Here are a couple early reviews of Dennis the Menace:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=T1ovAAAAIBAJ&sjid=C9sFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4395,674696&dq=dennis-the-menace&hl=en

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qTtYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XPcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1144,2948172&dq=dennis-the-menace&hl=en

Thanks for posting these, I love to read reviews of shows from long ago!

Thanks for posting these, I love to read reviews of shows from long ago!

Thanks. It is fun, isn't it? It's funny to see how sometimes these reviewers got it sooooo wrong. I dug up some early reviews of All in the Family awhile back and some reviewer really trashed the show. Little did he know that within a year that would be the most popular show on TV and would take home lots of Emmys. In one review I found of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the reviewer had rather disparaging things to say about the character of Rhoda, indicating she was the show's biggest weakness. Of course, Rhoda became so popular with viewers that she was the first character spun off of that show into her own series, and Valerie Harper won four Emmys playing that character (plus several more nominations). Ah, the critics!

Here's another article I found on Dennis the Menace:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mOcrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QWcFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1264,5461627&dq=joseph+kearns+folksy&hl=en

The producer of the show, Winston O'Keefe, was being interviewed a couple months before the show went into its final season. He makes comments about Joseph Kearns being "a folksy kind of comedian," and Gale Gordon being "smarter, more sophisticated" and providing "more chance for all kinds of comedy." I can't tell if he was being rude, or just trying to give viewers a reason to keep watching the show.

Thanks. It is fun, isn't it? It's funny to see how sometimes these reviewers got it sooooo wrong. I dug up some early reviews of All in the Family awhile back and some reviewer really trashed the show. Little did he know that within a year that would be the most popular show on TV and would take home lots of Emmys. In one review I found of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the reviewer had rather disparaging things to say about the character of Rhoda, indicating she was the show's biggest weakness. Of course, Rhoda became so popular with viewers that she was the first character spun off of that show into her own series, and Valerie Harper won four Emmys playing that character (plus several more nominations). Ah, the critics!

Here's another article I found on Dennis the Menace:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mOcrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QWcFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1264,5461627&dq=joseph+kearns+folksy&hl=en

The producer of the show, Winston O'Keefe, was being interviewed a couple months before the show went into its final season. He makes comments about Joseph Kearns being "a folksy kind of comedian," and Gale Gordon being "smarter, more sophisticated" and providing "more chance for all kinds of comedy." I can't tell if he was being rude, or just trying to give viewers a reason to keep watching the show.
Yea it sounded like he was just trying to distinguish between the 2 actors. I am a big Gale Gordon fan. I loved him on Lucille Ball's shows. He was pretty good on Dennis the Menace but I still like Joe Kearns better.

Here's another article I found on Dennis the Menace:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mOcrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QWcFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1264,5461627&dq=joseph+kearns+folksy&hl=en

The producer of the show, Winston O'Keefe, was being interviewed a couple months before the show went into its final season. He makes comments about Joseph Kearns being "a folksy kind of comedian," and Gale Gordon being "smarter, more sophisticated" and providing "more chance for all kinds of comedy." I can't tell if he was being rude, or just trying to give viewers a reason to keep watching the show.

It is strange that the writer would state the Gale Gordon was so much younger than Joseph Kearns, since Kearns was actually a year younger than Gale Gordon. Kearns died in February 1962, 5 days after only his 55th birthday, though he could have passed for 60 I suppose.

It is strange that the writer would state the Gale Gordon was so much younger than Joseph Kearns, since Kearns was actually a year younger than Gale Gordon. Kearns died in February 1962, 5 days after only his 55th birthday, though he could have passed for 60 I suppose.

Yeah, I noticed that, too. But I suppose Joseph Kearns wasn't in the best of shape and did (to me) look older than Gale Gordon, even though he wasn't.


Yea it sounded like he was just trying to distinguish between the 2 actors. I am a big Gale Gordon fan. I loved him on Lucille Ball's shows. He was pretty good on Dennis the Menace but I still like Joe Kearns better.

I hope you're correct, otherwise that comes across sounding a bit disrespectful. I agree with you about Gale Gordon; I'm a big fan of his, too, but still preferred Joseph Kearns on Dennis the Menace. Though, to be fair, I'm not sure my preference has as much to do with those two actors as it does with the fact that Jay North was an older kid, growing fast, and maybe outgrowing his role. So the show wasn't as much fun anymore.

I have not watched Dennis since the original run. Great show though. Mr. Wilson was great and I recall an episode where dennis was attempting to replace a "USA" lightbulb.

It's no Leave It To Beaver that's for sure, not by a longshot it's not. The one thing Dennis The Menace has going for it is the good chemistry between Jay North and Joseph Kearns, otherwise the show is mostly unwatchable. I like the Dennis comic books but the TV show has never struck a chord with me, it's basically a diluted version of the comic books.