Chatsworth Osborne, Jr.
Chatsworth T. Osborne, Jr., is the millionaire dilettante in 35 of the 142 episodes of CBS's situation comedy series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. The character, played by Steve Franken, 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.
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, and Maynard G. Krebs, the beatnik role portrayed by Bob Denver.
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 speak eighteen languages including Mandarin Chinese.[1] Though a blueblood, he attends public school at his family's insistence to round out his personality.
Actress Doris Packer played his matronly mother, known as much for her distinct 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 refers to political commentator Tucker Carlson as Chatsworth T. Osborne, Jr., because of similarity in dress and bearing.
References
- ↑ "The Second Most Beautiful Girl in the World", 3 November 1961.