Dobie (played by Dwayne Hickman) would usually open the show next to a statue of Rodin's "The Thinker" where he would give a monologue to the television audience pondering a specific aspect of life. He pines ardently, in the words of the shows jazzy theme song, for a girl to call his own, and just as ardently for the financial wherewithal to squire that girl around. The series was adapted from a series of short stories by humorist and author Max Shulman from 1945 which were later re-released as a collection in 1951. That didn't go well for dad. Schallert and Frank Faylen shine; Beatty gives an eerily prescient glimpse into his future roles; and Dobie is the personification of the likeable schlemiel. Times Staff Writer. ", DOBIE: "They sure are. If interested in sculpture this is a must in Paris. A year after finishing his role as Dobie's goateed friend Maynard. "), at which point a previously unseen Maynard would appear (entering the scene in close-up), saying "You rang?". The Chinese Spy Balloon and the UFO Echoes of Roswell? Even though it was done with humor, there was usually a profound message to each episode, at least to Dobie, which is why youth gravitated to the show. ", DOBIE: "And friends, people you care about, people who care about you. Small bronze version of The Thinker in a museum (which one?? Zelda, maybe, Sheila James, no. [2], Experienced child actress Tuesday Weld was cast as Dobie's love interest in "Caper at the Bijou" and stayed on as a semiregular. Auguste Rodin, c. 1904. to Separately Release the 4th and Final Season on DVD, 'Dobie Gillis': The complete series on DVD, "Get Lost in the Rock and Roll of 'Drift Away' Dobie Gray", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Many_Loves_of_Dobie_Gillis&oldid=1127546405, 1950s American high school television series, 1960s American high school television series, Black-and-white American television shows, Television series about dysfunctional families, Television series by 20th Century Fox Television, Television shows set in the Midwestern United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2016, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2017, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, "Dobie", performed by Judd Conlon's Rhythmaires (seasons 12), This page was last edited on 15 December 2022, at 09:37. Direction is crisp, acting is excellent and the comic characters are perfection: Maynard, the clueless but lovable loser (who has been widely copied but never surpassed), Thalia, the sexy, cute gold-digger, who is smarter than anyone expects, Milton, the insufferable preppie, Zelda, the nerd, etc. Sheila James is fantastic as Zeldaalways chasing after Dobie. Many well-known actors received early exposure on the series, notably Bob Denver as Dobies best friend, Maynard G. Krebs, a scruffy junior beatnik who yelps Work! at the merest suggestion that he seek gainful employment. Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis, first aired as the CBS Sunday Movie on February 22, 1988, was directed and co-written by Stanley Z. Cherry after Dwayne Hickman, who was the film's producer, was forced by the network to fire Max Shulman and Rod Amateau, with whom he had originally conceived the film. Your email address will not be published. This, of course, surprises Dobie, but he wonders how he can help the doctor: KLEIN: "I spent a lifetime trying to make the world a better place to live in, but what is the world except the people who live in it? Kind of cultish , which I understand would appeal to a certain segment. [21], The program spawned two 20th Century Fox-produced sequels, the pilot Whatever Happened to Dobie Gillis? TRAVEL TIP: Because there are so many copies of this famous sculpturecheck out the website of a museum you plan to visit (anywhere in the world!) The Thinker, French Le Penseur, sculpture of a pensive nude male by French artist Auguste Rodin, one of his most well-known works. Kids worked after school. Treat yourself to a peek at this smart, unique series. When she finished, she looked up and said, Thank you, Mrs. Gillis, Ill be back in a few minutes., Mr. Hickman continued: Joan grabbed my hand and said, Promise that if anything happens to me you wont name this boy Dobie! , Dwayne Hickman, TVs Lovelorn Dobie Gillis, Is Dead at 87, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/09/obituaries/dwayne-hickman-dead.html. Hey, TVLand, I've got your Big Neilsen right here!! [1] Despite being cast as a 17-year-old, Hickman was 24 when he starred in the pilot in the summer of 1958. Clarice Armitage/Mrs. As "Dobie Gillis" continued on until 1963, and Hickman's and Denver's characters aged (both actors were already in their mid-20s when the show began), viewers saw them go from high school . Ive seen two versions of this door: bronze door at the Rodin Museum garden; plaster cast at the Musee d Orsay, both in Paris, France. Maynard's return was explained by stating that the Army had given Maynard a "hardship discharge" the Army's hardship, not Maynard's. Though never a Top 20 sitcom, it was pleasant and funny, enjoyed a reasonably healthy four-season run on CBS from 1959-63, and was popular in reruns. Metacritic Reviews. He was tried and executed in Louisiana for the murder of Sonja Knippers. [1] He did not have any of these qualities in abundance, and the tiny crises surrounding Dobie's lack of success made the story in each weekly episode. A press conference is arranged, but prior to attending it, Dr. Klein calls for a meeting with Dobie Gillis (of all people), who is surprised by the invitation. ", DOBIE: "Yes sir. If you read the dialog closely, you discover the characters considered the world a mess, as well as their socialization skills and discourse at the time, something we have all been feeling lately. [citation needed]. Artist's 'Mama & Me' Collection + Easter Egg Hunt + Water Safety, Local Preserve Opens + Camp Dunedin + St. Patrick's Day Festial, Parking Garage Downtown + Jolley Trolley Brew Crawl + Brick Roads, Ross Hosts Fundraiser For Boys & Girls Club, Social Security Seminar at Countryside Recreation Center, Taxes in Retirement Seminar at Largo Community Center, Shen Yun Classical Dance with Live Orchestra, Proven Strategies for the Care of Aging People, 2023 Hurricane, Tropical Storm Names Released For Atlantic Season, 5 Open Houses To Scope In And Around The Dunedin Area, Check Out These Homes For Sale In Dunedin, Adopt From Dunedin Area Shelters: See The Latest Pets. [citation needed]. ", KLEIN: "No Dobie, you're going to give them the message, your own message. This post was contributed by a community member. French Impressionist. The Gillis family also originally included an older son, Davey Gillis (portrayed by Dwayne Hickman's own older brother, Darryl Hickman), who made three appearances during the first season while home on break from college before being written out of the show.[4]. By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. 'Season 3' Set, Shout! During the series, Dobie and Maynard join the army. The 6 tall bronze monumental sculpture (+ height of the stand) in the garden of the Rodin Museum, Paris is the most famous (and worth most money). ). His portraits include monumental figures of Victor Hugo and Honor de Balzac. The talented cast is fully in tune--they become their characters, and don't just read lines. Hickman is the sensitive youth who aspires to be a poet under a hard-nosed father and doting mother. He got arrested in the first episode, by the way. Both characters represented the wealth and popularity to which Dobie aspired, but also served as romantic and competitive rivals for Dobie. ", KLEIN: "Ah-ha, that doesn't seem like too much to ask, yet it's everything isn't it? That didn't happen in that time period. For all its well-scrubbed chastity, the series marked a quietly subversive departure from the standard television fare of the day. ", DOBIE: "Oh, come on Dr. Klein, what does a kid like me know about that? Visit www.dougquick.com All posts are made with the intent to recognize the history of broadcasting and used primarily as a storehouse for videos used in my companion website, Central Illinois On. Hickman died of complications from Parkinsons on Sunday at his home in Los Angeles . One of my favorites. Dobie and Zelda later appeared as a middle-aged married couple in the two spin-off Dobie Gillis reunion projects of the 1970s/1980s. Following its release, Shulman set about attempting to bring Dobie Gillis to television. Dobie Gillis - S01E39 - Rock-A-Bye Dobie 25:47 40 Dobie Gillis - S02E01 -Who Needs Elvis 25:47 41 Dobie Gillis - S02E02 - You Ain't Nuthing But a Houn' Dog 25:43 42 Dobie Gillis - S02E03 - Baby Talk 25:39 43 Dobie Gillis - S02E04 - Dobie Goes Beatnik 25:44 44 Dobie Gillis - S02E05 - The Mystic Powers of Maynard G. Krebs 25:42 45 How Each Dobie Gillis Cast Member Died. Mr. Hickman in 1965. Some of Rodin's most famous bronze works in their natural setting, outdoors, and models for his works inside. P.C. Dwaynes other childhood screen appearances included roles on the TV series Public Defender, The Loretta Young Show and The Lone Ranger and in the films The Boy With Green Hair (1948) and Rally Round the Flag, Boys! (1958), based on a novel by Max Shulman, the creator of Dobie Gillis.. Brilliant writing by Max Schulman, "The Many Lives of Dobie Gillis", not to be confused with the earlier movie versions, centers around the exploits of Dobie Gillis(Dwayne Hickman) and Maynard G.(Walter) Krebs. Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies. I also saw "Private Secretary," "My Little Margie," "Topper," and others when they were first broadcast. | [8] These stories were originally published in such magazines as Cosmopolitan and The Saturday Evening Post. The character was dropped midway through the fourth season, with attention shifting back to the characters of Dobie, Maynard, Chatsworth, and Zelda for the remaining episodes of the series. The Thinker, bronze sculpture on pedestal at the Rodin Museum, Paris, France. Darryl Hickman, whose fame was eventually eclipsed by Dwaynes, would play Dobies big brother, Davey, in a few episodes of the shows first season. ", DOBIE: "Me? Dobie's (Hickman) an ordinary teen from a modest background, with a grouchy grocer dad and a sweet-tempered mom. (AP) Dwayne Hickman, the actor and network TV executive who despite numerous achievements throughout his life would always be remembered fondly by a generation of baby boomers for his role as. [10] Shulman agreed to the change after negotiating employment for himself on the series as show runner. He eventually renamed The Poet to The Thinker and exhibited it on its own in 1888 and then enlarged it in bronze in the early 1900s. Dwayne Bernard Hickman was born in Los Angeles on May 18, 1934. Session singer Gloria Wood of the Rhythmaires provided the scat singing used as incidental score during the first two seasons. A Million Thank You's Go to Shout! I was pleasantly surprised by the show's message and was startled by the parallel between now and back then (51 years ago). A Year in the Life of the Pandemic with Chers Famous Art, Botticelli & Renaissance at the Mpls Institute of Art, Mpls, MN USA, Charles Schultz & Peanuts in St. Paul (Art & Travel), Sherlock Holmes at the MN History Center, St. Paul, MN USA, Quadriga at Night & Up Close: MN State Capitol, St. Paul, MN USA. A wry, hip-for-its-time sitcom that charts the hopes, dreams and frustrations of a typical teen (if sitting under the statue 'The Thinker' while pining for the megacute Thalia Menninger could be considered typical). Created and largely written (even the theme song) by the talented Max Schulman, who later brought us such gems as the movie "House Calls", the program gave us such classic characters as the boy-crazy Zelda (ironically portrayed by a Lesbian, Shelia James), Maynard, the closest thing to a "beatnik" most of Middle America ever saw, and Dobie's dad Herbert (played by the great character actor Frank Faylen), the grocer who needed very little prompting to remind whoever was listening, "I was in The Big One, W W 2!" There are bronze casts as well as exhibition and original plasters (another topic; another day!). User Ratings (It can be seen on YouTubecheck it out!). Dwayne Hickman, the actor and network TV executive who despite numerous achievements throughout his life would always be remembered fondly by a generation of baby boomers for his role as Dobie. Along with Dick Van Dyke, one of the smartest sitcoms of it's day! Still and pensive, he observes the twisting figures of those suffering in the circles of Hell below. I just thought it was over the top. The views expressed in this post are the author's own. And here sits Dobie--ridiculously average, being tossed between them all like a beachball, and trying to make sense of it all. He received his broadest exposure yet when he was cast in The Bob Cummings Show (also called Love That Bob) as Chuck, the nephew of Mr. Cummingss character; the series was broadcast