# So, how many wells did Timmy fall down, anyway? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 8, 2006, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984 "2006-09-08T21:16:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984/21 "2012-06-23T14:14:31Z")
> [@Skara\_Brae](#): > > Dave Barry had a bit about Lassie…Something about how her owners were the most inept farmers ever, always getting pinned under their own tractors or getting stuck in mineshafts…How did they find time to farm anything? He speculated they must survive on farm subsidies that Lassie filled out the paperwork for. I’m no Barry fan, but that’s good. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984/22 "2012-06-23T17:35:51Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > A little off-topic, but I remember an interview with [June Lockhart](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001478/) (who played Timmy’s mom for 6 seasons) talking about the unbelievable things they asked Lassie to do. > > In one episode, she was caught in a bear trap and told Lassie to go home and get a C clamp (she pantomimes a “C” with her hand.) Lassie gallops home, fetches a knife and gallops back. > > Lockhart tried to free herself with the knife, and when it didn’t work, told Lassie to go back home and get the clamp. > > The second time, Lassie got it right. This is not a truly far-fetched scenario – except imagining that a dog is capable of abstract thought sufficient to make the connection between a shape made by a hand and a tool. Many dogs, including my own, will respond to “find it” or “go get it” with an attempt to bring what is requested without a firm idea of what it is (unless they’ve been taught a large vocabulary), using a “is this it?” approach. One of my dogs has found and brought all sorts of lost things she was sent after that she had no ‘word’ for, including a hat dropped in the woods and an entire flock of sheep. There’s a wonderful late 19th century book of stories by Ernest Thompson Seton, a staple of my childhood in my grandmother’s house, called Wild Animals I have Known, which included some dog stories. Fictionalized but based on his own experiences as a naturalist and hunter. In one, his dog Bingo brings him a wolf trap wrench (admittedly close at hand, but out of reach), when he gets caught in one while out trapping. Bingo does bring several other items first. Maybe the Lassie writers stole it from him. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984/23 "2012-06-23T17:55:20Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > I don’t know what it’s really from but it seems the “What’s that Lassie? Timmy fell down a well?” line if from something spoofy and not the actual series but it sure has been around a long time. A young Ellen Degeneres used it in her stand-up routine (she sequed into it after remarking on how her outfit and hairstyle made he look like Timmy). ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984/24 "2012-06-23T17:59:05Z")
It occurs to me that it’s a good thing Timmy never became proficient with a musical instrument. Lassie would have locked him in his room if he came home saying he’d been invited to go to a summer workshop at Wolf Trap… ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984/25 "2012-06-24T01:40:52Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > A young Ellen Degeneres used it in her stand-up routine… OMG! You may be right! After I posted my WAG, I started thinking it may have been Elayne Boosler’s joke. Last night, I searched Google videos forever but couldn’t find it. EDG aired a compilation of clips throughout her career. At about 1:08, there’s a clip of her doing her Lassie joke: [YouTube](http://m.youtube.com/?reason=8&rdm=3394#/watch?desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D7MIzvoXhstI&v=7MIzvoXhstI&gl=US). No mention of a well, but I’ll keep searching. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984/26 "2012-06-24T01:54:15Z")
One of my favorite Lassie cartoons: [http://pics.kuvaton.com/kuvei/lassie\_comic.jpg](http://pics.kuvaton.com/kuvei/lassie_comic.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984/27 "2012-06-24T03:44:18Z")
How about the time Timmy got [bit by a snake](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5IrRe2F7qY)? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984/28 "2012-06-24T03:45:07Z")
“Lassie! I’m trapped on all fours with my hands down this grate. Go get help!” woof woof woof “Um, what do you mean I smell like a bitch in heat? NO LASSIE! BAD DOG!” Of course, the well was only a symbol of Timmy’s unresolved existential angst. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984/29 "2012-06-24T05:11:34Z")
