Leave It to Beaver
Season-one title screen
Also known as	Beaver
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Joe Connelly Bob Mosher
Starring	Barbara Billingsley Hugh Beaumont Tony Dow Jerry Mathers
Theme music composer	David Kahn Melvyn Leonard Mort Greene
Opening theme	"The Toy Parade"
Composer(s)	Pete Rugolo
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. Robert "Bob" Mosher ( January 18, 1915 - December 15, 1972) was a Television and Radio scriptwriter born in Barbara Billingsley (born December 22, 1915) is an American film television and character actress, who in her five decades of television Eugene Hugh Beaumont ( February 16, 1909 — May 14, 1982) was an American Actor and Television director WikipediaPersondata --> Anthony "Tony" Lee Dow (born April 13, 1945 in Hollywood, California) is WikipediaPersondata --> Jerry Mathers (born June 2, 1948 in Sioux City Iowa) is an American television film The United States of America —commonly referred to as the English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States of seasons	6
No.  of episodes	234 (excluding pilot) (List of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)	Joe Connelly Bob Mosher
Location(s)	Republic Studios Universal Studios Los Angeles, California
Running time	approx. The following is a list of Leave It to Beaver episodes. Leave It to Beaver was created by Amos 'n' Andy writers Joe Connelly Republic Pictures (also known as Republic Entertainment Inc) is an independent film television and video distribution company that was originally a movie production-distribution Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West 25 minutes (without ads) 30 minutes (with ads)
Broadcast
Original channel	CBS (season 1, 1957-1958) ABC (seasons 2-6, 1958-1963)
Picture format	Black-and-white Full screen 35mm film Cinematographic process: Spherical Aspect ratio: 1. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. 33 : 1
Audio format	Monaural sound
Original run	October 4, 1957 – June 20, 1963
Chronology
Related shows	Still the Beaver (reunion telemovie, 1983) The New Leave It to Beaver (sequel series, 1985-1989) Leave It to Beaver (feature film, 1997)
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Leave It to Beaver is a 1950s and 1960s family-oriented American television situation comedy about an intelligent but naïve boy named Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver and his adventures at home, in school, and around his suburban neighborhood. Monaural (often shortened to mono) sound reproduction is single-channel Events 610 - Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) Events 451 - Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius ' defeats Attila the Hun. Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The New Leave It to Beaver (also known as Still the Beaver) is a 1985 American sitcom Sequel to the 1950s and '60s series The New Leave It to Beaver (also known as Still the Beaver) is a 1985 American sitcom Sequel to the 1950s and '60s series Leave It to Beaver is a 1997 film that is a remake of the classic TV series of the same name. The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Theodore " Beaver " Cleaver is the Fictional Title character in the American Television series Leave South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California. The show has attained an iconic status in the United States, with the Cleavers exemplifying the idealized suburban family of the mid-twentieth century. A cultural icon can be an Image, a Symbol, a Logo, Picture, Name, Face, Person, or Building The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

One of the first primetime sitcom series filmed from a child's point-of-view, the show was created by Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher, two radio and early television writers, who found inspiration for the show's characters, plots, and dialogue in the lives, experiences, and conversations of their own children. Prime Time is the major News analysis current affairs and Politics programme broadcast on Radio Telefís Éireann in Ireland Robert "Bob" Mosher ( January 18, 1915 - December 15, 1972) was a Television and Radio scriptwriter born in Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. Like several television dramas and sitcoms of the late fifties and early sixties (Lassie and My Three Sons, for example), Leave It to Beaver is a glimpse at middle class American boyhood. Lassie is an Emmy Award -winning American Television series that follows the adventures of a female rough collie named Lassie My Three Sons is a Situation comedy about a Scots/Irish-American family (Douglas/ O'Casey that ran from September 29, 1960, to August The middle class, in colloquial usage consists of those who have some economic independence but not a great deal of social Influence or power. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the BOY is a Canadian Indie pop band The band consists of vocalist and general instrumentalist Stephen Kozmeniuk, drummer Maurie Kaufmann, A typical episode features Beaver getting into some sort of trouble and facing his parents for reprimand and correction.

Comprising six thirty-nine-week seasons and 234 episodes, the show debuted on CBS on October 4, 1957, moved to ABC the following year, and completed its first run on June 20, 1963. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Events 610 - Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. Events 451 - Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius ' defeats Attila the Hun. Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Though the show spanned the period in television history when filming was transitioning from black-and-white to color, the series was a single-camera, full-screen production filmed entirely in black-and-white on 35mm film. 35 mm film is the basic Film gauge most commonly used for both still Photography and Motion pictures, and remains relatively unchanged since its ^[1]The show's production companies included Gomalco Productions (1957-1961) and Kayro Productions (1961-1963) with filming at Revue Studios/Republic Studios and Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California. Universal Media Studios ( UMS, formerly NBC Universal Television Studio is the TV production arm of the NBC Universal Television Group. Republic Pictures (also known as Republic Entertainment Inc) is an independent film television and video distribution company that was originally a movie production-distribution Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The show was distributed by MCA Television. Universal Media Studios ( UMS, formerly NBC Universal Television Studio is the TV production arm of the NBC Universal Television Group.

Contemporary commentators were favorable to Leave It to Beaver, with Variety comparing Beaver to Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer. Variety is a weekly entertainment trade newspaper founded in New York in 1905 by Sime Silverman Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30 1835 – April 21 1910 better known by the Pen name Mark Twain, was an American Humorist, satirist The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain, is a popular 1876 Novel about a young boy growing up in the Antebellum South ^[2] A moderate amount of juvenile merchandise was published during the show's first-run including board games, novels, and comic books. A board game is a Game in which counters or pieces that are placed on removed from or moved across a "board" (a premarked surface usually specific to that game A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative The show has enjoyed a renaissance in popularity since the 1970s through off-network syndication, a reunion telemovie, Still the Beaver (1983), and a sequel series The New Leave It to Beaver (1985-89). In Broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast Radio shows and Television shows to multiple individual stations without going through The New Leave It to Beaver (also known as Still the Beaver) is a 1985 American sitcom Sequel to the 1950s and '60s series The New Leave It to Beaver (also known as Still the Beaver) is a 1985 American sitcom Sequel to the 1950s and '60s series In 1997, a movie version based on the original series was released to moderate acclaim, and, in October 2007, TV Land celebrated the show's 50th anniversary with a marathon. Leave It to Beaver is a 1997 film that is a remake of the classic TV series of the same name. TV Land (originally Nick at Nite's TV Land) is an American Cable television network launched April 29, 1996. Although the show never broke into the Nielsen Ratings top-30 nor won any awards, it placed on TIME magazine's unranked 2007 list of "The 100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME. Nielsen Ratings are audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research to determine the Audience size and composition of television Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and "^[3]

