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Paul Martin (television character)
Encyclopedia
Paul Martin is a fictional character
on the long running television series, Lassie
(1954–1973). Paul is a farmer, and the husband
of Ruth
, a housewife. The couple are adoptive
parents of Timmy
, a foster child living on a small farm in the American midwest that the couple purchase. Paul is depicted as a sober, industrious, brave, and intelligent man who attends church, is a volunteer firefighter, and a member of the Grange. In the show's fourth season episode "The Ring", his uncle
, Petrie Martin of Millvale, Pennsylvania
, joins him on the farm to help with the work.
The creation of Paul Martin came at a critical time in the show's history and permitted a new storyline to develop that proved popular with audiences. The show's highest ratings were recorded during the Martin family years.
Paul makes his first appearance mid-fourth season (1957) and his last appearance in the opener of the eleventh season (1964), making a total of 147 episode appearances. The character is portrayed on the series, first, by Jon Shepodd
(1957–1958) and thereafter by Hugh Reilly
(1958–1964). The character appeared in show-related merchandise such as novels and comic books. Selected episodes featuring the character are available on VHS
and DVD including all the Christmas episodes filmed during the Paul Martin seasons of the show.
debuted on CBS in September 1954 with Jan Clayton
playing widowed farm woman Ellen Miller, Tommy Rettig
her son Jeff, and George Cleveland
her father-in-law George Miller. In its first three years, the show won two Emmy Award
s, and, at the beginning of its fourth season (1957), introduced child actor Jon Provost
to audiences as a young runaway named Timmy
. In his debut, Timmy remains on the Miller farm in a foster status after a social worker's assistance.
When George Cleveland
died suddenly and unexpectedly on July 17, 1957, producers realized the series required an immediate overhaul. The fictional Miller farm couldn't be worked without an adult male on the premises. Provost was a smash hit with audiences and would remain on the show. However, when it was learned no state in the Union allowed an unmarried woman to adopt a child (making Timmy's adoption by Ellen Miller an impossibility), production staff suggested the plot be saved by having Ellen wed. She would then have a man around the place to work the farm and a husband to make possible Timmy's adoption. Jan Clayton
(who wanted to leave the show to return to her roots in musical theater), rejected the idea.
With a marriage for Ellen nixed, writers fashioned a story in which her farm would be sold to Ruth and Paul Martin, a young couple new to the area. The Martins would then adopt Timmy, and Lassie would remain on the farm with the boy. Stars Jan Clayton
and Tommy Rettig
would be written out of the show by having their characters move to distant Capitol City. Other characters associated with the Miller years including "Porky" Brockway (Donald Keeler), his basset hound Pokey and his parents Matt and Birdie (Paul Maxey and Marjorie Bennett) would be dropped as well, simply disappearing without explanation to the audience.
With the new storyline good to go, Cloris Leachman
and Jon Shepodd
were hired to play the Martins, debuting in the mid-fourth season episode, "Transition". There, Paul and Ruth Martin arrive in the show's fictional community of Calverton to purchase the Miller farm
. Timmy believes he will be returned to his aged and ill aunt and uncle, Abby and Jed Clausen of distant Olive Bridge with the sale of the farm, and runs away, setting off a desperate search by Ellen and Paul. In trying to evade the two, Timmy falls into a lake, but Paul is at hand to save him from drowning. Although no adoption procedure is scripted into the episode, it is understood the Martins adopt Timmy.
Toward the close of the episode, the Ellen and her son Jeff bid farewell, but, just before driving away for the city, Jeff gifts Timmy with Lassie, knowing the dog could never be happy in an urban setting and Timmy could never be happy without her companionship. Jeff Miller would never be referenced on the show again, but Ellen would appear in "Timmy's Family", the episode immediately following "Transition".
Leachman quickly tired of playing a farm woman, feuded on-set with co-stars, denigrated the show's sponsor, refused to sign a contract, and generally displeased producers. With ratings plummeting and viewers complaining about Leachman's icy presence in the series, show owner Jack Wrather
summarily fired the actress when filming for the 1957-1958 season was completed in February 1958. Producers feared a "new wife" for Paul (and coincidentally a "new mother" for Timmy and Lassie) would be difficult to explain to an audience composed mainly of children, and released Shepodd as well.
