THE MANY LOVES OF DOBIE GILLIS is another of those shows of which I have only vague memories of its original run. But man, have I enjoyed it in reruns ever since!
The concept was simple and had previously been done on film with Bobby Van in the early fifties. Basically, Dobie was a typical teenage boy who obsessed on girls. The TV series fleshed that out a bit with marvelous supporting actors as Dobie's parents and teachers and classmates (famously including Warren Beatty in the first season).
Dwayne Hickman, fresh from LOVE THAT BOB, dyed his hair blond (at first) to play the lead. He was a little old for the part but so was everyone else involved. His natural charm and his wonderful choice to play the role with Jack Benny mannerisms was at the heart of the series but what really made it all work...was Maynard.
Dobie's good buddy was Maynard G. Krebs, as played by future Gilligan Bob Denver. Maynard's beatnik looks and catchphrases including "You rang?" and "WORK!!??"made this slacker prototype the breakout star of DOBIE.
DC Comics did 26 issues of THE MANY LOVES OF DOBIE GILLIS as a comic book. Artist Bob Oksner had a great time drawing all the beautiful girls in Dobie's life. The stories were updated and reissued a decade later as WINDY & WILLY.
When the trend at TV series reunions came along in the late seventies, Dobie was one of the first and actually got two revivals, one of which was called BRING ME THE HEAD OF DOBIE GILLIS.
The reason I loved to watch the reruns on Nick At Nite (early 1980s) was Tuesday Weld. She's the cutest one of all.
ReplyDeleteTuesday Weld what a dream girl this show is so educational and insightful I wish I grew up watching it as a kid.
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