Dennis the Menace

Plot synopsis:
Dennis Mitchell (Mason Gamble) is a five-year-old boy who lives with his parents in Evanston, Illinois. Henry (Robert Stanton) and Alice (Lea Thompson), and is the bane of next door neighbor, George Wilson (Walter Matthau). One morning, Mr. Wilson pretends to be asleep in order to avoid dealing with Dennis. Dennis enters his bedroom, only to find him asleep with by his prescription medication on his night stand, and assumes he's sick. To make him feel better, Dennis flings an aspirin into his mouth with a slingshot which causes him to gag and spit it out, as Dennis flees home.
When Dennis arrives home, his parents learn of the incident he had caused to Mr. Wilson and are both angered, but because they are both working, Alice has to take him to stay at Margaret Wade's house for the day. He isn't too happy about this, because she is mean to him. When he arrives, he and Margaret, along with his best friend, Joey, venture into the woods to an abandoned tree house and intend to fix it up. Later, while getting paint from a high shelf in the garage, Dennis tries to grab his slingshot, which was taken away from him by Henry, and accidentally spills the paint on the floor. He then fervently attempts to vacuum it up, but ends up spilling a glob of it which splinters onto Mr. Wilson's barbecue grill, while he's cooking chicken, and he tastes the paint and wood splinters as he eats it. That night, Dennis has a set of babysitters; Polly and her boyfriend, Mickey. He plays doorbell pranks on them and they retaliate by sticking a thumbtack on the doorbell and preparing water and flour to dump on the prankster. However, Mr. Wilson goes over there to prove that Dennis was responsible for the paint on his chicken, against the wishes of his wife, Martha (Joan Plowright), only to ring the doorbell, stick his thumb, and get water and flour dumped on him, much to Martha's amusement. The next morning, Dennis goes over to the Wilsons' house to apologize for the events of the previous evening, but finds himself playing with Mr. Wilson's dentures, losing the two front teeth down the drain, and replacing them with Chiclets in the process. This gets noticed when Mr. Wilson gets his picture taken for the newspaper. Meanwhile, a burglar named Switchblade Sam (Christopher Lloyd) arrives in town and begins robbing people's houses, as well as stealing things outdoors and striking fear into children he meets.
Unfortunately for Henry and Alice, they have a difficult time getting people to watch Dennis while they both work. Unfortunately for Mr. Wilson, he and Martha are being charged with the task of doing so, as both Henry and Alice are being called away on business trips on the same weekend. Martha loves him as if he were her own grandson, as she and Mr. Wilson never had children, and she enjoys telling Dennis a bedtime poem that her mother told her. Alternatively, Mr. Wilson is further irritated by him for spilling bath water on the bathroom floor, replacing his nasal spray with mouthwash, and his mouthwash with toilet cleanser, and even bringing his pet dog, Ruff, into the house for a while.
Fortunately for Mr. Wilson he's been selected to host the Summer Floraganza, a long awaited summer event. He has been growing and nurturing a rare night-blooming orchid for about forty years especially for it. Despite the investment, the flower dies shortly after it blooms. Alice’s flight is delayed due to a thunderstorm forcing Dennis to stay at the Wilsons for the night of the party. Martha is understanding, but Mr. Wilson is deeply dismayed about this. But, at her insistence, he eventually agrees to let Dennis stay outside for the party only with a firm warning to behave himself. He does not enjoy it much because the guests pinch his cheeks, and distances himself from them. However, in his curiosity, he finds himself pushing the garage door button, causing it to open, knock over the dessert table, and make a huge mess. Mr. Wilson sees it and angrily bans Dennis from the party. From inside, he hears Switchblade Sam robbing the house, goes downstairs, and finds Mr. Wilson's gold coins missing from the safe. Just as the flower is about to bloom, he alerts Mr. Wilson of the robbery, distracting everyone just long enough to miss the flower's brief blooming span. Furious about his forty year investment gone to waste and the constant mishaps Dennis has caused (as well as not believing that he was robbed), Mr. Wilson uproots the plant and severely scolds Dennis by saying that he has no use for him, that he does not want to see or know him anymore, and to get out of his way before telling the guests to leave. Heartbroken, Dennis flees on his bike, and rides off into the night. He then heads into the park, where he eventually bumps into Sam, who abducts him, intending to use him as a hostage.
