I want to take my hat off to what I think is the greatest sidekick ever designed. Remember, the sidekicks main reason to exist is to give the hero someone to talk to so the readers, watchers, or listeners, know what the hero is thinking. Beyond that, they by default become stupid, and/or useless. Often both. This of course is to make the hero look like more of a hero. On a cop show, this can be done neatly by having the hero's boss never believe him and never support him. This make the hero look better and the boss just looks like what he is, a paper pusher. To often a sidekick will move the plot along by screwing up the hero. This can be done by... Dropping/breaking/losing a piece of needed equipment, bragging publicly about the hero's plan, Giving away their position by sneezing, dropping something, being too slow or making other unexpected noises. I remember being very angry watching some old western in which the hero and sidekick have gotten away, but are hiding as they have no guns. The sidekick suddenly has himself a huge belly laugh. Seemingly for no reason. He just busts up. My guess is that a previous scene was cut in which the bad guy said something funny. but with out that it looked totally stupid. When a sidekick is in a fight, he will lose, and if the sidekick is fighting along side the hero, the sidekick may accidentally hit the hero, or accidentally give the villain a weapon or other upper hand. The side kick will never get the girl, unless the sidekick is a girl, and then she might get the man at the end.

Overall, don't you hate these idiots that make you want to scream for the hero to "cut this loser loose and get on with his job?"

So... My vote for the world greatest side kick is...

Artemus Gordon from the "Wild, Wild, West". Artemus served many purposes on that show. He did give Jim West someone to think out loud to, but also...

He was the brains of the outfit. He provided good knowledge and clues in each episode.
He was a master of disguise and his disguises fooled almost everyone. HE was seldom exposed.
He was not the fighter Jim was, but he sometimes outfought a foe and often outwitted them.
Jim and Artie were often captured by dumb luck or bad luck, but almost never though bumbling. Artemus was not a bumbler.

So I salute you Artemus, and Ross Martin who played him the way a sidekick should be played.

Any other nominations for best sidekick of all times?

Tonto

Artemus is certainly a cool name.

If Artie can be sidekick to Jim,
then Jerry can be sidekick to Dean
and therefore tied with Ed Norton for
greatest sidekick ever.

Chewbacca's witty banter almost got him a nod.

Peter from Rustlers' Rhapsody does get a nod.
Town drunk converted to sidekick shows diversity.

I might have to give it to you with Ed Norton. While he often got Ralph into trouble, lets face it he was a brilliant character played by a brilliant actor.

Sorry Micheal, can't go with Tonto. His very name means "stupid", and he wasn't good for much more than the occasional "Ugh" or "Yes Kimosabe" and besides that, the actor who played him on the old radio show was an Irishman with a thick brogue.

Any of the women assisting Doctor Who. Especially Sarah Jane Smith and P. (I can't spell her first name) Brown.

Animated sidekicks;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfebIEJ4RkI

Dr. Watson has got to be on the list.

Barney Fife to Andy Taylor.

Gabby Hayes (sp?) to Roy Rogers.

99 to Maxwell Smart

Timmy to Lassie

Oliver Hardy to John Wayne in "The Fighting Kentuckian"

Gabby Hayes for hoppy
Fuzzy Q Jones for hoppy
Pat Butrum for Gene Autry
Pancho for the Cisco Kid

Walter Brennan in "To Have and Have Not"
"Was you ever bit by a dead bee?"

I like Kato.

I think it's probably appropriate to mention Bucky, Capt. America's sidekick. As of this morning, he is now the new Captain America! And he's armed to the teeth (that's old news to a lot of us, though).

Total agreement on the female Doctor who female side kicks...except maybe Melanie.
To me the best sidekick was the Green Hornet's Kato.

Mr. Green Jeans to Captain Kangaroo
Buffalo Bob to Howdy Doody
Clarabell to Buffalo Bob
Penny to Sky King
Frosty to Annie Oakley
Dale to Roy
Festus to Matt Dillon
Chester to Matt Dillon
Hope to Crosby (Crosby Version)
Crosby to Hope (Hope Version)
Niles to Frasier
Nora Charles to Nick Charles
Number one Son to Charlie Chan
Number two Son to Charlie Chan
The Robot to Dr. Smith
Gay to Harry Jr.
Nani to Mark
Trivett to Walker

Gracie Allen

I forgot about Kato!

Great list. I'm going to pick a one-shot from the movies, just because no one else is going to mention him. But he nailed that 'make the hero look better' thing. I think he deserved a 'Best Supporting Actor' nomination for this role.

Tom Arnold to Arnold Schwarzenegger in 'True Lies'.

Penfold has to be the greatest sidekick ever.