An Electronic Dogfight: `Lassie' Fans Win Battle To Get The `Real' Icon Back In Series

For more than a half century, Lassie has represented everything good about America. She (the eight generations of collies who have played the role were really males) was right alongside motherhood and apple pie.

Recently, however, a Canadian film company, a French trainer, a New York firm that leases the dog's trademark and a couple of faux replacements stirred up the American icon's fans to a point they became mad as hell and weren't gonna take it anymore, to paraphrase Peter Finch in "Network," a 1976 film.

Cinar Films of Montreal, which last summer began producing 26 new episodes for the cable channel Animal Planet, opted for the first time in more than a half-century to use a non-Weatherwax family Lassie after reaching a negotiation impasse with Robert Weatherwax, whose father Rudd began the Lassie legend in the 1940s after buying an unwanted collie for $10.

Rudd Weatherwax died in 1985 of a respiratory ailment.

Cinar purchased two upstart 10-month-old collies from a Minnesota breeder and hired a French trainer to quickly prepare them for the 26 episodes.

When Lassie fans got scent of this, they thought it stunk. Hence, four of them - Joan Neidhardt of Abingdon, Md.; Loren Gates, Independence, Mo.; Karen Pfeiffer, Hanover, Ind.; and Cathy Schmidt, St. Petersburg, Fla., - organized the Help Save Lassie Campaign last fall, a sort of electronic dogfight.

Neidhardt, a 47-year-old, data-processing manager who has a

part-time business creating Web pages, said in an Internet message last fall, "They don't understand the power of Lassie. They think it's a show for 2- to 8-year-old kids. But we've got news for them. Lassie is an American icon who baby boomers grew up with.

"We're sick of losing our heroes, seeing them downsized with cheap imitations by corporations that couldn't care less. Lassie never let us down, and now we'll be there for her. Lassie lovers will accept nothing less than the real thing, and we'll fight them until we get it."

From September until mid-January, the collie colleagues, who have never met - Neidhardt, Gates, Pfeiffer and Schmidt - spent approximately four hours nightly visiting on an on-line chat room, strategizing and updating their Save Lassie Web page. "The campaign consumed our lives," says Neidhardt, "but it was worth it."

The drive not only targeted Cinar Films, but Animal Planet and Golden Books Family Entertainment, the New York publisher of children's books that shares control with Weatherwax of Lassie's image.

Animal Planet was really an innocent victim, adds Neidhardt. "It has promoted the Lassie series and done everything to keep the dog's image on a high level."

Executives at Cinar Films, according to wire reports, tended to minimize Lassie's genetics. The collie's bloodline is "not as crucial as, say, the royal family," said Louis Fournier, vice president of distribution and marketing. He was, in essence, emphasizing that if several actors can play the James Bond role, why can't another dog play Lassie?

"Cinar and Golden Books maintained that Lassie is a fictional character that any dog could play. They totally miscalculated the audience for the series, which they believed was mostly 6- to 8-year-olds. They didn't account for all of us who grew up with earlier generations of Lassie and still love the series," says Neidhardt.

Lassie fans found no fault with Cinar's updated Lassie series that has been airing on Animal Planet, which placed the dog, Timmy and the youngster's widowed mom, a veterinarian, in Hudson Falls, Vt.

According to Neidhardt, a seven-year collie owner and editor of COLLIEctively Speaking!, a newsletter for collie fanciers and Lassie fans, the Web site had 26,926 hits from early September until mid-January. "It's very gratifying to see there are that many others out there who feel the same way about keeping the `real' Lassie legacy alive."

Neidhardt, who has a room in her home devoted to Lassie collectibles, estimates she has approximately 2,000. "The old stuff's getting pretty hard to find," she adds. "It's a passion. Almost a paranoia. But most collectors are the same."

For several months, last fall and into winter, the Lassie campaigners kept their message up close and personal in the media, and in the face of three key players - Cinar Films, Golden Books and Animal Planet.

What drove the campaign?

Neidhardt answers, "First, it was the legacy of the Weatherwax Lassies. Every Lassie seen on the screen has been a direct descendent of the original collie, Pal.

"Second, it was maintaining the Lassie and collie image. For over 53 years, the Weatherwax family presented the character of Lassie as true to life as possible.

"Third, it was the training methods used by the Weatherwax family. Through the years, Lassie's training has been based on love and positive reinforcement. This is not a simple dog and master relationship, but rather, a loving and caring bond developed over years.

"Fourth was the breeding program perfected by the Weatherwax family for more than 50 years, producing the Lassie trademark through genetics, not makeup. This resulted in only one or two litters per generation to produce the next Lassie."

"And fifth, the fans of Lassie believed the dog is a major Hollywood star, an American icon and no series series should be produced bearing the Lassie name without the star itself."

The campaign against a lesser Lassie was waged sans protests, T-shirts and officers. "Teamwork was crucial," says Neidhardt. "There were no egos here, just everyone on the same page with a mission in mind - don't prostitute our hero (or heroine)."

"I think the companies were astounded how much of a following we picked up,' says Neidhardt.

Through it all, Weatherwax maintained a low profile. "We never contacted him," she says. "We didn't want to be labeled as his mouthpiece. Our campaign was a totally independent project."

Weatherwax spoke only through written statements. After an apparent breakdown in negotiations, he said, "I am sorry to report that the current producers of television programs, Cinar of Canada, has decided after 55 years of Weatherwax services and that of a direct descendant of the original Lassie, not to use our services. It appears that Cinar has to reduce cost on programs and Lassie and I are the victims."

Clark Bunting, Animal Planet senior vice president and general manager, says, "We've made no attempt to hide anything and sought to get this matter resolved as quickly as possible. We own more than 600 episodes of `Lassie' and consider the series an integral part of our programming.

"The campaign showed that a lot of people have deeply held convictions about the legacy of Lassie. Production, lost time and the legacy of Lassie have been key factors in the negotiations."

Last week, it was announced that Weatherwax, Cinar Films and Golden Books reached an accord and that a ninth-generation Lassie would be used in 13 upcoming episodes of the series.

The first 13, however, will include the Minnesota collie. One reports says it will be wearing makeup to resemble the real Lassie. As a result, the Help Save Lassie Campaign team is asking that the opening credits include a disclaimer that the dog appearing in those is not a Weatherwax Lassie.

Both Bunting and a Golden Books spokeswoman say the disclaimer matter has not been resolved.

Two new episodes of "Lassie" air from 5-6 p.m. Saturdays on Animal Planet, with repeats of one each at 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Sundays.

More dogs on TV

Animal Planet's "Breed All About It," which premiered earlier this month as a 13-part series profiling a breed or group of dogs per episode, has firmed up most of its remaining schedule.

Airing at 9 p.m. Friday, it featured the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog last Friday; that show will be repeated tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., Feb. 20 and 23. Earlier breeds featured were the border collie and Dalmatian.

Upcoming profiles: Alaskan malamutes, next Friday; beagles, Feb. 27; Old English sheepdogs, March 6; Afghan hounds, March 13; pointers, March 20; terriers, March 27; Great Danes, March 30; and German shepherds, Labrador retrievers and greyhounds, times to be announced.

Part of the Afghan show was filmed in Woodinville last week at Stormhill Kennels, owned by David and Sandra Frei, longtime breeders and American Kennel Club-certified Afghan judges.