Dennis the Menace (1961)

By the second half of its second season Dennis the Menace had proved a hit for CBS, rising to the #11 spot in the ratings for 1960-61. The producers astutely recognized that the main reason for its popularity was due to the antics of constantly exasperated, pompous windbag George Wilson, Dennis' next-door neighbor, whom Dennis considers his best friend though the feeling is definitely not mutual. There were minor cast changes from the second half of Season 2 through the beginning of Season 3. When Gloria Henry went on maternity leave, Kathleen Mulqueen was added as Dennis' paternal grandmother who comes to stay with Henry and Dennis, but like Dennis' mother Alice, she is a mere prop for the interplay between Dennis and Mr. Wilson. Henry Mitchell gets a new antagonist in Charles Brady, obnoxious father of equally obnoxious Johnny Brady, who becomes Dennis' chief antagonist. Dub Taylor's general-purpose character Opie Swanson is replaced by Chubby Johnson's locksmith/junk dealer Buzz in Season 3. Ronnie Howard's character Stewart, a friend of Dennis' who understands even less than he does, is replaced by Robert John Pittman's Seymour as Howard's time was consumed playing Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show. And even Jeannie Russell's portrayal of Dennis antagonist and suitor Margaret is greatly reduced--she appears in 8 episodes but always as just another one of his friends he is trying to press into service for one of his schemes. She no longer tries to get him to play house or speaks of a future marriage. Man-hungry spinster Miss Cathcart has one episode devoted to her, "Miss Cathcart's Friend" (January 22, 1961), in which Dennis overhears his mother telling another lady over the phone that it would be good if Cathcart had a companion, so Dennis decides to get her a dog while she thinks he is recruiting her a husband. She has a supporting role in "Dennis' Tool Chest" (March 5, 1961) when we see her trying to woo an insurance salesman who is all business while her cat gets stuck in the trunk of Wilson's car and forces him to strip it down to its bare bones to try to get rid of the squeak he does not recognize as a meow. She also babysits Dennis in "Dennis' Obligation" (April 2, 1961) and makes a brief singing performance in "Dennis the Campaign Manager" (January 15, 1961).

However, for most of the episodes that aired in 1961, the show could have been renamed The Constant Humiliation of George Wilson because each installment went to great lengths in putting Wilson's character in ever-more ridiculous predicaments. But over time, Wilson's troubles came to be more of his own making rather than Dennis', and Dennis actually begins saving Mr. Wilson from his own worst impulses. In "Dennis' Penny Collection (January 8, 1961), Wilson runs into trouble by entrusting Dennis to put a penny in a parking meter outside a bookstore which winds up with Wilson getting a parking ticket, and then leaves Dennis alone in front of the bank while he dashes inside, which results in Dennis thinking an armored car guard has given him permission to look through the pennies in the back of his truck, which Wilson dashes out to try to prevent but only makes it look like he is trying to break into the armored car. Wilson is taken down to police headquarters before the misunderstanding is straightened out, but Dennis manages to charm the other policemen, who let him trade his current rolls of pennies from some newly taken out of parking meters, resulting in Wilson finding a rare 1914 penny he has wanted for his collection for years.

In "Dennis the Campaign Manager" (January 15, 1961), Dennis charms a TV producer into doing an interview with Wilson after he decides to run for Parks Commissioner because the producer thinks it is a human interest story that a little boy would campaign for candidate for public office. Of course, Wilson botches the entire interview and decides to drop out of the race due to the humiliation. In "Dennis' Birthday" (Februrary 19, 1961) Wilson has overpromised his lodge that he can come up with a celebrity to appear at their annual fundraiser, but Dennis bails him out by befriending TV star Spring Byington when he meets her babysitting the baby sister of his friend Herbie. And in "Dennis and the Camera" (May 7, 1961), Wilson has been tasked with getting a photograph of the rare night-blooming cereus plant by nature club president Mr. Timberlake but winds up falling asleep in the middle of the night; fortunately Dennis is camping in his back yard with his father and wakes up at the right time to rush inside and grab his own camera to snap the elusive cereus. He even delivers the photo to newspaper editor Mr. Krinke in time for the next morning's edition, but Wilson does not escape unscathed because Dennis' photo also shows Wilson sleeping on the job. The list goes on and on--many more episodes from late Season 2 have Wilson getting into a predicament, sometimes caused by Dennis' overzealousness but just as often from Wilson's stupidity, often ending with Dennis providing some sort of silver lining.

In Season 3, the producers decided to up the ante on the ridiculous quagmires Wilson gets dragged into. The season's first episode, "Trouble From Mars" (October 1, 1961) has Wilson getting a stripe of hair shaved off the back of his head when Dennis and his friends frighten Wilson's barber, followed by Wilson foolishly trying on Dennis' toy space helmet, only to get it stuck on his head, and then gets himself trapped in his second-story bathroom without his pants from which he has to be rescued by the fire department with all of his neighbors watching in addition to a magazine photographer who has shown up to profile him in an article about placid retirement. The next episode, "Best Neighbor" (October 8, 1961) has Wilson again getting into trouble in the pursuit of fame when he learns he is a candidate for Best Citizen of the Year from the local garden club and therefore figures he needs to be nice to Dennis to avoid a bad reputation, so he agrees to help Dennis join the Junior Pathfinder club by camping overnight atop the town's cold and drafty mountaintop. Needless to say, Wilson winds up falling out of a tree and getting rained on so that he catches a cold, but he still manages to win the award. In "The School Play" (November 5, 1961) Wilson is forced into taking part in Dennis' school play when he is accidentally handcuffed to Dennis' friend Tommy, which includes wearing a ridiculous fake beard, a hat that is much too small for his head, and being carted around in a red wagon. After being humiliated by the laughter of all the school parents and running out of the theater in the middle of the play once the locksmith unlocks the handcuffs, the newspaper review says casting him in the role was comedic genius and he is invited back to give a repeat performance the next afternoon for charity.

The humiliation of Wilson is such a central theme of the program that the inclusion of the other adult supporting characters is solely to ridicule him. George Cisar's police Sgt. Theodore Mooney delights in ribbing Wilson as a hardened criminal when he is brought in for the armored car fiasco in "Dennis' Penny Collection." And he enjoys giving Wilson a ticket for raising livestock inside the city when Dennis brings over an incubator full of eggs that he is keeping at home until the power goes out in a thunderstorm that miraculously spares Wilson's house. Irene Tedrow's character Lucy Elkins is a notorious gossiper who goes out of her way to sully Wilson's reputation when she sees him run off Dennis who has disturbed him while he is trying to compose a letter protesting his property tax in "Pythias Was a Piker" (January 29, 1961). She foils his attempt to win a 5-minute shopping spree at Mr. Finch's drugstore in "The Fifty Thousandth Customer" (November 12, 1961) by refusing to move ahead of him in line when he realizes that he will enter the store too soon to win the contest. And in "Mr. Wilson's Inheritance" (November 26, 1961) she threatens to spread the bad word about him amongst all the cat-loving societies when he refuses to donate any money to support the construction of a new cat hospital.

Speaking of Mr. Finch, he enjoys also trying to foil Wilson's attempt to clean up if he were to win his contest by repositioning all the best merchandise onto higher shelves to make them harder to reach. When Dennis bails out Wilson by letting him keep a pair of earrings he bought for his mother but hides at Wilson's house only to have Martha find them and think they are a surprise from her husband, Finch takes particular pleasure in steering Dennis to the most expensive replacement gift knowing that Wilson will be paying for it in "The Going Away Gift" (March 12, 1961). Grocer Otis Quigley, played by Willard Waterman, also savors any chance to take a poke at Wilson. In "The Fifteen-Foot Christmas Tree" (December 24, 1961) Quigley is convinced that George is going to botch his attempt to cut down a live pine tree for Dennis, so much so that he gives him the phone number for the nearest hospital that Wilson will have to visit after chopping off his toes, and he saves the small white Christmas tree Wilson pushes Henry to return because he knows the Mitchells will need it later after Wilson mangles the tree he has cut down himself.

