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MEMORIES:
Johnnyboy62 remembers...The original image of the All-American boy ! Energetic, optimistic, helpful.... in the words of Mr. Wilson..... " Dennis you ... More »
Posted on 05/05/08
PHOTOS:
Cast:
Dennis Mitchell...Jay North
Henry Mitchell...Herbert Anderson
Alice Mitchell...Gloria Henry
George Wilson (1959-62)...Joseph Kearns
Martha Wilson (1959-62)...Sylvia Field
Joey McDonald (1959-60)...Gil Smith
Mrs. Lucy Elkins...Irene Tedrow
Tommy Anderson...Billy Booth
Margaret Wade...Jeannie Russell
Mr. Quigley...Willard Waterman
Miss Esther Cathcart (1959-61)...Mary Wickes
Grandma Mitchell (1961)...Kathleen Mulqueen
Sergeant Theodore Mooney (1961-63)...George Cisar
Seymour (1962-63)...Robert John Pittman
John Wilson (1962-63)...Gale Gordon
Henry Mitchell...Herbert Anderson
Alice Mitchell...Gloria Henry
George Wilson (1959-62)...Joseph Kearns
Martha Wilson (1959-62)...Sylvia Field
Joey McDonald (1959-60)...Gil Smith
Mrs. Lucy Elkins...Irene Tedrow
Tommy Anderson...Billy Booth
Margaret Wade...Jeannie Russell
Mr. Quigley...Willard Waterman
Miss Esther Cathcart (1959-61)...Mary Wickes
Grandma Mitchell (1961)...Kathleen Mulqueen
Sergeant Theodore Mooney (1961-63)...George Cisar
Seymour (1962-63)...Robert John Pittman
John Wilson (1962-63)...Gale Gordon
Studio:
Columbia Pictures Television, Screen Gems
Network:
CBS
Release History:
10/4/59 - 9/22/63 CBS
Cartoonist Hank Ketcham was inspired by his son to create the comic strip Dennis the Menace in 1951. The story of the little cowlicked boy who could get into more trouble than he knew what to do with soon became one of the most popular comic strips of all time.
The success of the strip led to a television program of the same name eight years later. Starring child actor Jay North, the prime time show was a live action account of Dennis’s adventures in the town of Hillsdale, complete with his perpetually annoyed neighbor, Mr. Wilson, who could never adjust to Dennis’s mischievous antics.
Each week, Dennis would get himself into another predicament while trying to be helpful, usually resulting with Mr. Wilson’s temper being agitated. Of course, it didn’t help that Dennis would do things like give Mr. Wilson’s rare coin collection as a donation to the March of Dimes. At the end of each episode, Dennis’s parents would lecture him about his behavior, but, inevitably, Dennis would be back the following week planting potatoes in Mr. Wilson’s new tulip garden.
During the ’61-’62 season, the actor playing Mr. Wilson, Joseph Kearns, passed away, and was replaced with the character of Mr. Wilson’s brother John, who shared his penchant for crankiness. In 1963, the show moved into reruns on Saturday mornings for two additional years.
Dennis’ antics continue to entertain audiences today in syndication. After all, he wasn’t really a bad kid – he meant well, but it was always fun to see him get into scrapes and manage to escape to get into trouble another day.
