We spent a lot of time together. Beaver became the first program to show a toilet on screen, but were only allowed to show the tank and handle. Mathers didnt end up pursuing a music career in the end. In another episode, he falls for a tennis playing "older woman" who uses him to make her estranged boyfriend jealous. She only began wearing heels as the two boys began growing, so she could better appear to tower over them, especially when dealing with their many misdeeds. When asked about his relationship with Dow, Mathers fondly recalled their relationship on set. From Quiz: Leave It To Beaver Americans have been in love with the idealistic Cleaver family for generations since. The star himself was cast as Theodore (Beaver) Cleaver at just eight years old. Bullies have always seemed to be around, and Frank Bank was the perfectly horrible bully on the show named "Lumpy." So many people, in fact, that TV Guide ranked Eddie Haskell as #2 in their list of TVs 10 Biggest Brats on its March 27, 2005 issue. She only began wearing heels as the two boys began growing, so she could better appear to tower over them, especially when dealing with their many misdeeds. In the first season of Leave It to Beaver, Wally is a thirteen-year-old in his final year (8th grade) at Grant Avenue Grammar School. 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", Actress Barbara Billingsley attends the opening of "Radio City Christmas Spectaculor" on December 11, 1998 at the Universal Ampitheater in Universal City, California | Photo: Getty Images. Mathers genuinely had a cub scout meeting to go to after his audition, which he was anxious to get too. Though show may have been more internally consistent than most TV programs in history, but the fictional Mayfields general location seemed to be in flux. The producers wanted someone who would look younger, so they cast Tony Dow as Wally instead. Low-key humor was the show's priority and the jokes were intended not to get big laughs. The pilot had no "canned" laughter in the background. There was a very specific reason producers found the young Jerry Mathers endearing when he showed up to audition for Beaver. On a whim, Tony decided to audition alongside his friend, and they filmed a pilot together, which never got off the ground. Wallace "Wally" Cleaver is a fictional character in the iconic American television sitcom Leave It to Beaver. Production was shifted to a different backlot, and other than their air time changing, the show otherwise remained the same. Menu. In a first-season episode, Mary Ellen cultivates Beaver's friendship in order to get to Wally, then maneuvers Wally into going to a dance against his will. Wally and Beaver may have been the center of the show, but the story certainly wouldnt have been the same without having Eddie Haskell in the mix. Jerry got a cut of the revenue from all those products, becoming the first child during the time to have had such an opportunity. June Cleaver had a different longer hairstyle and looked actually prettier with it. He would wear his Cub Scouts uniform to the several rounds of audition and tell everyone that he was anxious to get to his den. There was good reason the boys lives were so relatable to viewers. Fearing bad publicity should a well-loved child star be killed in action, he was told he wouldnt be deployed. He was otherwise an ordained minister with a degree in theology from University of Southern California. Trending. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. In a play taken straight from Beavers life, Mathers was shooting an episode where Beaver cares for a neighbors cat. Paul Sullivan, who initially portrayed Wally, was replaced by Tony Dow after going through a growth spurt following the filming of the pilot episode. After the show, Ken Osmond left the acting business in order to become a police officer for the Los Angeles Police Department. Paul Sullivan Jr. is known for The Natural (1984). Thereafter, he was cast as Clarence Rutherford in 101 episodes of . He was otherwise an ordained minister with a degree in theology from University of Southern California. The season four episode shows Beaver stuck inside a giant bowl of soup on a billboard after he went to see if there was real soup in there. It didnt stop because of poor ratings, though. 'The Vampire Diaries' Cast: Where Are the Actors of the Iconic Show Now? In 1980, Ken Osmond was shot three times during a foot chase while working for the LAPD. Dow portrays an adult Wally Cleaver in both the reunion telemovie, Still the Beaver (1983), and in the sequel series The New Leave It to Beaver (1985-1989). In the second season, Wally attends Mayfield High School, and remains there for the show's last five seasons, despite the fact that he should have graduated. The producers werent able to figure out a way for the show to go on without him, so they decided it would be best forLeave It To Beaver to go off the air. Jerry Mathers (who was cast as Theodore Beaver Cleaver) in 2007. Barbara Billingsley chose pearls as part of her regular costume because she had a small scar on her neck that she deemed unsightly for the cameras. He is an intelligent, polite teenager, who is trusted by his parents, popular with his peers, and liked by his teachers. Hugh Beaumont was contentious about the role of Ward Cleaver, but fans would likely agree that he fit it perfectly. [3] It was televised again in October 2007 as part of TV Land's 50th anniversary celebration of Leave It to Beaver. Some of that stems from the fact that Tony Dow himself was an accomplished athlete, even before he made it onto the show. | Source: Wikimedia Commons. Leave it to Beaver: Jerry Mathers Said Show Had to Move On from Original Wally Cleaver for One Reason. WhenLeave It To Beaver first