Dennis Joel

Dennis Joel (born Dennis Joel Olivieri, August 29, 1947 - September 27, 2006)^[1][2] was an American child actor and singer.

Dennis Joel
Richard Miles, Joel and Betty Hutton on The Betty Hutton Show.
Born	Dennis Joel Olivieri (1947-08-29)August 29, 1947 Garfield, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	September 27, 2006(2006-09-27) (aged 59)
Other names	Dennis Olivieri
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1952–1980

Early years

The son of Mr. and Mrs. Alphonse Olivieri of Garfield, New Jersey, Joel attended Our Lady of Mount Virgin School before he moved to California with his mother and older brother.^[3] Beginning at age 5, he worked as a model for the Walter Thornton Agency.^[4] He began performing when at age 8 he sang a radio jingle for the local Yoo-hoo beverage company owned by his father.^[1]

Career

On Broadway, Joel went from being an understudy^[3] to portraying Patrick Dennis as a boy in Auntie Mame (1956).^[5] He continued in that role in a road company production and a West Coast production.^[1]

On television, Joel played Roy Strickland on The Betty Hutton Show, a situation comedy on CBS.^[1] He also appeared on Walt Disney Presents^[6] and The DuPont Show with June Allyson^[7] and did commercials on local TV.^[8] Billed as Dennis Olivieri, he portrayed Stanley on The New People^[9] and appeared in the made-for-TV film The Whole World Is Waiting.^[10] Joel starred in the S5 E37 "Long Distance Call" episode of Leave It To Beaver. Ray Montgomery played his News Paper editor father.

His work in films included playing Ajax in Toby Tyler (1960).^[11]

Joel's personal appearances included co-starring with Hutton in a variety show that ran for 10 weeks at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas.^[12] He made three 45 rpm recordings on the Tape label and recorded one album on the VMC label.^[13]

References

1. Brullo, Ida (February 13, 1960). "Dennis Joel Rising Fast in Show Biz". The Morning Call. New Jersey, Paterson. p. 19. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
2. "Dennis J Olivieri". Retrieved April 30, 2021.
3. "Garfield Boy Makes Debut In TV Series". The Herald-News. New Jersey, Passaic. October 1, 1959. p. 30. Retrieved 21 July 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Del Greco, Al (May 31, 1958). "Auntie Mame Is Tops With Dennis". The Record. New Jersey, Hackensack. p. 34. Retrieved 21 July 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "("Dennis Joel" search results)". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on 21 July 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
6. "Dennis Joel Gets Part on Disney TV Offering". The Herald-News. New Jersey, Passaic. November 16, 1950. p. 112. Retrieved 21 July 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Dennis Joel Booked on June Allyson Show". The Herald-News. New Jersey, Passaic. February 3, 1961. p. 40. Retrieved 21 July 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Young Garfield Actor Finds Broadway No Different World". The Herald-News. New Jersey, Passaic. May 16, 1958. p. 37. Retrieved 21 July 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 757. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
10. Scheuer, Steven H. (November 21, 1969). "TV Key Mailbag". The Shreveport Journal. Louisiana, Shreveport. p. 38. Retrieved January 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "The Screen: 'Toby Tyler': Disney Film Opens at Neighborhood Houses". The New York Times. April 20, 1960. p. 45. ProQuest 115005564. Retrieved January 13, 2021 – via ProQuest.
12. "Garfield's Dennis Olivieri Makes Film for Walt Disney". The Herald-News. New Jersey, Passaic. July 25, 1960. p. 59. Retrieved 21 July 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Leszczak, Bob (2015). From Small Screen to Vinyl: A Guide to Television Stars Who Made Records, 1950-2000. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 165. ISBN 9781442242746. Retrieved 21 July 2019.