A search was conducted to fill the Ruth and Paul roles. Casting Paul Martin involved a good deal of effort, but Hugh Reilly
, a Broadway actor recently arrived in Hollywood, had a reputation for being a solid and cooperative performer and was signed. Actress June Lockhart
, who had appeared previously in the second of MGM's popular Lassie films (Son of Lassie
), was eventually signed to play his wife. In order to protect the image of the show, producers introduced long clauses into their contracts that forbade them from appearing in other vehicles as anything but wholesome, All-American characters. The two performers debuted in the opener of the fifth season, "The Storm" (1958) with no explanation offered the audience regarding the new faces on the show.
and to drop entirely Timmy's playmate Boomer Bates played by Todd Ferrell. It wasn't long before Uncle Petrie was dropped as well. The way was thus opened for Timmy to spend more time with his father.
In the sixth season however, veteran thespian Andy Clyde
was cast in the show's "grandfatherly" role formerly held by Cleveland and Chandler, and debuted as Cully Wilson, an eccentric farmer and nature lover and made his debut in "The Water Boy". Timmy was then scripted into many adventures with Cully, and, consequently, saw less screen time with his father. Producers felt two adult males on the show would overwhelm the audience and kept Paul generally out of sight by sending him to distant reaches of the farm or attending to business far from home. Paul's role in Timmy's life was gradually diminished, and Reilly made less frequent appearances as the series progressed. While Paul was not completely absent, the dramatic focus of the show fell increasingly upon Timmy and his mother as the central human characters.
1964 season approached, Jon Provost
was a fourteen-year-old with his contract ready for a three-year renewal. Provost however did not look forward to playing Timmy Martin until the age of seventeen, describing the role as a "vacuum" and stating,
Stars Lockhart, Reilly, and Andy Clyde
received their notices, with producer Bob Golden telling the press they'd done all the "boy and his dog" stories possible. With only Provost and producers knowing the real reasons for the show changes, speculation among the cast hinted that the decision to clean house was based on money. Lockhart was quoted as saying Provost's mother wanted too much money, and Reilly later stated that the producers' decision was based upon trading four advanced salaries for [actor Robert Bray's] starting salary.
Associate producer Bonita Granville
Wrather kept the audience guessing through the summer of 1964 about the show's future by stating,
Without a boy, producers reworked the show from a different angle. Several episodes which featured Lassie in the wilds such as "The Odyssey" and "The Journey" had proven popular with audiences. Jack Wrather and his associates decided to take Lassie off the farm and send her into the wilderness with Forest Ranger Corey Stuart (Robert Bray
), who had appeared previously in the tenth-season episode "Disappearance". Lassie would become the companion not of boys, but of rugged, outdoorsy men sometimes working in dangerous places and situations.
Producers sent the Martin family to Australia where Paul would teach agriculture. Lockhart commented wryly, "We were supposed to go over there so that Paul could show the Australians how to grow things. We hadn't had a successful bean crop in six seasons. What could they possibly learn from us?" Lassie's three human companions then made their last appearances in the first part of the opening three-part episode of the eleventh season, "The Wayfarers" (1964
).
Lassie was forced to remain in the States due to Australia's strict quarantine
regulations, and, though the dog would become the companion animal of a succession of forestry workers and see several seasons of new adventures, Paul Martin would never be seen, heard, or referenced again on the show.
Following his stint on Lassie, Paul Martin portrayer Hugh Reilly was offered the role of the professor on Gilligan's Island
. Reilly declined the offer, as well as an offer for a leading role in Days of Our Lives
, preferring to spend time with his family and not immediately returning to full-time work. In his later years, Reilly joined Provost at fan conventions and autograph signings.
The character Paul Martin appeared in several Lassie Dell comic books
published during the "Timmy and Lassie" years of the show's run as well as in Whitman novels for children, a Whitman punch out book
, and other show-related toys and materials.
