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Even though Mary Ellen was Wally's principal romantic interest, Wally dated several other girls during his high school years. From Quiz: Leave It To Beaver Trending. WhenLeave It To Beaver first debuted on CBS, strict censorship laws governed what could and couldnt be shown on TV. One of the shows writers, Joe Connelly, based Wally and Beaver off of his own children, whose antics he would scribble down in a notebook on the regular. Tony Dow starred as Wally Beaver in "Leave It to Beaver." The actor died at 77 Wednesday. Before shows likeLeave it to Beaver, it wasnt couth to show bodily functions on screen, or even imply them. He slips into slang occasionally, which upsets his mother. 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. Americans have been in love with the idealistic Cleaver family for generations since. The network cancelled the show, butBeavers cancellation was short lived, as it was quickly picked up again by ABC. But after a few episodes, the character began wearing heels in every episode. The series pilot episode was originally filmed and casted by Max Showalter, and he played Ward Cleaver. 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. The show producers finally came to a compromise with the FCC by showing only the toilet tank, and not the bowl. "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. He has played the same character (Wally Cleaver) on three different series: Leave It to Beaver (1957), The Love Boat (1977) and The New Leave It to Beaver (1983). There was a very specific reason producers found the young Jerry Mathers endearing when he showed up to audition for Beaver. Under their guidance, Jerry recorded two singles, Dontcha Cry and Wind Up Top. He was 77. Unfortunately, Sullivan wouldnt be able to reprise Wallys role in other episodes due to an inevitable growth spurt. He ended up managing several cast members investments. For the main series, producers cast Tony Dow to take Paul Sullivans place as Wally. Wally is based on Connelly's son, Jay. He often showed off his personal flare by coming up with constant nicknames for the other characters, most of which were improvised by Ken Osmondon the spot. 10. He became a Christmas tree farmer in the '60s but was forced to retire due to a stroke in 1972. Because of that scene, the show was almost banned from the airwaves entirely. The series aired until 1989. Instead of showing up, reading some lines, and then hoping for the part, Mathers arrived in his Cub Scout uniform and informed the casting directors that he had to hurry because he had a meeting to attend. It just so happened that playing Ward Cleaver was the best way to do so. Unfortunately for Paul, he grew too much in the six month break before the show went to series. It didnt stop because of poor ratings, though. In order to be able to see the boys sitting in the back seat of the car, the glass was therefore removed, which solved the problem of glare. He occasionally makes blunt or inappropriate comments that are bewildering or embarrassing to adults. The pilot (originally proposed as Wally and The Beaver) was first televised April 23, 1957, on the syndicated anthology series, Studio 57, without a laugh track nor the series' well known theme song, "The Toy Parade". In his later years, he became a stockbroker, after finding it hard to break allusions that he really was Lumpy. Beaumont blamed himself and his work on the show for her death, because he wasnt there to drive the car instead of Hunter. He didnt just act as Ward Cleaver, he also wrote a couple episodes. | Source: Wikimedia Commons. In the original Leave it to Beaver pilot, Wally was played by actor Paul Sullivan. Later on, they reunited again to film the sequel series "The New Leave It to Beaver. In one episode, he declines a vacation trip with his family to stay at home near his current flame, then discovers she has left town with her parents for a vacation trip. There was a very specific reason producers found the young Jerry Mathers endearing when he showed up to audition for Beaver. The movie was developed into a new series titledThe New Leave It To Beaver. Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver (Jerry Mathers) is the younger son of Ward and June Cleaver and Wally's brother. To that end, executives attempted to make a pop star out of Jerry Mathers in addition to being a TV star. Beaver says, "I filled the bathtub so it'd be ready for our alligator." Wally answers, "Beaver, if we keep him in there, we won't be able to take a bath." Beaver finishes the joke with, "Yeah, it's real good having an alligator." Despite the absurdity of this episode, it was the first to show a toilet on television. Trailer for Leave It to Beaver: The Complete Series. 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). Americans have been in love with the idealistic Cleaver family for generations since. Traveling with kids can seem like a daunting prospect if youve never done it before. Paul Sullivan, Actor: Over the Top. | Source: Wikimedia Commons. 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. Of course, the show would not have become what it is without the beloved cast members who made up the "All-American Family." Given the character he portrayed, its hard to image Lumpy as anything akin to suave. Menu. In celebration of the TV shows 60th anniversary, many of the cast members began doing interviews on many TV networks in order to discuss their time on the show. Production was shifted to a different backlot, and other than their air time changing, the show otherwise remained the same. James F. Hawkins is an American former actor, producer and writer. He left behind wife Kathryn Adam and their three children, Mark, Kristy, and Hunter. 