Henry and Alice arrive home soon after only to learn of Dennis' disappearance. They then contact the authorities and his friends to begin searching for him. Mr. Wilson, now feeling intense guilt and remorse about what he had said, especially since he really had been robbed, joins in the search in his car, and everyone ends up searching for him all night. Meanwhile, Dennis unintentionally but effectively defeats Sam by tying him up with a rope, setting him on fire twice, accidentally bludgeoning him several times, handcuffing him, and losing the key in a pot of baked beans amongst other things. He then returns to the Wilsons' house the next morning with an injured Sam in the wagon attached to his bike, having also recovered Mr. Wilson's gold coins. Sam is then taken into police custody by an amused sheriff who had advised him earlier to leave town. Dennis and Mr. Wilson make amends, and both the Mitchells and the Wilsons become close friends on better terms. That night, Alice told the Wilsons that she does not have to travel out of town anymore and will stay to work on local projects and Dennis can come to work with her since they have a day care center. Mr. Wilson scoffs at this saying he and Martha will be happy to continue watching him, explaining that he's learned some things about children by saying to both Henry and Alice that kids are kids and they have to play by their rules, roll with the punches, and expect the unexpected. Around the same time, just as Dennis is still trying to get the flame out of his marshmallow, it lands on Mr. Wilson's forehead.
As the closing credits begin to roll, Andrea, Alice's egotistical coworker, finds Dennis sitting near the copy machine as she comes in to use it. He asks to push the button on it, but she arrogantly tells him that he doesn't know what one to push. Sure enough, he pushes the "PRINT" one and runs off with other workers, including Alice, looking on. The paper feeder sucks up Andrea's scarf, her head gets pinned face down on the scanner bed, and the machine relentlessly flashes its blinding light in her eyes, repeatedly copies her face, and spews out page after page of black and white photos showing her various agonized facial expressions as she screams and cries on the scanner bed, eventually getting herself free.

Tags: psychedelic

Review:
Hey, Mr. WIIIIILLLLLSSSSONN!!!!!!.
I didn't think TV's original version of "Dennis the Menace" (way back in the '50s) was enough of a menace to earn the title.
Let's fact it: it was the '50s, how much COULD he get away with?That's part of the reason that this 1986 reinvention works so much better.
Also the fact that here he's actually a CARTOON!
Yes!
Hank Ketcham should have been proud: this is the proper venue for a character born in the Sunday funnies.But where Jay North was limited as to just what kind of mischief he could get into, this model of Dennis (voiced by Brennan Thicke) could literally get into ANYTHING!
Here, he played with dinosaurs, foiled bomb-carrying spies, interacted with movie hero Cowboy Bob straight from the movie screen (a la Woody Allen's "Purple Rose of Cairo"!) and regularly thwarted aliens, opera singers, bullies, rude adults, criminals and, of course, frazzled neighbor George Wilson.Wilson (as voiced by LaMarche and, especially, Phil Hartman!) stayed the same in every episode and rightfully so: any simple task he would start or try to start would consistently be thwarted by Dennis' misguided attempts to be neighborly, help him out or otherwise simply be there.
Mr. Wilson knew what he was capable of, so why shouldn't he be wary of his mere presence?
You know the equation: Mr. Wilson + Dennis = disaster!I thought this was another great series distributed by DIC Entertainment and if you appreciate the mischief a child can get into (and get others into), you'll agree - this "Menace" was never better!Ten stars.
catch it, and enjoy this master of "Menace"!.
Hello, Mr. Wilson.
One morning back in 1987, while I was home on leave (I was in the Navy stationed overseas and I was back stateside for some leave), I was up early one morning armed with the TV Guide and I saw "Dennis the Menace" listed.Thinking it was the old TV series from the 1950s that I grew up watching, I decided to check it out, only to discover that it was a new cartoon series.What I thought would be a disappointment turned out to be a pleasant surprise!
The series was actually more true to Hank Ketcham's great comic strip than the old black & white series.
Actually, the old black & white series was not true to the comic strip because the PTA, which was a pretty powerful force to deal with, managed to reduce "Dennis the Menace" to more of a "Dennis the good boy whose good intentions somehow went haywire".
The artwork of the cartoon series was true to Hank Ketcham's style.
And the animation was very good, which was unusual for a TV cartoon of the time.
Being a cartoon, the writers had a lot more leeway and were free to allow Dennis to be as much of a menace as he was originally intended to be.This series is not only entertaining for children of all ages, but is also entertaining for the child that still lurks in every grown up as well..
The Dennis the Menace animated series!.
The animated television series of Dennis the Menace was very good.
I'd watch it whenever I could when it was on in the 1980s.
The animation was very good and clear.
