Much before the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series captured our imagination, young readers fell in love with a blonde-haired, blue-eyed troublemaker, Dennis. “Dennis the Menace” was created by Hank Ketcham in 1951 as a comic strip, but its various film adaptations made it popular across the world.
What it’s about:
Directed by Nick Castle, “Dennis the Menace” is a family comedy loosely based on Ketchum’s comic strip. Five-year-old Dennis Mitchell is a constant source of mischief, especially to his retired next-door neighbour George Wilson. When his parents go out of town, Dennis stays with his Wilson and his wife during his summer break. Things go wrong as Dennis tries to “help” his beloved neighbour, who only wants to be left alone with his garden. In the meantime, a tattered thief visits the town, and Dennis springs to action.
Why you will love it:
Mason Gamble plays the young mischief monger while veteran actor Walter Matthau takes up the role of Wilson. The pair have an undeniable chemistry, and breathe life into the film. The series has been adapted into many films and television series over the years. One of the most popular adaptations was a live-action situation comedy starring Jay North as Dennis; it ran on television from 1959 to 1963.
Backstory
Ketcham was an animator for Walt Disney, where he worked on “Pinocchio”, “Fantasia”, “Bambi”, and several “Donald Duck” shorts. During World War II, Ketcham was a photographic specialist with the U.S. Navy Reserve. He also created the character Mr. Hook for the Navy. While in the Navy, he began a camp newspaper strip, “Half Hitch”, which ran in “The Saturday Evening Post” beginning in 1943.
Ketcham created “Dennis the Menace” as a daily comic panel in 1951. It appeared in more than 1,000 newspapers. Ketcham received the National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year in 1952. After Ketcham’s death, the daily panel and Sunday strip were carried on by his assistants Marcus Hamilton and Ron Ferdinand, to whom he had turned over the cartoon’s creation in 1994.
The Hindu (SE) ND Page No. 05 Dated 16th July 2021
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