Were very good friends. Menu. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories. 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. Like any other show,Leave it to Beaverhad to stop running. 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). Thank goodness they made some major changes before the actual first season began because there were some actors who needed to be replaced. Not all passports are created equally. The pilot episode of the series was originally titledWally and the Beaver. The show producers finally came to a compromise with the FCC by showing only the toilet tank, and not the bowl. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. In his later years, he became a stockbroker, after finding it hard to break allusions that he really was Lumpy. What happened to take him out of the spotlight? Highlights of the original and previously unaired pilot for Leave it to Beaver, called \"It's a Small World\" and featuring different actors in roles of Ward and Wally, and Harry Shearer as an Eddie Haskell-type smart-aleck, and Richard Deacon (Mr. Rutherford) and Diane Brewster (Miss Canfield) as different characters, was teased on Entertainment Tonight and then shown for the first time as the first episode of the 1987 season of The New Leave it to Beaver on TBS Superstation October 4th, with an introduction by Jerry Mathers, Tony Dow, Barbara Billinglsey, and Kipp Marcus (Beaver, Wally, June, and Kipp Cleaver). Ken Osmond, who on TV's "Leave It to Beaver," played two-faced teenage scoundrel Eddie Haskell, a role so memorable it left him typecast and led to a second career as a police officer, died. The house was constructed when the show moved its filming operations over to Universal, and the studio decided not to knock it down. 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. He spends school nights at home glued to his textbooks and scratching out essays in his composition tablet. It just so happened that playing Ward Cleaver was the best way to do so. Instead, it became the house that was used for a number of other shows as well. 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 . The pilot was misplaced but was found and aired as the third season premiere for the 1980s revival series The New Leave It to Beaver on October 4, 1987, 30 years after the original series premiered on CBS. In another episode, Wally takes cha-cha lessons to enter a dance contest with Mary Ellen. [1] It never aired as an episode within the series. In another episode, Eddie "slugs" Wally in the school corridor when he believes Wally is moving in on his girl, and in another episode, Wally is caught by the coach throwing towels around the locker room. Despite the rumors, Mathers became the star ofBeaverspin off movies and TV shows in the 1980s, which was originally titled,Still The Beaver. For the main series, producers cast Tony Dow to take Paul Sullivans place as Wally. The pilot had no "canned" laughter in the background. To hold the Franklin Milk in the Franklin Milk bottles. Paul Sullivan Jr. is known for The Natural (1984). Unfortunately, Sullivan wouldnt be able to reprise Wallys role in other episodes due to an inevitable growth spurt. A few episodes deal with Wally's teen taste in hairstyles and clothing. The Cleaver family from the television program "Leave it to Beaver." Mathers recalled that it took nearly 5 days to find the frightened kitty. We spent a lot of time together. Unfortunately, Billingsley was typecast for her sweet demeanor as June, however, she managed a role in "Airplane." It took producers a significant amount of negotiation in order to show even that much, but eventually the executives on the Production Code Association, who were responsible for policing film and television decided to relent, so long as the scene wasnt too crude. It's been over five decades since the hit show "Leave It to Beaver" ended, but fans still remember the adventures of little Theodore who breathed life into the series. The ministry to which he was assigned happened to be extremely poor, so he needed to find another source of income. Her hobbies included cake decorating and needlepoint. In his later years, he became a stockbroker, after finding it hard to break allusions that he really was Lumpy. June Cleaver had a different longer hairstyle and looked actually prettier with it. The star himself was cast as Theodore (Beaver) Cleaver at just eight years old. That means that Eddie Haskell was the original cool kid. There were tons of brands ranging from board games to comic books that were featured during the show. Many associate June Cleavers classic pearls as the quintessential look for a 1950s housewife, but the truth is, that wasnt necessarily every mothers uniform. The boys were often shown in the bathroom. In 1985, a sequel to the original series was produced called Still the Beaver, again starring Jerry Mathers and other original cast members. Later on, they reunited again to film the sequel series "The New Leave It to Beaver. Both her pearls and her heels are one of the most cited examples of what it meant to be a housewife in the 1950s. Showcase yourself on IMDbPro Add to list More at IMDbPro Contact info Agent info Known for Leave It to Beaver 7.6 TV Series Wally Cleaver 1957 1 ep Official Detective 8.0 TV Series Tommy Harrison 1957 1 ep Studio 57 7.9 TV Series Wally Cleaver He was 77. Instead, Mathers decided to join the United Air Force Reserve. It aired as an installment of "Heinz Studio 57," an anthology series. The actor starred in "Leave It to Beaver" from 1957 to 1963. 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 went on to become a Los Angeles Police Officer. 