on this day, 65 years ago, the 17th episode of the many loves of dobie gillis aired on cbs at 8:30pm. the episode, titled "the hunger strike", contains the first appearance of the character known as chatsworth osborne jr. originally intended to be milton armitage's replacement, he would eventually develop into the colorful, flamboyant playboy we all know and love. approximately 59 years after this debut, i would discover this show and eventually chatsworth himself.
never in a million years would i have imagined the tremendous impact this character or television series would have on me. i discovered this show during the second worst period of my life. i was 14 years old. i was full of uncertainty and severe, debilitating anxiety. i was in and out of legal troubles with my school (truancy). i was even taken away from my mother's custody (as punishment for truancy. she's a wonderful woman /genuine). i was a living wreck, and i hated myself every single day. i was deep into scooby-doo in this period, and in my quest for knowledge, i learn scooby's origins. the love child between the radio drama i love a mystery and, of course, dobie gillis.
i was in 9th grade. i was sent to a smaller alternative school due to a mental breakdown i had at our town's main high school. i was in a class called "rebound". basically it was there to help troubled teens like me and offered educational help and dropout prevention. it was the second period of the day. i don't remember if i finished my work at this point, or if i just wanted to multi-task, but at some point i decided to check dobie out. the first episode is legally free on youtube (it hadn't been blocked yet). so i watched it. it was quaint, kinda funny. as i watched, i imagined everyone as their scooby counterpart. and i believe that's what kept me going through the show.
i don't know which episode exactly made me love the show. many of the first season's episodes are standout and hilarious. and watching it with my mom (who's also never seen it before) definitely added to the experience. we both laughed our asses off and had our own little in-jokes. but i can say for certain which episode made me fall in love with chatsworth.
for years i never said which one it was. i always found it embarrassing to be frank (the reason, not the episode). but i don't care anymore! the episode was "soup and fish", the 30th episode of the show. i had always had a fixation on chatsworth, but this one truly made me fall head over heels. this is the episode where chatsworth was shifting to his own original character instead of "milton 2" (i think the true shift happened two episodes later, in "put your feet in our hands"). in "soup and fish", dobie and maynard are invited to a fancy soiree, but it's black tie and they can't afford one dickey, let alone two full tuxedos. that's where chatsworth comes in. the three eventually agree to share chatsworth's tuxedo (or "dinner jacket" as he calls it), taking shifts.
i'll pause the synopsis here because i don't wish to spoil the episode and the rest is irrelevant. now here's the hard part... confessing the reason. seeing chatsworth in his undergarments (tank, shorts, and garters) rewired my brain. as dumb as it sounds, he made me gay. prior to this, i was very confused about who i liked. i identified as polysexual at this time, and before that i was demi-bisexual. but chatsworth rewired my brain so much it removed any ounce of heterosexuality i had (although truly i don't think i ever had it).
and, well, the rest is history. if you've known me since the beginning (wow!) you would've remembered when i went by rudy. which... i don't feel like getting into. point is, chatsworth had a very positive impact on my mental health at large. i think him, maynard, dobie gillis as a whole, and zoloft saved my life. for that, i thank them every day.
i wish i could've spoke to steve franken, to tell him how much his role truly meant to me. but sadly, he passed away within a week of my uncle passing. i was almost 9. sometimes i do dream about steve (when he was older). we just talk, i ask him questions, and we just genuinely have a pleasant experience. i know it's not really him and it's just my subconscious... but those dreams give me great comfort. steve truly seemed like a swell guy, and it's sad he never truly got the recognition he deserved. it's hard to think of what could've been if the stars didn't align how they did. if dobie was played by ronnie burns instead of dwayne hickman, or if warren beatty decided to keep playing milton. but, i shall end that thought here.
chatsworth, i love you. you are truly the best thing to have ever come out of that awful period in my life. i love being your spouse and your lover. if i could, i'd kiss you a million times right here and now. i love you so, so dearly. thank you for existing.
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