Dennis the Menace (1959–1963)

Television episodes built around the same sorts of incidents found in Hank Ketcham's long-running comic strip.

Stars:

Jay North, Gloria Henry, Herbert Anderson

1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Jay North	...	Dennis Mitchell (146 episodes, 1959-1963)
Gloria Henry	...	Alice Mitchell (145 episodes, 1959-1963)
Herbert Anderson	...	Henry Mitchell (144 episodes, 1959-1963)
Billy Booth	...	Tommy Anderson (110 episodes, 1959-1963)
Joseph Kearns	...	George Wilson (102 episodes, 1959-1962)
Sylvia Field	...	Martha Wilson (90 episodes, 1959-1962)

Storyline

The live-action adaptation of the Hank Ketcham comic strip of the same name. Dennis Mitchell was a loveable young boy, dressed in overalls and carrying a slingshot in his pocket. He had but one fault: His penchant for mischief. Everywhere he went, Dennis' wide-eyed curiosity, well-meaning attempts to help out and his simply being a normal, red-blooded American boy growing up always seemed to lead to trouble. Usually on the receiving end was Dennis' next-door neighbor, retired postal carrier George Wilson. Dennis worshiped Mr. Wilson, but the gruff old man overtly displayed a less-than-cordial attitude around the young lad. Mr. Wilson's wife, Martha, adored Dennis and saw him as a surrogate grandson (since the Wilsons never had any children). Dennis' long-suffering parents were Henry (an engineer) and Alice (a stay-at-home mother). Episodes revolved around Dennis' adventures and the trouble that usually followed. Also involved in the fun were Dennis' friends Joey, Tommy and Margaret. ...

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Plot Keywords:

dennis the menace | neighbor | naughty child | dog | based on comic | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 October 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

Daniel el travieso

Company Credits

Production Co:

Darriell Productions, Screen Gems

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (146 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the United Kingdom, the show's title was shortened to "Dennis" to avoid confusion with an existing British strip with the exact same title. This latter strip came to TV as Dennis the Menace

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Goofs

Throughout the series, the outside design of the Wilson's house shows two windows on each side of the front door. On the inside of the house there is no window by the front door - the window is around the corner to the left and bigger then the one by the door seen on the outside. The house design on the inside doesn't match up to outside design.

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Quotes

[repeated line]
Dennis Mitchell: You're the best Mom in the whole world.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Girl in Lovers' Lane (1993)

User Reviews

A good TV series about an energetic kid

It was a great TV show! I watch it every chance I get. When I first discovered the show about 12 years ago on Nickelodeon, I thought it was very funny and very unique, A bright boy with a lot of energy who is always wanting to help people out, especially his next door neighbor Mr. Wilson who Dennis drove crazy and quite often got him in trouble. I just could never figure out why his parents didn't punish Dennis more often for some of the trouble he got into. Never the

less, The TV show was funny up until the end of the 3rd season

when Joseph Kearns who played the 1st Mr. Wilson passed away. Joseph Kearns was the best, he played his role as Mr. Wilson

with a real inspiration. Gale Gordon, Who played Mr. Wilson towards the end of the 3rd season and all of the 4th season was good, but he just was not the character that Joseph Kearns was. Another thing you could tell is that Herbert Anderson (Henry Mitchell) got along with and worked better with Joseph Kearns then he did with Gale Gordon. I think it's quite obvious that Herbert Anderson liked working with Joseph Kearns a lot better then he did with Gale Gordon, it comes clear throughout the last season.