Max Schulman's Dobie Gillis stories written in the late 40s finally were updated
and given a television series from 1959-1963. Dwayne Hickman was in the
title role.
Hickman was your basic All-American type and like so many he had a singular focus on his libido. Hickman introduced each episode recording each pursuit of one of the female gender the way Cassanova did in his diary. Only Dobie's success rate wasn't quite as good.
Frank Faylen and Florida Friebus played Dobie's parents both hard working children of the Depression. Faylen and Friebus ran a mom and pop grocery store and Dobie was occasionally hankering after women out of his league. One such was class tease Tuesday Weld who got her first notice inn the show as Thalia Menninger.
Rivals were Stephen Franken as rich kid Chatsworth Osborne Jr and an as of yet unknown Warren Beatty as Milton Armitage. Beatty got big screen notice soon enough.
One woman who pursued Dobie was Sheila James who was determined to make herself Mrs. Dobie Gillis. She had that squint thing going for her that was annoying to Hickman, but audiences loved it.
Dobie transferred from high school to college, specifically S. Peter Pryor Junior College and transferring with him was William Schallert as Professor Promfritt who occasionally gave some of the same sage advice that Faylen gave, but Hickman took it better.
Lastly there was Bob Denver who before he was lovable mate Gilligan was lovable loafing beatnik Maynard G. Krebs. Only one thing frightened Denver, a four letter word that sent his psyche into shivers "work". He had some great scenes with Faylen in the show.
Cancelling in 1963 as it did, The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis missed losing its innocence along with America after the JFK assassination. It's a reminder of simpler times. You have to wonder what this whole crew did when the counterculture of the later 60s took root.
Hickman was your basic All-American type and like so many he had a singular focus on his libido. Hickman introduced each episode recording each pursuit of one of the female gender the way Cassanova did in his diary. Only Dobie's success rate wasn't quite as good.
Frank Faylen and Florida Friebus played Dobie's parents both hard working children of the Depression. Faylen and Friebus ran a mom and pop grocery store and Dobie was occasionally hankering after women out of his league. One such was class tease Tuesday Weld who got her first notice inn the show as Thalia Menninger.
Rivals were Stephen Franken as rich kid Chatsworth Osborne Jr and an as of yet unknown Warren Beatty as Milton Armitage. Beatty got big screen notice soon enough.
One woman who pursued Dobie was Sheila James who was determined to make herself Mrs. Dobie Gillis. She had that squint thing going for her that was annoying to Hickman, but audiences loved it.
Dobie transferred from high school to college, specifically S. Peter Pryor Junior College and transferring with him was William Schallert as Professor Promfritt who occasionally gave some of the same sage advice that Faylen gave, but Hickman took it better.
Lastly there was Bob Denver who before he was lovable mate Gilligan was lovable loafing beatnik Maynard G. Krebs. Only one thing frightened Denver, a four letter word that sent his psyche into shivers "work". He had some great scenes with Faylen in the show.
Cancelling in 1963 as it did, The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis missed losing its innocence along with America after the JFK assassination. It's a reminder of simpler times. You have to wonder what this whole crew did when the counterculture of the later 60s took root.