# "What's that Skippy? Little Johnny fell down the abandoned mineshaft and broke his leg?" - did this dialogue ever happen? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 27, 2023, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-skippy-little-johnny-fell-down-the-abandoned-mineshaft-and-broke-his-leg-did-this-dialogue-ever-happen/993761 "2023-11-27T10:06:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-skippy-little-johnny-fell-down-the-abandoned-mineshaft-and-broke-his-leg-did-this-dialogue-ever-happen/993761/21 "2023-11-28T05:15:59Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > It would have been perfect for that masterpiece of aburdity - “Green Acres” Thank you - I’m glad I’m not alone in thinking Green Acres had almost surreal levels of deliberate off-beat humour coursing through its scripts. I think it suffered from being seen as a _Beverly Hillbillies_ / _Petticoat Junction_ spin-off, but there’s just something the Douglases had that sends me into hysterics. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-skippy-little-johnny-fell-down-the-abandoned-mineshaft-and-broke-his-leg-did-this-dialogue-ever-happen/993761/22 "2023-11-28T06:41:32Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Zxo7wQkCIE8/hqdefault.jpg "[FAST FORWARD] Skippy - Skippy and the White Slave-Traders") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxo7wQkCIE8) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-skippy-little-johnny-fell-down-the-abandoned-mineshaft-and-broke-his-leg-did-this-dialogue-ever-happen/993761/23 "2023-11-28T13:10:04Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > In Episode 24 of “Jeff’s Collie” (seriously? It wasn’t called “Lassie”? Copyright problems?), It was common in the 50s to change the name of the show with when bundling episodes for a daytime version or for syndication when the show was still running to differentiate the new vs. reruns. Other Examples are Dragnet/Badge 714 and The Gale Storm Show/Oh! Susannah! ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-skippy-little-johnny-fell-down-the-abandoned-mineshaft-and-broke-his-leg-did-this-dialogue-ever-happen/993761/24 "2023-11-28T16:24:37Z")
I never knew that about early syndicated shows! _Lassie_ wasn’t one of the shows I watched as a kid, or at least not regularly. After all, I’d read the book, and none of those people were in it! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-skippy-little-johnny-fell-down-the-abandoned-mineshaft-and-broke-his-leg-did-this-dialogue-ever-happen/993761/25 "2023-11-28T16:29:16Z")
“What’s that Skippy? Little Johnny fell down the abandoned mineshaft and broke his leg? He was asking too many questions about your business dealings? If I’m smart I won’t ask any questions?” ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-skippy-little-johnny-fell-down-the-abandoned-mineshaft-and-broke-his-leg-did-this-dialogue-ever-happen/993761/26 "2023-11-28T17:51:15Z")
[Toy Story 2 did it best](https://youtu.be/1BgFq_ZvKP8?si=4-yOA0OmG73gaOQI) ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-skippy-little-johnny-fell-down-the-abandoned-mineshaft-and-broke-his-leg-did-this-dialogue-ever-happen/993761/27 "2023-11-28T17:52:41Z")
And _Happy Days Again!_ (probably one of the last renamed for syndication nsmes) ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-skippy-little-johnny-fell-down-the-abandoned-mineshaft-and-broke-his-leg-did-this-dialogue-ever-happen/993761/28 "2023-11-28T17:57:51Z")
In addition to some really strange humor, Green Acres frequently broke the fourth wall. It was a very unusual show. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-skippy-little-johnny-fell-down-the-abandoned-mineshaft-and-broke-his-leg-did-this-dialogue-ever-happen/993761/29 "2023-11-28T18:52:14Z")
Yes! _Green Acres_ was willing to bend reality for a laugh, and the result was surreal. For instance, the Eiffel Tower in Washington DC. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-skippy-little-johnny-fell-down-the-abandoned-mineshaft-and-broke-his-leg-did-this-dialogue-ever-happen/993761/30 "2023-11-28T19:44:34Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > In Episode 24 of “Jeff’s Collie” (seriously? It wasn’t called “Lassie”? Copyright problems?) I think I’ve seen a version called “Timmy’s Collie,” but it may have been a false memory and actually Jeff’s collie. I don’t think it’s “copyright problems” so much as, there was a time when, if a show was in syndication at the same time that it was still making new episodes, the syndicated ones were given a different title so it wouldn’t confuse people who might be expecting new episodes. The most recent example of this I can think of was _Laverne & Shirley & Company_. I have also seen it done with shows that were originally “The {name of the star} Show” - for example, _The Bob Cummings Show_ (aka The Reason Ann B. Davis got the “as Alice” credit on _The Brady Bunch_) became _Love That Bob_ in syndication, and _The Gale Storm Show_ became _Oh Susannah!_. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-skippy-little-johnny-fell-down-the-abandoned-mineshaft-and-broke-his-leg-did-this-dialogue-ever-happen/993761/31 "2023-11-28T19:53:38Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > `is endangered by dynamite picked up by an escaped lab chimp ("The Man from Mars")` I never dreamed I’d ever feel compelled to track down an a old episode of _Lassie_ ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-skippy-little-johnny-fell-down-the-abandoned-mineshaft-and-broke-his-leg-did-this-dialogue-ever-happen/993761/32 "2023-11-28T20:37:05Z")
