Other players in the show are Joseph Kearns as Dennis's neighbor George Wilson, Sylvia Field as George's wife Martha, and Gale Gordon as Mr. Wilson's brother John. George Wilson was a retired fussy sort of man who gardened, collected coins, did household fixit jobs, and watched birds. Many episodes were about Dennis making a mess of Mr. Wilson's hobbies. Dennis's comic strip dog Ruff was cut from the TV story, but Mr. Wilson was given a little dog named Fremont. Maud Prickett, Irene Tedrow, Dub Taylor, Mary Wickes, and other familiar 1950s TV faces showed up often as minor characters. Ron Howard appeared in several episodes as Dennnis' friend Stewart while also playing Opie Taylor on "The Andy Griffith Show".