Contents 1 Production 1.1 Concept, pilot, and premiere 1.2 Sponsors and budget 1.3 Characters and casting 1.4 Writers and directors 1.5 Filming 1.6 Opening and closing sequences 1.7 Music 1.8 Settings 1.8.1 Time setting 1.8.2 Place setting 1.8.2.1 Mapleton Drive house 1.8.2.2 Pine Street house 2 The Leave It to Beaver universe 2.1 Format and content 2.2 Themes 2.3 Signature show elements 2.3.1 Slang 2.3.2 Punishment 2.3.3 Beaver's speech habits 2.3.4 Cleanliness 2.3.5 Bathrooms 2.3.6 Beaver's misogyny 3 Frequently asked questions 3.1 Where is Mayfield located? 3.2 What is Ward's profession? 3.3 How did Beaver get his name? 3.4 Does Wally repeat a grade? 4 Cancellation and subsequent developments 4.1 Last episode 4.2 Cast appearances on Lassie 4.3 Reunion telemovie (1983) 4.4 Sequel series (1985-1989) 5 Media information 5.1 Broadcast history 5.2 Marketing and merchandise 5.2.1 Books 5.2.2 Dell comic books 5.2.3 Hasbro board games 5.3 Feature film adaptation 5.4 DVD release 6 Reception 6.1 Ratings 6.2 Critical reviews 6.3 Awards and nominations 7 References

Production

Concept, pilot, and premiere

In 1957, radio, film, and television writers Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher developed a concept for a TV show about childhood and family life featuring a fictional suburban couple and their children. Unlike The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, Father Knows Best, and other sitcoms and domestic comedies of the era, the show would not focus upon the parents, but rather upon their children, with the series being told from the kids' point-of-view. The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet was a long-running American Television series, airing on ABC from October 3, Father Knows Best was an American radio and television Sitcom of the 1950s and 1960s portrayed an idealized vision of Middle class ^[4] Working titles during the show's gestation period included It's a Small World^[1] and Wally and the Beaver. "It's a Small World" is the pilot episode from the Iconic American Television series Leave It to Beaver (1957&ndash1963 The pilot aired April 23, 1957 as It's a Small World on anthology series Heinz Studio 57. Events 215 BC - A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) ^[2]

Pilot stars Casey Adams and Paul Sullivan (as father and son Ward and Wally Cleaver) were replaced as series production neared, and, six months after the pilot's broadcast, the series proper debuted on CBS Friday October 4, 1957 as Leave It to Beaver with the episode third in production order, "Beaver Gets 'Spelled". WikipediaPersondata --> Jerry Mathers (born June 2, 1948 in Sioux City Iowa) is an American television film Max Showalter ( June 2, 1917 - July 30, 2000) was an American Film, Television and stage CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Events 610 - Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) "Beaver Gets 'Spelled" is the premiere episode of the Iconic American Television series Leave It to Beaver (1957-1963 ^[5][2] The intended premiere "Captain Jack"^[6] displayed a toilet (which didn't pass the censor's office in time for the show's scheduled debut) and aired the week following the premiere. A toilet is a Plumbing fixture and disposal system primarily intended for the disposal of the bodily wastes: Urine and fecal matter. Censorship is the suppression of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable harmful or sensitive as determined by a censor "Captain Jack" has claimed its place in television history as the first TV show to display a toilet. ^[2]

Sponsors and budget

Remington Rand was a potential sponsor during the show's conception period, and counselled against the show's suggested title, Wally and the Beaver, believing viewers would think the show was a nature program. Remington Rand (1927–1955 was an early American Computer manufacturer best known as the original maker of the UNIVAC I, and now part of Unisys The show was ultimately sponsored by Ralston Purina, makers of Purina Dog Chow, with General Electric and Chrysler Corporation coming on board in the later seasons (Ward Cleaver was seen driving a Plymouth Fury during the opening credits in the final season). Nestlé Purina PetCare is the Pet food division of Swiss based Nestlé, following a merger in December 12 2001 between the Nestlé's Friskies Chrysler LLC is an American Automobile manufacturer that has been producing Automobiles since 1925 The Plymouth Fury was an automobile made by the Plymouth division of the Chrysler Corporation from 1956 to 1978 ^[2]

Episodes were budgeted at $30,000 to $40,000 each ($221,316 to $295,088 in 2007 terms), making the show one of the most expensive of its kind during its years of production. High costs were incurred with the show's many outdoor scenes. The most expensive single episode, "In the Soup",^[7] was budgeted at $50,000. Two billboards were built for the episode: one, outside on the backlot, and, the other, inside the studio. ^[2]

Characters and casting

Casting directors interviewed hundreds of child actors for the role of "Beaver" but kept calling back Jerry Mathers, an eight-year-old with substantial acting experience. Theodore " Beaver " Cleaver is the Fictional Title character in the American Television series Leave WikipediaPersondata --> Jerry Mathers (born June 2, 1948 in Sioux City Iowa) is an American television film At one of many auditions, Mathers wore his Cub Scout uniform and told casting personnel he was anxious to leave for his den meeting. A Cub Scout is a member of the section of the worldwide Scouting movement for young persons mainly boys normally aged 8–10 Connelly and Mosher were charmed with Mather's innocent candor and cast him in the title role. ^[8] Barbara Billingsley, an actress with experience in several B-movies and one failed television series (Professional Father), was then hired to play Beaver's mother, June Cleaver. Barbara Billingsley (born December 22, 1915) is an American film television and character actress, who in her five decades of television June Evelyn Bronson Cleaver is a Fictional character in the American Television sitcom Leave It to Beaver. ^[2] Young teen Tony Dow accompanied a friend auditioning for Johnny Wildlife to the studio, and, although Dow had no aspirations to an acting career, tried out for the role of Beaver's brother Wally Cleaver and was hired. WikipediaPersondata --> Anthony "Tony" Lee Dow (born April 13, 1945 in Hollywood, California) is Wallace "Wally" Cleaver is a Fictional character in the Iconic American Television sitcom Leave It to Beaver After several adult candidates for the role of Beaver's father Ward Cleaver read with Mathers, Hugh Beaumont, a Methodist lay minister who had worked with Mathers in a religious film, was signed as the show's patriarch. Ward Cleaver is a Fictional character in the American Television sitcom Leave It to Beaver. Eugene Hugh Beaumont ( February 16, 1909 — May 14, 1982) was an American Actor and Television director Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a Pater familias over an extended family ^[1]

Recurring characters included Larry Mondello (played by Rusty Stevens), Whitey Whitney (Stanley Fafara), Gilbert Bates (Stephen Talbot), Judy Hensler (Jeri Weil), Eddie Haskell (Ken Osmond), "Lumpy" Rutherford (Frank Bank), and Mary Ellen Rogers (Pamela Baird). Leave It to Beaver is a 1950s and 1960s family-oriented American Television Situation comedy about an inquisitive Robert " Rusty " Stevens (born November 25, 1948) is an American former Child actor. Stanley Albert Fafara ( September 20 1949 — September 20 2003) was an American Actor, best known for his role as Stephen Henderson Talbot (born February 28, 1949, in Los Angeles California) is an American award-winning TV Reporter, Leave It to Beaver is a 1950s and 1960s family-oriented American Television Situation comedy about an inquisitive Jeri Warner Weil (born May 15 1948, in California) is an American former Actress, best known for her role as Judy Hensler This article is about Eddie Haskell the fictional character For the philosopher see Edward Haskell Edward Clark " Eddie Kenneth Osmond (born June 7, 1943) is an American Actor known for his role of Eddie Haskell on the original Leave It to Beaver Frank Bank (born April 12, 1942) is an American former Actor, particularly known for his role as Clarence 'Lumpy' Rutherford on the Pamela Baird (also credited as Pamela Beaird and Pamela Beard) is an American former actress best-known for her role as "Mary Ellen Rogers" the Burt Mustin played elderly fireman Gus, Richard Deacon played Ward's co-worker Fred Rutherford, and Sue Randall played schoolteacher Miss Landers. Burton Hill Mustin ( February 8, 1884 — January 28, 1977) was an American Character actor born in Pittsburgh Richard Deacon ( May 14, 1921 – August 8, 1984) born in Philadelphia, was an American television and motion picture actor Marion Burnside Randall, who acted under the name Sue Randall, ( October 8 1935 — October 26 1984) was an American