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. Jerry Mathers as Beaver Cleaver from the television program "Leave It to Beaver." Wally is rarely seen doing regular chores around the house. Despite the fact that Beavers friend Lumpy was seen as the ultimate nerd throughout the show, when the actor, Frank Bank wrote his autobiography as a result, he claimed that he was rather gifted when it came to his romantic relationships. The producers wanted someone who would look younger, so they cast Tony Dow as Wally instead. Toilet scenes were not shown on television back then, but "Leave It to Beaver" became the first although it was just the tank. He would later play the role in spin-offs. The original Wally Mathers is referring to is Paul Sullivan. Yes, after filming the pilot, Sullivan was growing and, well, grew out of the role. One episode ofLeave it to Beaverwas actually censored by the Federal Communications Commission when it showed a toilet on screen. Dow portrays an adult Wally Cleaver in both the reunion telemovie, Still the Beaver (1983), and in the sequel series The New Leave It to Beaver (19851989). That was four years before "Leave It to Beaver" aired. It was Tonys luck, however, that whenLeave It To Beaver realized they needed to recast Wally, they remembered him and gave him a call. James F. Hawkins is an American former actor, producer and writer. Leave It to Beaver is an iconic [1] American television situation comedy about an American family of the 1950s and early 1960s. It was the first series to have a true finale. A growth spurt. The name "Leave It to Beaver" went from being a '50s classic to a household phrase and one of the most popular references in sitcom history. 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. In this web exclusive, actor and artist Tony Dow, who beginning at age 12 starred as Wally Cleaver in the classic sitcom "Leave It to Beaver," explains to co. Mathers was dressed in his cub scout uniform, however, it wasnt just a costume choice. Based on the success of the show and the character of Wally, the decision appeared to be the correct one. Some consider Mayfield to be in Wisconsin, because the town of Madison, as well as the Green Bay Packers, were mentioned. What Cooper had meant was that he behaved a lot like the character of Haskell as a child, not that he portrayed him. "It's a Small World" was filmed with a single camera, in full screen black-and-white at Republic Studios and the Universal Studios backlot. He's all right. Dow won the role of Wally in spite of his . In a play taken straight from Beaver's life, Mathers was shooting an episode where Beaver cares for a neighbor's cat. So instead of letting the jokes roll, they cut any line that garnered too many laughs. Menu. Explore, taste, and write about the world. Tony Dow almost didnt make it into the acting business, but rather decided to tag along with a friend of his who was a lifeguard at one of the pools he swam in. 15 What was Miss Landers' first name? One of the most curious things about the final seasons of the show is that the Cleavers car very distinctly had no back windshield. Two of Wally's friends are pictured, and they are greasy-looking punks. Let's take a look at 15 "Leave It to Beaver" facts that fans might not know. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Wally is portrayed in the series by Tony Dow. [2] Following its April 1957 telecast, the episode was subsequently misplaced and was feared lost until a copy was found in a film vault in Illinois. The network cancelled the show, butBeavers cancellation was short lived, as it was quickly picked up again by ABC. Surprisingly, the show ran for a total of four seasons, and included many of the original cast members real children as actors on the show. 10. Other members of the original series cast, including Dow, reprised their roles. Because of that scene, the show was almost banned from the airwaves entirely. He had been a Junior Olympian swimmer before he began acting. 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. WhenLeave It To Beaver first debuted on CBS, strict censorship laws governed what could and couldnt be shown on TV. 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. By the end of the show, however, Beaver was set to begin high school, while Wally was graduating, meaning the gap had reduced to only a four year difference. Wally, on the other hand was in 8th grade, meaning there was a six year gap between the boys. Many of the scenarios that Beaver and Wally found themselves in throughout the show often seemed to hit very close to the concerns of other children and teenagers their age. You're flying in the face of Dr Brady. The ministry to which he was assigned happened to be extremely poor, so he needed to find another source of income. Paul Sullivan is known for The Book of Life (2014), Megamind (2010) and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019). Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow, Barbara Billingsley, and Jerry Mathers in an episode of "Leave it to Beaver." 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. Hugh Beaumont turned to acting for very different reasons that most performers. This is because the actors portraying as her sons hit their growth spurt, and in order to maintain the height gap between the characters, Barbara began wearing heels. When asked about any on set mishaps in his Fox News interview, Mathers had one very particular story that wasnt well known otherwise. Here's the scoop about the young actress Jeri Weil who played Judy Hensler during the first three seasons of the classic TV series, Leave It To Beaver.Check . It was the beginning and end of Jerry Mathers music career. When the show aired its final episode,Leave It To Beaverbecame the first American program to have its own series finale! They've been collecting them all week. The house was constructed when the show moved its filming operations over to Universal, and the studio decided not to knock it down. He carves the roast at dinner and monitors Beaver's behavior. 01:23 Tony Dow, the wholesome actor who portrayed "the perfect big brother" Wally Cleaver on the everlasting TV comedy Leave It to Beaver and its 1980s sequel, has died, his reps announced.