher movies created by the comedy troupe Broken Lizard. According to Video Business, the DVD features 50 minutes of uncensored scenes from the R-rated theatrical version and 22 deleted scenes.

– “Easy Rider: 35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition” (Columbia TriStar; $29.99, DVD only; Sept. 28) with Peter Fonda (“The Hired Hand”), Dennis Hopper (“Blue Velvet”) and Jack Nicholson (“Something’s Gotta Give”) in the 1969 film about ill-fated bikers searching for America. It will be packaged with a CD soundtrack and a commemorative book.

– “Footloose: Special 20th Anniversary DVD Collector’s Edition” (Paramount; $14.99, DVD only; Sept. 28) with Kevin Bacon (“Mystic River”) in a digitally remastered pressing of the PG-rated hit about a city slicker who rebels against rigid adults who refuse to allow high-school students to dance.

– “My Name Is Modesty” (Miramax; $29.99, DVD only; Sept. 28) with Alexandra Staden (“Vanity Fair”) as lethal heroine Modesty Blaise in this R-rated tale that discusses the early years of the character created for graphic novels and comic strips by Peter O’Donnell. Quentin Tarantino (“Kill Bill”) presents the title and participates in a conversation with director Scott Spiegel.

– “Van Helsing” (Universal; $22.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Sept. 28) with Hugh Jackman (“X-Men”) and Kate Beckinsale (“Underworld”) in a PG-13 creature feature involving the Frankenstein monster, Mr. Hyde, the Wolfman and Dracula.

– “Walking Tall” (MGM; $49.99, tape; $27.99, DVD; Sept. 28) with The Rock (“The Rundown”) and Johnny Knoxville (“Jackass: The Movie”) in a PG-13 remake about a sheriff who uses a club to drive criminals out of his hometown.

Documentaries

– “500 Nations: The First Americans” (Warner; $59.99, DVD only; now available) with Kevin Costner (“Dances With Wolves”) hosting a four-disc set chronicling the history of Native Americans.

– “The Hunting of the President” (Fox; $19.99, DVD only; Sept. 28), a documentary that claims right-wing forces have been focused on destroying the political career of Bill Clinton.

– “Super Size Me” (Hart Sharp; $99.99, tape; $26.99, DVD; Sept. 28) with documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock chronicling his 30-day regimen of eating only food from McDonald’s and the resulting health problems.

– “Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working With Time” (Docurama; $26.99, DVD only; Sept. 28), a study of the artist whose works reflect the relationship between art and nature.

Television

– “Ellen: The Complete Season One” (A&E; $39.99, DVD only; Sept. 28) with Ellen DeGeneres in a double-disc set with all 11 episodes from the sitcom’s debut season (1994-95).

– “Lost in Space: Season Two-Volume One DVD Collection” (Fox; $39.99, DVD only; now available) with June Lockhart in a four-disc set containing 16 episodes from the first half of the second season of the 1965 favorite about a family involved in out-of-this-world adventures.

– “7th Heaven: The Complete First Season” (Paramount; $49.99, DVD only; now available) with Stephen Collins, Catherine Hicks, Barry Watson and Jessica Biel in the 22 original episodes from the 1996-97 season of the series about a minister and his family.

– “The Simpsons Gone Wild” (Fox; $14.99, DVD only; now available), four episodes – “Homer’s Night Out,” “Sunday, Cruddy Sunday,” “The Mansion Family” and “Homer the Moe” – featuring some of the most outlandish antics by the animated characters.

– “Survivor: All Stars” (Paramount; $39.99, DVD only; now available), a seven-disc box set featuring 10 episodes from the hit reality series and bonus and behind-the-scenes footage from every installment.

Comedy

– “George Carlin: Complaints and Grievances” (MPI; $14.99, tape; $19.99, DVD; 800-777-2223; Sept. 28) with the veteran stand-up comic in a concert at New York City’s Beacon Theater.

Children

– “Sherlock: Undercover Dog” (Columbia TriStar; $12.99, tape; $19.99, DVD; Sept. 28) with child actor Benjamin Erden in a PG-rated family film about a crime-solving canine.

– Two titles – “Legacy of Power Volume 2” and “White Thunder Volume 3” (Buena Vista; $14.99 each, tape; $19.99 each, DVD; now available) – in the “Power Rangers Dinothunder” series.

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