Main article: Leave It to Beaver characters and cast

Main article: List of Leave It to Beaver cast members

Writers and directors

The show's chief writers, Bob Mosher and Joe Connelly, met while working in New York City for the J. Walter Thompson Agency. The following is a list of actors who appeared in the original American television series Leave It to Beaver, alongside the character(s they played The City of New York JWT is the current name of the United States largest and world's fourth largest Advertising agency. Once in Hollywood, the men became head writers for the radio show, Amos 'n' Andy and continued to write the well-received show when it moved to CBS television in 1950. Amos 'n' Andy was a situation comedy based on Stereotypes of African-Americans and popular in the United States from the 1920s through the 1950s Although both men initially wrote all the scripts for earlier episodes of Leave It to Beaver, after becoming executive producers, they began accepting scripts from other writers, refining them if necessary. Motion Pictures An executive producer of a Motion picture is typically a producer who is sometimes involved in creative or technical aspects of production ^[2]

With Mosher the father of two children and Connelly six, the two men had enough source material and inspiration for the show's dialogue and plot lines. Connelly's eight-year-old son, Ricky, served as the model for Beaver and his fourteen-year-old son, Jay, for Wally while Eddie Haskell and Larry Mondello were based on friends of the Connelly boys. Connelly often took the boys on outings while carrying a notebook to record their conversations and activities. ^[2]

Other writers who contributed to the show were Bill Manhoff, Mel Diamond, Dale and Katherine Eunson, Ben Gershman, George Tibbles, Fran van Hartesvelt, Bob Ross, Alan Manings, Mathilde and Theodore Ferro, and the team of Dick Conway and Roland MacLane, who wrote many of the shows for the last two seasons. ^[1] Connelly told an interviewer, "If we hire a writer we tell him not to make up situations but to look into his own background. It's not a 'situation' comedy where you have to create a situation for a particular effect. Our emphasis is on a natural story line. "^[1]

Connelly and Mosher worked to create humorous characters in simple situations, rather than relying on contrived, set-up jokes. The two often adapted real-life situations in the lives of their children. "The Haircut", for example, was directly based on an incident involving Bobby Mosher, who was forced to wear a stocking cap in a school play after giving himself a ragged haircut. ^[9][2] Fourteen-year-old Jay Connelly's preening habits became Wally's and seven-year-old Ricky Connelly's habit of dropping the initial syllables of words was incorporated into Beaver's character. ^[1]

Norman Tokar, a director with a talent for working with children, was hired to direct most of the episodes for the first three years and developed the characters of Eddie Haskell and Larry Mondello. Norman Tokar ( November 25, 1919 in Newark New Jersey - April 6, 1979 in Hollywood) was a prolific director A television director directs the activities involved in making a Television Episode. This article is about Eddie Haskell the fictional character For the philosopher see Edward Haskell Edward Clark " Eddie Leave It to Beaver is a 1950s and 1960s family-oriented American Television Situation comedy about an inquisitive ^[2] Other directors included Earl Bellamy, David Butler (who had directed child actress Shirley Temple), Bretaigne Windust, Gene Reynolds, and Hugh Beaumont. Earl Bellamy ( March 11, 1917 &ndash November 30, 2003) was an American film and Television director, and David Butler ( December 17, 1894 – June 14, 1979) was an American Film director, Actor, Writer and producer Shirley Jane Temple (born April 23, 1928) is an Academy Award -winning Actress and Tap dancer, most famous for being an iconic Bretaigne Windust ( January 20, 1906 - March 18, 1960) was a theatre, film, and Television director. Norman Abbott directed most of the episodes through the last three years. Norman Abbott (born July 11, 1922) is a Television director. He directed episodes of Get Smart, Leave It To Beaver

Filming

For the first two seasons, Leave It to Beaver was filmed at Republic Studios/CBS Studio Center, 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California. Republic Pictures (also known as Republic Entertainment Inc) is an independent film television and video distribution company that was originally a movie production-distribution Studio City is a four-square-mile district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West ^[1] For its final four seasons, production moved to Universal Studios. Exteriors were filmed on the Universal backlot where the façades of the two Cleaver houses stood. Stock footage was occasionally used for establishing shots. Stock footage, and similarly archive footage, library pictures and file footage are Film or Video

The script for an upcoming episode would be delivered to the cast late in the week, with a read-through the following Monday, awkward lines or other problems being noted for rewrites. On Tuesday afternoon, the script would be rehearsed in its entirety for the camera and lighting crew. Over the following three days, individual scenes would be filmed with a single camera.

Filming was limited to one episode per week (rather than the two typical of television production of the period) because of the large number of child actors involved who were only allowed to work four hours a day. Scenes with children were usually filmed first, with adult actors having to wait until after 5:00 P. M. for filming. ^[1]

Series cinematographers included Mack Stengler with 122 episodes between 1958-1962, Jack MacKenzie with 40 episodes between 1962-1963, and William A. See also Filmmaking Cinematography (from Greek: kinesis κινησις (movement and grapho γραφω (to record is the discipline Sickner with 37 episodes between 1957-1959. Fred Mandl (1962), Ray Rennahan (1958), and Ray Flin (1960) served as cinematographers on less than five episodes each.

Opening and closing sequences

In the first season, each episode opens with a teaser featuring clips from the episode (or generic footage from other episodes) and a voice-over introduction by Beaumont briefly stating the episode's theme. The teaser is followed by the main title and credits in which only the show's four main stars are introduced. In some seasons, significant crew are noted as an extension of the opening credits after a commercial break. Midway through the first season, the Beaumont voice-over introduction is discarded in favor of a brief scene extracted from the episode-at-hand, and, at the end of the first season, the teaser is entirely discarded, moving immediately to the title and credits.

