June Lockhart Recalls 'Lassie,' 'Lost in Space'

Smithsonian Institution Photo by Hugh Talman

June Lockhart poses with a Lassie lunchbox, part of the "Take America to Lunch" exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American history.

© Bettmann/ CORBIS

June Lockhart, second from left, starred in TV's Lost in Space from 1965-68.

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June Lockhart was a TV staple in the 1950s and '60s, playing Timmy's mom on Lassie and Maureen Robinson on Lost in Space. The actress, who recently helped open a lunchbox exhibit at the Smithsonian, takes a fun look back at those shows -- and discusses more recent interests: NASA and C-SPAN.

In an interview with NPR's Bob Edwards, Lockhart describes how Lassie's fight scenes were done and recalls a Lost in Space episode ("The Great Vegetable Rebellion") that left her in stitches. "Every time somebody sat down, you took root," she says.

In the 1950s, Lockhart was a panelist, along with White House correspondents, on the TV quiz show Who Said That? Ever since then, Lockhart has had an open invitation to attend White House press briefings, which she considers fun. She's also an avid watcher of C-SPAN and a NASA groupie -- astronauts have told her watching Lost in Space inspired them to seek their careers. "I did Lassie for six years and I never had anybody come up to me and say, 'It made me want to be a farmer,'" Lockhart says with a laugh.