While the plots during this period of the program are entirely predictable, there is a certain enjoyment in seeing a know-it-all receive his come-uppance, but Dennis the Menace perhaps came to rely too heavily on the humiliation of George Wilson and in particular Joseph Kearns' portrayal of such because when Kearns unexpectedly died during the filming of Season 3, the show didn't have a leg to stand on, and despite Gale Gordon being brought in as Wilson's brother to give Dennis a new adult to pester, the chemistry was never the same and after a fourth and final season failed to crack the top 30 in the ratings, the show was canceled.

The Actors

For the biographies of Jay North, Joseph Kearns, Gloria Henry, Herbert Anderson, Sylvia Field, Billy Booth, and Jeannie Russell, see the 1960 post for Dennis the Menace.

Mary Wickes

Born Mary Isabella Wickenhauser in St. Louis, MO, Wickes' father was a banker and both her parents were theater buffs who began taking her to performances at an early age. She graduated two years early from high school at age 16 where she had been a member of the debate team, and then moved on to college at Washington University in her home town. Though she majored in English and Political Science and considered a career as a lawyer, her English professor, who had cast her in one of his theatrical productions, suggested she pursue acting, so she joined the Saint Louis Little Theater and continued appearing in local productions while working as the University's Assistant Publicity Director. One of her performances at the Little Theater caught the attention of visiting director F. Cowles Strickland, who invited her to join his playhouse in Stockbridge, MA, where she spent several seasons. Her work there drew the attention of actress Ina Clair, who wrote her a letter of recommendation that led to her first Broadway appearance in a cast with Henry Fonda in 1934. During this time she also became a member of Orson Welles' radio troupe and made her feature film debut in his 1938 production Too Much Johnson. But her film career really took off when she was cast as Nurse Preen in the film version of The Man Who Came to Dinner in 1942 after playing the same role on the stage. She would appear in support of Bette Davis again later that year in Now, Voyager and found steady work in supporting roles throughout the 1940s and 1950s in films such as June Bride, White Christmas, and Destry. She made her television debut in a 1945 episode of the drama anthology NBC Dramatic Sustainer and in 1949 played the title role in the early TV version of Mary Poppins on Studio One in Hollywood. Her first recurring TV role came as Alice the housekeeper on the 1954-55 sitcom The Halls of Ivy. She appeared 21 times as Liz O'Neill on Make Room for Daddy between 1956 and 1958 and played the maid Katie on the Walt Disney serial Annette in 1958 before being cast as man-hungry spinster Esther Cathcart on Dennis the Menace beginning in 1959.

Concurrent with her 10 appearances over 4 seasons on Dennis, Wickes played supporting character Maxfield on the Gertrude Berg sitcom Mr. G. Goes to College in 1961-62, which garnered her an Emmy nomination. Wickes become good friends with Lucille Ball and after appearing in a single episode of I Love Lucy playing a ballet instructor in 1952, she appeared 9 times in various roles on The Lucy Show between 1963-67 and in 9 more episodes of Here's Lucy between 1969-74. She had five appearances as Ida Goff on the historical western Temple Houston in 1964, played Melba Chegley 8 times on Julia between 1969-71, Mrs. Bullard 4 times on The Jimmy Stewart Show in 1971, Aunt Zelda in 25 episodes of Sigmund and the Sea Monsters in 1973-74, Nurse Beatrice Tully 14 times on Doc in 1975-76, and Marie Murkin 42 times on Father Dowling Mysteries in 1989-91. These recurring roles were in addition to numerous guest appearances on many other programs at the same time. Nor did her feature film work wane during this time either--she played nuns in the Disney comedies The Trouble With Angels (1966) and its sequel Where Angels Go Trouble Follows! (1968) and pulled the same stunt 25 years later playing Sister Mary Lazarus in Sister Act (1992) and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993). Over her 50-year career she also appeared in The Music Man, Postcards From the Edge, and the 1994 production of Little Women. Her last roles were providing the voices of Grandma on the Louie Anderson animated series Life With Louie and Laverne in the Disney animated feature The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Wickes suffered from numerous medical ailments late in life and broke her hip while staying in the hospital, then died from surgical complications on October 22, 1995 at the age of 85. Like Miss Cathcart, she was a spinster to the end and bequeathed her $2 million estate to set up a library fund at her alma mater in her parents' names.

Willard Waterman

Willard Lewis Waterman was born in Madison, WI, where he attended the University of Wisconsin. Though he studied electrical engineering there, his experience in theater productions and the campus radio station persuaded him to pursue an acting career. He moved to Chicago after graduating in 1936 and quickly found work as a radio actor, appearing on such programs as Chicago Theater of the Air, the comedy Harold Teen, and the soap operas Girl Alone, The Guiding Light, Lonely Women, The Road of Life, and Kay Fairchild, Stepmother. While working in Chicago radio, he met fellow actor Harold Peary and took over his role on The Tom Mix Ralston Straight Shooters. He also co-founded the American Federation of Radio Artists in 1937, which later became the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and served on its board until 1990. He made his debut in film in 1949 and after a few uncredited roles appeared in Flame of Youth and Free for All later that year. His film roles tended to be minor, often uncredited, even in major productions such as Father of the Bride and Three Coins in the Fountain until his breakthrough role playing opposite Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame in 1958. But his move into television was tied to his old friend Geary, who had spun off the character of bombastic politician Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve from the 1930s radio program Amos 'n' Andy into his own program The Great Gildersleeve. However, Peary wanted to take advantage of a capital gains loophole being offered by CBS in the late 1940s, so he decided to leave NBC, but the show's sponsor Kraft refused to follow his lead and instead replaced him with Waterman in the title role. He continued to play Gildersleeve when the program was adapted to TV as a syndicated sitcom which ran from 1954 to 1956. After Gildersleeve's cancelation, Waterman found steady work doing guest spots on a number of series that included playing the semi-recurring role of magician Mac MacGinnis on The Real McCoys and Carl Foster on The Eve Arden Show. In 1959 he made the first of 14 appearances as grocer Otis Quigley on The Dennis the Menace, his longest-running TV role after Gildersleeve.

He continued to find occasional TV guest work after Dennis' cancelation, but he found greater fame in the theater, appearing in both the Broadway 1966 original and 1983 revival of Mame, the 1973 Broadway revival of The Pajama Game, and the national touring productions of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. His last credit on film was the 1972 feature Hail. He received a Clio award for a radio commercial he made for Sony in 1980. He was awarded a star on the Radio section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He died from bone marrow disease on February 2, 1995 at the age of 80.

Irene Tedrow

Born in Denver in 1907, Tedrow began appearing in theatrical productions as a teen before attending college at Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh from which she graduated with a B.A. in 1929. She studied acting under B. Iden Payne, was a member of Maurice Evans' New York theater troupe, as well as a member of Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre group. She was a founding member of the Old Globe Theater in San Diego and appeared in several Broadway Shakespearean productions in the 1930s. At the same time she was building a prolific career as a radio actor. Besides appearing in a 1937 production of George Bernard Shaw's Back to Methuseleh, she had recurring roles on Meet Corliss Archer as Mrs. Janet Archer from 1943-56, as Jessie Ward Calvert on Aunt Mary from 1944-61, and on shorter-lived series such as The Gallant Heart, Jonathan Trimble, Esquire, and My Friend Irma. Her feature film career began in 1940 with We Who Are Young, but most of her roles were minor, uncredited parts, the exceptions being The Cincinnati Kid and Empire of the Ants. She broke into television playing Margaret Ruggles on The Ruggles in 1949 and continued playing Janet Archer when Meet Corliss Archer was adapted for TV in 1951. However, though her guest work on TV was extensive throughout the 1950s, she did not win another recurring role until being cast as Mr. Wilson nemesis Lucy Elkins on Dennis the Menace beginning in 1959, a role in which she appeared 26 times over the program's duration.

After Dennis' cancelation in 1963, Tedrow remained busy with scores of TV guest appearances and occasional feature film roles, but found no more recurring roles except for being a replacement for the Aunt Alex character on The Young Marrieds in 1965-66. However, her later TV work won her two Emmy nominations--for playing Eleanor Roosevelt's grandmother in the 1976 mini-series Eleanor and Franklin and as a special guest on a 1978 episode of James at 16. Other late-career notable performances were as Congresswoman Margaret Geddes in two episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, three appearances as Mrs. Foley on the short-lived Dorothy Loudon series Dorothy, and playing Garry Shandling's grandmother on an episode of It's Garry Shandling's Show in 1988. Her last credit came in the 1989 TV movie A Deadly Silence. She died from complications after suffering a stroke on March 10, 1995 at age 87. Her daughter Enid Kent also became an actress and played nurse Lt. Bigelow on M*A*S*H.