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. You can thankLeave It To Beaver. When the show first debuted in 1957, its ratings were only so so, which caused executives at CBS to rethink their commitment to the program. Wally is the "all-American" boy. The series premiered on a notable day in history, though it had nothing to do with the show that would become an icon in its own right later on. Many audience members reminisce about how June Cleaver was always pristine, even while engaging in all sorts of housework. Beaumont was always professional and friendly on set, but he was severely depressed while working on it. He later abandoned screentime to work as a radio broadcaster. Leave it to Beaverremains one of the best-beloved American sitcoms ever to air. CBS first broadcast the show on October 4, 1957, but dropped it after one season. Leave It to Beaver is a 1997 American comedy film based on the television series of the same name. Sullivan would have been a household name for years to come. 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. Jerry Mathers wanted to take a break from acting in order to focus on going to high school. Paul Sullivan is known for The Book of Life (2014), Megamind (2010) and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019). Beaver - still Jerry Mathers - was a tiny bit smaller than what we saw on the first season, but basically the same kid and character. Production was shifted to a different backlot, and other than their air time changing, the show otherwise remained the same. Somehow, a myth was begun and perpetuated that Mathers had in fact been killed in Vietnam, which is ironic because the military wouldnt let him serve for that reason. The ministry to which he was assigned happened to be extremely poor, so he needed to find another source of income. Id work with him all day, then wed go home to our families. Jerry Mathers was a huge star during his time, and the network wanted to make extra money, so they had him record a music single, titled Dont Cha Cry. Wally serves as a bridge between Ward, June and Beaver. When the sequel series begins in 1984, Wally and Mary Ellen are the parents of a 10-year-old daughter, Kelly (Kaleena Kiff). For his appearance, he pulled out the old interview uniform, explaining that during the shows run, he and Tony Dow would wear a Mayfield High School letterman sweater for their press appearances. He was so adorable that he landed the role immediately. The audition led to the producers forLeave it to Beaverdiscovering his talent and asking him to act as Wally Cleaver. 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. During one 2014 interview, Mathers appeared onFox News to discuss his favorite recollections from the show. Though Wally sometimes warns Beaver he will suffer some sort of physical punishment from Ward ("Dad's gonna clobber you! 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. He was so worried about being late for the meeting, he informed the casting team that he had somewhere to be, which they absolutely loved. When the war broke out in Vietnam, Jerry Mathers, who played Beaver, wanted to enlist in the Marines. The series ends with Wally a high-school graduate preparing for State college and Beaver looking forward to entering Mayfield High. Thats on purpose! Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver ( Jerry Mathers) is the younger son of Ward and June and the brother of Wally. The house was constructed when the show moved its filming operations over to Universal, and the studio decided not to knock it down. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Then: Tony Dow Dow played Wally Cleaver in every episode of the show except for the pilot, when Paul Sullivan played the Beaver's polite older brother. His dating life is sometimes frustrating as he tries to deal with the thoughts and emotions of teenaged girls. Menu. He carves the roast at dinner and monitors Beaver's behavior. In the 1980s, Osmond was shot three times while he was on duty during a chase with a criminal. In the 1980s, Wally and Beaver were brought back to screens in a TV movie that featured them as parents, with June around as a loving grandma to their kids. After the show, Ken Osmond left the acting business in order to become a police officer for the Los Angeles Police Department. 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. 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. The pilot had no "canned" laughter in the background. For the main series, producers cast Tony Dow to take Paul Sullivan's place as Wally. Paul Sullivan Jr. is known for The Natural (1984). 1961-1962 Leave It to Beaver TV Series Bill Scott Scott. You're flying in the face of Dr Brady. After the series was picked up by CBS, Hugh Beaumont replaced Casey Adams as Ward Cleaver while the role of Wally went to Tony Dow after Sullivan experienced a growth spurt before the series' production. Many episodes have a very brief "after school" scene in the kitchen between June and Wally. Not all passports are created equally. The episode cost a whopping $50,000 to film at the time. 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. Eddie was played by the actor Ken Osmond, but due to a little mix up in an interview, many viewers believed Eddie Haskell grew up to become Alice Cooper, the rock musician. Child actor Paul Sullivan, however, portrays the character in the series pilot, "It's a Small World", which aired in April 1957. Its characters were relatable, the show had a good balance of humor, and it felt like a real American family. Oops? We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. The characters grew older along with the actors. Still, that didn't happen. The last episode was a retrospective one called "Family Scrapbook" and has claimed its place in TV history as the first prime time sitcom episode specifically written as a series finale. Its clear from his profession as a minister, as well as the fact that he had gotten a Masters degree, he was interested in more serious pursuits. He is best-known for his TV roles in shows like Annie Oakley, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Leave It to Beaver, Petticoat Junction, and The Donna Reed Show; and as Tommy Bailey, son of George Bailey in the 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life . In one episode, he infuriates his mother by wearing his hair in a greasy "tango dancer" style and in another episode he irks both his parents when he buys a garish suit in a men's wear store. | Source: Wikimedia Commons. Its just stock footage they paid to use. Many associate June Cleavers classic pearls as the quintessential look for a 1950s