#182 Hey Lassie, Jon Provost and Timmy Are Stuck In the Well… Again

CTS Announcer 0:01

If you're a pop culture junkie, who loves TV, film, music, comedy and other really important stuff, then you've come to the right place. Get ready and settle in for classic conversation, the best pop culture interviews in the world. God's right, we circled the globe. So you don't have to. If you're ready to be the king of the water cooler, then you're ready for classic conversations with your host, Jeff Dwoskin.

Jeff Dwoskin 0:31

All right, Jane, thank you so much for that amazing introduction. You get this show going each and every week, and this week was no exception. Welcome, everybody to Episode 182 of classic conversations. As always, I'm your host, Jeff Dwoskin. Great to have you back for what's sure to be another classic conversation for the record books. This one's go into the dogs. Well, maybe not exactly go into the dogs. My guest today is 50s and 60s child star Jon Provost. That's right, Tammy from Lassie, so he was kind enough to save John from the well, we sat him down, dry them off first and had an amazing conversation about his career. And that's coming up in just a few seconds. And in these few seconds, I want to remind you of the amazing conversation from last week, episode 180. With Rita Rudner, one of the funniest comedians in the world be sure to check out that goodness and the crossing the streams bonus episode, all this goodness awaits you. But we know why you're here. Right now we're gonna dive into the past with Jon Provost are talking Lassie, and so much more. You're gonna love it. Enjoy. All right. My next guest was one of the most famous child actors from the 50s and 60s star of so big star of the computer wore tennis shoes, but his TV legendary status was locked in with the role of Timmy Martin on Lassie. Welcome to the show, John Provos.

Jon Provost 2:08

Hey, Jeff. Hi. Hey, listeners. All right. Thank you for having me.

Jeff Dwoskin 2:12

Oh, my God, I'm so so happy to have you. Let me mention your book. Tim is in the well, the John Provost story that you wrote with your wife, Laurie Jacobson. Thank you. Amazing book.

Jon Provost 2:25

You know, what's crazy about that, Jeff, I'm dyslexic. And so I have the stories. But as far as writing stuff down, forget it. It's a real pain. But when Laurie and I, when we finished the book, I found out stuff that I didn't even know about myself. So yeah, it was pretty amazing.

Jeff Dwoskin 2:41

That is probably one of the side effects of having a historian as a wife.

Jon Provost 2:46

Yeah. No, she just kept digging and digging and digging and you know, things started coming back to the memory so it was great.

Jeff Dwoskin 2:54

No need to hide the passwords from Laura she's gonna

Jon Provost 2:57

she's got them all. But I've got hers to worry.

Jeff Dwoskin 3:04

When I read books like this is always something that kind of blows my mind and as I kind of research apparently other people knew this but Timmy never actually fell in a well and the whole joke of after the show I mean, just forever right is I think people know this. Maybe you don't even know it came from Lassie right if someone goes you don't hear something you got what Timmy fell in the well.

Jon Provost 3:25

Exactly. And you know, we do not know where that came from. Yes, Timmy never did fall in a well he fell I fell in abandoned mineshaft off cliff into you name it quicksand. Hello, really, I don't think there is such a thing. But when I was in quicksand, when we were researching the book, I did 259 half hour episodes. So you know some of them blend together. And when we were filming, we could be working on three different scripts in the same day. So it was everything was convoluted. It was kind of crazy. So we went through every episode Thank God my mother they dove and she said every script that I had the first page of every script was a synopsis that half hour was about never fell in a well we did find one episode with that reference what happened there was a couple bad guys and they fell into an old abandoned well or one of them did and of course last year to meet save them but no it never did happen and we don't have a clue but it like you said everybody even today. Cole bear Carson used to say it all the time let them and they are everybody you know once a week they would say that so

Jeff Dwoskin 4:40

it's fine. You're right. You found lakes between railroad cars badger Hall.

Jon Provost 4:46

It was some horrible places. Yeah, but we lived.

Jeff Dwoskin 4:50

We survive. I'm surprised. Parents were watching the show and we're like we can't have kids we cannot have it is so dangerous to have kids

Jon Provost 4:59

the whole thing About that series every episode, Timmy got in trouble or he got stuck in something but the point what he learned from his mistakes, he never talked back to his parents and everything always turned out. Okay at the end of the episode. Yeah. So everybody was happy. You know, people always come up they say, oh, you know, my parents wouldn't let me watch the show because I always bride and I said, Yeah, but it was a good cry for you. You learn something from it.

Jeff Dwoskin 5:26

You see Timmy? So I did find no looking that Lassie did fall in a well herself and season 17 which would have been after you left the show. There was a two parter called for the love of Lassie work last he was trapped in a well, so

Jon Provost 5:42

I missed that one. Sorry.

Jeff Dwoskin 5:45

I figured it too. For your research. You probably won't be there. Yeah, okay. Yeah. So. All right. So yeah, I thought that was I just thought that was hilarious. But it's so cool. Like to have that. It's just being part of the kind of just the lexicon of just American culture. It's like, it's like so many things. Like when you watch a member watching stuff, and I made my wife sit down and watch the Godfather once I go, you have to watch the Godfather because if you don't watch the Godfather, you miss half the references, everything References The Godfather was like there's certain things you have to know that are so ingrained in pop culture. Exactly. I mean, the well Oh, for sure, for sure. You sell to me in the Welsh shirts. So you mentioned you had dyslexia and that was an interesting part of the book. And one of the parts that made me chuckle was that your mom would read you the parts and then you just had an innate You're amazing just memorizing

Jon Provost 6:37

Yeah, I never had the way that I got in the business was not because my parents were in the business. Nobody in the family was it was just because mom wanted an actress's Jane Wyman her autograph. You know, my first job, I was not quite three years old. So I grew up on a soundstage. So I picked all that stuff up. And but then when it came time, like you said, to read and learn the lines, I was having issues. So yeah, so my mom would read me the lines the night before. And on Lassie, we shot an average 10 to 12 pages a day, I would memorize those lines. And I think she would just say that we would do it maybe a couple or three times max. And then the next day, of course, we would just rehearse it. Before we did the scene. We didn't have the table read this stuff. You know, like a lot of theories do. We just did it as we went along. And so it worked. And then you know, when I got old enough to read, and you know, it was going to school and learning, you know, I could I could read I mean, I can read and I can ride. It's just you know, certain, especially with writing, I transpose things, but if I'm looking at something and especially numbers, I'll transpose those, but you get over it. But yeah, my memory when I was younger sure came in helpful.

