Meeting “Lassie’s Mom”
MEETING “LASSIE’S MOM”
Even though she died a few days ago, only now did I just learn of the death of June Lockhart. If you grew up watching 50s and 60s television, you remember her as *everyone’s* mom. Her beloved television shows included Lassie, Lost in Space, Petticoat Junction, plus many character roles in popular movies, usually typecast as the ideal mom. She embodied the perfect image of the ideal mother–and the portrayal was authentic. She was the real deal, and as nice as she could possibly be.
I got to meet Mrs. Lockhart once. The story is worth sharing.
Back in the mid-1980s, I worked as a waiter in a Downtown Dallas steakhouse. It was a popular hangout mostly for pro athletes. I waited on many of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, coach Dick Motta, John Elway, Bubby Brister, John Stockton, Paul Hornung (of the 60’s Packers), and even Mickey Dolenz (of the Monkees). Those are the ones I remember, but one celebrity stood out from the rest. Well, *two* celebrities actually, as I’ll explain.
She must have been about 65 at the time. She came in with a group of ladies, including one much older lady who sat the head of the table. They were seated in the middle of the dining room. Instantly, I recognized her face. But I couldn’t place it. Being that this was a fancy steakhouse, the dinner was a couple of hours long. At some point another waiter identified her from one of her popular TV shows. I’ve forgotten the details, but later I was chatting with Mrs. Lockhart, who very much enjoyed the attention. When the rest of the restaurant staff found out, they came to the table and she shook our hands, told a few stories, and even signed autographs (I got one, which is posted below). It was a really pleasant exchange. Mrs. Lockhart even mentioned that she was recognized in public all the time, but rarely did anyone know her *real* name. Over the years, she just became known as “Lassie’s Mom.” It was a dog-mother tagline she would embrace for the rest of her life.
In case you don’t remember, *Lassie” was a female collie and a huge star in her own right. In each week’s show, she saved the family from a terrible tragedy. Lockhart may have been a “great mom,” but her parenting skills could sure use some work. The family and little Timmy always seemed to get lost in the middle of nowhere, fell off of cliffs in need of medical attention, got robbed by bandits, were trapped inside the burning barn, cornered by a pack of wolves, and always needed hero-superdog “Lassie” to come the rescue on the *unluckiest* family farm in television history. Gee, Mom–maybe it’s time to move! And don’t forget Lassie!
The kicker to the story is the older matriarch among the ladies, stoically positioned at the head of the table. She looked to be about 80. She was elegant, but also reserved. She paid little notice to “Lassie’s Mom” who was getting all the attention from the staff. To be perfectly honest, no one spoke much to her. As their party was leaving, someone else came up to their group (I think it was another customer in the dining room). He recognized this elegant older woman. Turns out, it was none other than Greer Garson, who received 7 — yes SEVEN — Academy Award nominations for Best Actress over her illustrious career, the fourth most-nominated woman in history — including a win for Mrs. Miniver in 1942. Garson was long-retired by the time she came into the restaurant and I got to serve her. I later learned she lived the last decade of her life in one of the luxury high rise penthouses at Turtle Creek, a ritzy old money section of Dallas about two miles north of downtown. In the 40’s, British-born Garson was Hollywood royalty, one of the best-known actresses in the world. And, here she was being upstaged by “Lassie’s Mom.”
W.C. Fields once famously said “never work with children or animals.” Well, that advice certainly wasn’t true for this beloved actress.
June Lockhart died last Tuesday. She was 100 years old.