In 1963, the multi-part episode, "The Journey" was edited into a feature film
called Lassie's Great Adventure. The show's three principal human stars appeared in their well known roles. In the film, Timmy and Lassie are swept away in a carnival hot air balloon which finally descends far from home in the Canadian wilderness. The two travelers have several adventures before being rescued by the Mounties
. Paul's role is confined to keeping in touch with authorities and reassuring his wife that Timmy will be rescued. The couple fly to the wilderness to be at hand when Timmy is found. Paul's image appeared on film posters and lobby cards. The episode was the only episode filmed in color during the Paul Martin seasons.
Some Lassie episodes featuring Paul Martin have been released to VHS and DVD.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the long running television series, Lassie
Lassie (1954 TV series)
Lassie is an American television series that follows the adventures of a female Rough Collie named Lassie and her companions, human and animal. The show was the creation of producer Robert Maxwell and animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax and was televised from September 12, 1954, to March 24, 1973...
(1954–1973). Paul is a farmer, and the husband
Husband
A husband is a male participant in a marriage. The rights and obligations of the husband regarding his spouse and others, and his status in the community and in law, vary between cultures and has varied over time...
of Ruth
Ruth Martin (television character)
Ruth Martin is a fictional character on the long running television series, Lassie . She was briefly played by Cloris Leachman before June Lockhart stepped into the role...
, a housewife. The couple are adoptive
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
parents of Timmy
Timmy Martin (television character)
Timmy Martin is a fictional character portrayed by child actor Jon Provost in the long-running television series Lassie . Provost debuted in the first episode of the fourth season, "The Runaway" , as the fictional foster child of farm woman Ellen Miller. Both the character and its portrayer were...
, a foster child living on a small farm in the American midwest that the couple purchase. Paul is depicted as a sober, industrious, brave, and intelligent man who attends church, is a volunteer firefighter, and a member of the Grange. In the show's fourth season episode "The Ring", his uncle
Uncle
An uncle is a type of familial relationship.Uncle may also refer to:* Uncle , by J. P. Martin* U.N.C.L.E., a fictional organization in the TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E....
, Petrie Martin of Millvale, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, joins him on the farm to help with the work.
The creation of Paul Martin came at a critical time in the show's history and permitted a new storyline to develop that proved popular with audiences. The show's highest ratings were recorded during the Martin family years.
Paul makes his first appearance mid-fourth season (1957) and his last appearance in the opener of the eleventh season (1964), making a total of 147 episode appearances. The character is portrayed on the series, first, by Jon Shepodd
Jon Shepodd
Jon Shepodd is an American actor.On television, he was the first actor to play the role of Paul Martin in the long running series Lassie, making his debut mid-fourth season opposite Cloris Leachman as his wife Ruth Martin....
(1957–1958) and thereafter by Hugh Reilly
Hugh Reilly
Hugh Reilly was an American actor, appearing on the Broadway stage, in films, and on television. He is best remembered for co-starring in the mid-1950s television series Lassie.-Early years and career:...
(1958–1964). The character appeared in show-related merchandise such as novels and comic books. Selected episodes featuring the character are available on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and DVD including all the Christmas episodes filmed during the Paul Martin seasons of the show.
Background
The television series LassieLassie (1954 TV series)
Lassie is an American television series that follows the adventures of a female Rough Collie named Lassie and her companions, human and animal. The show was the creation of producer Robert Maxwell and animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax and was televised from September 12, 1954, to March 24, 1973...
debuted on CBS in September 1954 with Jan Clayton
Jan Clayton
Jan Clayton was a film, musical theatre, and television actress.-Career:...
playing widowed farm woman Ellen Miller, Tommy Rettig
Tommy Rettig
Thomas Noel "Tommy" Rettig was an American child actor,computer software engineer, and author. Rettig is best remembered for portraying the character "Jeff Miller" in the first three seasons of CBS's Lassie television series, from 1954–1957, later seen in syndicated re-runs as Jeff's Collie...
