GOODBYE, DENNIS!

 RIP JAY NORTH (1951-2025)

An important part of my childhood has passed on! Jay North was the star of TV's DENNIS THE MENACE show. We were both the same age and I followed Dennis antics closely, identifying with him in many forms.  Sorry to see you go, Jay! You made my childhood brighter!

Jay North, who played Dennis Mitchell in the original 1959 “Dennis the Menace” TV series, died Sunday after a battle with cancer, his long-time friend Laurie Jacobson confirmed in a social media post. He was 73.  

                           Jay North with cartoonist Hank Ketcham, creator of DENNIS THE MENACE

DENNIS THE MENACE  reunion! (1988)

“Dennis the Menace,” based on Hank Ketcham’s comic strip of the same name, ran for 146 episodes across four seasons. The show followed North’s Dennis “the menace” Mitchell, a young troublemaker who terrorizes his aging neighbor Mr. George Wilson (Joseph Kearns) through a never-ending series of mischievous deeds. Other cast members include Herbert Anderson, Gloria Henry, Billy Booth, Sylvia Field and Gale Gordon.

 

SOMEDAY A WOMAN WILL BE PRESIDENT!

Sometimes fact is stranger (and funnier) than fiction! This was in the news a few days ago:

Hillary Clinton became the first woman nominated for president by a major American political party, but just 21 years ago — when she served as First Lady — Wal-Mart wouldn’t even sell T-shirts promoting the idea.

In August 1995, a Wal-Mart store in Florida sold T-shirts showing Margaret, a character in the comic strip “Dennis the Menace,” proclaiming that “Someday a woman will be president.”

A customer spotted the T-shirts and complained, reported The Associated Press, and the store removed them.

We've come a long way since then, baby!