The voices were good for the characters and the characters were also very good and funny.
The late great comedian Phil Hartman was a good pick and he was funny!
The music was good and fit the cartoon.
The stories in the cartoons were good.
It was interesting and fun to watch.
If you are able to watch this on television or on tape do so because this was one of the great animated shows of the 1980s in My opinion!
I recommend it!Movie Nuttball's NOTE:If you like Dennis the Menace then check out the 1993 feature film starring Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Walter Matthau, Joan Plowright, Mason Gamble, Arnold Stang, and Paul Winfield!
The musical score is composed greatly by Jerry Goldsmith!
I strongly recommend the film!.
great 80s cartoon.
dennis the menace was a great 80s cartoon.
and it brings back memories for me.
i remember having to wait until 3 o'clock when all my mom's soap operas were over, before i could watch cartoons on the big tv, and right at 3 o'clock, this one was the one i went to.
i enjoyed the cartoon a lot.
it was very funny and had many good plots.
if you're a cartoon lover like me, you'll love this one!.
One of my faves..
"Dennis the Menace" was, and is still one of my favorite cartoons that I watched growing up.
I loved it how Dennis would always torment Mr. Wilson.
Of course, Dennis had NO idea that he was giving Mr. Wilson such a hard time.
The episodes where Dennis would always end up going on an adventure with one or a few of his friends were the coolest!!!
This show also had some great vocal talent such as the late great Phil Hartman (I miss him!!!), and Maurice LaMarche to name a few.If you ever see this show in the near future, and have never watched it, then check it out, you WON'T be disappointed.
A silly little cartoon based on the comics..
This is a cartoon show based on the comic strip, where a naive and inquisitive boy named Dennis Mitchell, dressed in overalls and constantly yelling "Heyyyy, Mr. Willllson!" tries to befriend everybody and help out with stuff, but always ends up in mischief or in a sea of misadventures - particular driving his neighbor, George Wilson, crazy.Overall, it's a funny little innocent cartoon that is full of that childhood innocence and some slapstick comedy.
I used to watch it when I was a kid - a nice little show to pass the time.
It's not the funniest or greatest cartoon I've seen, but its innocence and good old fashion childish fun and dialog make it quite entertaining to a little kid.Grade B-.
Good cartoon but Mr. Wilson's attitudes are disturbing.
I remember this cartoon from the 1980s, when I was just entering high school.
I sat down and watched it every day before starting my homework.However, there's something about this show that I think needs to be pointed out here.
That has to do with Mr. Wilson and his relationship with Dennis.Yeah, yeah, I know it's just a cartoon series, and that one of the major components of the "Dennis the Menace" storyline is the relationship between Dennis and his neighbor, Mr. Wilson.However, I've found Mr. Wilson's whole attitude toward Dennis very unnerving, as I'm sure many people would agree.
Simply put, Mr. Wilson yells at Dennis because he's trying to be a kid.Dennis is just that, a simple, red-blooded American boy.
He's inquisitive and (of course) mischievous, and his well-meaning attempts backfire on others -- usually, with Mr. Wilson on the worst end.
But what young boy hasn't been that?Mr. Wilson's response?
He yells at him and tells Dennis to go away.
Mr. Wilson constantly tells his wife, Martha, about how he looks forward to peace and quiet and must always add that he's glad Dennis won't be around (usually, just seconds before Dennis shows up).I agree that Mr. Wilson's boorish demeanor is much less severe here than in the 1993 theatrical release (which contains a segment where Mr. Wilson basically tells Dennis to go to hell).
There are even animated shorts in this series where Mr. Wilson sticks up for Dennis.Maybe I'm missing the whole point of this show, but it seems to me that Dennis worships Mr. Wilson and wants to be a friend to him.
All Mr. Wilson does is throw that offer back in his face and tells Dennis to go away.If Mr. Wilson were any sort of man, he would sit down with Dennis, tell him I would love to be your friend but you have to allow me some time for some peace and quiet, and then informally spell out a few guidelines to follow.
I'm sure Dennis would agree to Mr. Wilson's wishes if he did it right.As for the cartoon itself, it really hasn't held up with me.
It's more in the execution than in the general idea, which remains good.
Sure, the stories are family-friendly (except for what I described above), that they're geared toward a younger audience and everything works out well in the end.
But older viewers (i.e., parents, grandparents and college students who don't play drinking games with whatever TV show) might think the stories are too simple and think the animation is somewhat below par.Still, the 1980s version of "Dennis the Menace" is enjoyable for many viewers, and that in itself merits a recommendation.