Posted on 06/25/2025 6:11:40 AM PDT by DFG
Today we wish June Lockhart, the veteran actress and television icon a Happy 100th Birthday!
Naturally, we immediately think of June Lockhart for her roles as TV mothers. First there was Ruth Martin in Lassie, young Timmy’s (Jon Provost) Mom from 1958 to 1964. Ms. Lockhart replaced Cloris Leachman (who in turn replaced Jan Clayton). Then there was Maureen Robinson in Lost in Space, mother to Judy (Marta Kristen), Penny (Angela Cartwright) and Will (Bill Mumy) from 1965 to 1968. And, finally, Janet Craig, the surrogate Mom of sorts to Billie Jo (Meredith MacRae), Bobbie Jo (Lori Saunders) and Betty Jo (Linda Kaye Henning) following the passing of Bea Benaderet in rural-themed sitcom Petticoat Junction from 1968 to 1970.
But let’s go back to the beginning when June Lockhart made her film debut at age 13 opposite her parents - Gene and Kathleen Lockhart - in a film version of A Christmas Carol in 1938. Numerous other films followed in her teen years, including All This, and Heaven Too (1940), Adam Had Four Sons (1941), Sergeant York (1941), Miss Annie Rooney (1942) and the Judy Garland musical Meet Me in St. Louis (1944). And a glimpse into her future, perhaps, came in 1945 in The Son of Lassie.
-snip-
Here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson! And a very Happy 100th Birthday!
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
Wow! Happy birthday, June! I remember watching “Lassie” and “Lost in Space”.
Such a classic!
https://x.com/collectcartoons/status/1283903001208512514
When women were women.
Now, that’s funny.
She and her daughter Anne played the same character in the Magnum PI episode “Lest We Forget.” Jose and Mel
Ferrer also played the same character.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0639677/
That’s it!
"Lassie" had one of my all-time favorite theme songs for a TV show, Avant de Quitter Ces Lieux (when I quit these parts).
Which is funny, because Timmy never actually fell down a well. Lassie did. Sly dog, that one. Shifting the blame onto her kid.
In the late 1950s we subscribed to a bottled-water service. For a while, the water bottles featured June Lockhart’s picture.
“She was very pretty.”
Very much so, and very classy as well.
June Lockhart’s Dad Gene Lockhart played the judge in “Miracle On 34th Street”.
I met and talked to Jon Provost about 14 years ago. He said there was never a script where he fell into the well.
P.S. He is not much taller than he was in the TV series. Very nice person and was helping with dog rescues.
I as well !
I was there too that day in 1958, rode my bike to the Quad. I left Whittier some 45 years ago and had no idea the Quad was still there. I saw Timmy (Jon Provost) the following year (1959) when I rode with him in the brand new Monorail ride at Disneyland.
That's not entirely accurate.
June Lockhart did have a relationship with a man much younger than her. June Lockhart, known for her motherly roles in shows like Lassie and Lost in Space, had a relationship with Bob Corff who was in his early twenties when she was 45.
Their relationship began after she saw him in the play "Hair" and wrote him a fan letter. This led to a phone call and a visit to the set of Petticoat Junction, where they instantly connected. Lockhart's daughters were supportive of the relationship.
This relationship became a topic of public interest, particularly when it led to her firing as cohost of the Miss USA pageant.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.