Each season has an individually filmed sequence for the opening credits. In season one, for example, a cartoon-like drawing of a freshly-laid cement sidewalk is displayed with the show title and stars' names scratched into its surface, while in the final season, the Cleavers leave the house through the front door carrying items indicating a picnic is in the offing. (See List of Leave It to Beaver episodes for specific season opening sequences). The following is a list of Leave It to Beaver episodes. Leave It to Beaver was created by Amos 'n' Andy writers Joe Connelly Billingsley is the first to be introduced in all opening sequences followed by Beaumont and Dow. Mathers is introduced last, with the voice-over line, ". . . and Jerry Mathers as The Beaver". The camera then zooms-in for a close-up of Mather's face. The voice-over line became the title of Mathers' 1998 memoirs. ^[2]

The closing sequence for the first season features a simple, dark background as the credits roll. In the second season, Wally and Beaver are seen walking home from school with their schoolbooks and entering the house through the front door. In the third through fifth seasons, Wally and Beaver are seen walking towards the Pine Street house. Beaver is carrying a baseball glove and limping along the curbstone. Both boys go to the front door. In the last season, Wally chases teen Beaver around a tree and then into the house. All opening and closing sequences are accompanied by the show's theme tune.

Music

The show's opening and closing sequences are accompanied by an orchestral rendition of the show's bouncy theme tune, "The Toy Parade", by David Kahn, Melvyn Leonard, and Mort Greene. An orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually fairly large with string brass woodwind sections and possibly a percussion section as well For the third season, the tempo was quickened and the tune whistled by a male chorus over an orchestral accompaniment for the closing credits and for the production crew credits following the opening sequence. For the musical composition see Chorale. A choir, chorale, or chorus is a Musical ensemble of Singers For the final season, the song was given a jazz-like arrangement by veteran composer/arranger Pete Rugolo. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Pete Rugolo (born December 25, 1915) is a Sicilian-born Jazz composer and arranger Though lyrics exist for the theme tune, an instrumental arrangement is used for the show's entire run. Lyrics (in singular form Lyric) are a set of words that accompany music either by speaking or singing ^[10] Elements of the theme tune were given a subdued musical arrangement which was then used as background music for tender and sentimental scenes. Occasionally, a few phrases from well-known musical compositions such as Chopin's "Funeral March" and the French national anthem "La Marseillaise" are quoted. Frédéric Chopin composed his Piano Sonata No 2 in B-flat minor Op The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music (in Music theory and religious contexts or more generally a song (or composition of " La Marseillaise " (la maʁsɛˡjɛz in English The Song of Marseille) is the National anthem of France.

Settings

Time setting

The time setting of Leave It to Beaver is contemporary with its production — the late 1950s and the early 1960s. The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 Though the show debuted the same day Sputnik was launched into space and left the air a few months before the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, references to contemporary news issues or topics are infrequent. The assassination of John F Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, took place on Friday November 22 1963 in Dallas Texas Communism is mentioned in "Water, Anyone?". Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based ^[11]

Contemporary cultural references are more frequent but not overwhelming. The show acknowledges the greaser subculture^[12] and, in the last season, "The Twist", a popular song and dance craze of the early 1960s. Greasers are a Working class Youth subculture that originated in the 1950s among young eastern and Southern United States Street "The Twist" was a dance in the 1960s inspired by rock and roll music ^[13] The dance's promoter, Chubby Checker, is hinted at in the episode's fictional "Chubby Chadwick" and his fictional hit tune, "Surf Board Twist". Chubby Checker (born Ernest Evans on October 3, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter best known for popularizing the The Twist Surfboards are elongated platforms used in the sport of Surfing. Wally and his friends perform a tepid version of The Twist at Wally's party in "The Party Spoiler". The 1960 Kirk Douglas vehicle Spartacus is brought up, Eisenhower is mentioned and, in one episode, Beaver says Angela Valentine wore a "Jackie Kennedy wig" to class. Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, Spartacus (c 109 BC-71 BC according to Roman historians was a Slave who became the leader (or possibly one of several leaders in the unsuccessful slave Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14 1890 – March 28 1969 was President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a five-star general Contemporary celebrities mentioned on the show include Rock Hudson, Tuesday Weld, Sal Mineo, Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis, Sonny Liston, Cassius Clay and others. Rock Hudson (November 17 1925 &ndash October 2 1985 was an American Film and Television Actor, recognised as a romantic leading man during Tuesday Weld (born August 27, 1943) is an Emmy - and Academy Award -nominated Golden Globe -winning American film and television Salvatore "Sal" Mineo Jr ( January 10, 1939 – February 12, 1976) was a Golden Globe -winning American Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra (December 12 1915 &ndash May 14 1998 was an American singer and actor Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz June 3, 1925) is an American film actor Charles L "Sonny" Liston (May 8 1932?–January 5 1971 was a professional boxer who became world heavyweight champion in 1962 by knocking out Floyd Biography Early life Cassius Clay Jr was born on January 17 1942 The episode in which Beaver graduates from grammar school (8th grade) is perhaps the only time a year is mentioned. June and Ward inspect the gift they have for Beaver's graduation and read the inscription, ". . . Class of '63. "

Place setting

Leave It to Beaver is set in the fictional community of Mayfield and its environs with scenes set on Mayfield's streets and in its stores, schools, and parks. The principal setting, however, is the Cleaver home. The Cleavers live in two houses over the series' run, the façades of which stood on the Universal backlot. The first house is fictionally located at 485 Mapleton Drive (sometimes Maple Drive) and the second house at 211 Pine Street. In an early episode set in the Mapleton Drive house, Beaver speaks of living in another house where he suffered the measles and became attached to "Billy," his first teddy bear. The teddy bear is a stuffed Toy Bear. It is an enduring traditional form of a Stuffed animal, often serving the purpose of comforting children ^[14] In another episode, however, Beaver indicates the Mapleton Drive house was the first house he lived in.

Mapleton Drive house

Surrounded by a picket fence, the Mapleton Drive house is two stories with a first floor kitchen, dining room, living room and adjoining patio, and at least three bedrooms on the second floor — one for the boys, one for the parents, and a guest room into which Beaver moves for a night. A picket fence is a variety of Fence that has been used mostly for domestic boundaries For the Banana Yashimoto novel see Kitchen (novel A kitchen, is a room or part of a room (sometimes called "kitchen A dining room is a room for consuming food In modern times it is usually adjacent to the Kitchen for convenience in serving although in Medieval times A living room, also known as sitting room, lounge room or lounge (in the United Kingdom and Australia) is a room for entertaining A patio (from the Spanish patio meaning 'back garden' or 'backyard' is an outdoor space generally used for dining or Recreation that often adjoins a A bedroom is a large Room where people usually sleep for the night and/or for relaxation during the day ^[15] In one episode, Wally ventures into the cellar. ^[16] A kitchen door opens onto a small side yard, the driveway, and a single car garage — a frequent setting for get-togethers between the boys, their father, and their friends. ^{[17][18][19][20]}

Toward the close of season two, the Cleavers discuss moving. ^[21] In the season's closer, Ward tells the boys the Mapleton Drive house has been sold. ^[22] In the season three opener, the Cleavers are comfortably settled in a new house at 211 Pine Street. ^[23] No episode features the actual move.