housewife, but the truth is, that wasnt necessarily every mothers uniform. WhenLeave It To Beaver first debuted on CBS, strict censorship laws governed what could and couldnt be shown on TV. When the show aired its final episode,Leave It To Beaverbecame the first American program to have its own series finale! Despite the rumors, Mathers became the star ofBeaverspin off movies and TV shows in the 1980s, which was originally titled,Still The Beaver. In another episode, Wally takes cha-cha lessons to enter a dance contest with Mary Ellen. The house was constructed when the show moved its filming operations over to Universal, and the studio decided not to knock it down. In 1983, the cast got together again for the filming of the TV movie "Still the Beaver." If you were to go on a tour of the Universal lot, theres still a chance you too could visit the Cleaver house. Wally's age permitted the writers to place him in dating situations with his school friends. The producers wanted someone who would look younger, so they cast Tony Dow as Wally instead. 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. It also helped him hide his sneaky ways. Eddie might have been quite the rascal on the set ofLeave It To Beaver, but Osmonds future profession showed just how different he was from his character. That means that Eddie Haskell was the original cool kid. After rediscovery, it was aired as the third-season premiere for the 1980s TBS revival series The New Leave It to Beaver on October 4, 1987, exactly 30 years after the original series officially premiered on CBS. Apparently, a bunch of the other people did, too. Some of that stems from the fact that Tony Dow himself was an accomplished athlete, even before he made it onto the show. She got married three times, and remained with her last husband, Dr. William S. Mortensen, until his death. In June 1963, the series came to a close at milestones in the lives of Wally and Beaver: high school grad Wally preparing for State college and Beaver looking forward to entering Mayfield High. When the war broke out in Vietnam, Jerry Mathers, who played Beaver, wanted to enlist in the Marines. Luckily, ABC aired the rest of the five seasons later on. Oh, who are we kidding, we don't need to summon you guys! Talk about an impressive case of problem-solving! | Source: Wikimedia Commons. The pilot episode aired on April 23, 1957, but never aired as an episode within the series. To that end, Beaumont was able to play a part in writing for several episodes ofLeave It To Beaver, as well as to also direct some of the episodes. 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. The windshield created glare on film, so the crew removed it to avoid that issue. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Richard Lewis produced the episode. Leave it to Beaver was created by writers Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher, who found inspiration among their own children for plot lines and dialogue. Billingsley passed away due to Polymyalgia at age 94 in 2010. From Quiz: 'Leave It To Beaver'- The Pilot Episode! Frankie Bennett, a mischievous boy, tells them new bikes can be had at a local dairy in exchange for 1,000 bottle caps from the company's products. During an interview with MeTV, Jerry Mathers, revealed the reason directors decided to find a new Wally. Hugh Beaumont was contentious about the role of Ward Cleaver, but fans would likely agree that he fit it perfectly. Sadly, he passed away in 1982 from a heart attack at just 79 years old. Barbara Billingsley and Hugh Beaumont as June and Ward Cleaver from the television program "Leave it to Beaver." He also included their friends in the friends of both Beaver and Wally. Leave It to Beaver is an iconic [1] American television situation comedy about an American family of the 1950s and early 1960s. One would have imagined that booking such a popular show likeLeave It To Beaver would have been an exciting event, however, for Hugh Beaumont, it led to tragedy. 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. The original pilot never aired with the mainLeave it to Beaverseries. The pearls would hide the scar from viewers, which made Billingsley more confident about her appearance. 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. Today, many of the show's cast members including Hugh Beaumont (Ward Cleaver), Barbara Billingsley (June Cleaver), and Frank Dank (Lumpy Rutherford), are no longer alive, but the memories of them are still fresh. Menu. When asked about his relationship with Dow, Mathers fondly recalled their relationship on set. Leave It to Beaver was actor Tony Dow's first dramatic experience. The star himself was cast as Theodore (Beaver) Cleaver at just eight years old. Instead, it became the house that was used for a number of other shows as well. The series lasted one season on the Disney Channel before being picked up by TBS in 1986 and renamed The New Leave It to Beaver. Jerry Mathers wanted to take a break from acting in order to focus on going to high school. Dow explained,[I]f any line got too much of a laugh, theyd take it out. 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. 'The Vampire Diaries' Cast: Where Are the Actors of the Iconic Show Now? Throughout the series, fans debated where the show was set. The Cleaver family from the television program "Leave it to Beaver." They've been collecting them all week. One of the most noticeable goofs on the show was the changing age gap between Wally and Beaver. So, expect to chuckle, but not too much. Thankfully, his bullet-proof vest saved his life. 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. Paul Sullivan, who played Wally in the pilot and who sits in the audience, discusses his career after the pilot. I'm happy to see it has survived television, child psychology and the inroads of progressive education. 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. The sum would amount to over $400,000 today. 15 What was Miss Landers' first name? Some of that stems from the fact that Tony Dow himself was an accomplished athlete, even before he made it onto the show. In the 1997 film adaptation of the original series, Leave It to Beaver, Wally is portrayed by Erik von Detten.