MovieChat Forums > Dennis the Menace (1959) Discussion > DTM is a mostly forgotten show, how come...

DTM is a mostly forgotten show, how come?

posted 9 years ago by Navaros
22 replies | jump to latest

DTM clearly has been mostly forgotten by time in the popular memory.

IMO that is because of Dennis' ugly & stupid costume that he never changes, and because of his freakish haircut. He is supposed to be a normal boy, but those things make him look like a silly & unrealistic caricature akin to charlie chaplin's "Little Tramp" caricature or something like that. I think if they simply chose to let Dennis look normal instead, this show would have not become lost to the large extent that it has been.

Why do you think that DTM has been mostly forgotten?

[–] caligirlbr323 9 years ago

I don't agree at all! DTM is not a forgotten show by any means! I admit Leave it to Beaver had gotten more air time over the years than Dennis, but Antenna picked it up a few years ago and it has been on since! I know a lot of people that remember DTM well, and really like the show!

As for Dennis's "costume" and hair. I think it's adorable! That is his trademark outfit from the comics, and I thought it was cute how they kept it for the show. And his very blonde hair with the funny cowlick was cute too. He was just a little boy, wasn't like he was a grown man ! Than in the later seasons with Gale Gordon he didn't wear the overalls anymore because he was getting too old for them. And IMO it wasn't the same. Dennis just didn't seem like Dennis without the signature overalls!

[–] Navaros 9 years ago

Thanks for your thoughts.

To clarify my OP: I'm not against Dennis having overalls per say.

But the problem with Dennis' overalls in this show is that:

a> his overalls are way too big for him (normal people don't wear clothing that is way too big for them, only caricatures and/or clowns do).

b> he wears the same exact pair every day, and the exact same shirt every day (which are also things that normal people don't do).

In other words, if they wanted to give Dennis overalls, fine, go ahead, but the way to do it right would be to give him several different varieties, and to make sure they fit him.

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] !!!deleted!!! (49761343) 9 years ago

Why do you think that DTM has been mostly forgotten?

Maybe because it was a generic show that didn't do anything really special to set itself apart from other sitcoms, not in the way of acting or writing. I've seen it many times but I can't remember what half the episodes were exactly about. All I remember is: "Dennis tries to help someone, gets someone in trouble (usually Mr. Wilson), and ends with the problem being solved." I can't say the same of other shows, which were filled with memorable moments and characters.

It reminds me a lot of shows like Mr. Belvedere and Perfect Strangers. They were fun shows that you enjoyed watching, but kind of forgettable at the same time.

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[–] Navaros 9 years ago

Thanks for your thoughts atomicgirl. I certainly see where you are coming from and I mostly agree with what you said there.

I think those are the problems with slapstick-based humor, which is the meat & potatoes of DTM: it's only funny once, and only if you've never seen the joke before (or don't remember the first time you saw it). And there is nothing thought-provoking about it.

The only part of what you said that I disagree with a bit is that not all of the characters are shallow: Kearns' Wilson is extremely complex and interesting. Too bad he is the only character on the show like that.

[–] janet-conant 8 years ago

Some episodes of DTM were hilarious especially when Wilson would cry at the end "Martha my nerve medicine." How about when Mr. Wilson got his head stuck in a space helmet or Dennis filled his bowling ball with cement. Kearns was a good sport and fine actor/comedian.

[–] caribeno 8 years ago

"Dennis The Menace" was rerun for many years, into the 1980's, on KTTV in Los Angeles. One of my earliest memories was listening to the opening theme (I now know it was Season 4). "Dennis The Menace" has not had anyone champion it in the last 30 years, as have people who bring other such as "I Love Lucy" or "The Honeymooners". Those critics or champions of those shows have kept the memories of those alive while other sitcoms of the 1950's have been, increasingly forgotten. Note that, even with "The Honeymooners", champions refer to the skit itself or the 39 filmed half hour episodes, although "The Honeymoomers" was mainly a skit on what was a very popular variety show of the era that hasn't been shown much since it's production: "The Jackie Gleason Show".

Considering it's source as a comic strip, the television version of "Dennis The Menace" had good acting from the principals and nice supporting turns by people like Mary Wickes, Alice Pearce, George Cisar, etc.

What "Dennis The Menace" now needs is a person or group to champion it enough to get viewings on channels, such as Antenna TV or Me TV!

[–] eelb 8 years ago

The show is based around a one joke premise. Mr. Wilson develops an interest or involves himself in a project, and Dennis inadvertently does everything possible to ruin the endeavor.

This show had a four season run, so it's far from obscure.

