The second season might be the best

[Jack Gomez]

I'm slowly working my way through the second season and I'm up to disc three and I have to say this might be the best season of the show. I didn't realize how many great episodes there were back to back.

I just recently watched "The Christmas Horse", "Dennis' Allowance", "Dennis' Penny Collection" and "Dennis the Campaign Manager" and each one was pretty hysterical.

I think "Dennis' Penny Collection" might be one of my all time favorites, with Joseph Kearns being especially funny in this one. A few highlights from that episode:

- Mr. Wilson thinks that starting Dennis on a penny collection will keep him out of his hair. I love the scenes down at Quigley's Market when Dennis is about to put his hand in Quigley's cashier drawer, only to be scolded by Mr. Wilson. "You never put your hand in a merchant's drawer!" Then of course while explaining to him why, Mr. Wilson puts his hand in the drawer, which then promptly closes on his hand and set off an alarm.

- Another great scene is when Dennis sees an armored truck in front of the bank and climbs up on the back bumper to peer inside, only to get his suspenders stuck on the door handle. Mr. Wilson yells at him to get down and then tries to help him, only to have the bank guards come out with their guns drawn on him.

The episode is summed up nicely when Mr. Wilson says in disgust "Uhh! How can a little boy with a penny collection cause so much trouble?!"

[Steve E]

Season 2 is classic!There's really not a bad episode to be found...38 gems!

I also love Dennis' Penny Collection,a highlight of the series.

Here's a few of my other favorites:

Man of the House
Wilson Sleeps Over
The Boy Wonder
The Soapbox Derby
The Pioneers

...heck,I could easily list another 10 standouts!

Season 3 is also top-notch,and includes the greatest Christmas episode of the series,The Fifteen-Foot Christmas Tree (a seasonal classic),as well as many other great episodes.Regrettably,Joseph Kearns passed away during season 3 and doesn't appear in the final 7 episodes.

[comedyfreak]

I still have to pick up my copy can't wait.

[Jack Gomez]

Originally Posted by Steve E

Season 2 is classic!There's really not a bad episode to be found...38 gems!

I also love Dennis' Penny Collection,a highlight of the series.

Here's a few of my other favorites:

Man of the House
Wilson Sleeps Over
The Boy Wonder
The Soapbox Derby
The Pioneers

...heck,I could easily list another 10 standouts!

Season 3 is also top-notch,and includes the greatest Christmas episode of the series,The Fifteen-Foot Christmas Tree (a seasonal classic),as well as many other great episodes.Regrettably,Joseph Kearns passed away during season 3 and doesn't appear in the final 7 episodes.

That's my favorite of the Christmas episodes as well. I'm surprised they didn't do one for the fourth season, but the three they did do were each really good. I would have also loved to have seen a Halloween episode, with Dennis and Tommy going out trick or treating, but that never happened. The closet they came was the haunted house one, which I think was in the third season.

[1960'sTVfan]

Dennis The Menace is OK, but the series lacks imagination and the episodes tend to be repetitive. Most episodes follow the same basic formula, Dennis manages to agitate Mr. Wilson in some form or another, and mishaps occur. The episodes provide a few chuckles here and there, but it's not the type of show suitable for marathon viewing because of the repetitive nature of the episodes. Seasons 2 and 3 are preferred over seasons 1 and 4.

[Hazel Anyday]

To each his own, but if you appreciate a well made comedy filled with classic comedy situations and classic reactions and entanglements, then Dennis The Menace is the show for you. It is truly an example of comedy done at it's best by a whole assortment of comedy character veterans. To not like Dennis is to not like well written classic comedy done to perfection. Many shows which claim to be comedy are just painful examples of one bad unfunny "ha ha" joke after another. "Bachelor Father" is a prime example of a totally unfunny "comedy" show, never once do I catch myself laughing or even smiling, I do catch myself groaning and saying to myself, "oh brother" or "how totally bad can you get" or "how stupid" or throughout the whole show "when is this horrible borefest going to be over?" Dennis the Menace & Hazel on the other hand are a laugh a minute.

[1960'sTVfan]

While the Dennis TV show has some funny moments, overall the writing is bland. The TV show had strict limitations, it seems all the writers could do was come up with various ways for Dennis to harass Mr. Wilson. In the Dennis comic books, the situations are funnier and Dennis gets into all different kinds of mischief he's not just bothering Mr. Wilson all the time. Hazel and Dennis The Menace are both based on their comic strip counterparts, but Hazel works better as a TV show than Dennis The Menace does.