her son Jeff, and George Cleveland
George Cleveland
George Alan Cleveland was a Canadian film actor. He appeared in over 180 films between 1933 and 1954.-Career:...
her father-in-law George Miller. In its first three years, the show won two Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s, and, at the beginning of its fourth season (1957), introduced child actor Jon Provost
Jon Provost
Jon Provost is a former child actor of film and television. He is best known for his role as young Timmy Martin in the CBS series, Lassie....
to audiences as a young runaway named Timmy
Timmy Martin (television character)
Timmy Martin is a fictional character portrayed by child actor Jon Provost in the long-running television series Lassie . Provost debuted in the first episode of the fourth season, "The Runaway" , as the fictional foster child of farm woman Ellen Miller. Both the character and its portrayer were...
. In his debut, Timmy remains on the Miller farm in a foster status after a social worker's assistance.
When George Cleveland
George Cleveland
George Alan Cleveland was a Canadian film actor. He appeared in over 180 films between 1933 and 1954.-Career:...
died suddenly and unexpectedly on July 17, 1957, producers realized the series required an immediate overhaul. The fictional Miller farm couldn't be worked without an adult male on the premises. Provost was a smash hit with audiences and would remain on the show. However, when it was learned no state in the Union allowed an unmarried woman to adopt a child (making Timmy's adoption by Ellen Miller an impossibility), production staff suggested the plot be saved by having Ellen wed. She would then have a man around the place to work the farm and a husband to make possible Timmy's adoption. Jan Clayton
Jan Clayton
Jan Clayton was a film, musical theatre, and television actress.-Career:...
(who wanted to leave the show to return to her roots in musical theater), rejected the idea.
With a marriage for Ellen nixed, writers fashioned a story in which her farm would be sold to Ruth and Paul Martin, a young couple new to the area. The Martins would then adopt Timmy, and Lassie would remain on the farm with the boy. Stars Jan Clayton
Jan Clayton
Jan Clayton was a film, musical theatre, and television actress.-Career:...
and Tommy Rettig
Tommy Rettig
Thomas Noel "Tommy" Rettig was an American child actor,computer software engineer, and author. Rettig is best remembered for portraying the character "Jeff Miller" in the first three seasons of CBS's Lassie television series, from 1954–1957, later seen in syndicated re-runs as Jeff's Collie...
would be written out of the show by having their characters move to distant Capitol City. Other characters associated with the Miller years including "Porky" Brockway (Donald Keeler), his basset hound Pokey and his parents Matt and Birdie (Paul Maxey and Marjorie Bennett) would be dropped as well, simply disappearing without explanation to the audience.
Casting
Cloris Leachman
Cloris Leachman is an American actress of stage, film and television. She has won eight Primetime Emmy Awards—more than any other performer—and one Daytime Emmy Award...
and Jon Shepodd
Jon Shepodd
Jon Shepodd is an American actor.On television, he was the first actor to play the role of Paul Martin in the long running series Lassie, making his debut mid-fourth season opposite Cloris Leachman as his wife Ruth Martin....
were hired to play the Martins, debuting in the mid-fourth season episode, "Transition". There, Paul and Ruth Martin arrive in the show's fictional community of Calverton to purchase the Miller farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
. Timmy believes he will be returned to his aged and ill aunt and uncle, Abby and Jed Clausen of distant Olive Bridge with the sale of the farm, and runs away, setting off a desperate search by Ellen and Paul. In trying to evade the two, Timmy falls into a lake, but Paul is at hand to save him from drowning. Although no adoption procedure is scripted into the episode, it is understood the Martins adopt Timmy.
Toward the close of the episode, the Ellen and her son Jeff bid farewell, but, just before driving away for the city, Jeff gifts Timmy with Lassie, knowing the dog could never be happy in an urban setting and Timmy could never be happy without her companionship. Jeff Miller would never be referenced on the show again, but Ellen would appear in "Timmy's Family", the episode immediately following "Transition".