George Cisar

Born in Cicero, Illinois in 1912, not much has been published about Cisar's early life, but like Willard Waterman and Irene Tedrow, his work in radio eventually led to a career in film--he appeared in over 50 episodes of the radio anthology series Curtain Time in 1947-48 before getting his first feature film role as a policeman in Call Northside 777 in 1948. The following year he played opposite a young Mike Douglas, again playing a policeman, in the crime drama Stand by for Crime. In fact, Cisar could have had a prolific career just on the number of times he played policemen in movies and on TV. His most noted role was his 31 appearances as Sgt. Theodore Mooney on Dennis the Menace, but he also showed up playing cops on The Thin Man, The Untouchables, My Favorite Martian, and The Beverly Hillbillies. He also showed up on a number of other programs as bartenders, bailiffs, and other incidental characters. In feature films, he often went uncredited in bigger-name productions such as Somebody Up There Likes Me, Designing Woman, Jailhouse Rock, Some Came Running, and Elmer Gantry, but he also had larger roles in exploitation fare such as The Werewolf, Attack of the Giant Leeches, and Vice Raid.

After Dennis was canceled, Cisar had moderate success playing Cyrus Tankersley on The Andy Griffith Show and its sequel Mayberry R.F.D., appearing on 4 episodes of each. He also played Donald Hollinger's father Harold in two episodes of That Girl. But after appearing in single episodes of Hogan's Heroes and Ironside in 1969 and the Jim Brown feature film ...tick...tick...tick... in 1970, Cisar retired from acting. He died June 13, 1979 at age 66.

Elizabeth Harrower

Though she appeared only 10 times on Dennis the Menace, first as nondescript neighbor Mrs. Johnson and later as Dennis' teacher Miss Perkins, Harrower's biography is in and of itself quite a story. Born Betty Louise Foss in Almeda, CA during the 1918 flu epidemic, Harrower's mother died six weeks after she was born and her father had a nervous breakdown, so the baby was passed from one relative to another until she was finally placed in a San Francisco orphanage because it was commonly believed then that babies transmitted the flu. She was eventually adopted by Scottish immigrants William and Jessie Harrower, but when William's salary was cut in half during the Great Depression, Jessie pulled young Elizabeth out of school to start her acting career. She landed her first role at age 17 in the 1935 feature film Becky Sharp, the first feature film shot entirely in color. In 1942 she married Harry Seabold, an Air Force cadet she met in the 5th grade, but he was sent off to war not long thereafter, though not before Harrower conceived a daughter Susan, who was born in 1943. The couple divorced after the war. Though Harrower would not appear in her next feature film for another 14 years, she eked out a career as a radio actor until appearing in two religious dramas The Pilgrimage Play and Life of St. Paul in 1949. Her feature film career thereafter was sparse, but she did have significant roles in Thunder Pass, Don't Knock the Twist, and True Grit. Her television career began with an appearance in a 1951 episode of Front Page Detective, though she was largely relegated to minor, one-off parts on series such as Racket Squad, Annie Oakley, and Adventures of Wild Bill Hickock. 

She made more appearances on Dennis the Menace than on any other show, but she continued receiving occasional roles until 1974, ending with appearances on Gunsmoke and The F.B.I. before moving to the other side of the camera to write for soap operas. Her daughter Susan Seaforth Hayes had been a cast member of Days of Our Lives playing character Julie Williams since 1970. Harrower joined the writing crew and by the late 1970s was head writer for the series, winning Emmy nominations for writing in both 1978 and 1979. In all she would write 270 episodes through 1980 and would go on to also write episodes for The Young and the Restless and Generations. However, after contracting cancer and undergoing chemotherapy in 2003, she joined the cast of The Young and the Restless as Charlotte Ramsey, appearing in 18 episodes before finally succumbing to cancer December 10 of that year at age 85.

Kathleen Mulqueen

Born Katherine Agatha Mulgreen in Philadelphia on August 6, 1899, the most extensive biography of Mulqueen is provided in The Gay and Lesbian Theatrical Legacy whose information is based on interviews with Mulqueen's foster son Kaier Curtin. When Mulqueen was only 12 she met "the love of her life" actress Hazel Dawn, then performing on Broadway in The Pink Lady. After writing Dawn a note, Mulqueen was invited backstage and went on to become like a younger sister to the actress for the next 40 years. Mulqueen was spotted by a Broadway talent scout at age 16 and eventually made her way to Broadway to star in musical comedies of the 1920s, where one critic dubbed her "the most beautiful girl on Broadway." During this time she met gay actor Paul Guilfoyle and the two became friends, attending many parties and other functions together. Curtin believes that family pressure about her still unmarried state prompted Mulqueen, then 30, to elope with a New York Times reporter but on her honeymoon realized her mistake and obtained a "quickie" divorce in Cuba a short time later. She then decided to marry Guilfoyle to give them both cover for their sexual orientation, and the couple was invited by Dawn to move to Hollywood, where Guilfoyle secured a contract with RKO. But Guilfoyle was caught in a homosexual encounter that received front page exposure in the late 1940s, which led to him being blackballed. So Mulqueen returned to acting, making her feature film debut in Journey Into Light in 1951. She made her television debut in an episode of My Little Margie the following year and continued to have relatively steady though modest work in both movies and TV throughout the 1950s. Her role playing Grandma Mitchell in 8 episodes of Dennis the Menace was her only recurring role, and once Gloria Henry returned from maternity leave, she would not appear in the series again.

Her half a dozen credits over the next four years included only one credited part in an episode of Arrest and Trial in 1964. Guilfoyle was caught in another compromising affair in the late 1950s and this time was blackmailed, which prompted him to turn to heavy drinking. He died June 27, 1961 at age 58. Mulqueen, though she would never have another role after 1965, lived to age 90, dying on May 10, 1990 in Los Angeles.

Notable Guest Stars

Season 2, Episode 15, "Dennis the Campaign Manager": Charles Watts (Judge Harvey Blandon on Bachelor Father) plays Parks Commissioner T.H. Thorndyke. Jane Nigh (Lorelei Kilbourne on Big Town) plays TV producer Miss Rawlings. Stuart Nisbet (Bart the bartender on The Virginian) plays an angry neighbor.

Season 2, Episode 16, "Miss Cathcart's Friend": Mel Blanc (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Flintstones) plays dog pound clerk Mr. Trinkle. John Zaremba (Special Agent Jerry Dressler on I Led 3 Lives, Dr. Harold Jensen on Ben Casey, Admiral Hardesy on McHale's Navy, Dr. Raymond Swain on The Time Tunnel, and Dr, Harlem Danvers on Dallas) plays dog owner Arthur Prylich. Paul Barselou (played various bartenders in 9 episodes of Bewitched) plays TV repairman Maurice.

Season 2, Episode 19, "Wilson Sleeps Over": Don C. Harvey (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Rawhide) plays a policeman.

Season 2, Episode 20, "Dennis' Birthday": Spring Byington (shown on the right, see the biography section for the 1961 post on Laramie) plays herself. Vaughn Taylor (starred in Jailhouse Rock, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Psycho, and In Cold Blood and played Ernest P. Duckweather on Johnny Jupiter) plays George Wilson's cousin Jim. Elvia Allman (Aunt Vera on I Married Joan, Jane on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Cora Dithers on Blondie, Mrs. Montague on The Bob Cummings Show, Elverna Bradshaw on The Beverly Hillbillies, and Selma Plout on Petticoat Junction) plays his wife Edna.

Season 2, Episode 21, "Dennis Goes to Camp": Mary Beth Hughes (appeared in Star Dust, The Ox-Bow Incident, Orchestra Wives, Inner Sanctum, Riders in the Sky, and Young Man With a Horn) plays a young camper's mother. Pat Rosson (played Jerry Karr on The Young Marrieds) plays Dennis' friend Kevin.

