"Dennis the Menace" is about a happy little (but trouble-prone) middle class boy named Dennis Mitchell. He would like to be helpful but his attempts always end in disasters. He bothers a lot of people, but mostly his neighbor George Wilson. Actor Joseph Kearns played George Wilson but died while the show was in production. Gale Gordon joined the show as John Wilson, George's brother. Viewers were told that George and his TV wife Martha were taking a long journey and that George's brother John would be living in and taking care of their house. The show ended in 1963 when North became too old (11 years) to play the part of Dennis.