This under-appreciated ABC series is allegedly coming to
dvd soon. If you've never seen it, it's JOHN ASTIN and
MARTY INGELS with some really inspired slapstick as
two rather inept carpenters. This show
should've run 5 seasons. Also in the cast, EMMALINE HENRY of I
DREAM OF JEANNIE and DAVE KETCHAM, later of CAMP RUNAMUCK.

...creator/producer Leonard Stern would LOVE to see it released on DVD. The series originally aired on Friday nights at 9pm(et), right after "THE FLINTSTONES", on ABC's 1962-'63 schedule. Unfortunately, more viewers were watching the second half of "ROUTE 66" on CBS, and ABC just wasn't interested in renewing the show for another season. They did syndicate it, off-network [through their "ABC Films" division], during the remainder of the '60s and early '70s...then it disappeared. The 32 episodes of "I'M DICKENS- HE'S FENSTER" should be revived...again and again and again, that's how funny it was.

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This under-appreciated ABC series is allegedly coming to
dvd soon. If you've never seen it, it's JOHN ASTIN and
MARTY INGELS with some really inspired slapstick as
two rather inept carpenters. This show
should've run 5 seasons. Also in the cast, EMMALINE HENRY of I
DREAM OF JEANNIE and DAVE KETCHAM, later of CAMP RUNAMUCK.
I think Dave Ketchum is best known for his role as Agent 13 on Get Smart. I would love to see this series come to DVD both because of the great cast and because I'm a fan of slapstick comedy.

I got a promo of this show.

I've never seen this show or even heard of it til recently, but it sounds like a rare gem! These rare, obscure shows are the ones I what to see get dvd releases.

I understand Leonard Stern also produced the late '60's series The Good Guys, which featured Bob Denver. I wish he could get this series out also!

Would love to see this one after years of reading about it and hearing of it.

I have a few of them but it's not my cup of tea. I'm not a fan of slapstick.

And,John Astin and Marty Ingles were reunited twice after "I'm Dickens-He's Fenster"ended.Once in a second season episode of "The Addams Family"-1966's episode "Cat Man Addams"directed by Stanley Z.Cherry,and AGAIN in 1967's "The Pruitts of Southhampton"when its title was changed to "The Phyllis Diller Show",and then again on ABC's 25th Anniversary Special in the late 1970's.It would be great to see "I'm Dickens-He's Fenster".on DVD.I've heard a lot of good things about it,but have never seen it.

My favorite - "The Joke" (12/7/1962) : A man asked his psychiatrist: Can a man be in love with an elephant?

...the idea of "The Joke" was that Harry Dickens, preparing for an acceptance speech involved with a "safety award" at work, planned on using a joke he insists is funny, and told it to Arch Fenster, despite Harry's wife Kate's disapproval {KATE: "What joke? It's a BOMB!"/HARRY: (angrily) "It's FUNNY! I'm laughing just thinking about it!!"}, yet when it's retold among the construction gang he and Harry work with, it ends up leading to all-out war among them because they disagree on whether it's funny or not!

Here's the joke, as Dickens told it to Fenster:

"A man walks into a psychiatrist's office. He says, 'Can a man be in love with an elephant?'. The doctor says, 'No'. The man says, 'Well, do you know where I can get rid of an engagement ring this big?'". (to Arch) Well?
[Arch stares at Harry]


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The complete series is coming to dvd in 2011, in 2 volumes. Just announced by TVSHOWSONDVD.com

I believe the delay had to do over the question of who owned the rights to the series: Leonard Stern, the creator/producer/head writer, was responsible for producing it through his "Heyday Productions" outfit. Yet, when it went into syndication following its original network run in the fall of 1963, ABC Films distributed the show [rule of thumb back then was, you produced a series for a network, they got all distribution rights as part of the deal- very few studios and independent producers avoided that kind of arrangement]. Well, ABC Films became "Worldvision Enterprises" in 1972 after the network was forced to divest themselves of its distribution company and library . "Worldvision" ownership changed hands several times over the years, until it finally became a part of Paramount/VIACOM/CBS. Now, "I'M DICKENS- HE'S FENSTER" hasn't been syndicated or distributed to [B]anyone in ages...and Leonard Stern himself wanted to see it "back in circulation". But, again, who really owns it?
I don't know, but apparently, everything's been settled- and expect to hear commentary by John Astin, Marty Ingels and Leonard Stern himself when the DVD's are released in 2011....


