Does anyone know which episode George Wilson filmed Last.. Not aired, but filmed.... Thnx

The Man Next Door was both his last aired and filmed episode. Dennis and the Dodger seemed to have been written with George in mind, and then when Joseph Kearns got sick his role quickly was shifted to Willard Waterman, who played Mr. Quigley.

Thanks Schmave........

The Man Next Door was both his last aired and filmed episode. Dennis and the Dodger seemed to have been written with George in mind, and then when Joseph Kearns got sick his role quickly was shifted to Willard Waterman, who played Mr. Quigley.

Do you have any reliable source that backs this up? You're right about "The Man Next Door" being his last episode to air but it doesn't necessarily mean it was his last one filmed.

Only what I have read here and several other places. I've never seen anything that conclusively said he had filmed part of Dennis and the Dodger before falling ill, but then again I've never seen anything that conclusively said he hadn't filmed that either.

The plot thickens..... I was told (verbaly) that "Where there is a will" ironically was the last filmed George Wilson episode. This is the episode where George wills Dennis his gold watch and soon is convinced he is getting old and not well.. I'll keep looking to verify..

The plot thickens..... I was told (verbaly) that "Where there is a will" ironically was the last filmed George Wilson episode. This is the episode where George wills Dennis his gold watch and soon is convinced he is getting old and not well.. I'll keep looking to verify..

I think I remember hearing that, also.

The plot thickens..... I was told (verbaly) that "Where there is a will" ironically was the last filmed George Wilson episode. This is the episode where George wills Dennis his gold watch and soon is convinced he is getting old and not well.. I'll keep looking to verify..

http://epguides.com/DennistheMenace/

"Where There's a Will" originally aired on Feb. 11, 1962, 6 days before J. Kearns died, so it is most likely not the last he filmed in any case. My link here from www.epguides.com shows that all episodes that season were filmed & aired in the same order. From all I have read on this board regarding this season, "The Man Next Door", OAD May 6, 1962, was both his last filmed & aired episode. This is probably the best verification that any of us will find to answer the question from the OP, unless someone has access to original production documents from the show.

Unfortunately, The Man Next Door aired yesterday on Antenna TV. :( Dennis and the Dodger is airing right now. Does anyone know when this episode was filmed, whether those on the show thought there was still a chance Joseph Kearns was coming back? Whether it'd simply be a lengthy absence, possibly for the rest of that season with George returning for a fourth season? It always seemed they left the door open at first by saying George was gone on a trip. (Although on the other hand, I guess they couldn't simply say he left town for good.)
Martha making only a brief appearance in Quigley's store at the beginning of the episode, as well as seeing the Wilsons' house in the background during baseball practice, is sort of melancholy at least for me anyway.

Unfortunately, The Man Next Door aired yesterday on Antenna TV. :( Dennis and the Dodger is airing right now. Does anyone know when this episode was filmed, whether those on the show thought there was still a chance Joseph Kearns was coming back? Whether it'd simply be a lengthy absence, possibly for the rest of that season with George returning for a fourth season? It always seemed they left the door open at first by saying George was gone on a trip. (Although on the other hand, I guess they couldn't simply say he left town for good.)
Martha making only a brief appearance in Quigley's store at the beginning of the episode, as well as seeing the Wilsons' house in the background during baseball practice, is sort of melancholy at least for me anyway.

That's the best way to deal with an unexpected death. They didn't know how they were going to explain his disappearance. They might have considered having another actor play George, instead of bringing in Gale Gordon as John Wilson. Very similar to the situation with Alice Pierce (Mrs. Kravitz) on Bewitched.

Watched most of that last DVD in season 3 also.... Those brief appearances of Martha were pretty sad.... You could see she felt lost and out of her role.... Martha fit well with George and without him you could see the pain...... I must admit the last episode on that season 3 DVD where John was mistaken for a witch doctor with voodoo dolls kept me in stitches throughout.....

