The Stratton kids, Samantha and Chip, and their grandmother, Ada, drive to visit their Uncle Stuart. Grandma collapses and dies in a strange town, leaving the kids and Lassie on their own.
Practical Effects
Lassie herself — no CGI, just a very good professional actor dog.
Direction
Don Chaffey balances kiddo adventure with genuine loss.
Director
Don Chaffey
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was a backdoor pilot for a new Lassie series that never materialized, making it a fascinating dead-end in TV history.
1978 was peak 'orphaned kids solve their own problems' cinema — this aired the same era as Escape to Witch Mountain but with way less budget and way more tears.
No ratings yet
5.51963
1964
10.01964
1965
2.01967
1968
6.01969
5.81970
1970
6.01972
3.01972
1978
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
US
