September 12, 1954: "Lassie" Premieres On TV

Jon Provost (who played Timmy Martin from 1957 to 1964)

and Pal Jr., son of the original Lassie "actor"

September 12, 1954: Lassie premieres on CBS. It started broadcasting in color in 1965. When it finally went off the air in 1973, it was the longest-running primetime program in the history of American television. Even now, it has been surpassed only by Gunsmoke, Law & Order and The Simpsons.

Lassie was a female Rough Collie dog, introduced in a 1938 short story by Eric Knight, that was later expanded to a 1940 full-length novel, Lassie Come-Home. That novel was filmed by MGM in 1943 as Lassie Come Home, with a male dog named Pal playing Lassie. Pal then appeared with the stage name "Lassie" in six other MGM feature films through 1951, and lived until 1958, age 18.

The TV series debuted, and, over the next 19 years, a succession of Pal's descendants appeared on the series. The "Lassie" character has appeared in radio, television, film, toys, comic books, animated series, juvenile novels, and other media. Pal's descendants continue to play Lassie today.

Six different collies -- all male, and all related -- played Lassie over the course of the show. One thing that never happened on the show, contrary to popular belief, was a human child falling down a well -- but, in a 1971 episode, Lassie herself did! And was rescued.

In 1960, Lassie and 2 German shepherds of the 1920s, Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart, became the 1st 3 animals to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As of July 1, 2022, no other real animal has, not even a horse like Roy Rogers' Trigger or Mister Ed. (Some fictional characters have, like Kermit the Frog.)

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September 12, 1954 was a Sunday. These other baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees were swept in a doubleheader by the Cleveland Indians, 4-1 and 3-2, before a crowd of 84,587 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. This remains the largest crowd ever to see a regular-season game in Major League Baseball, and essentially ended the Yankees' streak of American League Pennants at 5. I have a separate entry for that event.

* The New York Giants lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-3 at the Polo Grounds. Stan Musial went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk and 3 RBIs. Willie Mays went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The Brooklyn Dodgers swept the Chicago Cubs, 4-2 and 4-3 at Ebbets Field. Jackie Robinson did not play in either game. Duke Snider went 1-for-10 with a walk. For the Cubs, Ralph Kiner went 1-for-8 with 2 walks, and Ernie Banks went 2-for-10 with 2 RBIs.

* A doubleheader was split at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Phillies won the 1st game, 5-2. Murry Dickson outpitched Warren Spahn. The Milwaukee Braves won the 2nd game, 2-1. Lew Burdette outpitched Robin Roberts. Rookie Hank Aaron was injured on September 5, ending his season, so he didn't play in either game.

* There was a split doubleheader at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. The Baltimore Orioles won the 1st game, 4-3. The Philadelphia Athletics won the 2nd game, 5-4.

* The Cincinnati Reds swept the Pittsburgh Pirates, 11-5 and 13-2 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

* The Detroit Tigers swept the Washington Senators, 5-0 and 8-3 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. (The ballpark was renamed Tiger Stadium in 1961.) Steve Gromek pitched a 6-hit shutout in the 1st game. Al Kaline went 1-for-8 with a walk and an RBI.

* And the Chicago White Sox swept the Boston Red Sox, 5-3 and 7-5 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Ted Williams went 1-for-8 with a home run, a walk and 2 RBIs.