Dennis the Menace (1959 TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dennis the Menace |
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CBS promotional title card for Dennis the Menace
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| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Based on the comic strip by Hank Ketcham |
| Starring | Jay North Herbert Anderson Gloria Henry Jeannie Russell Joseph Kearns Gale Gordon Sylvia Field Sara Seegar |
| Theme music composer | William Loose John Seely |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 146 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Harry Ackerman |
| Producer(s) | James Fonda (1959–61) Winston O'Keefe (1961–63) |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Dariell Productions Screen Gems Hank Ketcham Enterprises |
| Distributor | Screen Gems (1965–1966) Sony Pictures Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | October 4, 1959 – July 7, 1963 |
Dennis the Menace was a popular American sitcom (a funny TV show about everyday life). It was based on the famous Hank Ketcham comic strip. The show aired on CBS every Sunday evening from October 1959 to July 1963.
The series starred Jay North as the main character, Dennis Mitchell. His parents, Henry and Alice, were played by Herbert Anderson and Gloria Henry. Their grumpy neighbor, George Wilson, was played by Joseph Kearns. Later, George's brother, John Wilson, played by Gale Gordon, joined the cast. Other important characters included George's wife, Martha (Sylvia Field), and John's wife, Eloise (Sara Seegar).
The show was first sponsored by well-known brands like Kellogg's cereals and Best Foods (Skippy peanut butter). It was produced by Dariell Productions and Screen Gems.
Contents
What is Dennis the Menace About?
The show follows the adventures of the Mitchell family: Henry, Alice, and their son, Dennis. Dennis is a very energetic and curious boy. He often gets into trouble, but he always means well.
Dennis frequently bothers his neighbor, George Wilson. Mr. Wilson is a retired salesman who loves peace and quiet. Later in the series, Dennis also interacts with George's brother, John.
How the TV Show is Different from the Comic
Both the TV show and the comic strip show Dennis as a good kid. He always tries to help people. But his efforts often make things worse, especially for Mr. Wilson!
In the first few TV episodes, Dennis caused some really big messes. However, the show decided to make Dennis a bit less wild after a few episodes. In the TV show, the Wilsons had a small Cairn Terrier dog named Fremont. This was different from Dennis's dog, Ruff, in the comic strip. Fremont didn't appear in the fourth season.
The First Season's Start
CBS wanted a new hit show after Leave It Beave moved to ABC. So, a test episode called "Dennis Goes to the Movies" was filmed in late 1958. In this pilot, Dennis was younger and his character was still developing.
In the pilot, Dennis causes a lot of funny chaos. He tries to fix a table leg, causing it to break. He almost makes Mr. Wilson fall off a ladder into a can of paint. When his parents go to the movies, Dennis switches places with his friend Joey. He sneaks out to the same movie his parents are watching. At the theater, Dennis causes more trouble, even asking the projectionist to replay a scene!
Dennis gets home before his parents. He tries to borrow Mr. Wilson's ladder to climb back into his bedroom window. This makes Mr. Wilson go outside to check. Mr. Wilson then gets arrested when he is found with Dennis's toy gun!
Changes After Early Episodes
After filming several early episodes, CBS decided Dennis's actions needed to be less extreme. They worried that kids watching might try to copy his mischief. So, Dennis's character was made a bit calmer.
Some episodes were filmed before others but aired later. This is why Dennis might look younger in some episodes that aired later in the first season. For example, in "Dennis and the Rare Coin," Dennis mentions getting ice cream "last time I came here," referring to "Dennis Runs Away," which was filmed earlier but aired later.
Dennis's friend Joey slowly appeared less often in the first season. Another friend, Stewart, was played by Ron Howard. Ron Howard later became famous as Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show.
Later Seasons and New Characters
Dennis and Mr. Wilson had a funny "love-hate" relationship. Dennis often annoyed Mr. Wilson without meaning to. Dennis called Mr. Wilson his "best friend." Mr. Wilson, however, would often tell Dennis, "You have far better friends than me." Mrs. Wilson, George's wife, was like a grandmother to Dennis. She always tried to make things better between them.
Other neighbors and townspeople appeared often. These included Mrs. Lucy Elkins (a widowed neighbor and town gossip), Miss Esther Cathcart (a lonely lady), Mr. Otis Quigley (the grocer), and Sergeant Harold Mooney (the policeman). Dennis also had a rival named Johnny Brady.
