Having grown up with reruns of "Lassie" on TV, not to mention the theatrical Lassie movies constantly shown on the tube, I too have become accustomed with the tiresome "Timmy-has-fallen-down-a-well" routine which has been parodied into oblivion. That said, this tight, exciting episode comes as something of a surprise. June Lockhart's Ruth Martin is gone, as is little Timmy, which leaves only Lassie and two forest rangers to save a grown eagle after it has been struck by the ranger's plane. Only Lassie knows the whereabouts of the eagle's offspring, cheeping in hunger from their nest, and quickly sets out to bring them food. The Collie's efficiency in doing this is rather touching (as always), and yet writers Eric Freiwald and Robert Schaefer are commendably uninterested in tugging at our heartstrings. Lassie catches a fish from the stream and brings it to the baby eaglets, whining in frustration when she realizes they have to be gently fed. It's precisely these human-like reactions which ultimately set Lassie apart from other animal TV-stars of the era, and she's quite the four-legged actress! There's also some dandy action when Lassie saves the babies from a marauding wildcat, plus a satisfying, non-melodramatic conclusion to the grown eagle's adventure. This is one "Lassie" episode which isn't cloying or syrupy in the slightest; it has been fashioned to involve all members of the viewing audience, and everyone from the little ones to their grandparents will no doubt enjoy it.
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