[Hazel Anyday]

While I've read Dennis comic in the Sunday paper and used to read Dennis comic books as a kid, I've like the comic versions of Dennis, but I wouldn't call them fall down funny. The TV show is a differnt animal, I don't believe you can compare the 2. One is a live action, more reality based situation and the other is typical Sunday comic fare, may be slight smile inducing, but nothing more. The Dennis live action show had scores of character actors, Mrs. Cathcart, Mrs. Elkins, Mr. Quigley, Mr. Finch, the old grouchy Nursery guy, Officer Mooney, and of course Mr. Wilson (Joe Kearns), all of these people and many more I haven't mentioned made this show a pure comedy fest. It was pure comedy, very funny, and a great way to spend a 1/2 hour. The show never, and I mean never failed to make me laugh (esp. with Joe Kearns and Mr. Finch), I especially liked Willard Waterman the former Great Gildersleeve appearing on this show. I mean, really, what's not to like? I don't get how anyone can not appreciate this program unless you're judging it by the last season when Dennis got older and suddenly developed a more snotty attitude toward others, esp. Gale Gordon's Mr. Wilson. Things Dennis did and said to the Gale Gordon Mr. Wilson Dennis would never have said to Joe Kearns' Wilson. Jay North just got too old for the part and no longer was cute and became more annoying, I was on Gale Gordon's side most of the time. Whereas with Joe Kearns, I didn't feel I was on either one's side, I could appreciate each one's point of view and actions in the situation. Dennis as a kid wasn't trying to be bad (as opposed to some of his actions with Gordon's Wilson) and Kearns' Wilson only wanted to live a life of peace with his beloved hobbies. A prime situation for a clash of personalities and when it's a little kid and an old man, the situation is just funnier. Sorry, I thought Dennis was one of the best TV shows on. Hazel was my #1 favorite, but Real McCoys and Dennis along with My 3 Sons & I Love Lucy were all my favorites. You'll notice one thing they all have in common, a grouchy old man is in each show, and they are always the main reason I like to watch. From Fred to Bub to Uncle Charlie to Grandpa to Mr. Griffin(?) or Mr. B (wasn't old but played the grouch role anyway) they all had fun to watch grouchy guys and I love 'em all.

[1960'sTVfan]

The Dennis TV show was a little short in the writing department, but the casting was very good. Not so much the supporting players, but the main actors were all very good. Dennis TV parents both resembled their comic book counterparts, so did Sylvia Field as Mrs. Wilson. Joseph Kearns didn't resemble the Mr. Wilson of the Dennis comics, but he had great chemistry with Jay North. Gale Gordon actually looked a lot like the Mr. Wilson in the comics, but he didn't have the same chemistry with Jay North that Joseph Kearns did. Willard Waterman as the grocer is the best supporting character. The girl who played Margaret (her name escapes me at the moment) was pretty good too.

[Steve E]

I'll pipe in just to say that I don't like the Dennis the Menace comic panel AT ALL.I've never liked the comic books,the cartoons,the movies...NOTHING except the TV show,which is one of the best of the black & white sitcoms,in my opinion.Heck,even when Dairy Queen used Dennis the Menace as their sponser,I always thought he was second-rate to the REAL "Dennis"...Jay North!

Over the years I've seen every episode around 10 times each.When I first got the Season 1 set,I watched it all in 6 days.It always makes me laugh,and always lifts my spirits.It's far more appealing to me than some of the so-called "classics" of the era,such as the cringe-inducing Andy Griffith Show,the VASTLY overrated Dick Van Dyke Show,and My Three Sons (quantity over quality,by far).Yes,there is a "sameness" to a lot of the shows...because it's a SITUATION comedy.The same could be said for the majority of sitcoms throughout TV history.

Heck,I know it's not fair to compare mediums,but I also like the TV versions of The Addams Family and Hazel more than the comic panel counterparts...

[1960'sTVfan]

Originally Posted by Steve E

I'll pipe in just to say that I don't like the Dennis the Menace comic panel AT ALL.I've never liked the comic books,the cartoons,the movies...NOTHING except the TV show,which is one of the best of the black & white sitcoms,in my opinion.Heck,even when Dairy Queen used Dennis the Menace as their sponser,I always thought he was second-rate to the REAL "Dennis"...Jay North!