Jeff Dwoskin 7:50

The part that made me laugh wasn't the dyslexia part, but the part about that's okay. I just gotta finish that. Otherwise, this will sound really bad. No, it was the part where I talked about the dialogue coach taking over from your mom, because you started picking up your mom's accent?

Jon Provost 8:05

Yeah, well, my parents were from the south. And we would always go every summer, we would go visit grandma on and we really need to go to Alabama, we'd go to Arkansas, and we'd come home, you know, with Hey, how are y'all doing? You know? And so yeah, I was picking up that accent from my mom. And they were going well, women. No, Timmy doesn't have an accent. He's just this little white boy from Middle America or something. And so they had to hire a coach. And he had. So I learned I think maybe mom cleaned up the accent a little bit. I think she probably learned from that also.

Jeff Dwoskin 8:39

So your mom is fascinated with autographs you can see from behind me. So I have that in common with your mom. And so well, thank goodness, then that didn't have Comic Cons back then. Right? Because then your mom would have just gone to a Comic Con and you wouldn't be Timmy from last.

Jon Provost 8:52

There you go. She left me she would have left me at home. And yes, I am an extremely big believer and being in the right place at the right time.

Jeff Dwoskin 9:00

Your mom had a plan and plan was to get that autograph by using you to audition. A Boom. There you go job.

Jon Provost 9:07

There you go. It's yeah, she didn't she didn't have a clue. You know, I mean, there were over on that first audition. They call them a cattle call. There were over 200 Little boys and actually some little girls and the moms had cut their hair. And most of them they would go into a room and they'd come out and they'd say, okay, you can go home now. But I'd go in the room and I'd come back out. They'd say no, Jon, you stay here. And then towards the end of the day, a woman comes up to my mother and says, Hey, I think your son's gonna get this job. They need to know who your agent is. And mom was so ignorant of the business. She said, Well, no, we live in Pasadena and we own a home so we don't need an agent. You know, she had not a clue what the woman was telling me. She goes no, a theatrical agent. And mom says, Oh my gosh, I don't know. And she says, Well, this woman says, Well, my name is Lola Moore and I'm the number one child agent in Hollywood and I can represent your son moms as well. Okay, but doesn't cost anything. She said, No, I just take 10% of whatever your son makes a mountain. Great. And then she says, Well, when do I get the autograph? She finally got her autograph and I got a job and an agent that started

Jeff Dwoskin 10:14

the whole thing. Yeah, those seem to be cleaning up with a good actor. Oh,

Jon Provost 10:17

my Oh, but yeah, she sure was, you know, but and she just, he didn't rock the boat. She just played things straight and narrow yet. I would say she wasn't the best agent for the for the client. I think she was more for the studios, but that's the way it was back then.

Jeff Dwoskin 10:33

Yeah, but she recognized an untapped market. Uh huh. Oh, yeah. All right. So so big was the movie with Jane Wyman? Yes. You actually were in that movie with Tommy Radek? Who was Jeff on Lassie, that transition to you when he gave you last year on the show. Not to get ahead, but spoiler.

Jon Provost 10:54

Thanks for the dog, Jeff.

Jeff Dwoskin 10:56

That's right. I was hoping you would say that. Jeff would Jeff's are so under under represented on TV, you know. No one's named Jeff anymore. It was like when I grew up, everyone was Jeff and now just know Jeff's

Jon Provost 11:09

never thought of that. Wow. Okay. No, all right. Well, you know, that is such a crazy coincidence that Tommy because we both played the same character. He just played the character older. And there was a dog in the movie and so big, not a collie. I don't even remember it. Well, I don't remember the movie. I was too young. But Ron Weatherwax, the Weatherwax had the dog. And he was lassies. Owner and trainer. So I mean, that's really a crazy coincidence that you know, those two people and then five, six years later, I'm working with them again, on the series. That was pretty strange.

Jeff Dwoskin 11:47

I know. It's weird how the world works, though. It's kind of put you all together. So Roger Weatherwax his family still kind of maintain the training of every generation of Lassie, right? Oh, yeah,

Jon Provost 11:58

no, the Weatherwax is where the owners trainers and breeders of every Lassie since the original movie Lassie come home, which was 1940 something up until actually now his son, Bob Jr. His family now have like the 10th 12 generation blasey But you know, it's just family dog now not the business but they also the Weatherwax is we're also they also trained toto The Wizard of Oz Old Yeller the dog in the movie Old Yeller, who is actually a pound while I a rescue dog. Back then they call them a pound stead of rescues, but didn't have Humane Societies them so sorry. But ya know, read was read was great. And I loved Rudd, he was a tough guy. But he had a heart of gold. And I never knew either one of my grandfather's they had all passed. So he was kind of my surrogate grandfather, and I grew up, you know, with him on the set for seven years, and from seven to 14 on and you know, with three different classes, and then my favorite laughy that I worked with for five years, so it was real family, like,

Jeff Dwoskin 13:08

Yeah, it's amazing watching. Well, you know, just how well the how train they were just like,

Jon Provost 13:15

the dogs. Oh, no, Jeff, the dogs were insane. They weren't like we worked on when when I did that show, we worked with every kind of animal you can imagine, seriously, you name it. We worked with it, and lots of other dogs. And I saw how other trainers dealt with their animals or their dog what didn't didn't matter. It was just how he loves his animals. And he loves his dogs. He trained with respect and with praise and reward. You know, that kind of thing. Instead of being cruel to your animal, too. I learned a lot from him. Yeah, he was. He was really a great guy.

