Did everyone keep in touch with George and Martha?

[PracTz]

Originally Posted by Kinda Grumpy 60s Guy

The only thing with telegrams is, they made Mr. Wilson very nervous! I remember one instance, Season 3, EP 9, where Martha brings him a telegram that was just delivered, and he said: "A telegram?! Oh, dear! A telegram!" as his shaky hands opened the envelope. I was surprised he didn't ask Martha to bring him his nerve medicine!

In the days before phone service plans,long distance phone calls were VERY expensive and so telegrams were more often used to convey urgent news to friends and family - but even those were expensive enough that most non-wealthy folks only used them to notify the families and loved one's of deaths. Hence if Mr. Wilson had come from a struggling family, he would have considered getting one more likely than not the equivalent of getting a death notice!

Interesting Audrey Meadows said that only time Jackie Gleason insisted she do a scene over as Alice was when Alice was going to the door to get a telegram- and he felt Miss Meadows was being too nonchalant and casual about it before he explained to her that Alice (being from a struggling working class background) would have associated getting a telegram with a death notice or other urgent but bad news . Miss Meadows ultimately agreed with him on that since he himself had come from that background while her family had been much more comfortable when she was growing up.

[Scrabjan1]

They wanted to continue the series so glad they introduced a whole new character as John Wilson and not just have him play George. Like keeping Samantha’s husband but with a whole new actor when York was too sick to continue. Dick York was the best Darren.

I never knew that Jay North and Kearns had a very close friendship but so glad to hear it. You can actually feel their admiration for each other and they worked well together. I can’t imagine how devastated little Jay was to hear his friend had passed away but I can only hope someone helped him through it. I’m sure it wasn’t his wicked aunt and her husband. I’m so hoping that Jay is happy now as he gave us so much happiness as Dennis.

[stevea]

I've seen a few specials where he has guested as an adult, and it seems he has a happy life now in Florida. Of course he has horrible memories of those years, between the aunt and the show bigwigs.

It's a shame he can't come to see what a great little actor he was.

[Will Dockery]

Originally Posted by stevea

After a few episodes the "newness" of John wore off, with Henry making a comment once, John, we've known each other a long time. Huh? A couple of months?

For some reason when characters leave or the actor dies in this case, after a few episodes it's like the person never existed. George Wilson, Bub on My Three Sons, Chuck on Happy Days. I said "for some reason"--I'd like to know the reason. It wouldn't be hard to write in a few lines about the former character.

I can say that Dennis The Menace handing the departure of the original Mr. Wilson much better than most series, such as that terrible final season of Hazel.

[stevea]

Originally Posted by Will Dockery

I can say that Dennis The Menace handing the departure of the original Mr. Wilson much better than most series, such as that terrible final season of Hazel.

It had to be a bad time for everyone involved. Production-wise they had to come up with that brand new animated opening, modify some scripts, and write other new ones, all in a shorter time than normal.

[schmave]

Agree with both of you. The points raised here are the same ones I felt even as a kid 35 years ago, that once they got into the fourth season the show made the mistake of acting like John had been around a lot longer than he actually had.
At the same time, I commend them for occasionally making direct and indirect nods to George during the fourth season. As a lighthearted comedy they didn't want to invoke too many mentions of George and inevitably remind viewers of Joseph Kearns' death, but I wish there he and Martha hadn't been forgotten totally by the middle of the fourth season.

[Duster76]

The best thing that could have been done with the series after the passing of Kearns was a recasting of all the parts for the start of season four, in every sense of the word the show would be starting over. Jay at 11 years of age was much too old to play Dennis, a hellraising 5 or 6 year old not yet at the age of reason. Changing the look of Dennis and quieting him down to adjust for the fact that he was older did too much damage to the series premise.

[Will Dockery]

Originally Posted by schmave

Agree with both of you. The points raised here are the same ones I felt even as a kid 35 years ago, that once they got into the fourth season the show made the mistake of acting like John had been around a lot longer than he actually had.
At the same time, I commend them for occasionally making direct and indirect nods to George during the fourth season. As a lighthearted comedy they didn't want to invoke too many mentions of George and inevitably remind viewers of Joseph Kearns' death, but I wish there he and Martha hadn't been forgotten totally by the middle of the fourth season.

Agreed, most sitcoms of the era weren't very concerned with continuity, no doubt they couldn't imagine us analyzing the she's 50-60 years later.