The show follows the Mitchell family – Henry, Alice, and their only child, Dennis, an energetic, trouble-prone, mischievous, but well-meaning boy, who often tangles first with his peace-and-quiet-loving neighbor, George Wilson, a retired salesman, and later with George's brother John, a writer. Dennis is basically a good, well-intentioned boy who always tries to help people, but winds up making situations worse. Mr. Wilson has a love-hate relationship toward Dennis who did not realize the aggravation that he would cause. He called Mr. Wilson his "best friend" or "Good Ol' Mr. Wilson".
With CBS seeking to replace the hit show it had lost when it allowed Leave It to Beaver to migrate to ABC, a pilot episode titled "Dennis Goes to the Movies" was filmed in late 1958.
In early 1959, CBS consented to air the program at 7:30 pm EST on Sunday evenings after Lassie. After viewing these episodes, CBS determined that Dennis' antics had to be toned down lest his actions would encourage children watching the show to imitate Dennis.
Jay North as Dennis and Jeannie Russell as Margaret Wade, 1963: In this final fourth season, Dennis no longer wears his trademark overalls.
Jay North as Dennis and Gale Gordon as John Wilson, 1962
On February 17, 1962, after filming the show's 100th episode, Joseph Kearns died of a cerebral hemorrhage. In a 2010 interview, actress Gloria Henry revealed Kearns followed a strict six-week Metrecal diet that may have contributed to his death.[2] The following two episodes were filmed without the character of Mr. Wilson. Gale Gordon joined the cast for the last six episodes of the season as Mr. Wilson's brother John.[3] It was explained that John was staying as a guest while George was settling an estate. Sylvia Field, who played Martha Wilson, was let go at the end of the season. In the fourth and final season, John Wilson purchased the house from his brother, although where George and Martha had moved was never explained. He was joined by his wife Eloise, played by Sara Seegar. Final references to George and Martha Wilson were made early in the fourth season, although they were not mentioned by name after the first episode. George Wilson was referred to as "the other Mr. Wilson" in the second episode, and John Wilson says in the seventh episode that he bought the house from his brother. After that, the original Wilsons were never mentioned again.
By the end of the show's fourth season, Jay North was nearly 12 years old and was outgrowing the antics associated with his character. CBS canceled Dennis the Menace in early 1963.
Syndication
In 1963, NBC began airing reruns of the series on Saturday mornings for two seasons – the show entered syndication in 1965. It has run consistently on local stations over subsequent years. On July 1, 1985,[4] the Nickelodeon cable network began airing the series, and continued until October 22, 1994, after Nick Jr.[5] It also aired on TV Land from 2002 to 2003. On January 3, 2011, Dennis the Menace began airing on Antenna TV.
The show was exported to the United Kingdom and shown on the ITV network, with 103 episodes airing in the London region between 1960 and 1966. To avoid confusion with the British comic character, the series was known in the UK as Just Dennis.
Cast
Main characters
Dennis Mitchell (Jay North) is the series protagonist (146 episodes, 1959–63).
Henry Mitchell (Herbert Anderson) is Dennis' father and Alice's husband (144 episodes, 1959–63).
Alice Mitchell (Gloria Henry) is Henry Mitchell's wife and Dennis' mother (145 episodes, 1959–63).
Mr. George Wilson (Joseph Kearns) is the Mitchells' neighbor; he is often exasperated with Dennis' antics, though is proud that Dennis considers him his best friend. George has a Cairn terrier named Fremont. Kearns appeared in 101 episodes from 1959-62; his last work was aired posthumously in the episode "The Man Next Door" on May 6, 1962.
Mrs. Martha Wilson (Sylvia Field) is George Wilson's wife, a loving, grandmotherly type neighbor who enjoys Dennis' company. The Wilsons had no children. Martha Wilson was written out of the series after Joseph Kearns' death (90 episodes, 1959–62).
Margaret Wade (Jeannie Russell) is a snooty but good girl with a crush on Dennis (38 episodes, 1959–63).
Tommy Anderson (Billy Booth) is Dennis' closest friend (111 episodes, 1959–63).
Mr. John Wilson (Gale Gordon) is George Wilson's brother. Gordon's first episode is "John Wilson's Cushion" on May 27, 1962. Gordon appeared in 43 episodes in 1962 and 1963.