Jeff Dwoskin 13:53

It's great that you have so many amazing memories. I know, in so many special people that

Jon Provost 13:57

we were really a close knit little family. I mean, hey, I went to I worked five days a week, 10 hours a day, nine months out of the year on that show. So and you know, it was always I go to work and be one kid, three dogs and about 35 adults, and just a couple of women. You know, I mean, it was all men. What was your guys all sit around smoking? And that's how it was? There's some great yeah, you've seen some of the great pictures. I mean, yeah, it was, it was a different thing.

Jeff Dwoskin 14:28

Sorry to interrupt this amazing conversation. But I want to take a quick moment and thank you for your support of the sponsors. When you support the sponsors. You're supporting us here at Classic conversations and that's how we keep the lights on and now back to my amazing conversation with Jon Provost are about to dive into his next movie and the path to Lassie different times so I so cool. So then you became an RKO contract player after country girl you're a country girl with Grace Kelly and Bing Crosby. Yes,

Jon Provost 14:57

the second movie which Then again, I was so young I don't remember that third movie, which was believed that was all mine to give and then back from eternity and escapade in Japan, you know, all those I remember especially like escapade in Japan, that was RKO Giga again, actually, their last movie, the first American movie filmed in Japan, just about 11 years after the war. And you know, that wasn't good for the Japanese. And so we didn't know how we were going to be accepted. You know, all these people coming over from Hollywood, it was insane. It was incredible. It was they loved us. My mother and I have very small, very, very blonde and the Japanese were small and very, very dark air. And anytime we were out in public that people would just come over and want to touch our hair. And just they, you know, they it was it was incredible and spent some three and a half months there when I was six. While I was in Japan. They were looking for a replacement for Jeff's part, not you, Tommy, Tommy Jetix part,

Jeff Dwoskin 16:03

the host of classic.

Jon Provost 16:06

Hey, I had to bring it I had to bring it around. Evidently they couldn't find the right kit. The wife of the movie was having lunch with the wife of the guy that produced Lassie and came up that Wow, it sounds like the kid you want is in Japan. And so what happened was when I got back from Japan, went and met with the producers and the directors of Lassie, and they said great, well, they knew I could act because they'd seen my stuff. So that wasn't the issue. Issue was how me and the dog would react. And so I actually went and lived with Ren Weatherwax and Lassie for like, a long weekend for like three days, he had a ranch about 60 miles outside of LA came back and met with the people and we walked in the office and last he gave me two paws up and I got the job. And I loved that dog and I thought they loved me. And you can see that we couldn't fake that and that's what they were looking for. And that's that's why they put us together like that. It worked out great.

Jeff Dwoskin 17:00

Was that the original assay pow at that time

Jon Provost 17:02

actually, Powell was Powell didn't do any TV power only did movies and then actually you'll be interested in this which I only found out gosh, maybe 2015 20 years ago that there was actually a Lassie radio show before they started doing television and Ron Weatherwax was in the broadcast booth as was Lassie and they would tell a story and whenever last he had to bark or they wouldn't he would have Lassie bark. I mean that was I never knew and actually I was he was an old ham radio program showed that I was at and I actually got some some copies of those but so Powell didn't do any movies too. He just I mean he didn't do TV did the movies radio then his son worked with Tommy in Tommy's three years on last he but he was old. He was ready to retire so I worked with him Have fun for about six months. And then pals grandson, great grandson and great great grandson. All male was Lassie.

Jeff Dwoskin 17:59

Male in the book. Oh, no, no last he was supposed to. I'm sorry. No, was Lassie a female in the book, but they used a male correct no

Jon Provost 18:06

last uh, yeah, Lassie, look, our dogs were the oldest crossdressers in Hollywood. Every last he was been a male. But last year as a female every year on our series, last he would have puppies. So we got this male dog laying down there in the barn and they would stick about a half a dozen puppies in his belly. And they'd have to get that shot really quick, you know? And then we moved on, but no, all males and the reasoning for that read Weatherwax told me well in the animal kingdom, usually the males are bigger and more colorful. So that was one reason that currently he said that the males were smarter and thirdly, he said the males were easier to train than the females. The real reason was when the feet the females are smaller, but when they would come into season coming to heat, they would lose their coat and they wouldn't want to work well you know, we're making movies here. You know? We don't have time for that though. That's why they always choose male

Jeff Dwoskin 19:03

got it? So why did they just make last AMA on the show? Well,

Jon Provost 19:06

the the original book Yeah, you know, last well, but no but see that oh then But then this series would have to have been called bow or ladder. That's right. Because the ladder Yeah, it would have to Lassie Laude? Yeah, that would have been that. Okay. Yeah, cuz the Irish lassies and girl feet. Yeah, you're right.

Jeff Dwoskin 19:30

way above my paygrade Okay, that's funny. All right. So Jeff Miller on the show. That's Jeff's character. Tommy Radek is experiencing something that you'll experience later, which is he's growing out of the role. Yeah, but the whole world is in love with the millers and Lassie, right. And so they introduce you so here comes to me.

Jon Provost 19:55

Yeah, look, yeah, and a lot of people is and so he's too young. Um, you know, whatever. But it's true. It's like people have been watching Tommy for three years. And we're, you know, they accepted him, and we're identifying with him and wanted him to continue. But they didn't, you know, the public, they didn't realize that he didn't want to do the show anymore. You know, the public never are told really why things change in a series. And I think when they started with Tommy, he was too old. And so he really did outgrow that part. You know, he had to move on as as even as a character. He had to move on. You know, he couldn't just be the kid there on the farm. He had to go do something, right. He wouldn't need to go to college or something. Yeah. And so that's what happened to it. And they, they, and then well, like you said, they found me.