That's the best way to deal with an unexpected death. They didn't know how they were going to explain his disappearance. They might have considered having another actor play George, instead of bringing in Gale Gordon as John Wilson. Very similar to the situation with Alice Pierce (Mrs. Kravitz) on Bewitched.


That's an angle I never considered..... Then Martha could have remained on the show for season 4.........

That's an angle I never considered..... Then Martha could have remained on the show for season 4.........

I wonder how long another actor to play George was considered, if ever? I personally don't think anybody else could have pulled it off.
I figure if it was seriously considered, the idea was discarded by the last few episodes of Season 3. "Dennis And The Witch Doctor" might as well as have been the Season 4 pilot. John basically acted like he was staying long-term by then (if not before, because John talked about joining the country club, etc.), and Martha was gone, although not permanently within the context of that one episode.

I wonder how long another actor to play George was considered, if ever? I personally don't think anybody else could have pulled it off.
I figure if it was seriously considered, the idea was discarded by the last few episodes of Season 3. "Dennis And The Witch Doctor" might as well as have been the Season 4 pilot. John basically acted like he was staying long-term by then (if not before, because John talked about joining the country club, etc.), and Martha was gone, although not permanently within the context of that one episode.


Would have loved to be a fly on the wall listening in on their production meetings.....You are right about the replacement..... The end result would have been the same. In season four, most of the episodes Dennis was outgrowing the part. Martha would have been allowed to stay for the fourth season, but the result again would be the same..... Even though Joseph Kearns did not fit the Comic strip Mr. Wilson, he sure did make me laugh on the TV show and was the perfect fit for Jay........

Would have loved to be a fly on the wall listening in on their production meetings.....You are right about the replacement..... The end result would have been the same. In season four, most of the episodes Dennis was outgrowing the part. Martha would have been allowed to stay for the fourth season, but the result again would be the same..... Even though Joseph Kearns did not fit the Comic strip Mr. Wilson, he sure did make me laugh on the TV show and was the perfect fit for Jay........

Totally agree. I think the season would have ended after four seasons in any case.
Something else I was wondering about when I saw the first Gale Gordon episodes the other day ... how many of the Season 3 John episodes were "in the can" or at least brainstormed when George died, and they were simply rewritten/tweaked for Gale Gordon? I can see those working with George just as easily as John, except of course for the first John episode and the season finale with John as the alleged voodoo doctor.

Does anyone know which episode George Wilson filmed Last.. Not aired, but filmed.... Thnx

I found this on another Dennis website and pretty much verifies what has already been said here.....
Prophetically and by strange coincidence in episode 89 entitled: "Where There's a Will", which aired February 11th, 1962, the story dealt with Mr. Wilson making out a will and explaining that Dennis would inherit his gold watch when he dies. Sadly, he died on February 17th, 1962, just 55 years-old --five days after his birthday and 6 days after the episode aired. How strange is that? His last appearance in the series was Season 3, Episode 100: "The Man Next Door"

Just watched the last George episode the other day.

"Where there is a will" was on Antenna the other day. It was a funny ep. but sad watching it knowing Joe kearns wasn't going to be alive much longer! What was the cause of his death?

Kearns, who never married or had any children, died of a cerebral hemorrhage during the third season of Dennis the Menace at the age of 55. He died on February 17, 1962, five days after having turned 55. There was talk of the liquid diet he was on as a possible cause...

Kearns, who never married or had any children, died of a cerebral hemorrhage during the third season of Dennis the Menace at the age of 55. He died on February 17, 1962, five days after having turned 55. There was talk of the liquid diet he was on as a possible cause...


Wow. 55 is so young! I wonder if he wasn't feeling well for a while before this happened. Such a shame if it was caused by a fad diet! Maybe he had high blood pressure. He might have not been feeling well, having headaches for a while and just not saying anything or being in denial! Such a shame!:(

Very sad for the Dennis the Menace cast . Must have been shocking. Esp. for Jay North . Being a little boy, he was probably really upset and confused. Like losing a Grandfather! :(