Pine Street house

The Pine Street house consists of several rooms (kitchen and laundry room, dining room, living room) on the ground floor and at least three bedrooms on the second floor. None of the furnishings from the Mapleton Drive house appear in the new house; the Pine Street house is completely refurnished. Reproductions of Gainsborough's The Blue Boy and Lawrence's Pinkie hang in the front entry above graceful bergères. Thomas Gainsborough (christened 14 May 1727 &ndash died 2 August 1788 was one of the most famous portrait and landscape painters of 18th century Britain. For all other uses of Blueboy and Blue Boy see Blueboy. The Blue Boy (c Sir Thomas Lawrence RA ( April 13, 1769 &ndash January 7, 1830) was a notable English painter, mostly of portraits Pinkie is the traditional title for a Portrait of 1794 by Thomas Lawrence in the permanent collection of The Huntington at A bergère is an enclosed upholstered French Armchair ( Fauteuil) with an upholstered back and armrests on upholstered frames An upholstered wing chair at the edge of the hearth in the living room is covered in a chinoiserie print. Upholstery is the work of providing Furniture, especially seats with Padding, springs Webbing, and fabric or Leather A wing chair is an upholstered easy Chair with large "wings" mounted to the armrests and enclosing the head or torso areas of the body In common historic and modern usage a hearth (Har-th is a Brick - or stone -lined Fireplace or Oven used for Cooking and/or Heating Chinoiserie, a French term signifying "Chinese-esque" refers to a recurring theme in European artistic styles since the seventeenth century which reflecting

After the move to Pine Street, the boys continue to attend the same schools, frequent the same hang-outs, and visit the same friends. The Pine Street house is in the vicinity of the Mapleton Drive house; in one episode^[24], Beaver and Larry walk to the Mapleton Drive house, uproot a small tree, and transport it to the Pine Street house in a wagon.

In the Pine Street house, Ward has a den off the main entry, which serves as a setting for many scenes. Unlike the garage at the Mapleton Drive house, the Pine Street garage is used less as a setting for masculine get-togethers. June and Ward's bedroom is seen for the first time in the Pine Street house. They have their own bath, sleep in twin beds, and have a portable TV in the room.

Two years before Leave It to Beaver went into production, the Pine Street façade and its neighborhood were employed extensively in the 1955 Humphrey Bogart film, The Desperate Hours, a story about three escaped convicts terrorizing and holding hostage a four-member family. In 1969, the Pine Street house was reused for another Universal-produced television hit, Marcus Welby, M.D. This house can still be seen at Universal Studios, though the original façade was replaced in 1988 for the following year's The 'Burbs and sits in storage elsewhere on the Universal lot. Marcus Welby MD is a popular Medical drama that aired on ABC from September 23, 1969 to July 29, 1976 Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American The 'Burbs is a 1989 Black comedy directed by Joe Dante starring Tom Hanks, Carrie Fisher, Rick Ducommun, The façade was replaced again for the 1996 Leave It to Beaver movie.

The Leave It to Beaver universe

Format and content

Leave It to Beaver is didactical drama cast in Chutes and Ladders terms: proper behavior brings rewards while improper behavior entails consequences. Didacticism is an artistic philosophy that emphasizes instructional and informative qualities in Literature and other types of Art. Snakes and ladders, or Chutes and ladders, is a classic children's Board game. The juvenile viewer finds amusement in Beaver's adventures while learning that certain behaviors and choices (such as skipping school^[25] or faking an illness in order to be the recipient of "loot" from parents and schoolmates^[26]) are wrong and invite reprimand. The adult viewer enjoys Beaver's adventures while discovering tips for teaching children correct behavior and methods for successfully handling common childhood problems. Parents are reminded that children view the world from a different perspective and should not be expected to act like miniature adults. The writers generally emphasized permissive child rearing techniques and urged parents to serve as moral role models. ^[27]

A typical episode generally follows a simple formula: Beaver or Wally (or both) get into trouble and then face their parents for a lecture regarding the event. Lectures sometimes take the form of fables,^[28][29] with Ward allowing the boys to discover their moral meanings and applying those meanings to their lives. Occasionally, when offenses are serious, punishments such as being grounded^[30] are dealt the miscreants.

While the earlier seasons focus on Beaver's boyhood adventures, the later seasons give greater scope to Wally's high school, dating, and part-time work life. Several episodes follow Wally acquisition of a driver's license and a car. The show's focus is consistently upon the children, however: no episodes examine the marital concerns of June and Ward who are depicted from one episode to the next as a happily married, untroubled couple.

Themes

Four specific themes — education, marriage, occupation, and family — are presented in Leave It to Beaver as requisites for a happy and productive life. ^[27]

Beaver and Wally both attend public schools and are encouraged to pursue college educations as a means to prepare for their futures. ^[31] Ward and June attended prep school and boarding school respectively and both attended college. Their sons are expected to do the same. While both boys consider prep school educations, (Wally at the Bellport Military Academy and Beaver at an eastern school called Fallbrook^[32]) the decision is made for the boys to remain at home and attend Mayfield High with their friends. School and homework are the bane of Beaver's existence. In "Beaver's Secret Life", the boy decides to become a writer in adulthood because "you don't have to go to school or know nothing . . . You only have to make up adventures and get paid for it. " Beaver's attitude toward education provides comic counterpoint to the backgrounds, values, and ambitions of his parents.

Being happily married is the cornerstone of successful middle class life with June and Ward representing the warm, happily married, successful middle class couple. The parents of Beaver's friend Larry Mondello fare not so well. With a husband frequently out of town on business, Mrs. Mondello is presented as an exasperated parent struggling singlehandedly to raise a son and sometimes depending on Ward to help discipline him. ^[33][34] Spinsters like prim Aunt Martha are presented as out-of-touch and irksone^[35] while bachelors like globe-trotting, yarn-spinning Uncle Billy, free-loading Jeff, the tramp, and Andy, the alcoholic handyman are depicted from the happily married viewpoint of the series as being untrustworthy. In Chemistry, an alcohol is any Organic compound in which a Hydroxyl group ( - O[[hydrogen H]]) is bound to a Carbon ^[36][37][38] In the one episode dealing with divorce,^[39] the event is depicted as having solely negative effects on children and family life.

Occupation is presented as important to the happy life with Ward representing the successful, college-educated, middle class professional and June the competent and happy homemaker. When Beaver expresses interests in lower class occupations (such as trash collector), his parents squirm with embarrassment and discomfort. ^[40]

Family and loyalty to family values is a constant theme with June and Ward representing conscientious parents whose duty it is to impart traditional but proven middle class family values to their children. June and Ward do so by serving as examples in word and deed to their boys. Ward and June are models of late-1950s, conscientious parenting with stay-at-home June maintaining a loving, nurturing home and Ward consistently supervising the behavior and moral education of his sons. The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive While the series portrays the world through the eyes of a young boy, it sometimes dealt with controversial and adult subjects such as alcoholism and divorce. ^[2]

Signature show elements

Slang

The show employs contemporary kid-slang extensively. Slang is the use of highly informal Words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's Dialect or Language. Wally and Beaver both use "gyp" (to swindle), "mess around" (to play), and "hunka" (meaning "hunk of" in relation to food portions such as "hunka cake" or "hunka milk"). "Junk", "crummy", "grubby", "rat", and "creep" are frequently heard. Ward and June disapprove. Wally uses "sweat" to his mother's annoyance; she prefers "perspiration" and asks him not to use the slang word "flip". "Goofy" is one of Beaver's favorite adjectives, and it is applied to anything which lies outside the bounds of 1950s conformism. The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive

Punishment

Physical punishment looms large in the boys' imaginations but such punishment is never seen. Though Ward tells Beaver he has never physically punished him, Beaver reminds his father of past incidents when he did. Both boys use the phrase "Dad's gonna clobber you!" (meaning to punch, or hit) when assessing the other's misdeeds. Ward himself mentions being the victim of his father's belt^[41] and Larry's homelife is described as one of being "hollered" at and hit. In one episode, Larry begs, "Don't hit me! Don't hit me!" when his mother discovers him reading his sister's diary. ^[42] Punishment in the show is restricted to being grounded, spending time in one's bedroom, or pulling weeds in the yard. ^[42]

Beaver's speech habits

Beaver has several speech habits peculiar to himself — dropping first syllables, for example (forgot becomes "'got", expelled becomes "'spelled"), and malapropisms (consolation prize becomes "constellation prize", amulet becomes "omelette"). A malapropism (also called a Dogberryism) is the substitution of an incorrect word for a word with a similar sound usually to comic effect Grammatical errors are frequent. When Miss Canfield asks Beaver if "Beaver" is his 'given name', Beaver tells her, "My brother given it to me. " Beaver uses the phrase "kinda-sorta" to mean "somewhat" throughout the first season. Beaver's speech habits were based on those of Joe Connelly's son, Ricky. Connelly carried a notebook to record the conversations of his sons and their friends, and then incorporated his notations into Beaver's character and the content of the show. As Beaver grew into a young teen, his errors with the English language diminished significantly, putting an end to one source of mirth for the viewer.

Cleanliness

Recurrent humor is generated on the show by contrasting the 'squeaky-clean' values and lifestyles of June and Ward with the 'grubby' values and lifestyles of Wally and Beaver. While Ward and June stress cleanliness, bathing, and good grooming (ordering both boys to wash their faces, hands, and fingernails before dinner), both boys generally prefer being unwashed and dressed in dirty clothes. In the premiere episode^[43], Wally and Beaver fake bathing by rumpling towels and tossing "turtle dirt" in the bathtub. In "Cleaning Up Beaver"^[44], June and Ward commend Wally on his neat appearance and chide Beaver for his untidiness. When Wally calls Beaver a slob, Beaver moves into the guest room where he can be his own dirty, messy self without comment or criticism from others. Frightening shadows in the room force him back to his old bedroom and the safety of being with his brother. The two boys strike a middle ground: Beaver will be a bit tidier than he usually is and Wally will be a bit sloppier.

Bathrooms

Leave It to Beaver is unique in 1950s television sitcom history for its extraordinary number of bathroom scenes. Beaver and Wally have a bathroom adjoining their bedroom, and, from the very beginning, scene after scene is set in their bathroom. One early episode, "Child Care" is set almost entirely in their bathroom. ^[45] Other episodes include major scenes set in the boys' bathroom. ^[46][47] Additionally, in almost every scene set in the boys' bedroom, the bathtub, shower curtain, or vanity can be seen through the open bathroom door. Beaver uses the bathroom countless times to escape his brother when angry, slamming the door to express his emotions. At such times, June and Ward are called upon to order Beaver to vacate his refuge. In "Beaver's Good Deed",^[48] a scene is set in Ward and June's bathroom. A tramp takes a bath in their tub and slips away wearing one of Ward's suits and a pair of his shoes.

Beaver's misogyny

Beaver's misogyny is a thread that runs throughout the series, providing comic contrast to his brother's successful dating life and his parents' happy marriage. Misogyny (mɪˈsɒdʒɪni is hatred (or contemptof women Misogyny is parallel to Misandry — the hatred of men Beaver verbally abuses his female classmates, telling Violet Rutherford she drinks gutter water, calling Linda Dennison a "smelly old ape", and threatening to punch Judy Hensler if she gets "mushy" on him. Though loathing girls his own age, Beaver develops crushes on schoolteachers Miss Canfield and Miss Landers — mature, motherly women, and, in one episode, says he's going to marry a "mother" when the time comes. ^[49] Beaver disparages marriage saying, "just because you're married doesn't mean you have to like girls. " In the later seasons, Beaver has adjusted his misogynistic outlook somewhat and dates a few girls. The dates however turn sour and Beaver never enjoys the kind of success with the opposite sex his brother does. ^[50]

Frequently asked questions

Where is Mayfield located?

Mayfield's precise location is never conclusively established on the series. Addresses on envelopes and packages seen in close-ups are obscured. In a first season episode,^[6] the Cleavers visit a local alligator farm, suggesting a Gulf state location while, in another early episode, Ward says Mayfield is 20 miles (32 km) from the ocean. for differences between alligators and crocodiles please see Crocodilia An Alligator is a Crocodilian in the Genus The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world In several later episodes, Beaver mentions his surf board which suggests a location on the west coast but several episodes make it clear the Cleavers do not live in California. Surfboards are elongated platforms used in the sport of Surfing. The " West Coast " " Western Seaboard " or " Pacific Seaboard " are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the Western United States In the premiere episode "Beaver Gets 'Spelled'", a Mayfield travel agency's fare board suggests a mid-Western location. Viewers speculate that Mayfield, Ohio is the actual location of the show's fictional Mayfield, citing as evidence the Cleavers proposed move to Madison and Ward's boyhood in Shaker Heights, both locales being in the vicinity of Mayfield, Ohio. Mayfield is a village in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. Madison is a village in Lake County, Ohio, in the United States. Shaker Heights is a City in the US state of Ohio. As of the 2000 Census, the city population was 29405 and was the tenth-largest city in In the sequel series, The New Leave It to Beaver, fictional Mayfield is in Ohio but this is never established in the original series. The New Leave It to Beaver (also known as Still the Beaver) is a 1985 American sitcom Sequel to the 1950s and '60s series Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads

What is Ward's profession?

Ward's exact occupation is never established on the show but he wears a suit to work, carries a briefcase, has a corner office overlooking a busy metropolitan area, and a secretary named Grace. A briefcase is a narrow box-shaped Bag or case used mainly for carrying papers and other documents and equipped with a handle His company maintains offices in New York City and Mexico. The City of New York The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. While Jerry Mathers believed Ward was an accountant,^[2] in one early episode, Ward works on a women's marketing survey at home, and, in "Beaver, the Hypnotist" focuses his attention on a survey for the home office, telling June the office wants its employees to "keep a firmer hand on the pulse of the women shoppers. An accountant is a practitioner of Accountancy, which is the measurement disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers investors " In "Beaver's Hero", Ward reveals he was an engineer in the SeaBees during World War II and involved in the construction of military bases. The Seabees are the Construction Battalions of the United States Navy. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including While a position in a large construction or engineering firm would be consistent with Ward's background, his everyday exposure to marketing surveys and women's shopping habits suggest a position in a large corporate retail business. Though Ward has a panelled, bookcase-lined den at home, it reveals nothing about his work. Ultimately, Ward's exact occupation is never defined on the show.