Leachman quickly tired of playing a farm woman, feuded on-set with co-stars, denigrated the show's sponsor, refused to sign a contract, and generally displeased producers. With ratings plummeting and viewers complaining about Leachman's icy presence in the series, show owner Jack Wrather
Jack Wrather
John Devereaux "Jack" Wrather, Jr. , was a petroleum millionaire who became a television producer and later diversified by investing in broadcast stations and resort properties...
summarily fired the actress when filming for the 1957-1958 season was completed in February 1958. Producers feared a "new wife" for Paul (and coincidentally a "new mother" for Timmy and Lassie) would be difficult to explain to an audience composed mainly of children, and released Shepodd as well.
A search was conducted to fill the Ruth and Paul roles. Casting Paul Martin involved a good deal of effort, but Hugh Reilly
Hugh Reilly
Hugh Reilly was an American actor, appearing on the Broadway stage, in films, and on television. He is best remembered for co-starring in the mid-1950s television series Lassie.-Early years and career:...
, a Broadway actor recently arrived in Hollywood, had a reputation for being a solid and cooperative performer and was signed. Actress June Lockhart
June Lockhart
June Lockhart is an American actress, primarily in 1950s and 1960s television, but with memorable performances on stage and in film too. She is remembered as the mother in two TV series, Lassie and Lost in Space. She also portrayed Dr...
, who had appeared previously in the second of MGM's popular Lassie films (Son of Lassie
Son of Lassie
Son of Lassie is a 1945 feature film produced by MGM based on characters created by Eric Knight, and starring Peter Lawford, Donald Crisp, June Lockhart and Lassie...
), was eventually signed to play his wife. In order to protect the image of the show, producers introduced long clauses into their contracts that forbade them from appearing in other vehicles as anything but wholesome, All-American characters. The two performers debuted in the opener of the fifth season, "The Storm" (1958) with no explanation offered the audience regarding the new faces on the show.
Role in Lassie
Tests conducted in February 1959 indicated audiences wanted a "closer relationship between mother and son" and thought Timmy and his father did not have enough contact. As a result, producers decided to de-emphasize the Uncle Petrie character played by George ChandlerGeorge Chandler
George Chandler was an American actor best known for playing the character of "Uncle Petrie" on the television series Lassie...
and to drop entirely Timmy's playmate Boomer Bates played by Todd Ferrell. It wasn't long before Uncle Petrie was dropped as well. The way was thus opened for Timmy to spend more time with his father.
In the sixth season however, veteran thespian Andy Clyde
Andy Clyde
Andy Clyde was a Scottish movie and TV actor whose career spanned more than four decades. He broke into silent films in 1925 as a Mack Sennett comic...
was cast in the show's "grandfatherly" role formerly held by Cleveland and Chandler, and debuted as Cully Wilson, an eccentric farmer and nature lover and made his debut in "The Water Boy". Timmy was then scripted into many adventures with Cully, and, consequently, saw less screen time with his father. Producers felt two adult males on the show would overwhelm the audience and kept Paul generally out of sight by sending him to distant reaches of the farm or attending to business far from home. Paul's role in Timmy's life was gradually diminished, and Reilly made less frequent appearances as the series progressed. While Paul was not completely absent, the dramatic focus of the show fell increasingly upon Timmy and his mother as the central human characters.
Cancellation
As the LassieLassie (1954 TV series)
Lassie is an American television series that follows the adventures of a female Rough Collie named Lassie and her companions, human and animal. The show was the creation of producer Robert Maxwell and animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax and was televised from September 12, 1954, to March 24, 1973...
1964 season approached, Jon Provost
Jon Provost
Jon Provost is a former child actor of film and television. He is best known for his role as young Timmy Martin in the CBS series, Lassie....
was a fourteen-year-old with his contract ready for a three-year renewal. Provost however did not look forward to playing Timmy Martin until the age of seventeen, describing the role as a "vacuum" and stating,
"The character wasn't changing. If they had let him grow up a little, maybe I would have wanted to stay on. I knew that I wasn't going to sign up for another three years, and my parents were behind me all the way."