:happyface

I believe the delay had to do over the question of who owned the rights to the series: Leonard Stern, the creator/producer/head writer, was responsible for producing it through his "Heyday Productions" outfit. Yet, when it went into syndication following its original network run in the fall of 1963, ABC Films distributed the show [rule of thumb back then was, you produced a series for a network, they got all distribution rights as part of the deal- very few studios and independent producers avoided that kind of arrangement]. Well, ABC Films became "Worldvision Enterprises" in 1972 after the network was forced to divest themselves of its distribution company and library . "Worldvision" ownership changed hands several times over the years, until it finally became a part of Paramount/VIACOM/CBS. Now, "I'M DICKENS- HE'S FENSTER" hasn't been syndicated or distributed to [B]anyone in ages...and Leonard Stern himself wanted to see it "back in circulation". But, again, who really owns it?
I don't know, but apparently, everything's been settled- and expect to hear commentary by John Astin, Marty Ingels and Leonard Stern himself when the DVD's are released in 2011....


:happyface
I'm really excited to hear that John Astin, Marty Ingels, and Leonard Stern are all doing commentary on the DVD's. It's great that this project is coming to fruition while they're all still around and able to be involved.

I certainly hope they do, 'Marvo'. Nothing has been finalized about the content of the DVD's as yet....

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...another reason the series has been "dormant" for so many years is because Leonard Stern believed the original 35mm film elements for each of the 32 episodes were "lost". He had someone track them down, and it was discovered they do exist. They're currently being digitized and "remastered", and the end result will be released on DVD next year!

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The complete series is coming to dvd in 2011, in 2 volumes. Just announced by TVSHOWSONDVD.com

I hope both volumes will be released. Dividing this in two sets gives them the opportunity to cancel the second set if the first one undersells. This show was on for only one season, they should just issue the complete series in one set and be done with it.

Hopefully, that won't be a concern. I get very annoyed when long running series get released in volumes, but with a rare single season series like this, if it takes splitting it in 2 volumes to make it profitable enough to be released, I can accept that. This is being release by TV Time Machine Productions, which I never heard of, but I would think they would be dedicated to release the complete series.

...Leonard Stern is definitely not Lucie and Desi Arnaz, Jr. They wanted "THE MOTHERS-IN-LAW", and virtually every other project their father produced in the '60s, included in one DVD package. They obviously weren't thinking about a "profit margin" when they conceived the idea of releasing the entire series in {again} ONE PACKAGE. Leonard Stern, on the other hand, is not only a producer, he's also a businessman [he still owns a piece of Price/Stern/Sloan, the publishers of those endless "Mad Libs" paperbacks]- obviously, he believes there's a "market" for "I'M DICKENS- HE'S FENSTER", and considering the fact it hasn't been seen by the general public in over 30 years , I believe he believes DVD collectors will pay for a two volume set. And I'm sure they will....word of mouth, and the right ad campaign can do it [remember how many thousands of "AMOS 'N' ANDY" VHS volumes were sold through late-night TV commercials in the late '90s, before CBS' "cease and desist" order?]. And if the "DICKENS" DVD's are successful enough...[I]maybe "HE & SHE", next? Then, "THE GOOD GUYS".......?

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Old, short lived TV shows like this all have a curiosity and nostalgia value to them. But shows like this were short lived because they weren't popular during the original run, and then got cancelled. In most cases, the lack of popularity translated to the show just not being very good in the first place. There can occasionally be an exception where you have a good new show up against tough competion, and not enough people are tuning in. With old, short lived series like I'm Dickens He's Fenster, they are probably counting on the curiosity/nostalgia factor to sell the DVD's since the show hasn't been seen in a long time. People will be saying "Wow this is great, haven't seen this in a long time. I have to get this". However, is I'm Dickens He's Fenster really that funny? I've thought this over, and John Astin's other series that he's better known for, The Addams Family, is a lot funnier. So I'll probably pass on I'm Dicken's He's Fenster on DVD. Emmaline Henry was in this show, better known as Mrs. Bellows on I Dream Of Jeannie.

