dougdoepke An engaging teen-age comedy, thanks to solid casting, more than the usual 1950's imagination, and a willingness to ridicule our national obsession with greed. Dobie's (Hickman) an ordinary teen from a modest background, with a grouchy grocer dad and a sweet-tempered mom. In short, besides a warm personality, he doesn't have much going for him. The trouble is that the girls he's constantly falling for at school are all looking for money or status, which Dobie doesn't have. Doesn't sound humorous, does it.But thanks to clever scripts, rapid-fire dialog, and Bob Denver as the hopelessly dim beatnik, Maynard, it's funny as heck. The best entries are the early ones, where Dobie tries to win the affections of that greedy little vixen Thalia Meninger (Tuesday Weld). Weld is simply perfect as a cute blonde snot who keeps reminding Dobie of how ordinary he is, while she looks for a rich guy instead. Not many series, serious or otherwise, were willing to raise this sort of class envy on TV, but this one does. Poor Dobie. His only consolation is talking to the camera and ruminating over his girl problems. Cleverly, there's a statue of The Thinker in the background as he speaks to us. That way we know what he's saying is what he's thinking without the script having to tell us so. It's a good imaginative touch breaking the wall between character and viewer. I believe this break with convention is the only TV instance of that day.But Weld was too good and soon went into movies. So Dobie goes through other similar cuties for whom, in humorous fashion, he's still not good enough. I love the silly poetic way Dobie addresses his reluctant lady friends. Stuff like: "My perfume of India" or "You shine like the stars of my mountain". It's perfect for conveying the show's facetious touch. The trouble is that after the first year or so, the premise became too predictable, plus the boys are looking a little old for high schoolers. So Dobie and Maynard join the army, but the hijinks are not nearly as funny. As a result, they're soon out of uniform and back in town, enrolled in college where Dobie can resume his problem with girls. Note too how much larger Denver's role becomes as the series continues. Clearly, however, as good as some episodes are, by that time the writers were running out of variations on the old premise. So, in what appears desperation, they try out ill-advised fantasies like Dobie and Maynard as loony South American revolutionaries. By 1963, the series had clearly run its course.Nonetheless, it's hard to say enough about the supporting cast that had so much to do with the show's success. Frank Faylen as dad Gillis is often over the top but fits right into the show's usual snappy pace. Then there's Florida Friebus as long-suffering mom Gillis, the one character not exaggerated for laughs. And, of course, there's little Sheila James as plain Jane Zelda, smart as heck but hopelessly stuck on Dobie, while forced to put up with his constant rejections. And finally, there's Steve Franken as spoiled rich kid Chatsworth Osborne Jr. who's constantly getting in Dobie's way, flaunting his superiority. (Warren Beatty was the original rich snob, but like Weld, went quickly into the movies.) Now, if you think about it, the ideas here of romantic rejection, social climbing, and a talentless Dobie could quickly sour if not handled correctly. So it's to the credit of the cast, writers and directors, that they kept the material as light and humorous as they did. And especially to Hickman who made the hapless Dobie so likable without becoming sappy. All in all, for at least a year, this was arguably one of the best, most imaginative shows on TV, and still merits revival.

donsgard2006 I was a teenager and saw "...Dobie Gillis" when it first came out, at a time when I was a teenager myself! Others have commented how this was ahead of its time. If silly, mindless, fantasy (not reality)-based comedy is your cup of tea, then please help yourself. The characters are over-the-top (as are most so-called "sit-coms"). The circumstances are ridiculous. The characters are not developed. "Family Affair" is one of the worst ever. I also saw "Private Secretary," "My Little Margie," "Topper," and others when they were first broadcast. How about "December Bride"? The others were not great, but at least they were not so mindless. Ahead of its time? Yes, today's sitcoms are silly and shallow, too... so in that respect it was. "I Love Lucy" was zany but the characters had some depth and they interacted with one another in a logical way. "All in the Family" has to be one of the best-written, best-acted, most thoughtful series of all time. Dobie Gills and sit-coms in general are mindless entertainment. I do recall that, as someone commented elsewhere here, that "...Dobie Gillis" was edited in a "snappy" way.

raysond After looking up this lost series from the late 50's,its repeats ran for a good number of years on CBN back in the 1980's and also recently on TV Land,but Dobie Gillis was the coolest show I ever had the pleasure of watching. Dwayne Hickman was the all- American boy next door who was always competing for the hand of Thalia Menninger(Tuesday Weld)from either Milton Armitage or the annoying Chatsworth Osbourne, Jr.(who was the rich kid that had everything)with the help of his good friend and sometimes wacky Maynard G. Krebbs(played by Bob Denver) who may have been lazy and sloppy,but he was really cool and down with the beat... in other words,the essential beatnick....... who was into Dizzy Gillespie and would go berserk if someone mention "work",around him. My friend and I were comparing Bob Denver's Maynard to his role as Gilligan years later,and in my opinion,MAYNARD RULES!!!!! Maynard was the coolest and hippest cat ever devised for a TV series,but also wasn't very bright,but still had his props to back up Dobie when needed(especially in a couple of episodes where Dobie and Maynard enlist in the Army). The series ran for four seasons on CBS-TV from September of 1959 to the final episode of the series in August of 1963.Interesting point about this show: two of the stars of this series went on to greater glory(in feature films) after their run on Dobie Gillis: Tuesday Weld and Warren Beatty(who got his start here before he became box office draw in movieland circles as Mister Hollywood)Who would have thought that Warren Beatty in the first season of this series would played pretty boy Milton Armitage and make that transition to be one of the top box office superstars of all time?Recently,20th Century-Fox,which produced the series just released the complete first two seasons of "Dobie Gillis" on DVD that were broadcast between 1959 through 1961.

mlee-3 i enjoyed this show in middle school and junior high (first runs)and it's still funny now. the writing is clever (max shulman is brilliant), the actors are good comedians, and the issues of looking for love but being too shy are still pertinent. (it's an idealized version. this is about the 50's. but the goofiness is deliberate, and it works.)