Jeff Dwoskin 20:42

Right. So that was, so now we're in the spring of 1957, roughly, an orphan boy named Timmy joins the Miller household. Now there's a whole transition period, which I found it was really interesting how they how they did it,

Jon Provost 20:54

ya know, we worked together for a half a season and back then, you know, we did what today a new series. They'll do 1012 episodes, maybe or five, depending on what it is. We did between 34 and 36 episodes. 37 a year, half hour episodes, so it was a lot. So yeah, we worked together for half a season for maybe half a dozen 15 shows maybe a

Jeff Dwoskin 21:21

little more than they pass the torch. And then but they sped it up right because Jeff's grandpa George Cleveland passed

Jon Provost 21:29

away. Yeah, he did. He passed away during filming. But it was interesting

Jeff Dwoskin 21:32

in your book, because to put everything in perspective, right. This is the TV's pretty is very new this time. So to deal with a death like this was a big deal. They had to handle it a certain way. But they had to they had to confront it as well. Right.

Jon Provost 21:47

What happened to Gramps, you know, there is one day one Sunday and now next Sunday is gone. Got to deal with it some somehow.

Jeff Dwoskin 21:57

So they sell the house to the Martins Paul and Ruth Martin correct version one. Yes, Big John and Cloris Leachman, I did not realize this in your book and like gloriously That's right. But it this escaped

Jon Provost 22:10

me. Well, it didn't they didn't show those episodes for years and years and years. They just kept them in the can because they figured it was going to confuse people every if you think of Ruth Martin, there's only one name that comes into mind and that's June Lockhart, period. Chloris. You know, I was I don't I don't remember personally the politics that went on there. But the story well, for one thing if you take the demeanor of June Lockhart and the kind of character she plays and the kind of characters that Cloris Leachman plays, you know, I mean, she can be way out there June is a lot more settled. Cloris you know, she did not realize that she was going to be stuck on this farm baking cookies and being this nice little farm lady for six or seven years. So after about a half a season she wanted out and they graciously let her get out of her contract. But as you mentioned, John John Shepard, he played Paul the father they had to let him go to and he didn't want to go so he got the bad end of the stick on that deal. So anyways, in the next step, then they hired June Lockhart and who Riley as the parents. So one Sunday. It was Cloris Inchon, the next Sunday, it was June and Hugh, and guess how many letters the studio got zero net, because that pub, they were just involved with the little kid and the dog they they didn't even realize it was two different parents. You know, it was crazy. But they just they didn't show those reruns for years and years with Chloris

Jeff Dwoskin 23:48

was a funny part about them getting no letters was when they made it. They had to make a transition of lassies around this time as well. And there was like, there was like a little difference in the noses. There's already Yeah, the coloring. Yeah. Everyone noticed that.

Jon Provost 24:05

That's the you you got it. That was the point people focused on the kid and the dog. And that was when we switched from quote, the old man, which was the dog that worked with Tommy to spook which was his son, and yeah, he didn't work out really well. And then so baby spook son, he took over and that was the one that I worked with for five years and I loved that dog and he loved me and but he if I told him to do something, and he looked at me like, you're not my trainer, we're friends, you know, we'll hang out but you know, I'll play with you but I'm not going to work for you. You'll be had to be that way. You know, so you they didn't want to be distracted or whatever. And I would sometimes because like I mentioned earlier red had this ranch outside of LA well out in Saugus area which back then it was where people filmed there was nothing out there and now It's you know, concrete and condos and Magic Mountain. But I'd go out there because red had like 60 acres, he had a pond and I could go fishing and play with the dogs. So I'd leave work Friday after work, jump in the station wagon with red and a couple of dogs drive out to his ranch, spend the weekend out there. And then Monday come back and go to work just was kind of a double edged thing. Because for me, it was great to get out of the city and just have fun, but it was a super bonding thing for me and the dog. So I can see how the suits you know, the people around this shows that oh, yeah, let them spend as much time together as they can. Because that's just going to strengthen that bond, which we had. That's what you couldn't fake, you know, and that that's, I mean, I can read that dog's mind and he can read my we Yeah, he was great. Sometimes I get lost talking about undeniable

Jeff Dwoskin 25:49

chemistry is a great time. No, I get I get it was such an important special part of your life.

Jon Provost 25:55

But here's another thing to Jeff. I can never take him home. I can only go that Tom was insured for a million bucks way back then. So that was a lot. No big deal.

Jeff Dwoskin 26:05

Yeah, yeah. You don't want to mess that up. So how old are you at this point? You're like six?

Jon Provost 26:13

Well, no, I started the show when I was seven. Sad. Okay. Yeah. So I got I got baby when I was nine, because I worked with him for five years. So what

Jeff Dwoskin 26:23

was it like going on like the Jack Benny show and being in the Rose Bowl parade and doing all these things? Do you remember that? I mean, that must have.

Jon Provost 26:30

But to me because like I said earlier, you know, I started when I was two and a half. I grew up on that sound. So when I would meet people like Jack Benny or Bob Hope errs, you know, somebody's really big to me. They were just people like myself. They were actors. They were doing their job. Yeah, there was some people like I was I admired and I was like, well, well, there's Dan Blocker. There's Haas. Whoa, wow. You know, from Bonanza, you know, man, that guy's really cool. But and he's sitting there in the commissary having lunch like me, and he's wearing his cowboy outfit, and I'm wearing my Tammy outfit. We're just doing what we do. It's just what I did, you know. So it was exciting. It was always neat to like you mentioned all the praise, like the Hollywood land parade and stuff, because then I'd get to kind of link up with other kids in the business that we may not have hung around together, you know, but we would see each other at events. And we all knew each other. And we all had the same experiences under our belts, so we can really relate to each other. And, you know, some I am friends with today. Unfortunately, I just lost a really, really good friend. You know, I'm Tony down. So yeah, those things were they were great. But it was, you know, it wasn't like, oh, boy, I'm gonna do the prayer today. You know, it was like, Oh, I got another prayer to go to the cool. Well, it'll be fun. And I'll get to see so and so. It was it was what I did. I mean, it wasn't boring by any means. It was just routine. I guess that might be a good way to put

Jeff Dwoskin 28:03

it. Yeah, very sorry about about Tony, I actually just talked to his to show stack and Tony was his man at his wedding. Yeah. And so I, I had been following all them. And when he started posting, when he was fighting the good fight,

Jon Provost 28:16

and all that kind of stuff, you know, and it's unfortunate, because, you know, Tony was a little bit older than than I, but you know, all of us, you know, I was this group you this 5050s 60s, you know, early 70s that group, especially the early ones, the beginning, like you mentioned, you know, television was in its infancy. Yeah, there were three networks, people, three channels, maybe four if you were in New York, or LA or someplace. So it was you know, it was it was a whole nother thing, but it's unfortunate, because we're all a lot of us would get we're getting up there and it's it's just

Jeff Dwoskin 28:53

life time is a bitch.

