Played by Dwayne Hickman (who was 25 at the time), Dobie was a 17-year old high school student when the series began, with nothing but girls on his mind. Most of these girls were unattainable, but that didn’t stop him from trying. Dobie was hopelessly attracted to Thalia Menninger (Tuesday Weld), a gorgeous money hungry, blonde. Thalia never gave the thoroughly middle class Dobie the time of day romantically, but she wasn’t above using him in her various money-making schemes. Weld left the series after the first season (though she did make a few guest appearances), and Dobie went on to chase various girls. His partner-in-crime was his laid back, beatnik, “good buddy” Maynard G. Krebs, played by Bob Denver, a few years before he would become forever known as Gilligan. Early in the first season, Maynard would disappear for a couple of episodes, replaced by his flighty cousin Jerome Krebs, played by Michael J. Pollard. Bob Denver had received his draft notice, but was soon declared 4F. He returned to the series after missing just two episodes. Jerome was never seen again, which was fortunate, because as talented as Pollard is, he was horribly miscast here.
A young, handsome Warren Beatty was a regular during the series first season, playing Milton Armitage a rich kid who had the popularity and attention of girls that Dobie craved. Honestly, Beatty doesn’t really show the strong acting chops he would later develop, but he sure was good looking. By the time the second season debuted, Dobie’s new rich kid rival was Milton’s cousin, Chatsworth Osborne, Jr. (Steve Franken).
During the series early years, Dobie lived with his parents, Herbert (Frank Faylen) and Winnie (Florida Friebus). Herbert owned a grocery store, but harboring dreams of bigger things, he was constantly involved in get-rich-quick schemes. A child of the great depression, Herbert was a hard working man who just didn’t understand all the societal changes going on around him. Dobie’s distaste for work and fervor for chasing girls left him exasperated. Herbert would often exclaim, “I’ve gotta kill that boy, I’ve just gotta!” No matter what happened though, it was always clear that Herbert loved his son. Dobie’s mother doted on her son, and acted as a calming presence when Herbert and Dobie got into a sticky situation.
For all his attention to girls, Dobie had no interest in Zelda Gilroy (Sheila James Kuehl), who set her sights on him the moment she showed up on episode three. Despite his fervent rejections, Zelda was convinced they belonged together. She taunted him by wrinkling her nose at him, causing Dobie to reflexively wrinkle back. Zelda was an intelligent girl, and not afraid to show it. She was assertive, she knew what she wanted, and wasn’t afraid to be vocal about it; Remembering that we are talking about the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, that’s quietly moving things forward in a significant way.
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis is also notable in that the producers let the characters grow significantly. The second season saw Dobie, Maynard, and Chatsworth did a brief stint in the army. The peacetime draft was in effect at the time, and Vietnam had not yet become a major concern. Season three found Dobie and the gang enrolled at S. Peter Pryor Junior College. The progression feels natural and appropriate.
Given today’s teen dramas that tackle sex, pregnancy, drugs and other hot button issues regularly, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis is downright quaint. However, without a show like Dobie, the types of series we see on the air now might not exist. Fifty years after the series went off the air; it still offers plenty of laughs. If nothing else you can star watch. Many familiar (or soon to be familiar) faces turn up throughout the 147 episodes of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis including: Jack Albertson, John Banner, Mel Blanc, Ellen Burstyn, Yvonne Craig, Ronny Howard, Sally Kellerman, Michele Lee, Ryan O’Neal, Marlo Thomas, Susan Watson, and Jo Anne Worley.
Presented in widescreen, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis looks better than I could have expected a fifty-year old program to look. Some minor debris crops up on occasion, but it doesn’t interfere with the viewing experience. It should be noted that two episodes include “quality” disclaimers, in regards to being from the best source available.
The mono audio is standard stuff, but provides clear dialogue, though you may notice an occasional crackle. Closed captioning is available.
The following special features are included:
- The Original Pilot (29:52) The most interesting part of this is that apparently Herbert Anderson, who would go on to play the father on Dennis the Menace, was slated to be a cast member.
- Interview with Dwayne Hickman (13:00) In this new interview, Hickman discusses the series, it’s evolution, and what he’s up to now.
- Three Episodes of Love That Bob (a.k.a. The Bob Cummings Show): “Bob Digs Rock and Roll” (25:10), “Bob Becomes a Stage Uncle” (25:55), and “Bob Butters Beck: Beck Butters Better” (25:36). Dwayne Hickman played Chuck MacDonald. Not surprisingly, these episodes look a bit rough.
- An Episode of The Stu Irwin Show (a.k.a. Trouble with Father) Largely forgotten now, the series ran from 1950-55. One of the co-stars was Sheila James Kuehl, who of course, would go on to play Zelda Gilroy on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. The episode included here, “One of the Boys” (26:11), features a guest appearance by Dobie himself, Dwayne Hickman,
- Clip from The Coke Time Special (4:51) This clip features Bob Denver as Maynard in his classic beatnik style.
- Color Dobie Skit (6:56) If you want an idea of what The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis might have looked like in color, check out this musical number.
- DVD-ROM Features: If you put the bonus disc in your computer, you’ll find a “Scripts and Notes” section. There you can access an interview with Max Schulman, scripts for “Caper at the Bijou,” “Love is a Science,” “Love is a Fallacy,” and a script for a spinoff featuring Zelda that never came to fruition.