Stars Lockhart, Reilly, and Andy Clyde
Andy Clyde
Andy Clyde was a Scottish movie and TV actor whose career spanned more than four decades. He broke into silent films in 1925 as a Mack Sennett comic...
received their notices, with producer Bob Golden telling the press they'd done all the "boy and his dog" stories possible. With only Provost and producers knowing the real reasons for the show changes, speculation among the cast hinted that the decision to clean house was based on money. Lockhart was quoted as saying Provost's mother wanted too much money, and Reilly later stated that the producers' decision was based upon trading four advanced salaries for [actor Robert Bray's] starting salary.
Associate producer Bonita Granville
Bonita Granville
Bonita Granville was an American film actress and television producer.-Early life:Born in Chicago, Illinois, Granville was the daughter of stage actors, and made her film debut at the age of nine in Westward Passage...
Wrather kept the audience guessing through the summer of 1964 about the show's future by stating,
"We have built up such an adult audience; we are looking for stories with a wider scope. That's what our whole purpose will be in making any change that people might think we're making...our ratings have jumped in the past two years and it's because we do new things."
Without a boy, producers reworked the show from a different angle. Several episodes which featured Lassie in the wilds such as "The Odyssey" and "The Journey" had proven popular with audiences. Jack Wrather and his associates decided to take Lassie off the farm and send her into the wilderness with Forest Ranger Corey Stuart (Robert Bray
Robert Bray
Robert E. Bray was an American film and television actor probably best remembered for his role as the forest ranger Corey Stuart in the long-running CBS series Lassie.-Life and career:...
), who had appeared previously in the tenth-season episode "Disappearance". Lassie would become the companion not of boys, but of rugged, outdoorsy men sometimes working in dangerous places and situations.
Producers sent the Martin family to Australia where Paul would teach agriculture. Lockhart commented wryly, "We were supposed to go over there so that Paul could show the Australians how to grow things. We hadn't had a successful bean crop in six seasons. What could they possibly learn from us?" Lassie's three human companions then made their last appearances in the first part of the opening three-part episode of the eleventh season, "The Wayfarers" (1964
1964 in television
The year 1964 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1964.For the American TV schedule, see: 1964-65 American network television schedule.-Events:...
).
Lassie was forced to remain in the States due to Australia's strict quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
regulations, and, though the dog would become the companion animal of a succession of forestry workers and see several seasons of new adventures, Paul Martin would never be seen, heard, or referenced again on the show.
Following his stint on Lassie, Paul Martin portrayer Hugh Reilly was offered the role of the professor on Gilligan's Island
Gilligan's Island
Gilligan's Island is an American television series created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz and originally produced by United Artists Television. The situation comedy series featured Bob Denver; Alan Hale, Jr.; Jim Backus; Natalie Schafer; Tina Louise; Russell Johnson; and Dawn Wells. It aired for...
. Reilly declined the offer, as well as an offer for a leading role in Days of Our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
, preferring to spend time with his family and not immediately returning to full-time work. In his later years, Reilly joined Provost at fan conventions and autograph signings.
Impact on popular culture
Dell Comics
Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium...
published during the "Timmy and Lassie" years of the show's run as well as in Whitman novels for children, a Whitman punch out book
Punch out book
A punch out book is a large toy book printed on stiff card or cardboard usually comprising several pages of perforated, colorfully printed figures or shapes. The figures can be gently "punched" from the pages with the fingers and then assembled into various objects...
, and other show-related toys and materials.
In 1963, the multi-part episode, "The Journey" was edited into a feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
called Lassie's Great Adventure. The show's three principal human stars appeared in their well known roles. In the film, Timmy and Lassie are swept away in a carnival hot air balloon which finally descends far from home in the Canadian wilderness. The two travelers have several adventures before being rescued by the Mounties
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
. Paul's role is confined to keeping in touch with authorities and reassuring his wife that Timmy will be rescued. The couple fly to the wilderness to be at hand when Timmy is found. Paul's image appeared on film posters and lobby cards. The episode was the only episode filmed in color during the Paul Martin seasons.
Some Lassie episodes featuring Paul Martin have been released to VHS and DVD.