Jon Provost 28:55

It sure is and you can't stop it. You can turn it back and all that.

Jeff Dwoskin 29:01

Sorry to interrupt this amazing conversation with Jon provost. But we got to take a quick break. And we're back with Jon Provost about to dive into what it's like to have the majority of America watching you every week. And we're back. So Jon So 40% of America is watching Lassie, right So like you said, there's three channels so it's much more focus at that time than it is today. So 40% So you're going to school in between, in between seasons and stuff like that. So what is it like just just even walking anywhere as young Jon Provost supermarket?

Jon Provost 29:38

Cool. No, I was all I was Timmy when Lassie was on because it was current. So every Sunday at seven 730 CBS you know, like you said, a third of the people were sitting down watching it and so how about Saturday afternoon when that kid was going to watch Lassie on Sunday is going to the mat nay to see it Disney cartoon and in walks 10 Jon provost, with a couple of his friends to watch the movie and just be a kid. And they look at you and they go, Wait a minute, what are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here. You're supposed to be in a farm, and I'm gonna see you on TV tomorrow.

Jeff Dwoskin 30:18

What are you doing in color there? Yeah,

Jon Provost 30:20

yeah. You know, and how come you? And how come you know? And what are you doing in the city? Yeah, yeah. So yeah, you know, when parents we'd go out to dinner? I don't know, I think people are a little bit more reserved back then than they are today. They wouldn't just come up to you. And you know, while you were putting a bite into your mouth and say, Hey, can I have your autograph that happens, but back then it wasn't quite that big. And of course, we didn't have the paparazzi and all that kind of craziness. But no, it could be. It could be invasive, you know. And, yeah, people thought of me as Timmy, not as Jon. And they always thought of me as the little kid even though I was older. That's what happened to Tommy, same thing. Everybody thought of him as this little kid on the farm, Jeff, and he's going no, I'm not Jeff. I'm growing a beard. You know, I can grow hair. And you know what I'm saying? That's people would always even today people call me Tell me, you know, but it's okay. It's all right. There was there was that time when I rebelled. And it was when I went to college. And I, you know, this was like, 7069 7071 and, you know, long hair the hippie. I mean, I people would come up to me and say, Jon, Provost, that name sounds familiar. We'll use it. People confuse me with him all the time, you know, and I would deny it. And then I just said, You know what, it doesn't work. And you know what, it doesn't really matter because they have good feelings about it. Nobody's ever come up to me, Jeff and said, we ended Lassie never happened,

Jeff Dwoskin 31:49

they would have to institutionalize if that was true.

Jon Provost 31:57

It could have been different. So now No, no, it's you know, it's yeah, it's great. But

Jeff Dwoskin 32:01

so in addition to that, 40% people watching the here's some trivia I found, which I thought was interesting. I think lastly, to this day is one of the longest running shows, at least in the top five, probably of all time, and it's many iterations. But it was the first long running television show to remain in its time slot and day of the week during the entire primetime run on US TV. Why? Because I think the last three years it was a syndicated show, but wow, okay, so that helps to Oh, yeah. When it's when you know, this time,

Jon Provost 32:32

Don't you hate that you love this show? And then they switch it from one night to a different time, or whatever? Oh, yeah. But no. Okay. I did not know that. That's good.

Jeff Dwoskin 32:41

I know. Well, we're here together and you can get a towel or you can put it in the next version of the book. Okay. Wait, did I read today in your book? They pulled your teeth. Oh, that must have been a nightmare. They wouldn't do they wouldn't be allowed to do that today.

Jon Provost 32:56

I don't. Yeah, it was what what I was losing one of my my front teeth, upper fronts middle, they were going to make a bridge because for continuity. That was one reason Timmy always wore the same shirt. Always wear the check shirt, jeans, tennis shoes, because like I said earlier, sometimes we could be filming three different scripts in one day. Well, that would be a nightmare for the costume person. So they always had Timmy wear the same clothes continuity, no big problem. Well, they couldn't have Timmy loses teeth. So they were going to one tooth came out and they were going to put a Brit make a bridge? Well, I guess the dentist told him well, you know it'd be is gonna lose that other one eventually, then you're gonna have to make another bridge when put to t. So it might be easier just to do the two right now. Yeah, it was an idea. It's really funny because we were down south recently. And we were driving down my old haunts. And we drove by the building and I pointed out to Laura, I said, Lucy, that building I said that's where the dentist's was, I remember that. I mean, tell today. Listen to that. That's crazy. I probably could go to the to the floor in the office where that guy was because I just went in had not a clue. And then you know, and they numbed and then the next numbed me up the next thing I know, he's like, got a hammer and chiseled and Enoch in this too. And I'm Whoa, so yes, so then I had a bridge for my two front teeth. Well, there's something positive that comes out of this. We filmed it Desi lieu, which was right next door to Paramount, Desi lose, commissary wasn't as good as paramount. So some days we'd go over to paramount to have lunch. So we're over there having lunch, and Bob Hope is there making a movie and somebody and I'm like, you know, 10 years old. And so they somebody goes, Oh, photo op, so they grabbed me and they take me and we're Bob's having lunch and he's in costume. And I'm in costume. And he goes, they put me on his lap. Then you're gonna do a picture and Bob looks at me and he goes, I mean, this is Bob Hope. Right? Right here, right? Yeah. And he looks at me and says, okay, kid, make me laugh. She had a thank you and I just home me how Yeah, how do you know I'm not. And I remembered I had my false teeth. And so I popped my false teeth out, stuck them out on my tongue. And of course, he just cracked up that got a great photo. And the fun part was I have that foot and I have it up on the wall here. It's real big. It must have been about 2030 years ago, I was able to get him to sign it. That finally I got it signed big. Yeah, so I made Bob Hope laugh. So that was the only good thing that came out of that horrible dental experience.

