Chatsworth T. Osborne, Jr.
Chatsworth T. Osborne, Jr., is the millionaire dilettante in 35 of the 142 episodes of the CBS television situation comedy, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. The character, played by Steve Franken (1932-2012) was introduced midway through the first season and returned as a recurring character in the second, third, and fourth seasons of the program, 1960-1963. Franken was twenty-eight when he began portraying Chatsworth, then a seventeen-year-old. Steve Franken was a second cousin of former U.S. Senator Al Franken of Minnesota.
Dobie Gillis producers limited Chatsworth's appearances to about once a month, for there was a fear that the popular character might dominate the series if he were cast weekly.
Chatsworth is depicted as a cousin of Milton Armitage, played by Warren Beatty, in the first season of the program, 1959-1960. Unlike Milton, who is dark and foreboding, Chatsworth is light-hearted, entertaining, and even sympathetic. He spars in a gentle way with the plebeians Dobie Gillis, played by Dwayne Hickman (born 1934), and Maynard G. Krebs, the beatnik role portrayed by Bob Denver (1935-2005).
Besides his great wealth, Chatsworth claims to have "one of the two highest I.Q.s ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere," has been "three times intercollegiate fencing champion, two times intercollegiate court tennis champion, three times intercollegiate archery champion ... winner of the North American Decency Trophy four years running," and speaks eighteen languages including Mandarin Chinese.[1] Though a blueblood, Chatsworth attended public school at his family's insistence to round out his personality. Doris Packer (1904-1979) played his matronly mother, known as much for her distinct erudite voice ("Oh, Chatsworth, you're such a nasty boy...") as for her imposing physical presence. Oddly enough, Packer had also played Clarice Armitage, Milton's mother, although there was never any mention of the two being twin sisters.
In the series, Chatsworth follows Dobie (who he refers to as "Dobie-do") and Maynard from high school to a stint in the United States Army to junior college.
Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh often humorously refers to Fox News political commentator Tucker Carlson as Chatsworth T. Osborne, Jr., because of similarity in dress and bearing.[2]
References
- ↑ The Second Most Beautiful Girl in the Worl on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Internet Movie Data Base (December 5, 1961). Retrieved on March 19, 2020.
- ↑ Chatsworth Osborne, Jr.'s theory on Obama's new Health and Human Services Secretary. The Rush Limbaugh Show (April 11, 2014). Retrieved on March 19, 2020.
