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Dennis the Menace: The Little Judge (1962)
Solid fourth-season installment
I always got a kick out of this episode, like many of the others early in the fourth season. It's a good premise for kids about that age to learn the finer points of the law, and the always antagonistic Mrs. Elkins was the perfect character to put at odds with John Wilson ... just as she always was with George, usually of her own making.
Interesting to have kids as young as Seymour participating, but he was always good for laughs. His character bore a large resemblance to the Dennis of the first season before he grew older and his role changed out of necessity.
I've always thought the fourth season peaked early, and this is another reason why. Like a handful of others in the final season, there were clear parallels with moments from the George Wilson era ... such as between this episode and the one where George and Henry walked on the grass and took the case to court. That alone showed the writers were running short on ideas. Still, this was well done enough that it didn't feel like a ripoff.
Dennis the Menace: The Fifteen-Foot Christmas Tree (1961)
Never a bad time for Christmas
This was the weakest of the three Christmas episodes IMO, but it had its moments. The drunk guy and the spinster on the bus provided some humor, as did the guy and his wife who were randomly walking through the woods and saw an opportunity to make a quick buck.
I always got a kick out of them going to search for a tree on Christmas Day itself. Mr. Wilson did the same thing in the second season, buying the tree on the actual holiday.
The earlier review mentioned that there is a touch of sadness knowing, as we do know decades later, that this was Joseph Kearns' final Christmas. I wonder if he had lived for the fourth season, whether there would have been another Christmas episode. I think the writers ultimately realized they were out of Christmas ideas for the final season, so they skipped doing such an episode.
In any case, I love seeing this and the other two Christmas episodes no matter the time of year. Even if it's 90 degrees out in the middle of July, there is never a bad time for Christmas.
Dennis the Menace: Community Picnic (1962)
A bittersweet favorite
Community Picnic probably isn't the best installment of the series, but it has a fair amount of laughs and is noteworthy if for no other reason than it's basically the end of the first era of the show. This is the last episode including Sylvia Field as Martha Wilson, and she did not get the sendoff such an important and friendly character deserved. By the time of the next episode, she had left on a trip, presumably to see George, and was spoken of only once after that.
You get the feeling in this episode that the characters know Martha is about to head out and that her and George's days living next door are numbered, but we don't.
Indeed, it's the last episode with any feel reminiscent of the first three seasons, and in retrospect would have made a good series finale. In those days, shows didn't get the kind of finales we have today. They were all just another episode, but this would have been a good one to end on.
Dennis the Menace: The Rock Collection (1960)
Funny from start to finish
This is one of the better offerings not only of the second season, but the entire series in my opinion. Dennis' excitement over starting a rock collection and the inevitable foiling of Mr. Wilson are particularly well done. The entire story is tied together well. Even the musical selections in some of the scenes have stuck with me ever since I first saw the episode as a kid 35 years ago.
I always got a kick out of how the excitement over collecting rocks spread so quickly throughout the neighborhood. Wilson's reaction when Henry spills the beans about the rocks Dennis found is perfect, and the husband and wife who are trying to make a killing without anyone play their relatively small roles memorably.
Dennis the Menace: Dennis and the Witch Doctor (1962)
An episode that doesn't quite fit
As with all episodes of Dennis the Menace, there are some good moments, some funny lines. But this might be the single weirdest episode of them all, and not because of any of the witch doctor costumes.
Indeed, it's just the entire feel of the episode from the time that Alice walks into the living room and announces that she's baking John Wilson a cake because she feels sorry for him staying alone in the Wilsons' house because Martha has "gone back east for a while," presumably to stay with George who by now has been out of town on his business trip for a few months.
(Who leaves a guest alone in the house, even a family member, for an extended period to take a trip?)
No, the problem with this episode is it simply doesn't fit. John Wilson has gone from being Martha's guest to being treated like he owns 625 Elm within a matter of six weeks or so. He's no longer "Mr. Wilson's brother" by the time of this episode, he's "the new Mr. Wilson." George Wilson is not mentioned once, and Martha gets the one mention from Alice.
In retrospect, it's a Season 3 episode that might as well be on an island. Call it Season 3 1/2 all on its own. The only reason that it doesn't quite belong in Season 4 is because Eloise Wilson hasn't made her first appearance and Dennis is wearing overalls for one last episode. That really is the only tie to the Joseph Kearns era that is evident in this installment. I think the writers were trying to prepare viewers for how Season 4 would look with George and Martha out and John (and later Eloise) in.
All of that is not to mention this episode being more heavy handed socially than any in the series, given the message of tolerance amid misunderstanding. This was before the race-related turmoil of the mid-60s, but it certainly gave a nod in that direction.
Dennis the Menace: The Fishing Trip (1959)
To be appreciated at all ages
Having watched Dennis the Menace as a kid when it aired on Nickelodeon, I developed a lifelong love and appreciation for the show. It's truly that one can be enjoyed at 10 or 44.
The thing about this episode that sticks out more than any other in the series is watching it from a different perspective now. As a kid, I identified far more with Dennis' side of this episode, wanting to know what my parents weren't telling me, losing sleep as a result and then being thrilled at going on the fishing trip.
Now, I identify much more with Henry and Alice being driven out of their minds when Dennis won't stop asking questions, calls the department store on the sly and then won't/can't fall asleep! But that in itself shows why this was such a popular show for the whole family during almost the entire duration on its run, at least until the fourth season.
Dennis the Menace: You Go Your Way (1962)
Best episode of the fourth season
As a longtime viewer of DTM, I always thought the fourth season peaked early and this episode is the biggest reason why. The fussy man-chasing performances of Mary Wickes and Alice Pearce are hilarious.
Mary Wickes was only in 10 episodes of the series but stole every one of her scenes. Her chat with Mabel in the beauty parlor is laugh out loud funny. Alice Pearce was a nice addition as Lucy Tarbell; there just wasn't much or any room for her in earlier episodes as a foil/partner-in-crime for Esther Cathcart.
The early reference to George Wilson was a nice touch, but Eloise's reaction when John brushes Dennis off by saying "I own the house now" felt pretty real.
Dennis the Menace: Wilson's Little White Lie (1963)
Poor Mr. Wilson
Yes that's the title of an episode from early in the fourth season, but it's easy to feel sorry for John Wilson in this one. All the guy wants is a day of rest and who can blame him? Dennis' reaction and concern, and those of his parents and others, are understandable. Eloise on the other hand is a complete nag throughout the entire episode to the point of being unreasonable and at times not even funny.
And does no one notice that John is wearing regular clothes every time he's "lying down?"
It's not the strongest installment of the season to be sure, but by this time it was pretty clear that the show was running short on ideas.