How did Beaver get his name?

It isn't until the final episode,^[51] that the viewer learns the origin of Theodore's nickname. " Family Scrapbook " is the final episode of the Iconic American Television series Leave It to Beaver. According to June and Ward, when Beaver was a newborn, five-year-old Wally mispronounced Theodore as "Tweedor. " Ward and June felt "Beaver" sounded better and Theodore was known thereafter as Beaver. During the series' run, Beaver is also called "The Beaver", "Beav", and "The Beav". Purportedly, the writers chose the name because it suggested a perky, toothy, happy-go-lucky boy. Conversely, Mathers has said that the real reason for the name "Beaver" is that one of the show’s writers, Joe Connelly, had a merchant marine shipmate called "The Beaver" in World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including And, from that, came both Beaver's name and the family's name, "Cleaver. "^[8]

Does Wally repeat a grade?

The show is inconsistent regarding both boys' grade levels with Wally appearing to have been "held back" a grade and Beaver "skipping a grade". In the first season, Wally is in the eighth grade. In the sixth season, he's in his senior year of high school when, in fact, he should have graduated high school at the end of the fifth season. Beaver is also one-grade-off in the series. In the first season, he's in the second grade, and, in the sixth season, he's leaving the eighth grade for the ninth grade when, in fact, he should be leaving the seventh grade for the eighth grade.

Cancellation and subsequent developments

Last episode

First televised June 20, 1963, the series' last episode, "Family Scrapbook",^[51] offers a retrospective look at the show's six seasons as the Cleavers leaf through an old scrapbook while recalling past moments. Events 451 - Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius ' defeats Attila the Hun. Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The episode closes the series at milestones in the lives of the Cleaver boys: Wally readying himself for his first year of college, and Beaver leaving grammar school for high school. The episode is directed by Hugh Beaumont, written by Connelly and Mosher, and is regarded as being one of the first sitcom episodes written expressly as a series finale. Leave It to Beaver was not renewed for the 1963-64 season. My Three Sons moved into its time slot. ^[1]

Cast appearances on Lassie

Several Leave It to Beaver performers appeared on the long-running CBS television series Lassie. Lassie is an Emmy Award -winning American Television series that follows the adventures of a female rough collie named Lassie Hugh Beaumont had yet to snag his signature role as Ward Cleaver when he appeared in "The Well", one of the two pilots filmed for the series. ^[52] The episode was filmed in color and aired monochromatically in the series' first season (1954). In 1968, Jerry Mathers appeared in "Lassie and the 4-H Boys", an episode about two teen brothers quarreling over the disposition of a prize-winning bull,^[53] while, the same year, Tony Dow appeared with Jan-Michael Vincent as a hippie-type character in a three-part story called "Hanford's Point". Jan-Michael Vincent (born July 15, 1944) is an American actor most well-known for his role as helicopter pilot Stringfellow Hawke on the 1980s ^[54] Before their committments to Leave It to Beaver, "Tiger" Fafara appeared in one Lassie episode^[55] while Madge Blake made appearances in two episodes. ^[56][57] In the 1960-1961 season, Richard Correll played Steve Johnson, one of Timmy Martin's Calverton friends in two episodes. ^[58][59] Ken Osmond played a delivery boy in a second season episode^[60] and a smart-aleck kid whose carelessness causes a forest fire in the fourth season episode "The Cub Scout". ^[61] One Lassie episode is titled "Leave It to Lassie and the Beavers".

Reunion telemovie (1983)

Except for Beaumont, who had died in 1982, the main cast appeared in the reunion telemovie Still the Beaver (1983). The film followed adult Beaver's struggle to reconcile his recent divorce and single parenthood, while facing the possibility of his widowed mother selling their childhood home. June Cleaver is later elected to the Mayfield City Council.

Sequel series (1985-1989)

Its reception led to a new first-run, made-for-cable series, The New Leave It to Beaver (1985–1989), with Beaver and Lumpy Rutherford running Ward's old firm (where Lumpy's pompous, demanding father — played by Richard Deacon in the original series — had been the senior partner), Wally, who married his high school girlfriend Mary Ellen Rogers, as a practicing attorney and expectant father, June having sold the old house to Beaver himself but living with him as a doting grandmother to Beaver's two small sons. The New Leave It to Beaver (also known as Still the Beaver) is a 1985 American sitcom Sequel to the 1950s and '60s series Richard Deacon ( May 14, 1921 – August 8, 1984) born in Philadelphia, was an American television and motion picture actor Eddie Haskell runs his own contracting business and has a son, Freddie, who is every inch his father's son — right down to the dual-personality.

Media information

Broadcast history

The show proved to be a scheduling headache for CBS and ABC, airing on four different evenings (Wednesday through Saturday) during the series' run. ^[62]

CBS first broadcast the show on Friday, October 4, 1957, at 7:30 P. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Events 610 - Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) M. (EST). Midway through the first season, Beaver was moved to Wednesdays at 8:00 P. M.

CBS dropped the show after one season. ABC picked it up and ran it for another five years, from October 2, 1958, to June 20, 1963. The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 451 - Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius ' defeats Attila the Hun. Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In his memoirs, Jerry Mathers states the move was the decision of the sponsor, Ralston Purina, who arranged a better deal with ABC than with CBS. Nestlé Purina PetCare is the Pet food division of Swiss based Nestlé, following a merger in December 12 2001 between the Nestlé's Friskies ^[2]

On ABC, the show saw several time slots over its run. From October 1958 to June 1959 it aired on Thursdays at 7:30 P. M. (EST), with summer '59 reruns airing at 9:00 P. M. . From October 1959 to September 1962 the show was televised Saturdays at 8:30 P. M. , and during its last season (1962-1963) the show aired Thursdays at 8:30 P. M. .

Reruns of the show became part of CBS affiliates' lineups in the mornings for several years to come. TBS showed it for many years in the late 1980s, and it currently airs on TV Land—where it has been shown since July 1998. TBS is an American Cable television network that shows sports and a variety of programming with a focus on comedy TV Land (originally Nick at Nite's TV Land) is an American Cable television network launched April 29, 1996. Today, NBC Universal Television owns the syndication rights and all properties related to the series. NBC Universal Television Group is an American and global television production/distribution company and a subsidiary of NBC Universal.

Marketing and merchandise

During the show's first run, merchandise including novels, records, and board games was generated for the juvenile market. A board game is a Game in which counters or pieces that are placed on removed from or moved across a "board" (a premarked surface usually specific to that game With the show's renaissance in popularity decades later, merchandise produced was aimed toward the adult babyboomer/nostalgia collectors market and included pinback buttons, clocks, greeting cards, calendars, non-fiction books about the show's production, memoirs, and miscellaneous items. In 1983, Jerry Mathers and Tony Dow appeared on boxes of Kellogg's Corn Flakes. In 2007, one of the cereal boxes realized $300 at auction. Promotional photographs from the studio, autographs, original scripts, copies of TV Guide and other magazines from the period featuring articles about the show are all collectibles. TV Guide is the name of a North American weekly magazine about television programming Props and costumes from the show with documentation establishing provenance are highly prized.

