The loss of innocence

Another, but more serious subject was discussed recently with the lovely friend over dinner in this trendy Amsterdam restaurant.
The lovely friend is from the USA and because of Archie Bunker’s reruns these days on Dutch TV as the topic of the discussion, it spread to remembering more TV series from the days innocence dominated.
Remarkable that the lovely friend never heard from an American TV series called “The Texas Rangers”.


It ran from 1955 to 1957, produced by Screen Gems, starring Willard Parker.
It is clearly remembered how the TV show would start with the actors marching towards the camera singing “These are tales of Texas Rangers”.
That song can still be heard in the head.



Fortunately another TV series was remembered clearly by the lovely friend.
“Lassie”.
Who will not remember the heroic female dog, a Scottish collie ?
“Lassie”, the TV series was created by producer Robert Maxwell and ran from 1954 to 1973.



The faithful and friendly dog Lassie was having his adventures in a small farming community with Jeff Miller, an eleven year old boy, his mother and grandfather.


Why this Jeff Miller had no father and his mother no husband has never been explained.
And as a child this was very puzzling.
What happened to that family lacking a strong man taking care of the wife and son?
The producer of “Lassie” had the idea that everybody would understand that the woman was a war widow: the Second World War had just ended.
But this was not understood at all.

“Lassie”, in black and white, was a weekly visitor in the life of children.
And obviously affection for the dog developed.
Because what a dog it was.
He always was loyal to his owner, the young boy.
Lassie would even get him out of the trouble the boy magically was suffering every week.
And Lassie would never lose, give up or die.



Lassie was seen as the ideal dog.
The perfect companion.
A dog that could be loved.
Because he was only goodness.
Even never needing to pee or poo.



But then in this fancy Amsterdam restaurant the lovely friend revealed truths about Lassie that made evaporate the last vestiges of innocence.
He said: “Lassie was a female dog, right?
Actually, she was not: Lassie was a male dog!”.

If this shock was not enough, the lovely friend continued:
“You saw Lassie and believed this dog performed in all the episodes, right?
Well, in fact they have used six different Scottish collies in those films.
It was not the same dog”.

Illusions are beautiful as long as one is not aware of the truth.
Lassie has been an icon all the life.
There has been a lot of misery in the world but in the USA at least was a dog that had the heart in the right place.
Whatever awful things happened, Lassie was there in the memory, yes, almost as a saint.
The world was bad and so were the people and life was shit but hope was found in remembering the heroic acts of loyalty and perfect sense for justice of Lassie.

But now, after so many years, the truth is found.
She was not even a female, dammit.
All is lost now.

Lassie, where are you?







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