Jeff Dwoskin 35:36

All right, well, you know, sometimes it's worth it was. I don't know. I know. Yeah. It's your you made lemonade. I don't know where we are in the timeline. Exactly. But you won the New York Film critic, top child actor award in 1958. That must have felt good. And then you were at the opening of Tomorrowland at Disneyland. I love Disney. So that was exciting. You've done all these such cool things. You're on Captain Kangaroo.

Jon Provost 36:05

Oh, yeah. Mr. Greenjeans.

Jeff Dwoskin 36:08

Oh, yeah. I was gonna ask Did you know Mr. Green? They were all there. It's so cool. And then what was it like to be part of the Timmy Martin Jon Provost fan club at this time, like fan clubs are a big thing where,

Jon Provost 36:21

you know, I was just really focused, either working, or just trying to to be a kid. It's crazy to say about the fan club thing. You know, at first, the letters all would go to the studio. And so like, once a week, they would, you know, deliver to my mother to the house or something couple of those, like, where do they come like duffel bags or some full of letters. And so mom, finally I think she told them, she said, look, she was waiting. Just we'll just have them delivered to our house. So now there's this huge fan club, and mom is giving them our home address. So 1000s and 1000s of people have our home address, and they're writing to us right at home. Well, I guess some people figured look, wait, wait, this isn't a studio. This is a regular? Well, now they're showing up at the house. And I mean, it was crazy to move you know, it was like nothing weird ever happen. It was just a different on. I mean, you couldn't if you did that today, forget it. You know, it was just no way and every you know thing was was answered every every piece of fan mail was answered, you know, by met not by me but by you know, the provost family or somebody there helping and it was, it was crazy. It was crazy. It was the big deal. But it's Yeah, I don't know what to say

Jeff Dwoskin 37:42

thinking big deal is you met the Lone Ranger and, and self.

Jon Provost 37:46

Oh, boy, that was an he did one episode of laughy. And what what a thing that was Clayton Moore was the lone ranger. I mean, he believed in you know, he, he believed in in the character. And so when he was on Lassie, I never once he would never let me see him out of character. So like I said earlier, when actors and people they to me would just like me, because I, I would see them like sitting eating lunch with us, or getting in the makeup chair next to me getting made up June Lockhart coming to work in the morning looking like she just got out of bed because she did. And then she went and sat in the makeup chair for three hours. Okay. So you know, that's what you saw. But I never saw him as a regular person. He was always the Lone Ranger. And on the last day of filming, he was getting ready to leave. And he called me over and he said, Jon, he goes, you've been a good, you know, good kid, because I want to give you some and he reached into his holster, and he pulled out to give me a silver bullet. And I don't know, I you know, I didn't save stuff from the series or whatever. So I gave that silver bullet away. I gave it to a friend, you know, for president or something or some friend said, wow, that's really cool. Can I have that? And I said, Sure, you know, whatever. And I've told that story before. And I told it at an autograph show years ago, and a few years back, a fan who had a silver bullet from the Lone Ranger gave me his so the the whole, the full circle came around. But you mentioned the opening at Tomorrowland at Disneyland and Nim we mentioned the Lone Ranger. Well, there's a tie in there and the tie in is Jack rather who owned the last few series. He also owned the Lone Ranger and Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, but other things that he owned was the Disneyland Hotel. So he was you know, with he and Walt were kind of builders guys together. So when something went on, everybody was included. And so that's one reason that Lassie and I were there.

Jeff Dwoskin 39:54

Alright, so as so now you're growing older you're hitting puberty. You Yeah, you're starting to realize what AMI is Jeff was feeling you go. Tommy's three seasons are now in syndication as Jeff's Cali, frankly, I think is a better name for the show. But well, there's, I mean, personally, me, I'm not I'm just Yeah, yeah, but I'm just kidding. And so, talk to me. I know, I know, this was a decision you made, which I think is was great that your parents kind of put this in your hands and let you do what was right for you versus how did you like, what did you just weigh pros and cons? Like, how did you or did you just have this innate feelings that time for me to go?

Jon Provost 40:37

See, I had the seven year contract. So I thought, seven years, I'm 14. It's where it's gonna be over. Well, all of a sudden, my parents said, look, there was a three year option for two months, seven year, I mean, 10 years, and they said, but the good thing is, the option is ours. So you can you know, if you want to say no, you can't, or go on for 10 more years. I mean, for three more years. I was exactly going through what Tommy went through. And I said, No, I love acting. I enjoy all that. But I'm tired of being Timmy. I'm 14. And I'm more now I'm more interested in girls than I am in dogs. So it's time to go. And so like yeah, like my parents said, do that now. Yeah, there was a lot of stuff. Think about the like I said, Jack rather welcome one thing. I didn't have much time in summer when we were on hiatus, because we were promoting the show and stuff. So I wanted more time. So they agreed, well, okay, we'll give you you know, three weeks off for yourself. Do whatever you want to do now. Okay. Oh, we're gonna give you more money or and then here was the kicker, Jack, rather owner of the show, also at that time on the Balboa Bay Club and Chris Kraft boats. Okay, they made big boats, nice boats. So he said, Well, Jon, yeah, you'd like to be an out on my boat. How about Hi, Jessica. Yeah, excuse me. You know, I'm 14 years old and you want to give me a 15 foot? Oh, no. So it no and so I just told my parents No, no, no, no, but I do want to act so I quit last season, they shipped us off to Australia got rid of the family and then Lassie went off to the forest ranger which I think was a big mistake. I think they should have left Lassie with another family like Jeff did with me. Jeff, you made a mistake. You shouldn't give up you know, I mean, and like we had you know, there were kids that live down the land. We had a little girl that lived down the list. I could have given Lassie to the girl I could have done whatever but

Jeff Dwoskin 42:35

they a girl would have been great. Why not mix it up with it? The point is Lassie girls are smarter than boys she probably went into the well or gotten caught oh well so maybe that maybe

Jon Provost 42:51

they made a mistake there but like you said last he went on and it's different configurations to be one of the longest running series is that there has been so

Jeff Dwoskin 43:01

Oh, I was gonna say the fascinating thing in your book though. Before you go into the next thing is that when you pick Australia like they purposely picked a place where legally you could not bring a classy dog and and I found that fascinating that they would do that because you're right the public would mentally you've probably put up barriers to you and probably

Jon Provost 43:20

Oh yeah, yeah, so know that that was an but the crazy thing is that is still in effect today. In Australia. Yeah. If you want to bring the heavyweight heavily heavily quarantined a lot of places or like a wide center. You have to really quarantine them. Yeah, it makes a lot of sense. But ya know, they picked a good one on that and who would have thought I mean board.