debuted on CBS, strict censorship laws governed what could and couldnt be shown on TV. The episode cost a whopping $50,000 to film at the time. By the end of the show, however, Beaver was set to begin high school, while Wally was graduating, meaning the gap had reduced to only a four year difference. I'm happy to see it has survived television, child psychology and the inroads of progressive education. He's kind of goofy-looking but he wasn't as bad as I would have guess after I first saw him. Though there are four bedrooms in the Cleaver house, Wally and Beaver share a bedroom. Wally and Beaver want a new bicycle. He even directed a few episodes himself! Mathers didnt end up pursuing a music career in the end. The pearls would hide the scar from viewers, which made Billingsley more confident about her appearance. In another episode, however, Beaver mentions being only 30 miles from the beach. Wally - this was the weirdest and worst aspect of the pilot. Ward Cleaver: Oh, no, June, don't you dare think of such a thing. Though show may have been more internally consistent than most TV programs in history, but the fictional Mayfields general location seemed to be in flux. That episode was aired as the pilot episode almost 6 months before the main series debuted, but the main series was re-cast, and Showalter was replaced by Beaumont. The actress wore pearls to conceal the hollow in her neck. When considering the most iconic 1950s cool guy, most people think of Fonzy fromHappy Days before rememberingLeave It To Beaver. Tony Dow almost didnt make it into the acting business, but rather decided to tag along with a friend of his who was a lifeguard at one of the pools he swam in. The pilot was misplaced but was found and aired as the third season premiere for the 1980s revival series "The New Leave It to Beaver" on October 4, 1987, 30 years after the original series premiered on CBS. It was Tonys luck, however, that whenLeave It To Beaver realized they needed to recast Wally, they remembered him and gave him a call. This is because the actors portraying as her sons hit their growth spurt, and in order to maintain the height gap between the characters, Barbara began wearing heels. Ward Cleaver: Yeah. After his run as Haskell, Ken Osmond disappeared seemingly for a while, and rumors abounded. A follow-up series called "The New Leave It To Beaver" followed in 1983 which featured the original characters as the older generation. Instead, his son drove the family, but ended up in an accident on the way, which Hughs mother-in-law didnt survive. He spends school nights at home glued to his textbooks and scratching out essays in his composition tablet. Unlike his brother Beaver (who thinks girls are "creepy"), Wally is popular with the girls and has many girlfriends during the course of the series' run. She got married three times, and remained with her last husband, Dr. William S. Mortensen, until his death. There was good reason the boys lives were so relatable to viewers. Beaumonts mother-in-law was killed in the crash. Let's take a look at 15 "Leave It to Beaver" facts that fans might not know. In another episode, Wally takes cha-cha lessons to enter a dance contest with Mary Ellen. However, Tony Dow wasnt always a member of the fictional family. It just so happened that playing Ward Cleaver was the best way to do so. Tony Dow appeared in the series proper as Wally for all the episodes. This wasnt because cars lacked the technology for them, but rather because the glass of the windshield created a glare when filmed by the cameras. What Cooper had meant was that he behaved a lot like the character of Haskell as a child, not that he portrayed him. Leave It to Beaver is an iconic [1] American television situation comedy about an American family of the 1950s and early 1960s. However, the actor didn't quite follow through with his early career. Many of the scenarios that Beaver and Wally found themselves in throughout the show often seemed to hit very close to the concerns of other children and teenagers their age. Due to particular relationships around the world, some Accio Potterheads! Since then, the black and white show has gone down in history as one of the trailblazers for tv and film. After the show, Ken Osmond left the acting business in order to become a police officer for the Los Angeles Police Department. Left without their main star, the production team agreed the show would not be the same without him, so they decided to wrap it up. He didnt become a rockstar like his character wanted. The show was canceled after the first season. Thank goodness they made some major changes before the actual first season began because there were some actors who needed to be replaced. Wally Cleaver (Paul Sullivan) is the older son of Ward and June and the brother of Beaver. Good thing, too. These days, he enjoys sculpting every day. More than 60 years after Leave It To Beaver first began airing in 1957, it still maintains its place in the pantheon of great television. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. June Cleaver: All right, but we respected it last summer and they set fire to the attic! There was a very specific reason producers found the young Jerry Mathers endearing when he showed up to audition for Beaver. A few episodes deal with Wally's teen taste in hairstyles and clothing. Family matriarch June Cleaver was played by the gorgeous Barbara Billingsley. Fans looked for clues in every episode, but soon found out from the writers and producers that the show was set in Mayfield, a fictional town meant to represent the American ideal. In 1986, Mary Ellen gives birth to their second child, Kevin (who was age advanced to 4 years old in the fall of 1987 and played by Troy Davidson). Bank became a stockbroker and lived his life his own way before passing away in April 2017. Many associate June Cleavers classic pearls as the quintessential look for a 1950s housewife, but the truth is, that wasnt necessarily every mothers uniform. Wally also acts as a foil to the shenanigans of Eddie and Lumpy, but sometimes reluctantly goes along with them. When the purebred show cat was put in the tree for the scene, however, it was spooked by its surroundings and ran away. In fact, there was someone else who played little Beaver before Dow. She also did her best to keep her boys out of trouble. They've been collecting them all week. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories. Child actor Paul Sullivan, however, portrays the character in the series pilot, "It's a Small World", which aired in April 1957. Ward was originally portrayed by Max Showalter in the pilot episode, while Wally was played by Paul Sullivan. In the original Leave it to Beaver pilot, Wally was played by actor Paul Sullivan. Oh, who are we kidding, we don't need to summon you guys! Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. When the show aired its final episode,Leave It To Beaverbecame the first American program to have its own series finale! It was the first series to have a true finale. Instead, it became the house that was used for a number of other shows as well. After the directors decided to give the role to Dow, he would go on to be a permanent fixture on the show until its end. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. Even before Dow was cast, the producers were looking for someone athletic to fill the role, so Dow was a perfect fit. When the war broke out in Vietnam, Jerry Mathers, who played Beaver, wanted to enlist in the Marines. | Source: Wikimedia Commons. Unfortunately for Paul, he grew too much in the six month break before the show went to series. One of the most noticeable goofs on the show was the changing age gap between Wally and Beaver. As of September 2012 he was living and working in Topanga Canyon, CA, as a sculptor. Unlike most TV shows today, the pilot that was shot forLeave It To Beaver featured several different actors than the ones who would later become famous for the show. In 1983, CBS aired the reunion telemovie Still the Beaver starring Jerry Mathers. Off-screen, the actress enjoyed being a mom to two boys just like in the show. It was Tonys luck, however, that whenLeave It To Beaver realized they needed to recast Wally, they remembered him and gave him a call. June Cleaver: I think I'm going to ask them why they're collecting those things. Leave It to Beaver is a 1997 American comedy film based on the television series of the same name. Unfortunately, Sullivan wouldnt be able to reprise Wallys role in other episodes due to an inevitable growth spurt. In 1985, a sequel to the original series was produced called Still the Beaver, again starring Jerry Mathers and other original cast members. Surprisingly, the show ran for a total of four seasons, and included many of the original cast members real children as actors on the show. The original Wally was, like, 5 7 when we did the pilot, but he grew to about 65, and he was almost as big as Hugh, and thats when they went back and found Tony, Mathers said. This was the pilot episode of this television series. Wally's age permitted the writers to place him in dating situations with his school friends. The show's four main characters appeared in all 234 episodes of the show, and, in the opening sequence, were introduced in the following order: Read more about this topic: Leave It To Beaver Characters, I could live without acting. Acting is a gift Ive received. The Cleaver family from the television program "Leave it to Beaver." The Cleaver house that was shown on screen for most of the series is still standing in the Universal backlot. | Source: Wikimedia Commons. Other members of the original series cast, including Dow, reprised their roles. The series ends with Wally a high-school graduate preparing for State college and Beaver looking forward to entering Mayfield High. To that end, executives attempted to make a pop star out of Jerry Mathers in addition to being a TV star. Beaumont blamed himself and his work on the show for her death, because he wasnt there to drive the car instead of Hunter. Wally, on the other hand was in 8th grade, meaning there was a six year gap between the boys. When asked about any on set mishaps in his Fox News interview, Mathers had one very particular story that wasnt well known otherwise. It's been over five decades since the hit show "Leave It to Beaver" ended, but fans still remember the adventures of little Theodore who breathed life into the series. Hugh Beaumont wasnt content to simply act on the show. As Beaver grew into an awkward young teen, he sometimes took a back seat to his older brother Wally, a student in his final years of high school. From Quiz: 'Leave It To Beaver'- The Pilot Episode! Theres a lot of facts you might know. On the show, Wally was often portrayed as the successful older brother, who not only was smooth with the ladies, but was admired for his athletic prowess. "), such punishments never occur. He had been a Junior Olympian swimmer before he began acting. Like any other show,Leave it to Beaverhad to stop running. The original Wally Mathers is referring to is Paul Sullivan. UnlikeBeaver,Happy Days was filmed during the 1970s, even though it took place in the 1950s. When the purebred show cat was put in the tree for the scene, however, it was spooked by its surroundings and ran away. In the 1970s, a popular rumor circulated that Eddie Haskell, as played by Ken Osmond, was really Alice Cooper, the rock star. The Cleaver house that was shown on screen for most of the series is still standing