Season 2, Episode 22, "Dennis' Tool Chest": Roy Roberts (shown on the left, played Capt. Simon P. Huxley on The Gale Storm Show, Admiral Rogers on McHale's Navy, John Cushing on The Beverly Hillbillies, Mr. Cheever on The Lucy Show, Frank Stephens on Bewitched, Norman Curtis on Petticoat Junction, and Mr. Botkin/Bodkin on Gunsmoke) plays insurance salesman Humphrey McDougall. 

Season 2, Episode 23, "The Going Away Gift": Charles Lane (Mr. Fosdick on Dear Phoebe, Homer Bedloe on Petticoat Junction, Foster Phinney on The Beverly Hillbillies, Dale Busch on Karen, Maxwell on The Phyllis Diller Show, and Judge Anthony Petrillo on Soap) plays druggist Mr. Finch. 

Season 2, Episode 24, "Dennis and the Fishing Rod": Charles Lane (see "The Going Away Gift" above) returns as druggist Mr. Finch. Stanley Adams (Lt. Morse on Not for Hire and Gurrah on The Lawless Years) plays coin dealer Jerry Richman. 

Season 2, Episode 25, "Dennis and the Good Example": Alan Hewitt (shown on the right, starred in That Touch of Mink, Days of Wine and Roses, The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, and The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes and played Det. Bill Brennan on My Favorite Martian) plays physician Dr. Alfred Simpson. Jon Lormer (Harry Tate on Lawman, various autopsy surgeons and medical examiners in 12 episodes of Perry Mason, Judge Irwin A. Chester on Peyton Place, and Simon Benjamin on The Young Marrieds) plays pet shop owner Mr. Bergstrom. Harry Landers (Dr. Ted Hoffman on Ben Casey and was the spokesman for Taster's Choice coffee) plays TV exercise instructor Mike Duval. 

Season 2, Episode 26, "Dennis' Obligation": Stuart Nisbet (see "Dennis, the Campaign Manager" above) plays neighbor Mr. Wade. Paul Barselou (see "Miss Cathcart's Friend" above) plays returns as TV repairman Maurice. 

Season 2, Episode 28, "Woodman, Spare That Tree": Charles Watts (see "Dennis, the Campaign Manger" above) plays returns as Parks Commissioner Thornton. Maurice Manson (shown on the left, played Josh Egan on Hazel and Hank Pinkham on General Hospital) plays Nature Society president Mr. Timberlake. 

Season 2, Episode 29, "The Boy Wonder": Tyler McVey (Maj. Norgrath on Men Into Space) plays construction manager Mr. Erickson. Hal Hopper (Cpl. Clarke on The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin and composed theme music for Circus Boy, 26 Men, Colt .45, and Bearcats!) plays a brick delivery man.

Season 2, Episode 30, "The Soapbox Derby": Laurence Haddon (shown on the right, played Ed McCullough on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, the foreign editor on Lou Grant, Dr. Mitch Ackerman on Knots Landing, and Franklin Horner on Dallas) plays obnoxious father Charles Brady. 

Season 2, Episode 31, "Dennis and the Camera": Maurice Manson (see "Woodman, Spare That Tree" above) returns as Nature Society president Mr. Timberlake. Rickie Sorensen (Thomas Banks on Father of the Bride) plays a boy scout.

Season 2, Episode 32, "Dennis and the Miracle Plant Food": Will Wright (shown on the left, played Ben Weaver on The Andy Griffith Show) plays nursery owner Mr. Merrivale. Jonathan Hole (Orville Monroe on The Andy Griffith Show) plays garden club member Mr. Trumble. Lillian Culver (wife of the founder of Culver City, California) plays garden club member Mrs. Schooner. Paul Barselou (see "Miss Cathcart's Friend" above) plays garden club member Mr. Fizby.

Season 2, Episode 33, "Dennis' Newspaper": Charles Seel (played the bartender on Tombstone Territory and Tom Pride on The Road West) plays newspaper editor Mr. Krinke. Jimmy Hawkins (see the biographical section for the 1961 post on The Donna Reed Show) plays college student Chuck Long. Wallace Rooney (Andrew Winters on The Doctors) plays a raccoon coat owner. Dan Sheridan (see the biographical section for the 1960 post on Lawman) plays another raccoon coat owner.

Season 2, Episode 34, "Mr. Wilson's Paradise": Vaughn Taylor (shown on the right, see "Dennis' Birthday" above) plays Dennis' teacher Mr. Hubbard. 

Season 2, Episode 35, "The Fortune Cookie": Stephen Roberts (Stan Peeples on Mr. Novak) plays scam artist Mr. Sheldon. 

Season 2, Episode 36, "The Pioneers": Judson Pratt (Billy Kinkaid on Union Pacific) plays newspaper photographer Kowalski. 

Season 2, Episode 37, "Father's Day for Mr. Wilson": Willis Bouchey (Mayor Terwilliger on The Great Gildersleeve, Springer on Pete and Gladys, and the judge 23 times on Perry Mason) plays attorney John McRae. 

Season 2, Episode 38, "Dennis and the Picnic": Robert Bice (shown on the left, played Police Capt. Jim Johnson on The Untouchables) plays police detective Lt. Rockwell. Hal Smith (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Andy Griffith Show) plays neighbor Frank Wade. Laurence Haddon (see "The Soap Box Derby" above) returns as obnoxious salesman Charles Brady.

Season 3, Episode 1, "Trouble From Mars": Forrest Lewis (Mr. Peavey on The Great Gildersleeve) plays barber Selby. Norman Leavitt (Ralph on Trackdown) plays policeman Ted Quincy.

Season 3, Episode 2, "Best Neighbor": Lillian Culver (see "Dennis and the Miracle Plant Food" above) returns as garden club member Mrs. Schooner. Kate Murtagh (Iona Dobson on It's a Man's World and was the cover model for the Supertramp album Breakfast in America) plays nature explorer Crystal Bell.

Season 3, Episode 3, "Keep Off the Grass": Alma Platt (Mrs. Henehan on These Are My Children) plays a librarian. 

Season 3, Episode 4, "Mr. Wilson's Safe": Will Wright (see "Dennis and the Miracle Plant Food" above) returns as nursery owner Mr. Merrivale. 

Season 3, Episode 5, "Haunted House": Harvey Korman (shown on the right, played various characters on The Carol Burnett Show, the voice of The Great Gazoo on The Flintstones, Harvey A. Kavanuagh on The Harvey Korman Show, Leo Green on Leo & Liz in Beverly Hills, and Reginald J. Tarkington on The Nutt House) plays realtor Bowers. Harold Gould (Bowman Chamberlain on The Long Hot Summer, Harry Danton on The Feather and Father Gang, Martin Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda, Jonah Foot on Foot in the Door, Ben Sprague on Spencer, and Miles Webber on The Golden Girls) plays a tramp. 

Season 3, Episode 6, "The School Play": Chubby Johnson (Concho on Temple Houston) plays locksmith Buzz. Sherry O'Neill (shown on the left, played Sarabelle Jordan on The Young Marrieds) plays theater teacher Miss Gilbert. 

Season 3, Episode 7, "The Fifty Thousandth Customer": Charles Lane (see "The Going Away Gift" above) returns as druggist Mr. Finch. 

Season 3, Episode 8, "Dennis and the Pee Wee League": Chubby Johnson (shown on the right, see "The School Play" above) returns as Buzz, now a junk dealer. Laurence Haddon (see "The Soapbox Derby" above) returns as bragging father Charles Brady. Charles Seel (see "Dennis' Newspaper" above) returns as newspaper editor Mr. Krinke.

Season 3, Episode 9, "Mr. Wilson's Inheritance": Gordon Jones (shown on the right, appeared in The Green Hornet, Flying Tigers, My Sister Eileen, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and McLintock! and played Mike Kelley on The Abbott and Costello Show, Pete Thompson on The Ray Milland Show, Hubie Dodd on So This Is Hollywood, and Butch Barton on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet) plays house foundation repairman Mr. Bierschmidt. Lennie Weinrib (the voice of H.R. Pufnstuf on H.R. Pufnstuf, Moonrock on The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, and Scrappy-Doo on Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo amongst many others) plays a truck delivery driver.

Season 3, Episode 10, "Dennis Is a Genius": James Millhollin (shown on the left, played Anson Foster on Grindl) plays child intelligence expert Mr. Heydon. 

