Lassie's Rescue Rangers
Lassie's Rescue Rangers is an animated TV show produced by Filmation and featuring Lassie, running from 1973 to 1975. The hour-long pilot, Lassie and the Spirit of Thunder Mountain, was part of The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie.
In the series, Lassie the collie lives near Thunder Mountain with the Turner family. Ranger Ben Turner works with wife Laura and children Susan, Jackie, and Ben Jr. as the Forest Force, a ranger-rescue team that protects Thunder Mountain National Park. Lassie is the leader of the Rescue Rangers, a group of wild animals living in the park, working alongside the Turners to help protect the environment and keep it safe for visitors.
The Rescue Rangers were eight animals including Groucho the owl, Toothless the mountain lion, Musty the skunk, and Robbie the raccoon. Also helping the Forest Force was Gene Fox, a Native American, who was Ben Jr.'s, Jackie's and Susan's friend.
The fifteen-episode season was not well-received. Lassie's trainer, Rudd Weatherwax, said, "That's not Lassie. That's trash." The National Association of Broadcasters agreed: "The manufacturers of this rubbish have incorporated violence, crime and stupidity into what is probably the worst show for children of the season."