Jeff Dwoskin 43:40

Do you ever regret it walking away? No,

Jon Provost 43:43

no, not from Lassie. I did not it was the time it was the decision. Yes. No, that that was end like you know, after last year I the first movie I did was this property is condemned Robert Redford, Natalie Wood Charlie Bronson, Mary Batum you know from To Kill a Mockingbird and

Jeff Dwoskin 44:02

written by Francis Ford Coppola.

Jon Provost 44:08

Tennessee, but no. And so you know, and then after that, another movie that nobody ever heard of, and then computer wore tennis shoes, Kurt Russell. Now here was a big tipping another, I should say another big tipping point. I just finished a movie in the Philippines. It was great house. Three, three months there. 17 years old was with the actor Gary Merrill. It was his last movie. You had a lot of fun, terrible movie, but a lot of fun. And then came home and then got the Disney movie, computer wear tennis shoes. Well, Kurt and I both had our birthdays. He turned 17. I turned 18 while we were filming, and we were hanging out doing something and I said, you know, man, I said, I just turned 18 I've been working 15 years and he said why don't you take a break? And I thought about it. My girlfriend at the time from high school. She was pushing me in that door. directional so and I said, okay, yeah, maybe you got to do that. And then on the family side, my father, I'm the youngest of three, but my father said, you know, all my kids go to college and when you go to college, you go to college, you don't stay home. So I made a decision, then, you know, okay, I'm gonna go to school and I'm gonna get out of the business, there was no way I can, you can do both. So that that was when I really wrote the pink slip to get out of Hollywood. I ended up moving to Northern California. And of course, you know, doing Hawk shows and all that kind of stuff in between, but never really, you know, getting back in the business. And then it was like 1988 kind of heard through the grapevine that there was there's down at Universal they were thinking of doing this new Lassie series, so found out who was producing it decided to give Albertan the producer a call, called him and said, Hey, we're gonna do a new Lassie thing. First thing, he says to me on the phone, you're gonna love this. He goes, I don't want to use anybody from the old show. I said, Okay, great. I said that besides what about, you know, behind the scene consultant, something like that. And he goes, Oh, that could be good. So I said, Okay, so I went down to universal we met, we had lunch. And as we're doing it, he goes, Well, you know, maybe there is a place for you in the theory. And so then Long Story Short, I'm in the new series. I'm not Demi Martin anymore. And this other guy and then

Jeff Dwoskin 46:29

Uncle Steve, not just any guy, your Uncle Steve. Yeah, it was.

Jon Provost 46:33

Yeah. It made no sense. It made no sense. They could whatever. So then, obviously, everybody knows well wait, that's the guy that so then the next I am Timmy, I'm growing up but I changed my name, blah, blah. The first season was kind of crazy. The second season was really good because Bob Weatherwax who had the eighth generation I believe it was last year at that time, maybe the sixth we both went to Alan's to the producers to general you're just not doing this the way we last year. And he said okay, well why don't you guys Well, Bob directed a couple he said and I N Why don't you write a story so I came up with a story storyline, which was accepted we did the episode and it was called the rabbits tail. It was about using rabbits in cosmetic testing and that episode when for that year, the best family episode about animals and you know, treated properly by the Genesis foundation

Jeff Dwoskin 47:32

of Genesis Award for Outstanding yeah vision and a family series. Yeah, so

Jon Provost 47:36

that that was super but also AMI Radek was in it, Jeff. Yeah, not

Jeff Dwoskin 47:42

Jeff Miller. There you go thrown out Jeff Miller.

Jon Provost 47:46

And also June Lockhart was in it and one person who I had never met but who was in the original movie Lassie come home with Elizabeth Taylor. Roddy McDowell

Jeff Dwoskin 47:57

absolutely one of my faves.

Jon Provost 47:58

Oh my God and what you know I have I am there's a man that like okay, now you asked earlier you know, was I admired by these people? Well as a child, no, but as an adult. Oh boy, when I met Ronnie McDowell, you know, come on, and what an incredible nice sweet what a great man, Ellen and Margaret O'Brien. She did one of the episodes so it was great we and the second season was really changing and looking good but unfortunately it wasn't picked up you know for a third or whatever but

Jeff Dwoskin 48:28

that's work with Dee Wallace. Chris first. Oh

Jon Provost 48:30

yeah, no Dee Wallace. We had a great cast what and then we had this I wasn't I had a recurring character was a recurring character. So every other episode, and in one episode, they had willed Nipper who played my nephew, he wanted his friends on the show is this kid he's just starting out. Leo DiCaprio. Ever heard of him? Yeah, I

Jeff Dwoskin 48:53

think he went anywhere. But yeah,

Jon Provost 48:54

he got his debut on the new last show. But unfortunately, I didn't get to meet him. But yeah, and then we'll we'll get you by you mentioned Dee Wallace, of course, and Christopher stone. Her husband who passed away but will who became will Estes went on to trollbloods. And it's still there. And he so he had an incredible career. Yeah, we had a lot of fun on that show. It's just too bad. It didn't last

Jeff Dwoskin 49:20

when you kind of skipped ahead and you just skipped totally over meeting Mr. Ed and working with Oh, yeah.