I've always preferred the Dennis comic books, especially those with art by Al Wiseman those are the best ones. The TV show to me is a watered down version of the comic books, but the TV show does have occasional moments of humor.

Originally Posted by Steve E

Over the years I've seen every episode around 10 times each.When I first got the Season 1 set,I watched it all in 6 days.It always makes me laugh,and always lifts my spirits.It's far more appealing to me than some of the so-called "classics" of the era,such as the cringe-inducing Andy Griffith Show,the VASTLY overrated Dick Van Dyke Show,and My Three Sons (quantity over quality,by far).Yes,there is a "sameness" to a lot of the shows...because it's a SITUATION comedy.The same could be said for the majority of sitcoms throughout TV history.

Then the writers should have been more imaginative and created different situations to eliminate the sameness. Most episodes of Dennis The Menace have Dennis irritating Mr. Wilson in some way or another, it gets redundant rather quickly. I agree with you though, on Andy Griffith, Dick Van Dyke, and My Three Sons being overrated. Andy Griffith, especially. Dick Van Dyke and My Three Sons are OK, but they're not included on my list of favorite shows.

[Hazel Anyday]

I agree completely with Steve E. While I admit I used to read Dennis comics as a kid (because of the TV show, I might add) and have read Dennis Sunday comics, I have never, I repeat never laughed out loud at a Dennis comic. THe most you might do with the Dennis comic is slightly smile. No need to worry about busting a gut here.

However, I laugh out loud whenever I watch the Dennis b/w live action show. Especially the scenes between Joe Kearns' Mr. Wilson and Dennis, it doesn't get any better. The supporting actors are also all superb, I named them all in my last post, every one of them, a true professional character actor who were the very best at their job, being funny. Alice Wickes (Mrs. Cathcart), Charles Lane (Mr. Finch), every single one of these people added immensely to the comedy quotient of this truly classic and FUNNY TV show. I can't think of a show that had as many great charactor "supporting" actors as Dennis. It was overloaded with funny actors.

The Dennis comic is only a way to pass the time while thinking how funny it would be if you could see the Dennis TV show. And while I never read as much of the Hazel comic strip, it never came close to the funniness of the Hazel TV show. Slight smile maybe, once in a while, but, like comic Dennes, never a laugh. Once again, I'd read the comic strip Hazel just because it was the closest thing (at the time, before DVDs) that I could get to reminding myself how great the TV show was.

I do however, like My 3 Sons a lot. No, I wouldn't consider it the funniest program on, but it was more a comedy-on-going soap opera that happened to be humorous. It was not written to be a fall down funny program, it was written more as a story of a family, albeit humorous, but mainly almost a comedy styled soap opera. The show did also as it went on change with the addition of new characters and new situations, just as in life nothing ever stays the same, My 3 Sons continued to develop storywise. Yes, I enjoy watching My 3 Sons as much as I enjoy Dennis and Hazel, but in a different way. With My 3 Sons it's more like visiting old friends and seeing how things are. But when I want to laugh, it's either Dennis or the Jack Benny SHow. These were genuinely funny programs. My 3 favorite shows, Hazel, My 3 Sons, & Dennis, in that order. Also can't forget George Reeves' Superman too. And yes, I used to read a lot of comic books as a kid. From Baby Huey to Action Superman with Sad Sack and Archie on the sides. Lots of different comic books, I'd read. So I do appreciate comic books and strips. They are what they are, Blondie, Dennis, Nancy, Lil' Henry were examples of the best of the Sunday comics. But the Dennis comic and the Dennis TV show, don't compare, the comic is a passable waste of time and the TV show is a total joy for a 1/2 hour.

[1960'sTVfan]

Originally Posted by Hazel Anyday

I agree completely with Steve E. While I admit I used to read Dennis comics as a kid (because of the TV show, I might add) and have read Dennis Sunday comics, I have never, I repeat never laughed out loud at a Dennis comic. THe most you might do with the Dennis comic is slightly smile. No need to worry about busting a gut here.

LOL not me. As a kid growing up in the 1960's, I used to read the Dennis comic books and had many laughs reading the stories in those books. I would anxiously wait for the next issue to come out. I recall being disappointed however, around 1967 when the artwork in the books changed and Al Wiseman was no longer the artist. The artwork by Al Wiseman was truly superb above and beyond everything else. For me, the TV show provides occasional humor but pales in comparison to the comics. Some prefer the comics, some prefer the TV show, it's all good to me everyone has their opinion.