It was certainly spoofed for a TV commercial – [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbsNnW4BW2k](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbsNnW4BW2k) – ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-skippy-little-johnny-fell-down-the-abandoned-mineshaft-and-broke-his-leg-did-this-dialogue-ever-happen/993761/33 "2023-11-29T02:14:45Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > _The Bob Cummings Show_ (aka The Reason Ann B. Davis got the “as Alice” credit on _The Brady Bunch_) Not to hijack, but if you’ve ever watched The Bob Cummings Show closely (and I can’t really recommend you do) it’s clesr that Ann B. Davis was easily the best thing in the show and deserved the two Emmy awards she won (out of four nominations in the show’s four-year run.) She had an interesting quirk of never standing still in a scene - shifting her weight from foot to foot, rocking back and forth ever so slightly, tilting her head, etc. The result was that even with starlets like [Joi Lansing](https://live.staticflickr.com/5310/5669427633_b6c5ba4538_z.jpg) in every episode, viewers ended up focusing on the plain but very animated Schultzy. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2023, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-skippy-little-johnny-fell-down-the-abandoned-mineshaft-and-broke-his-leg-did-this-dialogue-ever-happen/993761/34 "2023-12-09T17:48:34Z")
Just saw an episode of Wndor Woman where this happened. The dog named Tiger (same Tiger as in Brady Bunch? looked similar) went up to Diana and whimpered. Diana was like “What’s that Tiger? Tina is in trouble?” Apparently communicating with animals is one of Wonder Woman’s powers (just googled that it has happened before - canonical?) Episode in question: > **[Episode 221: The Girl from Ilandia](https://wonder-woman.fandom.com/wiki/Episode_221:_The_Girl_from_Ilandia)** > > A young girl flees her own dimension into ours to escape a man who would force her to misuse her special powers. The episode opens with Simon Penrose, a newspaper editor played by Harry Guardino, yelling at a subordinate on the telephone while his... Brian ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2023, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-skippy-little-johnny-fell-down-the-abandoned-mineshaft-and-broke-his-leg-did-this-dialogue-ever-happen/993761/35 "2023-12-09T19:18:43Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Reading that list of ways that Timmy got into danger, it’s a mystery why Child Protective Services never started an investigation. Little man was an orphan. Back then you could go through a dozen orphans before the state took any interest. Lassie stop production a few years before I was born and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a complete episode. I’m flabbergasted to learn the series was aired for 19 years. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2023, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-skippy-little-johnny-fell-down-the-abandoned-mineshaft-and-broke-his-leg-did-this-dialogue-ever-happen/993761/36 "2023-12-09T19:40:27Z")
So if Timmy’s agent starts making noises about wanting more money for his client, the writers just need to add a “Timmy fell down the well” storyline, except Timmy doesn’t survive this one. The same thing if Lassie’s handler starts getting greedy. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2023, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-skippy-little-johnny-fell-down-the-abandoned-mineshaft-and-broke-his-leg-did-this-dialogue-ever-happen/993761/37 "2023-12-09T19:44:42Z")
Just have Timmy move to Australia. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2023, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-skippy-little-johnny-fell-down-the-abandoned-mineshaft-and-broke-his-leg-did-this-dialogue-ever-happen/993761/38 "2023-12-10T14:53:24Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > The same thing if Lassie’s handler starts getting greedy. Wasn’t Lassie played by something like a dozen different dogs? And all male, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2023, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-skippy-little-johnny-fell-down-the-abandoned-mineshaft-and-broke-his-leg-did-this-dialogue-ever-happen/993761/39 "2023-12-11T03:23:53Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Just have Timmy move to Australia. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Honestly, given Timmy’s predilection for getting into trouble, I doubt he’d live past the baggage line at the airport, let alone have an entire continent’s worth of deadly fauna lining up to bite him on the arse. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-skippy-little-johnny-fell-down-the-abandoned-mineshaft-and-broke-his-leg-did-this-dialogue-ever-happen/993761.md?page=1)