Eloise Wilson (Sara Seegar) is John Wilson's wife (36 episodes, 1962–63).
Recurring characters
Seymour Williams (Robert John Pittman) is Dennis' friend (31 episodes, 1961–63).
The Bradys – Johnny is Dennis' nemesis, the neighborhood braggart, played by Gregory Irvin; Laurence Haddon was cast as Charles Brady.
Sergeant Harold Mooney (George Cisar) is a policeman (31 episodes, 1960–1963). In some episodes, Mooney's first name was Ralph.
Mrs. Lucy Elkins (Irene Tedrow) is a Mitchell neighbor (26 episodes) and an avowed enemy of both George and John Wilson.
Mr. Otis Quigley (Willard Waterman) is the grocer (14 episodes).
Miss Esther Cathcart (Mary Wickes) is a spinster who chases every single man in sight (10 episodes, 1959–62).
Mr. Krinkie (Charles Seel) is the newspaper editor (nine episodes, 1960–63).
Grandma Mitchell (Kathleen Mulqueen) is Henry's mother, who stayed with the Mitchells during the second season while Alice was away taking care of her father. Mulqueen joined the cast for eight episodes while Gloria Henry was on maternity leave.
Joey McDonald (Gil Smith) is Dennis' friend (eight episodes, 1959–60).
Mrs. Schooner (Lillian Culver) is a local socialite, volunteer, and outdoor enthusiast (seven episodes, 1960–63).
Mr. Lawrence Finch (Charles Lane) is the drugstore owner (six episodes, 1960–62).
Mrs. Dorothy Holland (Helen Kleeb) is a Mitchell neighbor and Mrs. Elkins' friend. Kleeb appeared in five episodes from 1959 to 1962, three as Mrs. Holland.
Mr. Merrivale (Will Wright) is a nurseryman who is considered a shady businessman by most of the neighborhood (four episodes, 1959–61).
Uncle Ned Matthews (Edward Everett Horton) is George and John Wilson's uncle (three episodes, 1962–63).
Opie Swanson (Dub Taylor) is an electrician (three episodes, 1960).
Buzz (Chubby Johnson) is the neighborhood handyman (three episodes, 1961–62).
Foster A. Steward (Ned Wever) is the Chief of Police (two episodes, 1960).
Shout! Factory has released all four seasons on DVD in Region 1. On August 7, 2012, Shout! Factory released a 20-episode best-of set Dennis the Menace – 20 Timeless Episodes.
^The New York Times Encyclopedia of Television by Les Brown (Times Books, a division of Quadrangle/The New York Times Book Company, Inc., 1977), ISBN0-8129-0721-3, p. 116-117
^"Cobweb TV!: TONIGht's EPISODE: "Great Scott!"". 18 October 2011.
^Woolery, George W. (1985). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946–1981, Part II: Live, Film, and Tape Series. The Scarecrow Press. pp. 146–148. ISBN0-8108-1651-2.
