For almost twenty years, many of us remember watching the adventures of TV’s most famous dog – Lassie.
This beloved Rough Collie and her human friends were on our screens for 17 seasons, from 1954 to 1973. The show even switched from black and white to color in the 1960s.
But one of the most unforgettable parts of the show was when 7-year-old Timmy Martin joined in the fourth season. Timmy and his family adopted Lassie, creating some of the most memorable moments in the series.
Jon Provost, who played Timmy on *Lassie*, just celebrated his 74th birthday. He looks back fondly on his time filming with his four-legged co-star and remembers how Hollywood discovered him at only 3 years old.
The actor, born in Los Angeles, recalls that when he was 3, his mom took him to an audition for a Jane Wyman movie. She was a huge fan and just wanted her autograph. But out of 200 kids, Jon got the part.
Acting wasn’t something that ran in the family. Jon’s father had a completely different job—he was an aeronautical engineer.
“My parents weren’t Hollywood people,” Jon said. “My father is from Alabama, and my mother is from Texas.”
At age 4, Jon Provost landed a role in a movie with Grace Kelly and Bing Crosby.
“I didn’t have an agent at the time. After that, I got one, and it led to more movies like *The Country Girl* with Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly. I did about 12 movies before I started *Lassie*,” he told Fox News.
Jon also shared memories of working with the three different male dogs who played the role of Lassie. He said he formed a special bond with the last dog who portrayed the famous female collie.
“I did the show for seven years, filming 249 half-hour episodes. I worked with three different Lassies,” Jon Provost told Fox News.
He shared that the last dog he worked with was by his side for five years straight. “We grew up together. For five years, we saw each other five days a week, and sometimes even on weekends.”
Jon also revealed how well-behaved the dog was on set. “The actors made more mistakes than the dog,” he laughed. “They were more of a problem than Lassie.”
After leaving *Lassie* at 14 years old, Jon Provost went on to star with big names like Natalie Wood and Kurt Russell. Despite growing up in Hollywood, he avoided the common pitfalls many child actors face.
“My parents let me pretty much do what I wanted to do. I didn’t have to take a job,” Jon said.
Looking back, he added, “When I left Hollywood, I thought it was good that I did.”
Today, Jon lives away from the spotlight in Northern California but still receives fan mail from his time on *Lassie*. In 1994, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The character Lassie became so famous that she even had her own radio series.
In 1979, Jon married Sandy Goosens, and they had two children, Ryan and Katie. However, after 14 years of marriage, they divorced in December 1993.
In 1999, Jon found love again when he married Laurie Jacobson, a well-known researcher and author.
I’ve always been a big fan of the adventures this sweet duo went on. And with a moral in every episode, it was the perfect show for kids.
Please share this with all the *Lassie* fans you know.
Man Saves Pennies For 45 Years and Rakes In a Fortune
He entered the bank while a dolly followed in his wake. Everyone looked at him at once when the sound of the coins was heard.
The coin master, Otha Anders, served as a supervisor for the Jackson School Board. He was the one to whom suspended children were sent, and they grew to love him.
Anders’s spouse and children were by his side throughout, but he had a somewhat dubious interest.
Something that began as a fun project developed into a passion, almost like an obsession.
Anders thinks that God is teaching him to be thankful with every penny he finds. He nearly always found a penny on the days he didn’t pray. He felt that was how God was directing him to express his gratitude.
Anders was a man of faith, thus he said prayers on the penny when most people would just wish for anything.
“I came to believe that finding a misplaced or dropped penny served as an extra divine prompt to always express gratitude,” Anders stated to USA Today.”There have been days when I have neglected to pray, and almost without fail, a misplaced or dropped penny has appeared to remind me.”
He kept them in five-gallon plastic water jugs for forty-five years. He surmised that he had hundreds of thousands of dollars stashed away, but he would soon find out.
The staff members had a great day trying something new when they carried the gallons to the bank. They used an ax and hammer to chop the pennies out of the water bottles. They had a number after five hours of chopping and counting on the coin counter.
Anders had saved $5,136.14 in pennies over the course of 45 years! That comes to roughly 114.4$ annually. In forty-five years, who would have imagined that a pastime of collecting pennies might result in a “old car”?
Anders, however, used his money to pay off a recent dental bill.
He was glad to put the money toward a worthwhile purchase. He used the remaining cash to support a family vacation and church donations.
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