George Wilsons Last Episode - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

gonzo40 · 11-08-2013, 10:20 PM

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

schmave · 11-09-2013, 01:56 PM

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.

gonzo40 · 11-09-2013, 02:02 PM

Thanks Schmave........

Zoneboy · 11-09-2013, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

schmave · 11-09-2013, 03:23 PM

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.

gonzo40 · 01-13-2014, 08:28 AM

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..

McGillicuddy · 01-13-2014, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gonzo40

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.

jehobden · 01-13-2014, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gonzo40

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.

schmave · 01-16-2014, 03:10 PM

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.

McGillicuddy · 01-16-2014, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schmave

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.

gonzo40 · 01-16-2014, 04:05 PM

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.....

gonzo40 · 01-16-2014, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McGillicuddy

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.........

schmave · 01-17-2014, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gonzo40

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.

gonzo40 · 01-20-2014, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schmave

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........

schmave · 01-20-2014, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gonzo40

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.

11-08-2013, 10:20 PM	#1
gonzo40 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 04, 2013 Location: Livonia, Michigan Posts: 112	George Wilsons Last Episode Does anyone know which episode George Wilson filmed Last.. Not aired, but filmed.... Thnx

11-09-2013, 01:56 PM	#2
schmave Member Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 23, 2013 Location: Reynoldsburg, Ohio Posts: 653	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.

11-09-2013, 02:02 PM	#3
gonzo40 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 04, 2013 Location: Livonia, Michigan Posts: 112	Thanks Schmave........

11-09-2013, 03:23 PM	#5
schmave Member Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 23, 2013 Location: Reynoldsburg, Ohio Posts: 653	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.

01-13-2014, 08:28 AM	#6
gonzo40 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 04, 2013 Location: Livonia, Michigan Posts: 112	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..

01-16-2014, 03:10 PM	#9
schmave Member Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 23, 2013 Location: Reynoldsburg, Ohio Posts: 653	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.

01-16-2014, 04:05 PM	#11
gonzo40 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 04, 2013 Location: Livonia, Michigan Posts: 112	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.....