Season 3, Episode 11, "The Lucky Piece": Henry Beckman (Commander Paul Richards on Flash Gordon, Mulligan on I'm Dickens, He's Fenster, George Anderson on Peyton Place, Colonel Harrigan on McHale's Navy, Capt. Roland Frances Clancey on Here Come the Brides, Pat Harwell on Funny Face, Harry Mark on Bronk, and Alf Scully on Check It Out) plays a tobacco store clerk. David Bond (Tremblay on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis) plays a hobo. 

Season 3, Episode 12, "The Fifteen-Foot Christmas Tree": Pat McCaffrie (Chuck Forrest on Bachelor Father and Dr. Edgar Harris on Outlaws) plays a bus driver. Bill McLean (Dave on The Jim Backus Show) plays a drunk bus passenger. 

Season 3, Episode 13, "Dennis' Bank Account": Paul Maxey (Matt Brockway on Lassie and Mayor John Peoples on The People's Choice) plays bank president Dudley Yates. John Fiedler (shown on the right, appeared in 12 Angry Men, That Touch of Mink, The World of Henry Orient, Kiss Me, Stupid, Girl Happy, The Odd Couple, True Grit and played Emil Peterson on The Bob Newhart Show and Woody on Buffalo Bill) plays bank teller Mr. Clute. Lauren Gilbert (appeared in X-15, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and The Fortune Cookie and played John Olcott on Fairmeadows, U.S.A., Tom Craythorne on Love of Life, Harry Lane on The Edge of Night, and Harry Noll on Hazel) plays businessman Mr. Bishop. Harry Swoger (Harry the bartender on The Big Valley) plays bank customer Bickerstaff.

Dennis the Menace (1960)

In an interview included in the Season 1 DVD release of Dennis the Menace, radio show host and TV historian Stu Shostak asked actress Gloria Henry whether the show on which she played Dennis' mother was the CBS network's attempt to make up for abandoning Leave It to Beaver after one season and allowing the program to move over to ABC, where it ran for another five years. Henry replies to the question that she supposes that could have been true, and other online sources suggest that it was, but Henry treats the idea as mere conjecture. Still, Dennis the Menace was indeed another family-based situation comedy depicting the often troublesome antics of a little boy who innocently doesn't understand how things work in the adult world. The differences between the two shows, of course, are more striking than the similarities. Dennis was based on the popular comic strip created by Hank Ketcham, who according to Henry had considerable input on the TV show, whereas Beaver was based on the real-life experiences of creators Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher's sons. Dennis is an only child; Beaver has an older brother Wally. Dennis is tormented by little girl Margaret Wade, who is forever trying to get him to play house and hold her doll; Beaver is teased and tricked by Eddie Haskell, Wally's two-faced friend. But most important is that the plots on Dennis largely revolve around a single theme--how Dennis ruins something for his neighbor and self-avowed best friend Mr. George Wilson, whereas the plots on Beaver are much more varied--some involving lessons learned by Beaver, some by Wally, and even some by Beaver's parents June and Ward Cleaver.

Though Beaver is today often thought of as the stereotypical naive and idealized 1950s era sitcom, the characters are not one-dimensional, but on Dennis they mostly are--Dennis is a single-minded boy who doesn't realize how his good intentions, whether trying to help Mr. Wilson or his parents, or trying to get something he wants, can create havoc for others. Mr. Wilson always suspects that Dennis will ruin something (which is often borne out) and is often foiled by his own greed or overweening sense of self-importance. Dennis' parents Henry and Alice Mitchell are mere foils for his antics, rarely having any depth beyond trying to stop him. The acting for all of these roles is also nearly always overplayed. Wilson's scowls and utterances of "Great Scott!" are just as overwrought as Henry and Alice Mitchell's wide-eyed and open-mouthed shock at nearly everything Dennis does. In fact, the overdone acting and laugh track included with each episode make the show more like a contemporary sitcom, whereas Beaver succeeds with more subtle humor that evolves out of more true-to-life situations and wry dialogue that doesn't sound like a telegraphed punchline.

But Dennis the Menace was an almost instant hit, earning a glowing review in the February 20, 1960 issue of TV Guide, in which Bob Stahl remarked, "Many of the scripts telegraph their endings but they're still entertaining." The show also scored in the top 20 of the Nielsen ratings the first three of its four seasons. And Stahl, is right--many of the episodes are entertaining, despite the exaggerated main characters, because many episodes are bolstered by the strong, large supporting cast of recurring characters, much like Beaver's cast of supporting characters like Eddie Haskell, Fred and Lumpy Rutherford, Larry Mondello, etc. On Dennis many of the best supporting characters are female, beginning with George Wilson's long-suffering wife Martha, played by Sylvia Field, who is alternately cheerfully supportive when Wilson repeatedly shoots himself in the foot, or sternly ashamed when he tricks or exploits good-hearted Dennis. For example, in "The Rock Collection" (November 13, 1960) she scolds George after he first tries to get rid of Dennis by saying he will give $1 to the boy who collects the most different kinds of rocks in a week and later suggests to Dennis that he can probably find all kinds of rocks in a run-down empty lot he is trying to sell, thereby getting Dennis to clean up his shabby property. And in "Dennis Creates a Hero" (March 20, 1960) she shames George into donning a bearskin rug and pretending to bite Dennis' friend Tommy on the foot so that Dennis can stage a photo of his father coming to Tommy's rescue to print in the local newspaper. Of course, Henry and Alice are not in on the gag and George ends up getting hit over the head with a flower pot for his trouble. However, Martha is always ready to serve George some of his self-concocted "nerve medicine" (which he tells nursery owner Merrivale he mixes himself from an old Indian recipe in "Dennis and the Bees" [April 17, 1960]) whenever he is overcome with exasperation.

Dennis' tormentor Margaret Wade, the impossibly curly haired little girl who envisions marrying Dennis one day, tries to round him into shape by frequently bargaining with him to force him to play house or hold her doll. In "Dennis and the Bike" (January 24, 1960) Margaret agrees to give Dennis her bike if he agrees to get engaged to her; his parents quickly send him back to her house with the bike when they hear the terms of the deal. In "Dennis and the Swing" (February 21, 1960) Dennis has to agree to come over and play house in three days if he wants to take any lumber scraps from Mr. Wade's woodpile. In "Henry and Togetherness" (November 20, 1960), Dennis has to agree to go over to Margaret's and play house in exchange for her chewed bubblegum, which he needs to plug a hole in his fish aquarium. And in "The Christmas Horse" (December 25, 1960), Margaret has finally had enough and confides to Alice that she is breaking off their engagement because she just can't live like this anymore and she would return the engagement ring, only Dennis never gave her one. Later in the episode, Dennis recognizes that her breakup note is typed on a typewriter, which he needs to trade for a pony that another boy received for Christmas. Dennis is so intent on acquiring the horse that he is even willing to make up with Margaret in order to get the typewriter. Throughout all her encounters with Dennis, Margaret's serious, superlative, and bossy tone and demeanor are pure comedic gold. The fact that Jeannie Russell gave these performances without benefit of rehearsing with the other actors, as she revealed in the 2010 Shostak interview, makes the performances all the more impressive.

Another stellar character is man-hunting spinster Miss Cathcart, played brilliantly by the great character actress Mary Wickes. Like the squirrel-crazy canine Dug in the 2009 animated film Up, Miss Cathcart's attention is easily diverted at the mere suggestion that an employed bachelor is nearby. In "Dennis and the Starlings" (May 8, 1960), Miss Cathcart has her sights set on the postman Mr. Dorfman, whom she waits for behind a post on her porch, springing out when he tiptoes up to deliver her mail, and whisking him into her parlor for tea, flirtation, and her ear-shattering singing, which proves a most effective repellant in driving off flocks of starlings bothering Mr. Wilson. In "Miss Cathcart's Sunsuit" (June 12, 1960) she turns her attention to landscape gardener Mr. Carlson, who drops by and offers to clean up her yard but she takes it as a proposal for marriage, as does Dennis, who repeats the miscommunication to Mr. Dorfman, who as a lodge brother of Carlson feels compelled to break up their supposed tryst since Carlson is already married. Miss Cathcart also makes an appearance in "Dennis and the Wedding" (October 9, 1960), though here she is only lending her overpowering singing voice to a wedding held in the Wilson's home, shattering a bottle of pestilent poison in the basement during the rehearsal and driving everyone outside. Wickes steals every scene in which she appears; it's unfortunate she appeared in only a handful of episodes.