Books

During the series' run, Little Golden Books published Leave It to Beaver (1959), an inexpensive storybook for young children. Little Golden Books is a popular series of Children's books. The first 12 titles were published October 1, 1942: Three Little Kittens Distinguished children's author Beverly Cleary published three softcover novels based on the series, Beaver and Wally, Leave It to Beaver (1960), and Here's Beaver (1961). Beverly Cleary (born April 12 1916) is an American author from Oregon. Whitman Publishing printed Leave It to Beaver: Fire! (1962), a hardcover novel by Cole Fanin. Western Publishing, also known as "Western Printing and Lithographing Co In 1983, The Beaver Papers (ISBN 0-517-54991-3) by Will Jacobs and Gerard Jones was published. The book is a parody of a lost season comprising twenty-five episodes written in the style of various authors such as Tennessee Williams. A parody (ˈpɛɹədiː US, [ˈpaɹədiː] UK) in contemporary usage is a work created to mock comment on or poke fun at an original work its subject Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26 1911 &ndash February 25 1983 better known as Tennessee Williams, was a major American playwright who received many of the top theatrical

Dell comic books

Dell Comics published six Leave It to Beaver comic books with photo covers of Beaver, Beaver and Wally, or Beaver and Ward. Dell Comics was the Comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in Pulp magazines. A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative The first comic book (Four Color No. 912) is dated June 1958 and the last (Four Color No. 01-238-207) May-July 1962. In 2004, all six Dell Leave It to Beaver comic books in 'Near Mint' condition were valued in excess of two hundred dollars each. ^[63]

Hasbro board games

Three Leave It to Beaver juvenile board games were released in 1959 by toymaker Hasbro. Leave It to Beaver is a 1950s and 1960s family-oriented American Television Situation comedy about an inquisitive Hasbro ( is an American Toy company It is one of the largest toy makers in the world second only to the toy giant Mattel. The games were typical roll-and-move track games for two to four players. All three game box covers feature photographic portraits of Jerry Mathers as Beaver.

"Leave It to Beaver Money Maker Game" suggests one of the show's recurrent themes — Beaver's attempts to make money. Equipment includes a center-seamed board with illustrations of Beaver and Ward. One player distributes and collects money as "Father".

"Leave It to Beaver Rocket to the Moon Space Game", rather than using dice or a spinner to advance players along the track, employs a rocket-shaped cone which is flipped onto a board to determine the number of spaces to be moved. "Leave It to Beaver Ambush Game" is a track game with an Old West theme.

Feature film adaptation

Main article: Leave It to Beaver (film)

1997's movie adaptation of the series starred Christopher McDonald as Ward, Janine Turner as June, Erik von Detten as Wally, and Cameron Finley as the Beaver. Leave It to Beaver is a 1997 film that is a remake of the classic TV series of the same name. Christopher McDonald (born February 15 1955) is an American Actor. Janine Turner ( née Gauntt; born December 6 1962) is an American Emmy-nominated actress, most widely known for her starring Erik Thomas von Detten (born October 3, 1982) is an American actor Joseph Cameron Finley (born August 30 1987) is an American former Child actor. It was panned by many critics, except for Roger Ebert, who gave it a three-star rating. Roger Joseph Ebert (iːbɝt born June 18, 1942) is an American film critic and Screenwriter. It performed poorly at the box office, earning only $11,713,605. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been Barbara Billingsley, Ken Osmond and Frank Bank made cameo appearances in the film. A cameo role or cameo appearance (often shortened to just cameo) is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the Performing arts, such as

DVD release

Universal Studios Home Entertainment released season one to DVD in 2005 with season two following in 2006. Season one was released in two versions: an inexpensive cardboard slipcased collection, and a costlier version in which the DVDs were contained in a retro-styled, plastic photo album tucked inside a plaid metal lunch box displaying portraits of the cast on its exterior. Netflix recently added seasons three through six to their lists, making it probable that further seasons of the show will soon be converted to DVD.

Reception

Ratings

In spite of solid and consistent ratings, Leave It to Beaver never climbed into the Neilsen's top-30 though similar sitcoms of the period like Father Knows Best, The Donna Reed Show, The Real McCoys, and Dennis the Menace managed to do so.

Leave It to Beaver faced stiff competition in its time slots. During its next to last season, for example, the show ran against The Defenders, a program examining highly charged courtroom cases about abortion and the death penalty. In its final season, the show was up against Perry Mason and Dr. Kildare but was in the ABC line-up with television greats The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, The Donna Reed Show, and My Three Sons. ^[1]

Critical reviews

Critical reception was generally favorable. In the New York Herald Tribune, John Crosby stated the show was "charming and sincere" and featured "the wonderful candor and directness with which children disconcert and enchant you. " Variety favorably compared the premier episode with the classic Tom Sawyer and noted at the fourth season's opening that the show had "never been a yock show in the sense of generating big and sustained laughs, but it has consistently poured forth warmth, wit and wisdom without condescension or pretense. " TV Guide dubbed the show "the sleeper of the 1957-58 season" and later noted that the show was "one of the most honest, most human and most satisfying situation comedies on TV. " The New York Times, however, found the show was "too broad and artificial to be persuasive. " ^[1]

Awards and nominations

The show received two Emmy nominations in 1958 for Best New Program Series of the Year and Best Teleplay Writing - Half Hour or Less (Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher) for the premiere episode, "Beaver Gets 'Spelled". "Beaver Gets 'Spelled" is the premiere episode of the Iconic American Television series Leave It to Beaver (1957-1963 In 1985, Jerry Mathers won a Young Artists Former Child Star Special Award. In 1988, Ken Osmond and Tony Dow were nominated for Young Artists Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Awards. In 2003, Diane Brewster was nominated for TV Land's Classic TV Teacher of the Year Award while, in 2005, Ken Osmond was nominated for TV Land's Character Most Desperately in Need of a Timeout Award. Leave It to Beaver placed on Time's "The 100 Best TV Shows of All-Time" list.

References

General

• Applebaum, Irwyn. The World According to Beaver. TV Books, 1984, 1998. (ISBN 1575000520).
• Bank, Frank. Call Me Lumpy: My Leave It To Beaver Days and Other Wild Hollywood Life. Addax, 2002. (ISBN-10: 1886110298), (ISBN-13: 978-1886110298).
• Colella, Jennifer. The Leave It to Beaver Guide to Life: Wholesome Wisdom from the Cleavers! Running Press, 2006. (ISBN-10: 0762427736), (ISBN-13: 9780762427734).
• Keck, William. "Leave It to Jerry 'Beaver' Mathers, Tony Dow". USA Today
• Leave It to Beaver: the complete first season. Universal Studios, 2005.
• Leave It to Beaver: the complete second season. Universal Studios, 2006. (ISBN 1417074876)
• Mathers, Jerry. . . . And Jerry Mathers as "The Beaver". Berkley Boulevard Books, 1998. (ISBN 0425163709)

Specific

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