in the Universal backlot. In a play taken straight from Beaver's life, Mathers was shooting an episode where Beaver cares for a neighbor's cat. After he was cast as Ward Cleaver, he had to get himself to California pronto, which meant flying. The town was Skokie, Illionis, but the footage wasnt taken for the show. Unlike most TV shows today, the pilot that was shot for Leave It To Beaver featured several different actors than the ones who would later become famous for the show. Some consider Mayfield to be in Wisconsin, because the town of Madison, as well as the Green Bay Packers, were mentioned. Some of that stems from the fact that Tony Dow himself was an accomplished athlete, even before he made it onto the show. Many episodes have a very brief "after school" scene in the kitchen between June and Wally. On the show, Wally was often portrayed as the successful older brother, who not only was smooth with the ladies, but was admired for his athletic prowess. "Leave It to Beaver" never made it to Nielsen's list of the top 30 shows of the time since there were a plethora of classic shows running at the time. Wally, on the other hand was in 8th grade, meaning there was a six year gap between the boys. However, Barbara Billingsley didnt wear heels at the start of the show. Leave It To Beaver had a curious effect on fashion trends of the era. Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver ( Jerry Mathers) is the younger son of Ward and June and the brother of Wally. In the originalLeave it to Beaverpilot, Wally was played by actorPaul Sullivan. 1961-1962 Leave It to Beaver TV Series Bill Scott Scott. Paul Sullivan is an actor, known for Over the Top (1987) and Bigger Stronger Faster* (2008). Osmond passed away in May 2020. One episode ofLeave it to Beaverwas actually censored by the Federal Communications Commission when it showed a toilet on screen. One of the most noticeable goofs on the show was the changing age gap between Wally and Beaver. Although it is not specified what Wally's exact specialties are, he did agree to be Beaver's attorney to fight for custody of his kids, but the plans changed when Beaver's ex-wife asked him to take the boys because the only vet school that will take her is in Italy. Wally serves as a bridge between Ward, June and Beaver. Matthers returned to television for a reunion, "Still the Beaver" in 1983, and appeared in a few episodes of the famous series, "Lassie." Penny has danced with college boys and thinks Wally dances just as smoothly as they do. While many people seek side jobs in order to support their acting dreams, Beaumont got into acting for the paycheck. At the time, no show had ever shown a bathroom, and the censorship authorities wanted to do more than just remove the scene from the show. Back home, his son, Hunter, drove his mom and grandmother to work one day and lost control of the car. One high-school friend who made five "romantic" appearances was Julie Foster. It would go on to enjoy a total of six seasons before it wrapped. Even after the show ended, fans hadn't had enough of the Cleaver family. Sneaky Frankie Bennett tells Beaver that he can win a new bicycle by entering a popular television show's Franklin Milk bottle-cap contest, but Beaver and big brother Wally cause quite a com Sneaky Frankie Bennett tells Beaver that he can win a new bicycle by entering a popular television show's Franklin Milk bottle-cap contest, but Beaver and big brother Wally cause quite a commotion at the milk company's office when no one there seems to know anything about a conte Sneaky Frankie Bennett tells Beaver that he can win a new bicycle by entering a popular television show's Franklin Milk bottle-cap contest, but Beaver and big brother Wally cause quite a commotion at the milk company's office when no one there seems to know anything about a contest after the boys show up to claim their prize, pulling a wagon loaded with a thousand bot See production, box office & company info. The Soviet Union announced that it had launched "Sputnik I" into space on October 4, 1963, the same day the show debuted. The ministry to which he was assigned happened to be extremely poor, so he needed to find another source of income. Sullivan would have been a household name for years to come. Wally and Beaver may have been the center of the show, but the story certainly wouldnt have been the same without having Eddie Haskell in the mix. Wally arrives home and finds his mother preparing dinner; he regales her with teenspeak banter about the day's events at school. Tony Dow, Barbara Billingsley and Jerry Mathers in a scene from "Leave it to Beaver." At other times, he clues the parents in on Beaver's activities, plans and feelings. Have you noticed while watching the show that the Cleavers car is missing the rear windshield? Wally is the "all-American" boy. Ward was originally portrayed by Max Showalter in the pilot episode, while Wally was played by Paul Sullivan. He left behind wife Kathryn Adam and their three children, Mark, Kristy, and Hunter. The series was so popular that a television movie "Still the Beaver" was made in 1983. The boys were often shown in the bathroom. Out was Sullivan and in was Dow. What is the broadcast (satellite or terrestrial TV) release date of It's a Small World (1957) in Australia? It was the first series to have a true finale. In this web exclusive, actor and artist Tony Dow, who beginning at age 12 starred as Wally Cleaver in the classic sitcom "Leave It to Beaver," explains to co. Brewster and Deacon would find roles in the series as Miss Canfield, Beaver's second grade teacher, and Fred Rutherford, Ward's co-worker and father of "Lumpy," Eddie Haskell's easily duped henchman/bully. A growth spurt. 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