Any other fans of Max Shulman's Dobie Gillis stories?

[mac56]

Not the TV show, although that's also good. I'm talking about the stories, written by Max Shulman. (The series was loosely based on the books, and Shulman wrote most of the episodes too.) I realize these are somewhat obscure, but I really would like to know if anyone else knows of them.

(I tried to scare up images of the book covers, but they weren't the ones I remembered.)

The collections are "The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis" and "I Was A Teen-Age Dwarf." I discovered these books 40 years ago when I was in junior high. They rocked. My best friend and I would quote lines from the stories to each other, and laugh hysterically. Yeah, we were in junior high, but the humor was timeless. Recently I rediscovered them and was amazed at how well they hold up. Several of them border on brilliance ("Love Is A Fallacy" is often discussed in logic classes). Many of them could have been used as "Seinfeld" episodes.

I've since given copies to a few friends who have recently begun college. They're fans now too.

Max Shulman grew up in St. Paul and got his start at the University of Minnesota. That's where most of the stories are located.

So - any other Dobie fans out there?

[Dr Fate]

1. Is Maynard G. Krebbs in the books?

And if so, is the character just as great?

[mac56]

2. nope... Maynard was a character Shulman came up with for the series.

The stories were written in the 40s, slightly predating the beatniks.

But Shulman had a great knack for adapting his work for changing times.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

3. Rally Round the Flag, Boys, as well.

[mac56]

5. As I recall, a movie got made that starred Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.

Plus Dwayne Hickman (Dobie) and Tuesday Weld (Thalia Menninger)!

Shulman was equally prolific as a screenwriter.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

9. I love that movie

When Paul's character gets bored, like at some event chaired by the very civic involved Joanne character, he deals by "watching movies on the back of my eyelids." :rofl:
Glad to know I'm not alone

[enigmatic]

4. Huge fan

I've been making my way through a swath of 1940's-60's young adult books/stories from that period the last few years and the Dobie Gillis stories are one of my favorites.

[mac56]

6. Cool!

I knew I wasn't the only one!

[enigmatic]

7. I'm just about done w/ Clair Bee's Chip Hilton books

I found an entire set I lucked into from a Salvation Army thrift store a couple years ago and they've been a blast read...

[trof]

8. You might also like H. Allen Smith.

Although he predates Shulman by a bit, I think.
His "Great Chili Confrontation" tells the whole history of chili cookoffs, beginning with the very first one in Terlingua, Texas, circa 1957.

It's hilarious.
Here's what I posted about my personal experience in a chili cookoff on DU in 2006:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x4802266

See also "Low Man on the Totem Pole" and "Waikiki Beachnik".