Also sadly underexposed is Irene Tedrow's portrayal of Mrs. Elkins, a neighbor who sees right through Wilson's machinations. Though she often is mere window dressing in most of the episodes in which she appears, she if fully capable of delivering a comic punch, as she does in "Dennis and the Ham-Pher" (October 23, 1960) when Mr. Wilson thinks he has trapped a pesky gopher in Dennis' box-propped-up-by-a-stick trap, denies having seen Mrs. Elkins' cat when she comes walking down the street looking for it, then is mortified to hear meows coming from inside the box trap. Elkins not only snootily sweeps up her rescued pet but promises to tell all her friends what a contemptible human being Wilson is. She always seems to catch Wilson at his worst and has the perfectly withering glance to sink him even deeper.

Though Dennis the Menace had a lot going for it and scored high ratings for three years, like Leave It to Beaver it was fated to be a short-lived success because the age of its star was central to its appeal. And like Beaver's Jerry Mathers, Jay North eventually grew too old to credibly play the title character. The show was also dealt a severe blow when Joseph Kearns, who so capably embodied sourpuss George Wilson, died from a stroke during season 3. The show's producers tried replacing him with Gale Gordon as Wilson's brother John at the end of the third and throughout the fourth season. Martha Wilson was discarded at the end of season 3 with the explanation that she and George had gone on a long trip, and Sara Seegar as Louise Wilson, John's wife, was added to the cast. Unlike when My Three Sons replaced the ill William Frawley with William Demarest and kept right on ticking for another seven seasons, the character transition on Dennis had a negative impact on its ratings, as the show tumbled out of the top 30 for the first time in its history and was canceled. North was relieved, as his turn in the spotlight was not a happy one, as documented in his biography below. But his brief stint as a TV star secured his financial future and put a lot of smiles on viewers' faces.

The theme for Dennis the Menace was composed by William Loose who worked for John Seely, the head of Capitol Records' music library service since the mid 1950s. Loose had risen from being the arranger for an Omaha, NE radio station to leading the U.S. Army Air Forces Orchestra during World War II. During his stint at Capitol, he was also a prolific composer of music and cues for many TV shows, including The Gumby Show, Sheriff of Cochise, The Donna Reed Show, Trackdown, The  Huckleberry Hound Show, Tate, The Texan, The Lawless Years, and Naked City as well as many Loony Tunes cartoons. He also later in the 1960s composed for shows such as Tarzan, The Hollywood Squares, and The Doris Day Show. He died from a heart attack at the age of 80 on February 22, 1991; however, some of his cues were resurrected for The Ren and Stimpy Show in the 1990s. 

All four seasons have been released on DVD by Shout! Factory.

The Actors

Jay North

Jay Waverly North was born in Hollywood, an only child whose alcoholic father separated from his mother when Jay was four and never saw his son again. Now a single mother with a child to support, Jay's mother went to work as the secretary to the West Coast director of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Her insider connections got Jay an appearance on his favorite TV show, Cartoon Express, at age 6, where he was spotted by a talent agent who got his mother's approval to represent him. After a few sporadic appearances on late 1950s shows such as The George Gobel Show, The Eddie Fisher Show, The Milton Berle Show, and a memorable performance on Wanted: Dead or Alive in which his character paid Steve McQueen's Josh Randall 8 cents to find Santa Claus, North auditioned for the part of Dennis the Menace but did poorly on his first try. His agent persuaded the studio to give him another try, and though it took roughly a year before he heard the results, he was cast in the lead role of the new sitcom. North made clear in interviews many years later that his mother never took any of his earnings for herself while he was playing Dennis. She continued to work as a secretary to earn her own keep and entrusted Dennis to an aunt and uncle who secretly physically and verbally abused him when they felt he had not performed up to their standards. They also restricted his playtime with other children and were lax with his mandatory 3 hours of schooling required for all child actors at the time. North never spoke out about the abuse until many years later, believing, as most children did in that era, that he must obey his elders. North was also not a natural blonde and had to endure what he later called a torturous hair dye job every other week during the show's run. Thus, when the show was finally canceled after four season, North considered it good riddance.

But since he had received little real schooling while on the show, North found the transition to traditional education difficult, and he continued trying to find more acting roles during his teen and early adult years, though he was burdened by the huge Dennis shadow and found that producers were often unable to see him in any other kind of role. However, in 1966 he landed the lead role in a jungle-based feature film drama Maya, which was set in India. The following year, the story was made into a TV series with North reprising his role as Terry Bowen. Though the show lasted for only a single season, North later said that he was proud of his work on the show. He also continued occasional appearances on other TV shows such as My Three Sons and The Lucy Show. However, after Maya was canceled, North found work as a voice actor on animated shows such as The Banana Splits Adventure Hour and as the voice of the teenaged Bamm-Bamm on The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show. His starring role as a young man who has an affair with an older woman in 1974's The Teacher earned him some positive reviews as well as negative publicity by those who found the R-rated film lurid. North left the acting world and joined the Navy at age 26, accepting the lowest rank in the service, but soon asked to be released from his commitment after being mistreated by his colleagues and superiors because of his past as a child actor. He returned to minor acting roles for a while but also joined Paul Petersen of The Donna Reed Show in the child-actor advocacy organization A Minor Consideration to hopefully help other young actors avoid the abuses he suffered as a child. Today North lives off the earnings his mother wisely invested from his years on Dennis the Menace and makes appearances at TV memorabilia shows, living with his third wife Cynthia Hackney and her three children from a previous marriage in Lake Butler, Florida.

Joseph Kearns

Joseph Sherrard Kearns was born Salt Lake City, Utah. His mother was an accomplished concert pianist, and Kearns himself would later become a theatrical pipe organist and had his home in Hollywood designed around a theatre-sized Wurlitzer pipe organ. He appeared as a child in a local vaudeville troupe and supported himself through college at the University of Utah at Salt Lake City by teaching a course in theatrical make-up. Thereafter he had a successful radio acting career beginning in the 1930s, with regular spots as the host of Suspense, on the children's show The Cinnamon Bear, and as Jack Benny's money vault security guard Ed on The Jack Benny Program (a role he reprised on TV). He moved into film acting in the late 1940s, and though he had far more TV appearances than in feature films, his credits included roles in Hard, Fast and Beautiful, as the voice of the doorknob in Disney's Alice in Wonderland, and as crime photographer Lloyd Burke in Anatomy of a Murder. On television he played Superintendant Edgar T. Stone on Our Miss Brooks and August P. Tobey on How to Marry a Millionaire as well as multiple guest appearances on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, and Gunsmoke before landing the role of George Wilson on Dennis the Menace.

As mentioned above, Kearns died from a stroke, a cerebral hemorrhage, at age 55 on February 19, 1962. In the Stu Shostak 2010 interview also cited previously, Gloria Henry mentioned that roughly six weeks before that Wilson had decided he needed to lose weight in order to properly look like the TV star he had become, so he went on a Metracal diet, consuming nothing but the weight-reducing shakes at each meal during the six week period and losing a considerable amount of weight. Whether this led to his death has not been medically proven, but Henry seemed to indicate that it was a significant consideration.

Gloria Henry

Born Gloria McEniry in New Orleans, Henry moved to Los Angeles in her late teens and found work in commercials and on radio shows before being signed by an agent and beginning film work in the late 1940s for Columbia Pictures. Her credits included Sport of Kings, Johnny Allegro, and Rancho Notorious, and in 1952 she landed the role of Michelle Malone on the TV series The Files of Jeffrey Jones. Through the rest of the 1950s the TV appearances and film roles were more sparse, though she did appear on the very first episode of Perry Mason in 1957. Being cast as Dennis the Menace's mother Alice Mitchell proved to be the role of her career, but after the show's cancellation, she, like Jay North, had difficulty finding other roles.

After a 1965 appearance on the show The Farmer's Daughter, Henry had an 18-year gap in acting roles but returned in the 1980s with the occasional appearance on shows like Simon & Simon, Newhart, Mr. Belvedere, and Dallas. Though her acting career virtually ended in 1992, she has since appeared in the 2005 feature film Her Minor Thing and a 2012 episode of Parks and Recreation. Today she makes occasional appearances at film festivals and conventions.