..."I'M DICKENS- HE'S FENSTER" ended after one season (32 episodes) on ABC was because it was originally against two highly-rated shows that more viewers preferred to watch: "ROUTE 66" on CBS, and "SING ALONG WITH MITCH" on NBC. After it left the network, ABC Films began syndicating the series in the fall of 1963, and it was seen on dozens of local stations {WABC-TV in New York used to air it on weekends} through the start of the '70s. Eventually, it was withdrawn from syndication, and, finally forgotten....until producer Leonard Stern found the original film elements in storage about two years ago, and is now preparing the series for DVD release....

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It's nice that the episodes have been found and they are being prepared for DVD. But I usually take short lived TV shows like this on DVD with a grain of salt. I enjoy Lost In Space, so I went ahead and made a blind buy of Irwin Allen's short lived one season show The Time Tunnel, figuring I would enjoy that as well. My god what a dull show, I watched two episodes and fell asleep during both of them. So since then I try to do a little more research before I buy DVD's of these old, short lived TV shows. These shows had short lives and haven't been seen in a long time for a reason, in many cases the reason is the shows just aren't very good. Buyer beware when it comes to series like this.

There probably is some decent humor in I'm Dickens He's Fenster, but to what extent I'm not sure. From clips I have seen on you tube, to me the humor seems mostly silly rather than genuinely funny.

I'm Dickens, He's Fenster 50th Anniversary DVD set Volume 1 available by mail order December 6!!

www.tvshowsondvd.com/shownews/Im-Dickens-Hes-Fenster/2336

...it's a shame Leonard Stern isn't around to see or promote it.

:(

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...it's a shame Leonard Stern isn't around to see or promote it.

:(

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Oh, wow! I had to look him up. I didn't know he just passed away this year. That is sad! Stern is listed among the all new interviews, so atleast he was aware of this project.

...that's why he had the "original film elements" exhumed, and taped some commentary for the DVD box sets. But, as I've said, he didn't live long enough to see them finally released. A shame....

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...that's why he had the "original film elements" exhumed, and taped some commentary for the DVD box sets. But, as I've said, he didn't live long enough to see them finally released. A shame....

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Yeah, sad :(

This one seems to not have been posted about in a while. Memorable title, at the least.

I vaguely remember seeing this show when I was very young, but I don't remember much about it. Too bad it was competing with other highly-rated shows. Maybe it would have lasted longer otherwise.

Here's another show I remember watching when I was just 4 or 5. It was about 2 carpenters, the "leader" was played by John (Gomez Addams) Astin and the other who was the bumbler was played by Marty Ingels. They'd show them at home with the wives and also on the job. I enjoyed it as a kid. Though the show didn't last long, forever more anytime I saw Marty Ingels in anything else I always thought of him in Dickens & Fenster (as I called it). A show I hadn't seen in decades till I saw some DVDs of it not too long ago. It was amusing but not as funny as I remember it as a kid. I must have been easily amused. Then again, I can say the same thing about Gilligan's Island, a show I thought really funny as a kid but now it just seems stupid.

Back in 2011 when this series came to DVD, they should have released the whole series, not just half of it. Doubtful now after all this time that the remaining 16 episodes will see the light of day on DVD.

Here's another show I remember watching when I was just 4 or 5. It was about 2 carpenters, the "leader" was played by John (Gomez Addams) Astin and the other who was the bumbler was played by Marty Ingels. They'd show them at home with the wives and also on the job. I enjoyed it as a kid. Though the show didn't last long, forever more anytime I saw Marty Ingels in anything else I always thought of him in Dickens & Fenster (as I called it). A show I hadn't seen in decades till I saw some DVDs of it not too long ago. It was amusing but not as funny as I remember it as a kid. I must have been easily amused. Then again, I can say the same thing about Gilligan's Island, a show I thought really funny as a kid but now it just seems stupid.

I feel the same way, being grown up now, about “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy.” I guess, as a child, I thought, the louder, the better. I couldn’t sit thru 30 minutes of either show now.

“I’m Dickens…” has stayed alive, via reruns of “Leave It to Beaver” season 6, where Eddie Haskell asks (maybe?) Wally, “Which one are you, Dickens or Fenster?”

Seriously, as great as Stern was later on, developing “Get Smart,” I say to myself, how much humor can be squeezed out of two carpenters on the job? I mean, can more’n 26 episodes be put out with this plot?

cd

Seriously, as great as Stern was later on, developing “Get Smart,” I say to myself, how much humor can be squeezed out of two carpenters on the job?

How much humor can be squeezed out of a family arguing in the living room? Ask Norman Lear.