Lassie Come Home

We were on vacation last week on the Outer Banks - a 9 to 10 hour drive from our home. We hooked up the portable DVD player (I owe an eternal debt of gratitude to whomever invented that!) and set out. The trip down was easy and peaceful. We watched Dora the Explorer, The Wizard of Oz, and Chicken Run. We were all happy.

For the trip home, I decided to put in Lassie Come Home. The classic movie with Elizabeth Taylor and Roddy McDowell. We had borrowed it from a friend who assured us that it was a great movie. Now, if I remember anything from my childhood, I should remember that Lassie always gets in trouble and always seems to be on death's door at some point during each of her movies. This one was no different. Lassie was sold by her poor family to a wealthy man in Scotland. She fought off wild beasts and even swam across the river separating Scotland from England to be reunited to her family in Yorkshire. My children were hysterical. The 3 year old couldn't stop crying and the 6 year old fought bravely to hold back tears. I almost ripped the movie out but the 6 year old started to cry harder because he just had to see the end of the movie and see what happened to Lassie. It was 90 minutes of pure torture. Of course Lassie made it home safely, got to stay with her poor family, and the wealthy man even gave Lassie's owner a job. Another happy ending for Lassie.

After that episode, I put in a Blue's Clues DVD and took a nap.