The Psychological Effects of "Dennis the Menace's" Tornado Trademark

[missy's pop pop]

We've often commented about the impact certain television theme songs have had on our adult lives.

This may be the first and only comment about how a television introduction has had on an adult's life!

As any "Dennis the Menace" fan knows, the opening sequence (1959-62) shows a cartoon tornado with a fireman's cap and ax (symbolizing Dennis) whirling around through the opening credits (for example, making "co-starring Gloria Henry" shimmer in time to the little "twitchy" sound break in the theme song, and knocking over the ladder, spilling paint which reveals "and Joseph Kearns as Mr. Wilson").

In the mid-1960s, when I was entering my teenage years, I began to have recurring nightmarish dreams in which I was watching television in our living room. It made no difference what show it was, but it would always cut away to a weather map where the weathercaster is issuing a tornado warning...the camera would zoom in on the tornado symbol on the map...and the twister would smash through the screen and start whirling things around the house, including me, at which point I'd wake up.

In the fourth and final season, the "Dennis the Menace" opening changed with a new arrangement of the theme song and the tornadic Dennis tearing through a community of cartoon-style houses. At the end, the cartoon tornado zooms into the screen and goes completely black as if it were breaking through the TV screen. That was, of course, 1962-63--about a year before my wild dreams began!

This stunning revelation came to me about a year ago while watching a re-run of "Dennis the Menace" on Antenna TV! What I'd been dreaming was inspired by the new opening sequence. While the tornado dreams ended years ago, it was like someone clicked on the proverbial light bulb!

Anyone have a similar dazzling discovery?

[gonzo40]

I have a simple mind and that is probably why the tornado opening trademark was just part of the series..... Always remembered the opening and loved the guns and holsters, which would never make it on a series today....

[jehobden]

I was probably psychologically affected by a lot of things on tv when I was a kid, but I think I was ok with the DtM opening, though it was a bit weird seeing Dennis portrayed as a disembodied cyclone. I do think that Jay North got fantastic on-screen credit for a kid of his age, being listed as "starring" with all the adults credited together as "costarring" roles.

I noticed in Disney films especially the lousy credit kid stars got, with only Hayley Mills appearing to merit top billing in its films. Even Disney's "Napoleon and Samantha", with Johnny Whitaker and Jodie Foster in the title roles, had both of them billed as costars below actors like Michael Douglas (possibly his first top billing in a movie) and Arch Johnson (as "Chief of Police"). Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards in the "Witch Mountain" movies were listed as costars in their movies as well. Eddie Albert and Bette Davis received top billing in those two films, though Ms. Davis probably got top billing just for being who she was rather than having the most important role in her film.

[ThomasE]

First off I must that I am surprised that the Grimm Reaper is posting on this board!!! LOL. He knows who I am talking to. LOL.

Second, the billing politics applies to adults as well. I remember the four Batman movie from the series of movies where Arnold Schwartznager (Mr. Freez) gets billed first over George Clooney(Batman). I was like "Shouldn't George Clooney be billed first?" However, its the politics as to who was the bigger star.