TRIVIA NOTE: The Gillis’ alternate addresses are Elm Street, 3rd & Elm and 9th and Main. Episode No.70 "Dobie Plays Cupid" was the first time Maynard utters his trademark catchphrase “Work!”  Dwayne Hickman bleached his hair for the part but later in the series, he let his hair grow out brunette (his normal color) because he was tired of bleaching his hair (and scalp). On the Dobie Gillis show Bob Denver as Maynard called Dobie "Good Buddy." A few years later Denver starred as Gilligan on GILLIGAN'S ISLAND and his co-star Alan Hale, Jr. (aka "The Skipper") called Gilligan his "Good Buddy." Episode No. 36 Maynard shaves his goatee to impress a French girl. Episode No. 41 is the last time Mr. Gillis says "I gotta kill that boy!" During the opening episode of the 1960 season, Dobie performed the song "I'm a Lover, Not a Fighter." The song later appeared on his Capital Record LP album called  "Dobie" (1960). Ironically, Dobie got drafted into the Army in March of 1961. 

The series is based on short stories written by Max Shulman in the book The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1951) and the follow-up novel I Was a Teenage Dwarf (1959). The first book inspired the 1953 film The Affairs of Dobie Gillis starring Bobby Van. The original 1960s series, spawned two spinoffs Whatever Happened to Dobie Gillis (1978) and Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis (1988) in which Dobie had married Zelda and now had a sixteen-year old named Georgie. Connie Stevens played the role of Thalia in the second film whose title spoofed Sam Peckinpah's 1974 crime thriller Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia.

A number of the actors from the original series have passed away.

• Frank Faylan (Dobie's Dad) died August 2, 1985 of pneumonia and respiratory ailment problems. Besides the Dobie Gillis series, Faylan is best remembered as Ernie Bishop, the taxi driver in the holiday favorite film It's A Wonderful Life (1946). Faylan was born in St. Louis, Missouri on December 8, 1905.

• Florida Friebus (Dobie's Mom) died in May 27, 1988 from cancer at Laguna Niquel, California. She went on to play the role of Mrs. Lillian Bakerman, a member of a quirky therapy session counseled by Dr. Robert Hartley on THE BOB NEWHART SHOW/CBS/1972-78. Florida was born October 10, 1909.

• Doris Packer, who played the haughty, wealthy mother of Milton Armitage and later Chatsworth Osborne, Jr. died in 1979. Doris was born May 30, 1904 in Menominee, Michigan.

After his stint as Dobie Gillis, Dwayne Hickman worked as a CBS program executive for 10 years (handing such shows as ALL IN THE FAMILY, MAUDE, GOOD TIMES, DESIGNING WOMEN) and then directed TV series. Dwayne also did a few films including Beach pictures Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965); How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965); SKi Party (1965); as well as Cat Ballou (1965 - his personal favorite); TV-movie High School, USA (1983); and A Night at the Roxbury (1998). 

Dwayne's 1994 biography Forever Dobie: The Many Lives of Dwayne Hickman (co-written by his wife, Joan Roberts) chronicles his private life and acting career in both the Dobie Gillis series as well as an earlier series THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW/NBC/CBS/1955-59 when he played the nephew of Bob Collins, a  girl-chasing photographer (whose office assistant - Shultzy - pined for her boss much like Zelda did for Dobie). Dwayne Hickman was born May 18, 1934 in Los Angeles, California.

Currently, Dwayne lives in California and spends his time creating oil on canvas paintings that feature architectural elements (in his youth Dwayne aspired to be an architect, and his love of buildings is reflected in his artwork). For a list of galleries that represent Dwayne Hickman's original and limited edition canvas prints, check out his website ("Upcoming Events" section) at www.dwaynehickman.com.

In 2001, Dwayne played the role of Network Executive #1 in the TV-movie Surviving Gilligan's Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three Hour Tour in History. The film reunited Hickman with Bob Denver (aka Maynard) who starred in the maritime comedy series GILLIGAN'S ISLAND/CBS/ 1964-67. After Gilligan's Island, Denver starred in a couple of short-lived comedy series including GOOD GUYS/CBS/1968-70 and DUSTY'S TRIALS/SYN/1973-74. Born January 9, 1935 in New Rochelle, New York, Bob lived in West Virginia with his wife, Dreama and always found the time to make the rounds to TV-related fan gatherings until his death on September 2, 2005 following surgery complications for throat cancer. You can read more about at http://www.bobdenver.com/

Sheila James, who played Zelda Gilroy, became a pioneering civil rights attorney in real life.  In the 1997-98 session she was the first woman in California history to be named Speaker pro Tempore of that body. In the year 2000, she rose to the lofty heights of Senator Sheila James Kuehl as the first openly gay person elected to the California Legislature. She won reelection in 2004 in a landslide victory. Born February 9, 1941 in Tulsa Oklahoma, Sheila broke into television playing tomboy Jackie Erwin on the sitcom THE STU ERWIN SHOW/ABC/1950-55. While on the Dobie Gillis series Sheila (as Zelda) was the only intelligent female character on TV at the time.

Finally, an observation: What similar phrases do Dwayne Hickman, the children's program Romper Room and singer Frank Sinatra have in common?  The answer: "Dobie", "Do Bee" and "Do Be Do Be Do"