Obligatory link to _In Living Color_’s [Lassie 90](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0_4qTACLJ8), with Lassie cast as a slum dwelling pit bull. It was a continuing bit – [here’s another](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnGWHhFYuUs). ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984/30 "2012-06-24T05:25:22Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > A little off-topic, but I remember an interview with [June Lockhart](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001478/) (who played Timmy’s mom for 6 seasons) talking about the unbelievable things they asked Lassie to do. > > In one episode, she was caught in a bear trap and told Lassie to go home and get a C clamp (she pantomimes a “C” with her hand.) Lassie gallops home, fetches a knife and gallops back. Obvbiously, Lassie brought her a Carving Knife. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984/31 "2012-06-24T05:30:47Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > “Lassie! I’m trapped on all fours with my hands down this grate. Go get help!” > woof woof woof > “Um, what do you mean I smell like a bitch in heat? NO LASSIE! BAD DOG!” > Of course, the well was only a symbol of Timmy’s unresolved existential angst. But Lassie was a girl. Played by a male dog… ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984/32 "2012-06-24T06:59:00Z")
> [@2lazy2pee](#): > > According to this [FAQ page](http://www.lassieweb.org/lassfaq.htm#well), Timmy never did fall down a well. In fact, the only character that ever fell down a well was Lassie, in Season 17’s two-part episode, [“For The Love Of Lassie,”](http://episodes.lassieweb.org/lassie17.htm) aka “The Well Of Love,” which aired 2/28 and 3/7/71. > > Timmy did fall in a lake twice, though, in “Transition” and “The House Guest.” Not true. Episode 24 of the first season (which was originally called Jeff’s Collie) was titled “The Well” and involved Jeff and Lassie helping rescue a man who had fallen down a well. [http://www.locatetv.com/tv/jeffs-collie/1106649/episode-guide](http://www.locatetv.com/tv/jeffs-collie/1106649/episode-guide) ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984/33 "2012-06-24T15:22:43Z")
How did she use a C clamp to escape from a bear trap? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984/34 "2012-06-24T15:44:10Z")
> [@](#): > > But Lassie was a girl. Played by a male dog… Of a breed where you can tell gender at a glance. Female collies don’t have that magnificent mane. I have to wonder why they didn’t just name the dog Laddie. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984/35 "2012-06-24T16:05:11Z")
> [@randwill](#): > > How did she use a C clamp to escape from a bear trap? The C clamp would be used to compress the spring that was holding the trap closed. Normally, you would stand on the spring to compress it and then set the trigger with a stick. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984/36 "2012-06-24T16:20:49Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > The C clamp would be used to compress the spring that was holding the trap closed. Normally, you would stand on the spring to compress it and then set the trigger with a stick. Thanks. Ignorance fought. I’ll always carry a C clamp when hiking in the woods. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984/37 "2012-06-24T16:26:24Z")
> [@randwill](#): > > How did she use a C clamp to escape from a bear trap? > [@doorhinge](#): > > The C clamp would be used to compress the spring that was holding the trap closed. Normally, you would stand on the spring to compress it and then set the trigger with a stick. > [@randwill](#): > > Thanks. Ignorance fought. I’ll always carry a C clamp when hiking in the woods. that will only help you if you step in a bear trap. what if you fell down an abandoned mine shaft? best to always take Lassie. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984/38 "2012-06-24T16:39:23Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > what if you fell down an abandoned mine shaft? Then you need an “A” clamp. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984/39 "2012-06-24T17:14:47Z")
> [@randwill](#): > > Thanks. Ignorance fought. I’ll always carry a C clamp when hiking in the woods. Or stick with the time proven strategy of not stepping in bear traps. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984/40 "2012-06-24T17:54:53Z")
> [@randwill](#): > > Thanks. Ignorance fought. I’ll always carry a C clamp when hiking in the woods. > [@boytyperanma](#): > > Or stick with the time proven strategy of not stepping in bear traps. that would make for a boring tv adventure show. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-many-wells-did-timmy-fall-down-anyway/371984.md?page=3)