Herbert Anderson

If ever an actor were cast in a role solely on looks, it would be Herbert Anderson, who perfectly reflected the cartoon version of Dennis the Menace's father Henry Mitchell. Anderson was born in Oakland and broke into films with Warner Brothers in 1939. His first big role came in the 1941 Martha Raye-Ann Sheridan comedy Navy Blues, and he parlayed that success into a plethora of roles in movies such as Dive Bomber, The Male Animal, Give My Regards to Broadway, Excuse My Dust, The Caine Mutiny, The Benny Goodman Story, and My Man Godfrey. In 1957 he began making occasional TV appearances on shows like The Real McCoys, Perry Mason, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents before landing his career role as Henry Mitchell.

After Dennis was canceled, Anderson continued to find work on television, including multiple appearances on The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Batman, and Dragnet, continuing into the 1970s on Ironside, The Rookies, and The Waltons. He officially retired from acting in 1982 after undergoing heart surgery and moved to Palm Springs, California in 1985, where he died at age 77 on June 11, 1994, two months after suffering a stroke.

Sylvia Field

Harriet Louisa Johnson was born in Allston, MA in 1901 and began her acting career as a teenager on Broadway in 1918. Her first film role came in the short Home Girl in 1928, and though he appeared in five more films the next year, including The Exalted Flapper, she made no films during the 1930s, a period that coincided with her marriage to her second husband Harold LeRoy Moffett, who died in 1938. She married screen actor Ernest Truex in 1941, and her screen career resumed that year. She began appearing on television, mostly on drama anthology series, in 1948. She starred as Mrs. Remington on her husband's show Mister Peepers from 1952-55. She later played Aunt Lila on the Disney TV serial Annette, starring Annette Funicello, before being cast as Martha Wilson in 1959. Truex appeared in the final 1960 episode of Dennis, playing Christmas tree salesman Mr. McGuire in "The Christmas Horse" (December 25, 1960).

Her career after Dennis was brief, including single appearances on shows like Lassie, Hazel, and Petticoat Junction, with her final role in 1975 on the David Janssen crime drama Harry O. After Truex died in 1973, Field continued to live in their home in Fallbrook, California, occupying herself with fishing, golfing, and tending her avocado orchard. She died of natural causes at age 97 on July 31, 1998.

Billy Booth

William Allen Booth was born in Los Angeles in 1949 and made his film debut in the 1957 feature The Snow Queen. Reportedly recommended for the part of Dennis' best friend Tommy Anderson by Jay North himself, Booth appeared in 111 of the show's 146 episodes. His work on the show led to occasional appearances on other shows such as The Twilight Zone, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, and Lawman, and for a few years after Dennis' cancellation, he appeared on The Donna Reed Show, The Andy Griffith Show, and My Three Sons.

He left acting when he went to college and eventually became a lawyer with a practice based in Morro Bay, California. He also taught business law at Cuesta College and Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. He died from liver complications at the age of 54 on December 31, 2006.

Jeannie Russell

Jeanne K. Russell was born in Pasco, Washington, and like Billy Booth she was recommended for the role of Dennis' nemesis Margaret Wade by Jay North. Besides her 38 appearances on Dennis the Menace, Russell's filmography is relatively short--single appearances on The Deputy, Assignment: Underwater, and Death Valley Days and an uncredited appearance in Hitchcock's The Birds. She also appears as a singer's voice in the Disney feature Babes in Toyland and has performed as a singer after Dennis, though her primary profession today is as a chiropractor in North Hollywood. She has also developed a program of exercises for improving posture and building strength, based in part on her training in show business, ballet, and jazz dance. She also co-chaired the Screen Actors Guild Young Performers' Committee and remains in contact with Jay North to this day.

Notable Guest Stars

Season 1, Episode 13, "Dennis Haunts a House": Ron Howard (shown on the left, played Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show, Bob Smith on The Smith Family, Richie Cunningham on Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley, and the narrator on Arrested Development) plays Dennis' friend Stewart. Maudie Prickett (Cassie Murphy on Date With the Angels, Miss Gordon on The Jack Benny Program, and Rosie on Hazel) plays fortune teller Madame Tina. 

Season 1, Episode 14, "Dennis and the Tree House": Byron Foulger (Mr. Nash on Captain Nice and Wendell Gibbs on Petticoat Junction) plays birdwatcher Mr. Timberlake. 

Season 1, Episode 15, "Dennis and the Rare Coin": Michael Fox (shown on the right, played Coroner George McLeod on Burke's Law, Amos Fedders on Falcon Crest, Saul Feinberg on The Bold and the Beautiful, and appeared 25 times as autopsy surgeons and various other medical witnesses on Perry Mason) plays coin dealer Mr. Hathaway. George Cisar (Cyrus Tankersley on The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D.) plays police Sgt. Mooney. 

Season 1, Episode 16, "Dennis and the Bike": Ralph Sanford (Mayor Jim Kelley on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays an unnamed man in the park. 

Season 1, Episode 17, "Dennis and the Open House": Dub Taylor (starred in You Can't Take It With You, Bonnie & Clyde, and The Wild Bunch, played Cannonball in 53 western films, and played Wallie Simms on Casey Jones, Mitch Brady on Hazel, and Ed Hewley on Please Don't Eat the Daisies) plays house hunter Opie Swanson. Grandon Rhodes (Mr. Vanderlip on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Dr. Stevens on Lassie, Dr. J.P. Martin on Bonanza, and the judge 16 times on Perry Mason) plays Henry's business prospect Mr. Purdy. Marjorie Bennett (Birdie Brockaway on Lassie, Mrs. Neimayer on The Bob Cummings Show, and Mrs. Kenny on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis) plays an uninvited guest.

Season 1, Episode 19, "Dennis and the Swing": George Cisar (shown on the right, see "Dennis and the Rare Coin" above) returns as Sgt. Mooney.

Season 1, Episode 20, "Dennis and the Dog": Charles Watts (Judge Blandon on Bachelor Father) plays pompous painter Ballard Fillmore. Byron Foulger (see "Dennis and the Tree House" above) returns as Mr. Timberlake. 

Season 1, Episode 21, "Mr. Wilson's Sister": Mary Adams (Lavinia Webster on Window on Main Street) plays Wilson's sister Helen Forbes. 

Season 1, Episode 22, "Dennis and the TV Set": Dub Taylor (see "Dennis and the Open House" above) plays repairman Opie Swanson. 

Season 1, Episode 23, "Dennis Creates a Hero": Charles Seel (shown on the left, played the bartender on Tombstone Territory and Tom Pride on The Road West) plays newspaper editor Mr. Krinkie. 

Season 1, Episode 24, "Dennis' Paper Drive": Helen Kleeb (Miss Claridge on Harrigan and Son, Miss Tandy on Room 222, and Mamie Baldwin on The Waltons) plays paper drive sponsor Mrs. Holland. 

Season 1, Episode 25, "Dennis and the Bees": Dub Taylor (see "Dennis and the Open House" above) plays beekeeper Opie Swanson. Will Wright (shown on the right, played Ben Weaver on The Andy Griffith Show) plays nursery owner Mr. Merrivale. Addison Richards (starred in Boys Town, They Made Her a Spy, Flying Tigers, and The Deerslayer and played Doc Calhoun on Trackdown and Doc Landy on The Deputy) plays grumpy millionaire Mr. Stacy.

 

Season 1, Episode 26, "Alice's Birthday": Charles Lane (shown on the left, played Mr. Fosdick on Dear Phoebe, Homer Bedloe on Petticoat Junction, Foster Phinney on The Beverly Hillbillies, Dale Busch on Karen, and Judge Anthony Petrillo on Soap) plays drugstore owner Mr. Finch. Molly Dodd (Miss Scott on Hazel) plays saleswoman Ms. Williams. Eleanor Audley (Mother Eunice Douglas on Green Acres and Mrs. Vincent on My Three Sons) plays shopper Mrs. Pompton. Kathryn Card (Mrs. McGillicuddy on I Love Lucy, Mrs. Papernow on The Charles Farrell Show, and Maw Kadiddlehopper on The Red Skelton Hour) plays outraged by-stander Mrs. Biddy.