dennis, menace, 1959, series, this, article, about, 1959, american, series, other, uses, dennis, menace, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material,. This article is about the 1959 American series For other uses see Dennis the Menace This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Dennis the Menace 1959 TV series news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Dennis the Menace is an American sitcom based on the Hank Ketcham comic strip Dennis the Menace It preceded The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday evenings on CBS from October 1959 to July 1963 The series stars Jay North as Dennis Mitchell Herbert Anderson as his father Henry Gloria Henry as his mother Alice Joseph Kearns as George Wilson Gale Gordon as George s brother John Wilson Sylvia Field as George s wife Martha Wilson and Sara Seegar as John s wife Eloise Wilson Dennis the MenaceCBS promotional title cardGenreSitcomCreated byBased on the comic strip by Hank KetchamStarringJay NorthHerbert AndersonGloria HenryJeannie RussellJoseph KearnsGale GordonSylvia FieldSara SeegarTheme music composerWilliam LooseJohn SeelyCountry of originUnited StatesOriginal languageEnglishNo of seasons4No of episodes146 list of episodes ProductionExecutive producerHarry AckermanProducersJames Fonda 1959 61 Winston O Keefe 1961 63 Running time25 minutesProduction companiesDariell ProductionsScreen GemsHank Ketcham EnterprisesDistributorScreen Gems 1965 1966 Sony Pictures TelevisionReleaseOriginal networkCBSPicture formatBlack and whiteAudio formatMonauralOriginal releaseOctober 4 1959 63 years ago 1959 10 04 July 7 1963 1963 07 07 Originally sponsored by Kellogg s cereals and Best Foods Skippy peanut butter the series was produced by Dariell Productions and Screen Gems 1 Contents 1 Plot 2 History 2 1 Syndication 3 Cast 3 1 Main characters 3 2 Recurring characters 4 Episodes 5 Reception 6 Home media 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksPlot EditThe show follows the Mitchell family Henry Alice and their only child Dennis an energetic trouble prone mischievous but well meaning boy who often tangles first with his peace and quiet loving neighbor George Wilson a retired salesman and later with George s brother John a writer Dennis is basically a good well intentioned boy who always tries to help people but winds up making situations worse Mr Wilson has a love hate relationship toward Dennis who did not realize the aggravation that he would cause He called Mr Wilson his best friend or Good Ol Mr Wilson History Edit The cast of Dennis the Menace clockwise from front center Jay North Herbert Anderson Gloria Henry Sylvia Field and Joseph Kearns 1960 With CBS seeking to replace the hit show it had lost when it allowed Leave It to Beaver to migrate to ABC a pilot episode titled Dennis Goes to the Movies was filmed in late 1958 In early 1959 CBS consented to air the program at 7 30 pm EST on Sunday evenings after Lassie After viewing these episodes CBS determined that Dennis antics had to be toned down lest his actions would encourage children watching the show to imitate Dennis Jay North as Dennis and Jeannie Russell as Margaret Wade 1963 In this final fourth season Dennis no longer wears his trademark overalls Jay North as Dennis and Gale Gordon as John Wilson 1962 On February 17 1962 after filming the show s 100th episode Joseph Kearns died of a cerebral hemorrhage In a 2010 interview actress Gloria Henry revealed Kearns followed a strict six week Metrecal diet that may have contributed to his death 2 The following two episodes were filmed without the character of Mr Wilson Gale Gordon joined the cast for the last six episodes of the season as Mr Wilson s brother John 3 It was explained that John was staying as a guest while George was settling an estate Sylvia Field who played Martha Wilson was let go at the end of the season In the fourth and final season John Wilson purchased the house from his brother although where George and Martha had moved was never explained He was joined by his wife Eloise played by Sara Seegar Final references to George and Martha Wilson were made early in the fourth season although they were not mentioned by name after the first episode George Wilson was referred to as the other Mr Wilson in the second episode and John Wilson says in the seventh episode that he bought the house from his brother After that the original Wilsons were never mentioned again By the end of the show s fourth season Jay North was nearly 12 years old and was outgrowing the antics associated with his character CBS canceled Dennis the Menace in early 1963 Syndication Edit In 1963 NBC began airing reruns of the series on Saturday mornings for two seasons the show entered syndication in 1965 It has run consistently on local stations over subsequent years On July 1 1985 4 the Nickelodeon cable network began airing the series and continued until October 22 1994 after Nick Jr 5 It also aired on TV Land from 2002 to 2003 On January 3 2011 Dennis the Menace