There's just not enough of a lasting effect from watching this series. Think of the show's contemporaries of the period, Eddie Haskell, Barney Fife, and others are quoted daily almost 60 years later. How often do you hear Dennis or Mr. Wilson referenced? The reason is that they just weren't very interesting characters. This series was developed from a newspaper comic strip, and would have been better on TV as a Saturday morning cartoon show. It worked as a live action sitcom, because CBS had a children's block of programming on early Sunday evening. Viewed randomly today against other sitcom's of the era, it doesn't hold up.

[–] aspicco 8 years ago

INHO this was an awful show. I was 3 years younger than Jay North and I remember watching it a number of times as a kid. I had liked the comic strip but hated the show. As a kid I hated most kids on TV because they were so phony. I never knew any kids like Beaver or Dennis or My Three Sons etc... Dennis was a sneaky brat in the comic strip, but he was was a nicey-nice oops-sorry kid on the show

[–] Navaros 8 years ago

Dennis was a sneaky brat in the comic strip, but he was was a nicey-nice oops-sorry kid on the show

I've seen interviews where people involved with this show talk about that.

They made Dennis a sneaky brat in the pilot episode of this show, but after that, the producers received a complaint from a lobby group who thought that kids who watched the show would become sneaky in real-life. The producers caved to the lobby group's demands, and so after the pilot, they changed Dennis into the nicey-nice kid that you said.

IMO they shouldn't have caved.

[–] bartallenii 8 years ago

I've seen interviews where people involved with this show talk about that.

They made Dennis a sneaky brat in the pilot episode of this show, but after that, the producers received a complaint from a lobby group who thought that kids who watched the show would become sneaky in real-life. The producers caved to the lobby group's demands, and so after the pilot, they changed Dennis into the nicey-nice kid that you said.

IMO they shouldn't have caved.

At one point later on in the series, the characters even talk about how loyal and trustworthy Dennis is when he's accused of something he didn't do at school. I believe even Mr. Wilson sticks up for him as for how honorable Dennis is.

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[–] WindyCityKitty 8 years ago

I enjoyed reading the insights / answers to this question. DTM never really "clicked" with me as a child, maybe because I come from a family of sisters - did not relate to Dennis. (but I loved Tony Dow on LITB!).
I'm watching it right now on AntennaTV, it's a treat to see one of my old favorites, Edward Everett Horton as a guest star on this episode.
Here's an old article from when the show first started, maybe it's been shared before, but just in case you missed it:
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19610124&id=jJItAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kp0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=7139,3513449&hl=en

[–] Navaros 8 years ago

Thanks for posting that great old article, WindyCityKitty!  Although I get the impression that the critic who wrote it never actually watched the show. Contrary to what that critic says, Dennis is almost always polite /well-mannered on the show (except for when he calls Margaret dumb).

[–] Dragon000 7 years ago

This was one of my favorite re-runs when I was a kid in the '70s, and still get excited to see it today (currently watching it episode-by-episode on Hulu), so I respectfully disagree. Love it and love all elements of the show.

[–] lnoft97 7 years ago

Jay North was too big, too tall, too OLD, too gangly, and a terrible terrible actor. He stood there with his arms hanging stiffly at his side mouthing 'Gee. Mr. Wilson. You. sure. are. mad. to.day.' The show stunk. It had not one fraction of the mischievous charm of the comic strip.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 7 years ago

Disagree with most of the comments here, especially by the OP. First of all, how do YOU know he wore the SAME
pair of overalls and shirt every day? He could've had several pairs of both. And we're not supposed to SEE him
every day. As for his hair sticking up, that was part of the legend of the comic strip.

There were many delightful characters on DTM: Miss Cathcart, Mr. Dorfman, the mailman; Mrs. Elkins, and
several others. The cast was wonderful, and Gloria Henry, Herbert Anderson, and (especially) Joseph Kearns,
made the show a joy to watch.

It's not anymore forgotten than other shows of its era. And all four seasons are on DVD, and sell well.

I far prefer this series to Leave it to Beaver, which I found duller than blazes. Ward and June were very cold
parents, and the show isn't nearly as funny as DTM. 'Nuff said.

[–] Galactus03 (4287) 7 years ago

I like both shows. Dennis the Menace has been getting so much play time over the last few years it's becoming rediscovered.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

DTM became a forgotten show, I think, because it rarely aired in syndication, the cartoon that it was based on became old-fashioned, and other shows from this era completely overshadowed it (Leave it to Beaver, Family Knows Best). It might not be so forgotten today because it now airs regularly on AntennaTV.