was the perfect 'mother' within the American ideology of the 1950s and 1960s. Episodes Characters and cast Human leads 1954–1957: Miller Family (Jeff's Collie) Ellen Miller – war-widowed farm woman (Jan Clayton) Jeff Miller – Ellen's eleven-year-old son (Tommy Rettig) George "Gramps" Miller – Ellen's father-in-law and Jeff's paternal grandfather (George Cleveland) Sylvester "Porky" Brockway – a farm boy and Jeff's friend (Joey D. Vieira – using the stage name "Donald Keeler") Constable Clay Horton – the sheriff (Richard Garland) 1957–1964: Martin Family (Timmy & Lassie) Timmy Martin – a foster boy on the Miller farm (Jon Provost) Paul Martin – a young farmer, Ruth's husband and Timmy's adoptive father (Jon Shepodd 1957–1958; Hugh Reilly 1958–1964) Ruth Martin – Paul's wife and Timmy's adoptive mother (Cloris Leachman 1957–1958; June Lockhart 1958–1964) Petrie J. Martin – Paul's uncle (George Chandler) (1957–1959) Cully Wilson – a neighbor of the Martins, who was a farmer and nature lover (Andy Clyde) (1959–1964) Ralph "Boomer" Bates – a neighbor of the Martins who owned a dog named Mike and was Timmy's best friend (Todd Ferrell) (1958–1959) Scott Richards, another of Timmy's friends (Kelly Junge Jr.) (1958) 1964–1970: U.S. Forest Service Forest Ranger Corey Stuart (Robert Bray) (1964–1968) Assistant Forest Ranger Hank Whitfield (Clyde Howdy) (1964–1966) Forest Ranger Bob Erickson (Jack De Mave) (1968–1970) Forest Ranger Scott Turner (Jed Allan) (1968–1970) 1970–1971: Traveling on her own No human leads 1971–1973: Holden Ranch Garth Holden – director of the Holden Ranch (Ron Hayes) Ron Holden – Garth's son (Skip Burton) Dale Mitchell – Ron's friend (Larry Wilcox) Keith Holden – Garth's brother (Larry Pennell) Lucy Baker – a deaf child living near the Holden Ranch (Pamelyn Ferdin) Dog actors as Lassie Pal (Pilot episodes) Lassie Junior (1954–1959) Spook (1960) Baby (1960–1966) Mire (1966–1971) Hey Hey (1971–1973) Media information Broadcast history First-run Lassie was televised September 12, 1954 to March 24, 1973 with its first 17 seasons airing on CBS Sundays at 7:00 p.m. EST. In 1971, in order to promote community-related programming among local affiliates, the Federal Communications Commission moved primetime Sundays to 8:00 P.M. EST with the institution of the Prime Time Access Rule. CBS executives felt Lassie would not be well received in a time slot other than its traditional 7:00 p.m. slot, and, with the network's other family programs set, the show was canceled. (Lassie was among several shows that CBS canceled during this