variously on NBC and CBS from 1955 to 1959. Dwayne Hickman is endearing as simple-minded Dobie Gillis, the typical American teenager, who just wants a girl. It's just not representative of that period in time. The show was adapted from Max Shulman's short stories of the 1930s and was updated for the teenagers of the 1950s. Dobie Gillis is a teenager in small-town America; the plot revolves around Dobie's life and thoughts. It also appeared in syndication many years afterwards. Factory for all their time and effort working on the Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis. The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (also known as simply Dobie Gillis or Max Shulman's Dobie Gillis in later seasons and in syndication) is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 29, 1959, to June 5, 1963. ", DOBIE: "Dr. Klein, you've done a wonderful job of making the world a better place to live. usually with the statue of Rodin's The Thinker nearby. Nick At Nite used to show it 15 years ago, but I guess it is too intelligent for the types who run TVLand and Nick now, & who refuse to show any comedies unless they got big Neilsen's. An enthusiastic fan of jazz music (with a strong distaste for the music of Lawrence Welk), Maynard plays the bongos, collects tinfoil and petrified frogs, and steers clear of romance, authority figures, and work (yelping "Work?!" The circumstances are ridiculous. [19] Hickman later recalled that Beatty "looked at me like I was a bug" while on set. Dwayne Hickman, the actor and network TV executive who despite numerous achievements throughout his life would always be remembered fondly by a generation of baby boomers for his role as Dobie Gillis, has died. Stories from this comic-book series were later reprinted, with updates to the artwork and lettering to remove any references to Dobie Gillis, by DC as a short-lived series titled Windy and Willy in 1969. Anderson appeared in a lead role in the pilot for Dennis the Menace; when that show was picked up (also by CBS), he chose to stay with that cast, and actor William Schallert appeared in the recurring role of Mr. Pomfritt through the end of season three. The beginning of each episode finds Dobie in a park somewhere in his unnamed town, next to a statue of Rodin's "The Thinker," often mimicking the Thinker's posture. [2][3] Series star Dwayne Hickman later said that Dobie represented the end of innocence of the 1950s before the oncoming 1960s revolution.[2]. The nude form is seated on a rock, his back hunched forward, brows furrowed, chin resting on his relaxed hand, and mouth thrust into his knuckles. ", DOBIE: "They need one more thing, one more thing, time to dream about better days, about a fine new world. The Thinker was originally called The Poet and was conceived as part of The Gates of Hell, initially a commission (1880) for a pair of bronze doors to a planned museum of decorative arts in Paris. A bit adventurous, when a lot of schools were putting up a vicious fight against integration. The main running gag on Dobie Gillis would have Dobie or one of the other characters rattling off a series of adjectives describing something undesirable or disgusting ("I'd be a ragged, useless, dirty wreck! Most of the action for the first season-and-a-half of Dobie Gillis centered on the Gillis grocery store, Central High School, and the Central City park. You had your incredibly unrealistic disgustingly "picture perfect" clean and wholesome pleasentville family sitcoms that bared absolutely NO resemblance to real life whatsoever (My Three Sons, Donna Reed, Hazel, Ozzie and Harriet, Leave It To Beaver, etc) or you had these incredibly stupid sitcoms with outrageous premises that were so out of touch with reality that they aren't that watchable now because they appealed to the lowest common denominator of intelligence amongst American people (Mister Ed, Hogan's Heroes, Gilligan's Island, Beverly Hillbillies, etc). Character actors Wm. [19], Former child actress Sheila James, who, playing daughter "Jackie" on The Stu Erwin Show, had worked with Dwayne Hickman on that series and The Bob Cummings Show, was cast without an audition as Zelda Gilroy, the tomboyish brainy girl who was in love with Dobie. Sitcoms of it 's day! ) he was tried and executed Louisiana! 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