On March 29, 2011, Shout! Factory will release the Complete First Season of Dennis the Menace, with all 32 episodes available on DVD for the first time.
Beginning in 1951, Hank Ketcham’s comic strip Dennis the Menace was syndicated in American newspapers, and became so popular that it appeared in newspapers in 48 countries.
Running from 1959-1963 on CBS, the series charmed American audiences, making child actor Jay North a household name. Herbert Anderson looked an awful lot like Dennis’ dad in the comics, and that dad bore a remarkable resemblance to Ketcham, who based the strip on his son.
The TV series revolved around the Mitchell family and their elderly neighbors, George and Mary Wilson. Dennis’s antics formed the basis of the show, with curiosity and a desire for adventure trumping expected behavior. Like Leave It To Beaver, Dennis the Menace depended on a boy’s point of view and the difference between the way that Dennis perceived things and the way that the audience did. The show was popular during its time but canceled, finally, when North outgrew the role of the naive-yet-precocious mischief-maker.
this highly collectible DVD set is packed with special bonus features including new interviews with cast members, archived radio interviews with Jeannie Russell and Gloria Henry, original TV show promo and a special bonus episode from The Donna Reed Show featuring Jay North as Dennis Mitchell and Joseph Kearns as Mr. Wilson. A must-have for fans and collectors, Dennis The Menace: Season One DVD set is at $29.93 SRP.
