Jon Provost

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Photo of former Provost residence, 1195 N. Washington Ave., Pomona, by REN

As you may have seen, today’s column is about Jon Provost, who played Timmy on “Lassie” from 1957 to 1964 and lived in Pomona from 1954 to 1959. You can visit his website and/or buy his autobiography, “Timmy’s in the Well.”

A few local tidbits were squeezed out of the column.

Provost had a role in “Country Girl” with Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly. Here’s what Provost wrote in his book concerning his activities on April 1, 1955, shortly after he turned 5:

“I made a personal appearance at the United Artists Theater in Pomona where ‘Country Girl’ was playing. According to the Pomona Progress Bulletin, I ate five cans of Camp Fire Girls peanuts that night.”

(Because he was a child, for a lot of stories he has to rely on published accounts or adults’ memories.)

He debuted on “Lassie” on Sept. 8, 1957. At first he and his family had to go next door to their neighbors’ to watch the show because the Provosts didn’t have a TV.

With “Lassie,” his personal appearances picked up. Within weeks of his debut, he was in the Pomona Christmas Parade — although unlike certain people (ahem), he wasn’t grand marshal — and the Rose Parade, and he also made an appearance with Lassie on “The Jack Benny Show.”

In 1959 he was in the May Day Parade in Cucamonga and weeks later, in perhaps a marginally more electrifying event, he was a guest at Disneyland for the dedication of the Matterhorn, Monorail and Submarine Voyage attractions. While there, he had the privilege (?) of sitting on Vice President Richard Nixon’s lap during the parade.

Not bad for a kid from Pomona.

Anyone want to share memories of the “Lassie” show or of Provost himself?

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