began airing on Antenna TV The show was exported to the United Kingdom and shown on the ITV network with 103 episodes airing in the London region between 1960 and 1966 To avoid confusion with the British comic character the series was known in the UK as Just Dennis Cast EditMain characters Edit Dennis Mitchell Jay North is the series protagonist 146 episodes 1959 63 Henry Mitchell Herbert Anderson is Dennis father and Alice s husband 144 episodes 1959 63 Alice Mitchell Gloria Henry is Henry Mitchell s wife and Dennis mother 145 episodes 1959 63 Mr George Wilson Joseph Kearns is the Mitchells neighbor he is often exasperated with Dennis antics though is proud that Dennis considers him his best friend George has a Cairn terrier named Fremont Kearns appeared in 101 episodes from 1959 62 his last work was aired posthumously in the episode The Man Next Door on May 6 1962 Mrs Martha Wilson Sylvia Field is George Wilson s wife a loving grandmotherly type neighbor who enjoys Dennis company The Wilsons had no children Martha Wilson was written out of the series after Joseph Kearns death 90 episodes 1959 62 Margaret Wade Jeannie Russell is a snooty but good girl with a crush on Dennis 38 episodes 1959 63 Tommy Anderson Billy Booth is Dennis closest friend 111 episodes 1959 63 Mr John Wilson Gale Gordon is George Wilson s brother Gordon s first episode is John Wilson s Cushion on May 27 1962 Gordon appeared in 43 episodes in 1962 and 1963 Eloise Wilson Sara Seegar is John Wilson s wife 36 episodes 1962 63 Recurring characters Edit Seymour Williams Robert John Pittman is Dennis friend 31 episodes 1961 63 The Bradys Johnny is Dennis nemesis the neighborhood braggart played by Gregory Irvin Laurence Haddon was cast as Charles Brady Sergeant Harold Mooney George Cisar is a policeman 31 episodes 1960 1963 In some episodes Mooney s first name was Ralph Mrs Lucy Elkins Irene Tedrow is a Mitchell neighbor 26 episodes and an avowed enemy of both George and John Wilson Mr Otis Quigley Willard Waterman is the grocer 14 episodes Miss Esther Cathcart Mary Wickes is a spinster who chases every single man in sight 10 episodes 1959 62 Mr Krinkie Charles Seel is the newspaper editor nine episodes 1960 63 Grandma Mitchell Kathleen Mulqueen is Henry s mother who stayed with the Mitchells during the second season while Alice was away taking care of her father Mulqueen joined the cast for eight episodes while Gloria Henry was on maternity leave Joey McDonald Gil Smith is Dennis friend eight episodes 1959 60 Mrs Schooner Lillian Culver is a local socialite volunteer and outdoor enthusiast seven episodes 1960 63 Mr Lawrence Finch Charles Lane is the drugstore owner six episodes 1960 62 Stewart Ron Howard is Dennis friend six episodes 1959 60 Howard left to join the cast of The Andy Griffith Show Mr Dorfman Robert B Williams is a postman five episodes 1959 60 Mrs Dorothy Holland Helen Kleeb is a Mitchell neighbor and Mrs Elkins friend Kleeb appeared in five episodes from 1959 to 1962 three as Mrs Holland Mr Merrivale Will Wright is a nurseryman who is considered a shady businessman by most of the neighborhood four episodes 1959 61 Uncle Ned Matthews Edward Everett Horton is George and John Wilson s uncle three episodes 1962 63 Opie Swanson Dub Taylor is an electrician three episodes 1960 Buzz Chubby Johnson is the neighborhood handyman three episodes 1961 62 Foster A Steward Ned Wever is the Chief of Police two episodes 1960 Episodes EditMain article List of Dennis the Menace 1959 TV series episodes SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedFirst airedLast aired132October 4 1959 1959 10 04 June 6 1960 1960 06 06 238October 2 1960 1960 10 02 June 25 1961 1961 06 25 338October 1 1961 1961 10 01 July 1 1962 1962 07 01 438September 30 1962 1962 09 30 July 7 1963 1963 07 07 Reception EditRatings Season Rank Rating 1 1959 60 16 26 0 2 1960 61 11 26 1 3 1961 62 17 23 8 4 1962 63 Not In The Top 30Home media EditShout Factory has released all four seasons on DVD in Region 1 On August 7 2012 Shout Factory released a 20 episode best of set Dennis the Menace 20 Timeless Episodes See also Edit Television portal United States portal 1950s portalDennis the Menace film References Edit The New York Times Encyclopedia of Television by Les Brown Times Books a division of Quadrangle The New York Times Book Company Inc 1977 ISBN 0 8129 0721 3 p 116 117 Cobweb TV TONIGht s EPISODE Great Scott 18 October 2011 Woolery George W 1985 Children s Television The First Thirty Five Years 1946 1981 Part II Live Film and Tape Series The Scarecrow Press pp 146 148 ISBN 0 8108 1651 2 The Daily Intelligencer July 1 1985 The Intelligencer October 22 1994External links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to Dennis the Menace 1959 TV series Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dennis the Menace 1959 TV series Dennis the Menace at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dennis the Menace 1959 TV series amp oldid 1130725141, 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