Maynard Gwalter Krebs is the "beatnik" sidekick of the title character in the U.S. televisionsitcomThe Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, which aired on CBS from 1959 to 1963. The Krebs character, portrayed by actorBob Denver, begins the series as a stereotypicalbeatnik, with a goatee, "hip" language, and a generally unkempt, bohemian appearance. He is always banging out a modern jazz beat with his hands, to music in his head, and he also plays jazz piano and bebop trumpet. His abhorrence of conventional social forms is signified by comical reactions to three words: "work", "marriage", and "police". For example, whenever the word "work" is mentioned, even in passing, he yelps "Work?!" and jumps with fear or even faints. He serves as a foil to the well-groomed, well-dressed, strait-laced Dobie, who also hates to work, and the contrast between the two friends provides much of the humor of the series. By the third season of Dobie Gillis, Maynard becomes less of the stereotypical beatnik and more a free soul who "does his own thing," as he might say—including collecting tinfoil or petrified frogs, seeing the old Endicott Building get torn down and going to see the movie The Monster That Devoured Cleveland, which perpetually ran at the Central City Bijou throughout the entire series run. In one episode, he invites Dobie to accompany him to a double-feature of the film and its sequel, Son of the Monster that Devoured Cleveland. Maynard may be described as the prototype of the late-1960s hippie. Many of the later episodes center around Maynard, with Dobie more of an observer, but always as narrator. The series lasted four years, but its popularity extended into the 1990s and 2000s as channels like Nick at Nite and Me-TV re-broadcast it for new generations. Maynard's middle name is Walter, named for his aunt. The "G" is silent, he would explain.
Reception
In 1999, TV Guide ranked Maynard G. Krebs number 22 on its '50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time' list.
In The Simpsons episode "Homer the Vigilante", Homer shouts, "Take that, Maynard G. Krebs!" as he imagined himself riding a hydrogen bomb after it was dropped from a plane to blow up beatniks in a scene that parodied Dr. Strangelove.
Krebs was also referenced in an episode of Family Guy, "Tales Of A Third Grade Nothing," as an insult by an out-of-touch Frank Sinatra, Jr. towards a young DJ at a nightclub.
The series inspired the creators of Scooby-Doo, whose four human characters were modeled from characters on the series, with Shaggy Rogers being inspired by Maynard.
Krebs appeared in the novelGilligan's Wake, where Gilligan believed himself to be Krebs.
Krebs is mentioned in a song called "Cobwebs" by the American singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III. In the song, Krebs is blamed for starting the vogue of using the word "like".