Jon Provost 49:25

Which is good, man. Well, okay, yeah, when I left like

Jeff Dwoskin 49:32

I get you worked at Lassie, so most people's lead might be Mr. Ed. If that's all they did, but I get it. But well,

Jon Provost 49:38

here's the thing. No, I Okay. I worked with the smartest dog. And then, you know, that wasn't enough. I had to leave and then I worked with the smartest horse there was and he was great. And Alan Jung was super and the director of that show was Arthur Lubin who was the director of the movie escapade in Japan that I did before I got the show from from Lassie. Yeah, unfortunately and I have to blow. Everybody's burst everybody's bubble. Mr. Ed didn't really talk. Watch. Hi. Sorry. I'm really sorry. But that's Hollywood.

Jeff Dwoskin 50:12

You got to throw out spoiler before you say something like that, Jon. I'm sorry. That's how well that lastly did eventually find another colleague in the series towards the end and they had a letter together. I've kept you forever. So I have one last quick question. Okay, cool. Well, first of all, I do want to mention that your outfit is in the Smithsonian, with Archie Bunker's chair. Yeah, find Z's jacket. And that was, that was incredible. And then you mentioned in your book that you saw the Beatles live Oh, twice. Oh, yeah. It couldn't hear. Wrap it in my face.

Jon Provost 50:48

For the first time was at Dodger Stadium, and you couldn't hear anything. It was it was like absurd. But the second time was that the bowl, the Hollywood Bowl, which was designed for music, not Yeah, it wasn't a ballpark. Right. And so you could hear something again, you know, I mean, Lord, that was those concerts lasted a half hour. And that was it. Or the the main performance, The Beatles, because you know, you did one album, it was a half hour, not like a concert you go to today, you know, three hours live, you know, I was I was really lucky growing up in LA at that time to see a lot of, you know, like, you know, the doors Jimi Hendrix, you know, I mean, you can name it people live in small, small venues. I was really lucky with that. But yeah, the Beatles twice. And then, of course, we've seen you know, Paul and Ringo. And

Jeff Dwoskin 51:32

that's awesome. Jon, this has been like the most amazing time. Thank you. I have so many great stories.

Jon Provost 51:38

It just goes on it goes on. We got a call. A few months back, Laurie gets a call from this producer. He says, We would like to know if Jon would like to be the voice of a robot and the science fiction movie that we're doing. Okay, why not? So I am the voice of the robot spark who is the movie is called Colonials. And it's it's a science fiction movie, my very first science fiction and I'm sure you'll remember the movie Castaway with Tom Hanks, and Wilson, his his friend, Jon. Yeah, well, that's Spark is like a Wilson. He's a floating kind of oblong round robot, which is basically he's just a face with eyes that and you know, he talks. He's a good robot, but he can be a little violent once in a while, too. So I'm kind of living out some of my fantasies. But it's amazing. You know, it just goes on and on. Jeff.

Jeff Dwoskin 52:36

That's incredible. And then you do all the fan shows? Right, either. So yeah,

Jon Provost 52:40

as a matter of fact, yeah. We're going to be doing a couple. I've got some stuff lined up this year on the east coast on the West Coast. Hopefully everywhere in between.

Jeff Dwoskin 52:50

You got to come to the Detroit Motor City. ComiCon Hey,

Jon Provost 52:52

there you go years ago, years ago, so maybe it's time to come back. It's time to come back. All right. Well let you know.

Jeff Dwoskin 52:58

Awesome. So many great. So I love I love talking to you. Thank you so much. Thanks. So what do we got? We got Jonprovost.com We got your book Tim. He's in the well the Jon Provost story available wherever books are sold, etc. Do you hang out on social media at all other than

Jon Provost 53:15

not a whole bunch? You know, I do have a Facebook page. Yeah, that's pretty much it. Cool. All right. Well, thank you.

Jeff Dwoskin 53:22

All right. How amazing was Jon Provost definitely check out his book. It's a really great book so many more stories that we didn't even dive into your into the history of TV, do not miss his book. It's amazing. And definitely check them out online and hang out with them on Facebook. You know all that stuff? Well, with the interview over it can only mean one thing. That's right. It's diver another trending hashtag and the family of hashtags and hashtag around up download the free always free hashtag roundup app from the Google Play Store or iTunes App Store, tweet along with us and one day want to yell at tweets may show up on a future episode of Classic conversations, fame and fortune awaits you. This episode's hashtag is #WhyDogsAreBetterThanHumans brought to us by Wonder tags a weekly Game On hashtag Roundup. #WhyDogsAreBetterThanHumans. Well, if you've got an answer, definitely tweet it and tag us at Jeff Dwoskin show on Twitter. We'll show you some Twitter love. Obviously, this hashtag was picked due to an inspiration from the theme of the show Lassie, anyone better than Lassie? I don't think so. How many times did he save Timmy? I know she's amazing. All right, let's dive into #WhyDogsAreBetterThanHumans. Dogs inevitably find the clues and the villains even when they're not looking right like when dogs eat documents. They don't even try to hide it shouldn't be left your homework sitting around. Dogs don't judge us for taking naps. Don't we all need someone around who just doesn't judge us These are #WhyDogsAreBetterThanHumans tweets. Dogs aren't put in jail for pooping on the lawn. Well, they should be get out my loan. Dogs are always in the mood to snuggle to words you can always count on from a dog unconditional love. They're always smiling. But the most important reason #WhyDogsAreBetterThanHumans. Dogs don't care how many things we've ordered from Amazon. Oh, yes. Oh, that is why #WhyDogsAreBetterThanHumans. All right, all these folks are retweeted at Jeff Dwoskin show, show him some Twitter love to tweet your own

Jeff Dwoskin 55:36

with the hashtag over and the interview over sadly, that only can mean one thing. Oh, my goodness, Episode 182 has come to a close. I want to thank my special guest, Jon Provost. And I want to thank all of you for coming back week after we it means the world to me, and I'll see you next time.

CTS Announcer 55:55

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of Classic conversations. If you like what you heard, don't be shy and give us a follow on your favorite podcast app. But also, why not go ahead and tell all your friends about the show? You strike us as the kind of person that people listen to. Thanks in advance for spreading the word and we'll catch you next time on classic conversations.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai