I’m so glad we have pinned this down. I whiffed on the beatnik Maynard G. Krebs, as rightly pointed out by MANY readers and listeners, because I never watched Dobie Gillis. It was shown on Nick at Nite 20-30 years ago, but I was instantly revolted by two characters: Maynard Krebs the beatnik, and “Zelda”, who was obviously a lesbian, which the actress fully admits – that she was already, as a teenager, engaging in sodomitical acts with other girls while appearing on Dobie Gillis. She was rightly thrown out of the sorority she joined at UCLA for lesbianism. So I never watched it.

Dobie Gillis debuted on teevee in ARSH 1959, and the so-called Beat Generation began ten to fifteen years earlier in the late 40’s-early 50’s with Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs as a rebellion against traditional Christian society, which it derided as “square”. The beatniks were the forerunners of the hippies. Need one say more? 🤢🤢🤢🤮

Another eagle-eyed reader theorizes that Scooby-Doo is a parody of Dobie Gillis. Dobie is Fred, Zelda is Velma, Thalia is Daphne, Maynard is Shaggy. Seems spot-on to me.