Season 1, Episode 28, "Dennis and the Starlings": Robert B. Williams (Barney on Hazel) plays postman Mr. Dorfman. Mary Wickes (shown on the right, starred in White Christmas, Destry, The Music Man, The Trouble With Angels, and Where Angels Go Trouble Follows! and played Katie on Walt Disney Presents: Annette, Liz O'Neill on Make Room for Daddy, Ida Goff on Temple Houston, Melba Chegley on Julia, Aunt Zelda on Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, Nurse Beatrice Tully on Doc, and Marie on Father Dowling Mysteries) plays spinster Esther Cathcart. Forrest Lewis (Mr. Peavey on The Great Gildersleeve) plays pest control expert Mr. Prince.

Season 1, Episode 29, "The Party Line": Ron Howard (see "Dennis Haunts a House" above) returns as Dennis' friend Stewart. Gregory Walcott (shown on the left, starred in Badman's Country and Plan 9 From Outer Space and played Det. Roger Havilland on 87th Precinct) plays mover Floyd. Morgan Jones (Sgt. Corey on Highway Patrol, Cmdr. Donovan on The Blue Angels, Sgt. Charlie Phillips on Arrest and Trial, and Howard Pender on Mannix) plays mover Joe.

Season 1, Episode 30, "Dennis by Proxy": Willard Waterman (shown on the right, played Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve on The Great Gildersleeve and Mac Maginnis on The Real McCoys) plays grocer Mr. Quigley. Robert B. Williams (see "Dennis and the Starlings" above) returns as postman Mr. Dorfman. Ron Howard (see "Dennis Haunts a House" above) returns as Dennis' friend Stewart. Hugh Sanders (starred in That's My Boy, The Pride of St. Louis, The Winning Team, and The Wild One) plays shopper Mr. Sanderson. Stanley Fafara (Hubert "Whitey" Whitney on Leave It to Beaver) plays Dennis' stand-in Herbie.

Season 1, Episode 31, "Dennis Runs Away": Gil Smith (Steve Lindsay on Peter Loves Mary) plays Dennis' friend Joey. James T. Callahan (shown on the left, played Dr. Yates Atkinson on Dr. Kildare, Danny Adams on Wendy and Me, George Callison on The Governor and J.J., Sgt. Hal Grady on The Runaways, and Walter Powell on Charles in Charge) plays police Officer Holt. George Cisar (see "Dennis and the Rare Coin" above) returns as Sgt. Mooney.

Season 1, Episode 32, "Miss Cathcart's Sunsuit": Mary Wickes (see "Dennis and the Starlings" above) returns as spinster Esther Cathcart. Robert B. Williams (see "Dennis and the Starlings" above) returns as postman Mr. Dorfman. Cyril Delevanti (Lucious Coin on Jefferson Drum) plays store owner Mr. Gibson. Tyler McVey (Gen. Maj. Norgath on Men Into Space) plays landscaper Mr. Carlson.

Season 2, Episode 1, "Out of Retirement": Vinton Hayworth (Magistrado Carlos Galindo on Zorro, Oren Slauson on Lawman, Mr. Sutherland on Hazel, Dr. Faber on Green Acres, and Gen. Winfield Schaeffer on I Dream of Jeannie) plays Mr. Wilson's former boss Mr. Cramer. 

Season 2, Episode 2, "Dennis and the Wedding": Elinor Donahue (shown on the right, played Betty Anderson on Father Knows Best, Ellie Walker on The Andy Griffith Show, Joan Randall on Many Happy Returns, Miriam on The Odd Couple, Jane Mulligan on Mulligan's Stew, Susan Baxter on The New Adventures of Beans Baxter, Gladys Peterson on Get a Life, Rebecca Quinn on Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman, and Judge Marie Anderson on The Young and the Restless) plays the Wilsons' niece Georgianna Balanger. Don Spruance (shown on the left, played Dr. Robert Ward on Ben Casey) plays her fiancé Lt. Robert Lee Black. Morris Ankrum (starred in Rocketship X-M, Invaders From Mars, Earth vs. The Flying Saucers, and The Giant Claw and played the judge 22 times on Perry Mason) plays the minister. Mary Wickes (see "Dennis and the Starlings" above) returns as spinster Esther Cathcart.

Season 2, Episode 3, "Dennis and the Radio Set": Ellen Corby (shown on the left, played Henrietta Porter on Trackdown and Esther Walton on The Waltons) plays lost money claimant Miss Douglass. Hal Smith (Charlie Henderson on I Married Joan, Hickey on Jefferson Drum, Otis Campbell on The Andy Griffith Show, Engineer Taurus on Space Angel, and did voicework on The Flintstones, Scooby Doo, Where Are You?, The Fantastic Four, The Dukes, and The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh) plays auctioneer Mr. Mooney. Charles Seel (see "Dennis Creates a Hero" above) returns as newspaper editor Mr. Krinkie. 

Season 2, Episode 5, "The Stock Certificate": Guy Raymond (Cliff Murdock on Harris Against the World and Mr. Peevey on The Ghost and Mrs. Muir) plays the phone company warehouse attendant. Hal Hopper (Cpl. Clarke on The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin and composed theme music for Circus Boy, 26 Men, Colt .45, and Bearcats!) plays a phone book distributor. 

Season 2, Episode 6, "Man of the House": Alan Hewitt (shown on the right, starred in That Touch of Mink, Days of Wine and Roses, The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, and The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes and played Det. Bill Brennan on My Favorite Martian) plays dinnerware salesman Alistair St. Clair. Olive Carey (appeared in Trader Horn, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and Billy the Kid vs. Dracula and played Elsie on Mr. Adams and Eve and Casey Halliman on Lock Up) plays cleaning woman Mrs. Rafferty. Mary Treen (appeared in Babbitt, Maid of Salem, Kitty Foyle ,and It's a Wonderful Life, and played Emily Dodger on Willy and Hilda on The Joey Bishop Show) plays St. Clair's hired cook. Jan Arvan (Nacho Torres on Zorro and Paw Kadiddlehopper on The Red Skelton Hour) plays St. Clair's hired waiter. 

Season 2, Episode 7, "The Rock Collection": Claire Carleton (Nell Mulligan on The Mickey Rooney Show and Alice Purdy on Cimarron City) plays property buyer Harriet Schubert. 

Season 2, Episode 9, "Paint-up, Clean-up Week": Paul Barselou (played various bartenders in 9 episodes of Bewitched) plays committee member Mr. Staley. George Cisar (see "Dennis and the Rare Coin" above) returns as Sgt. Mooney.

Season 2, Episode 10, "Dennis Learns to Whistle": Barry Gordon (shown on the left, played Dennis Whitehead on The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Charlie Harrison on Fish, Gary Rabinowitz on Archie Bunker's Place, Roger Hightower on A Family for Joe, and was the voice of Donatello on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) plays boys' Indian chief Buzzy Hanson. Bob Jellison (Waldo Binney on The Life of Riley and Bobby the Bellboy on I Love Lucy) plays a TV announcer. 

Season 2, Episode 11, "The Raffle Ticket": Lurene Tuttle (appeared in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, Ma Barker's Killer Brood, Psycho, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, and The Fortune Cookie and played Doris Dunston on Father of the Bride and Hannah Yarby on Julia) plays raffle ticket buyer Mrs. Courtland. Harry Cheshire (Judge Ben Riley on Buffalo Bill, Jr. and Judge Traeger on Lawman) plays raffle MC Mr. Petry. 

Season 2, Episode 12, "The Christmas Horse": Ernest Truex (shown on the right, played Mr. Remmington on Mr. Peepers, Grandpa McHummer on Jamie, Jason McCauley on The Ann Sothern Show, and Pop on Pete and Gladys) plays Christmas tree salesman Mr. McGuire. Billy Hummert (Cornell Clayton on Margie) plays cattle pony recipient Johnny Fleming. Henry Beckman (Commander Paul Richards on Flash Gordon, Mulligan on I'm Dickens, He's Fenster, George Anderson on Peyton Place, Colonel Harrigan on McHale's Navy, Capt. Roland Frances Clancey on Here Come the Brides, Pat Harwell on Funny Face, Harry Mark on Bronk, and Alf Scully on Check It Out) plays his father. Irene Vernon (the first Louise Tate on Bewitched) plays his mother. Stuart Nisbet (the bartender on The Virginian) plays Margaret's father Mr. Wade.