HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Zelda K. Gilroy, portrayed by
Sheila Kuehl Sheila James Kuehl (born February 9, 1941) is an American politician and retired actress, who served as a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for the 3rd District from 2014 to 2022. Kuehl was California's first openly gay state ...
, is a character from the American
sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
''
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis ''The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis'' (also known as simply ''Dobie Gillis'' or ''Max Shulmans Dobie Gillis'' in later seasons and in syndication) is an American sitcom starring Dwayne Hickman that aired on CBS from September 29, 1959, to June 5, 1 ...
'', which originally aired on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
from 1959 to 1963. A teenage girl who was bright in academics and excelled in athletics, Zelda was smitten with the handsome, clean-cut teenager Dobie Gillis, played by
Dwayne Hickman Dwayne Bernard Hickman (May 18, 1934 – January 9, 2022) was an American actor and television executive, producer and director, who worked as an executive at CBS and had also briefly recorded as a vocalist. Hickman portrayed Chuck MacDonald, B ...
, who had his romantic sights set on more popular girls. Most of these, however, shunned him for various reasons. Zelda was always there for Dobie and his friend Maynard G. Krebs, portrayed by
Bob Denver Robert Osbourne Denver (January 9, 1935 – September 2, 2005) was an American comedic actor who portrayed beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the 1959–1963 series '' The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis'' and Gilligan on the 1964–1967 television serie ...
.


History

The character originated not on television, but in "Love is a Science", a Dobie Gillis short story written by humorist
Max Shulman Maximilian Shulman (March 14, 1919 – August 28, 1988) was an American writer and humorist best known for his television and short story character Dobie Gillis, as well as for best-selling novels. Biography Early life and career Shulman was b ...
and included in his 1959 Dobie Gillis short-story collection ''I Was a Teenage Dwarf''. "Love is a Science" was one of several of the Shulman short stories adapted by the author for the ''Dobie Gillis'' television program. Originally intended to play Zelda as a one-shot in the TV adaptation of "Love is a Science" on ''Dobie Gillis'' in 1959, Sheila Kuehl was upped to recurring and then semi-regular by the show's second season, and continued to appear throughout the run of the program. Zelda especially irritated Dobie by wrinkling her nose at him. He always wrinkled back; he claimed it was a reflex action (often admonishing her "Now cut that out!"), while she took it as proof that he loved her but did not realize it yet. Zelda assured Dobie that he would eventually come to realize his love for her through the influence of "
propinquity In social psychology, propinquity (; from Latin ''propinquitas'', "nearness") is one of the main factors leading to interpersonal attraction. It refers to the physical or psychological proximity between people. Propinquity can mean physical proxi ...
": because he was Gillis and she was Gilroy, they were always going to be seated together through high school and college and would eventually fall in love. The Zelda character became popular enough to warrant a spinoff pilot, titled ''Zelda'', produced in late 1961 for consideration for the 1962–1963 television season. Despite early enthusiasm for the show at CBS, the network eventually decided to pass on it. Hickman, Dwayne with Hickman, Joan Roberts (1994). ''Forever Dobie: The Many Lives of Dwayne Hickman''. Secaucus, New Jersey:, Carol Publishing Corporation. Pgs. 104–159 Sheila Kuehl, at the time a closeted
lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...
and later an openly gay politician in
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, later recalled that ''Dobie Gillis'' and ''Zelda'' producer/director
Rod Amateau Rodney Amateau (December 20, 1923 – June 29, 2003) was an American film and television screenwriter, director, and producer. Career Among the programs that he directed were '' The Dennis Day Show'', ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', ...
told her one day that CBS executive James T. Aubrey had found the Zelda character "too butch".Shostak, Stu (07-17-2013).
Interview with Sheila James Kuehl
. ''Stu's Show.'' Retrieved 07-25-2013.
Although Dobie was romantically uninterested in Zelda in the series, in two later ''Dobie Gillis'' reunion productions, he was depicted as having married Zelda. In the 1977 TV pilot ''Whatever Happened to Dobie Gillis?'', the now middle-aged Dobie and Zelda are seen running the Gillis family's grocery store with the help of Dobie's father Herbert, while the 1988 TV movie ''Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis'' showed just Dobie and Zelda running the store. In both productions, the two had a teenaged son named Georgie (played by
Steven Paul Steven Paul (born May 16, 1959) is an American independent filmmaker, actor, and talent manager. He is the chairman, founder and CEO of Crystal Sky Pictures. Life and career Paul was born in New York City. His mother, Dorothy Koster Paul, was ...
in 1977 and
Scott Grimes Scott Christopher Grimes (born July 9, 1971) is an American actor and singer. Some of his most prominent roles include appearances in the TV series '' ER'' as Dr. Archie Morris, ''Party of Five'' as Will McCorkle, '' Band of Brothers'' as Technic ...
in 1988), who was much like Dobie was at his age. In 1969, Zelda was used as the main source of inspiration for the character of
Velma Dinkley Velma Dinkley is a fictional character in the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise. She is usually seen wearing a baggy orange turtleneck sweater, a short red pleated skirt, knee high socks, Mary Jane shoes, and a pair of black square glasses, which she ...
from the show ''
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'' is an American animated comedy television series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and produced by Hanna-Barbera for CBS. The series premiered as part of the network's Saturday morning cartoon schedule on Septem ...
'', whose main cast was modeled on various ''Dobie Gillis'' characters.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilroy, Zelda Television characters introduced in 1959 The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis characters Teenage characters in television Fictional American people American female characters in sitcoms