In the second and third seasons, the show focused on Dennis growing up. He was shown learning to read, going to camp, playing baseball, and being in scouting. He also kept trying to help Mr. Wilson. Dennis was maturing, and sometimes, Mr. Wilson showed that he really did like Dennis deep down. In the fourth season, Dennis stopped wearing his famous overalls. He started wearing regular pants and a different style of striped shirt.
The Sad Passing of Joseph Kearns
On February 17, 1962, after filming the show's 100th episode, Joseph Kearns passed away. He played Mr. George Wilson. The next two episodes were filmed without his character.
Gale Gordon then joined the cast for the last six episodes of that season. He played Mr. John Wilson, George Wilson's brother. It was explained that John was visiting while George was taking care of things back east. Sylvia Field, who played Martha Wilson, left the show at the end of that season.
In the fourth and final season, John Wilson bought the house from his brother George. It was never fully explained where George and Martha moved. John was joined by his wife, Eloise, played by Sara Seegar. The original Wilsons were only mentioned a couple of times early in the fourth season.
Who Were the Main Characters?
- Dennis Mitchell (Jay North): The main character of the show. He appeared in all 146 episodes from 1959 to 1963.
- Henry Mitchell (Herbert Anderson): Dennis's father. He appeared in 144 episodes.
- Alice Mitchell (Gloria Henry): Dennis's mother. She appeared in 145 episodes.
- Mr. George Wilson (Joseph Kearns): The Mitchells' neighbor. He was often annoyed by Dennis but secretly proud that Dennis called him his best friend. He had a dog named Fremont. Kearns appeared in 101 episodes from 1959 to 1962.
- Mrs. Martha Wilson (Sylvia Field): George Wilson's wife. She was a kind, grandmotherly neighbor who enjoyed Dennis's company. She appeared in 90 episodes from 1959 to 1962.
- Margaret Wade (Jeannie Russell): A smart but sometimes bossy girl who had a crush on Dennis. She appeared in 38 episodes.
- Tommy Anderson (Billy Booth): Dennis's best friend. He appeared in 111 episodes.
- Mr. John Wilson (Gale Gordon): George Wilson's brother. He joined the cast in 1962 and appeared in 43 episodes.
- Eloise Wilson (Sara Seegar): John Wilson's wife. She appeared in 36 episodes from 1962 to 1963.
Other Characters You Might See
- Seymour Williams (Robert John Pittman): Dennis's friend.
- Stewart (Ron Howard): Another of Dennis's friends.
- Sergeant Theodore Mooney (George Cisar): A policeman.
- Mrs. Lucy Elkins (Irene Tedrow): A Mitchell neighbor and often at odds with the Wilsons.
- Mr. Otis Quigley (Willard Waterman): The grocer.
- Miss Esther Cathcart (Mary Wickes): A lonely lady.
- Mr. Krinkie (Charles Seel): The newspaper editor.
- Grandma Mitchell (Kathleen Mulqueen): Henry's mother, who appeared when Gloria Henry was on maternity leave.
- Joey McDonald (Gil Smith): Dennis's friend.
- Mr. Lawrence Finch (Charles Lane): The drugstore owner.
- Uncle Ned Matthews (Edward Everett Horton): George and John Wilson's uncle.
Episodes
List of Dennis the Menace (1959 TV series) episodes
How Popular Was the Show?
The show was quite popular during its first three seasons. Here's how it ranked in TV ratings:
| 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 30 |
Why Did the Show End?
By the end of the fourth season, Jay North, who played Dennis, was almost 12 years old. He was growing up and becoming too old for the mischievous actions of his character. Because of this, CBS decided to cancel Dennis the Menace in the spring of 1963.
Where Can You Watch It Now?
After the show ended, NBC started showing reruns on Saturday mornings for two seasons. In 1965, the show began to be shown on many local TV stations.
Later, the Nickelodeon cable network aired the series from 1985 to 1994. It also appeared on TV Land from 2002 to 2003. Since 2011, Dennis the Menace has been airing on Antenna TV.
In the United Kingdom, the show was known as Just Dennis. This was to avoid confusion with a different British comic character.
Today, you can watch all episodes of Dennis the Menace on streaming services like Hulu and Peacock.
Images for kids
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The cast of Dennis the Menace, (clockwise from front center) Jay North, Herbert Anderson, Gloria Henry, Sylvia Field, and Joseph Kearns, 1960
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Jay North as Dennis and Jeannie Russell as Margaret Wade, 1963: In this final fourth season, Dennis no longer wears his trademark overalls.
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Jay North as Dennis and Gale Gordon as John Wilson, 1962
