Leave It to Beaver

Leave It to Beaver is a 30-minute, black and white, family-oriented sitcom about a suburban middle class American family of the late 1950s. The show stars Hugh Beaumont and Barbara Billingsley as Ward and June Cleaver, and Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers as their sons Wally and "Beaver". Episodes follow the amusing misadventures of the two boys and the moral lessons their parents impart. The show was created and produced by writers Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher who based its situations on the experiences of their own children. The show was one of the first to tell its story from a child's point of view.

Beaver is a naive seven-year-old boy trying to make sense of an adult world in which he is expected to be tidy, on time, obedient, and agreeable. His brother Wally frequently acts as a facilitator between Beaver and his parents. June is a typical television "good mom" who prepares meals for her family and attends her sons' school events. She is kind and often mediates between her husband and children. Ward is the understanding disciplinarian who doles out punishment when the boys stray, or explains how their behavior is socially unacceptable.

The series claims the distinctions of being the first to display a toilet on television ("Captain Jack"), and the first to produce a final episode ("Family Scrapbook") written specifically to bring the series to a logical close. Although the show spanned television's transition period to color, Leave It to Beaver was filmed entirely in black and white. The show received some critical acclaim with Variety likening it to Tom Sawyer. The show generated juvenile merchandise such as comic books and board games through its initial run, and, years later, when reruns became hugely popular, a spinoff series, a feature film, a line of Hallmark cards, calendars, clocks, and memoirs penned by the show's stars all found favor with the show's fans. Although the show never won any awards nor made the top 25 shows, it is celebrated today as an iconic representation of 1950s baby boomer middle class suburban family life and values.

Episode Info

Final: 6x39 -- Family Scrapbook (Jun/20/1963)

While cleaning, June runs across an old family scrapbook and gathers the family together to reminisce about the past six years.

Cast

Barbara Billingsley As June Cleaver	Hugh Beaumont As Ward Cleaver
Tony Dow (1) As Wallace "Wally" Cleaver	Jerry Mathers As Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver

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Instant Gratification: 7th. Edn.

Apr/02/2012

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Recaps

1x17: The Paper Route recap: The boys want to get a job to buy a new bicycle. They get a job working for Old Man Merkle delivering newspapers. As time goes by the boys both have other things interupting their job. But they paper must be delivered, so one day when Wally and Beaver were away, June and Ward discover a batch of undelivered newspapers in the garage and unwillingly deliver them for the boys. After a bunch of complaints from the confused customers, the boys are fired. They explain to their parents how someone had delivered the old papers they were to return to the Currior. Ward and June now know it was they who made the mistake and try to make it up by getting them back their jobs. After getting another chance the boys decide they would rather have their weekends off... read more.

1x16: Lumpy Rutherford recap: Beaver and Wally have been late to school every day because Lumpy Rutherford terrorizes them. Ward tells the boys how he once built a "bully trap" which shamed his bully into leaving him alone. The boys do the same thing to Lumpy, only he isn't the one who learns his lesson, Lumpy's father is the one who gets hurt. Both the boys and Ward appologize to Mr. Rutherford... read more.

1x15: Party Invitation recap: Beaver is the only boy invited to Linda Dennison's birthday party, and he really doesn't want to go. His parents make him go not knowing this fact. After they drop him off Wally tells them why he was reluctant to attend. After Linda's father notices Beaver is not having any fun, he invites him to look at his gun colletion. Beaver comes home from the party and says that he had a good time, much to everyones surprise... read more.

1x14: Part Time Genius recap: Beaver scores one of the highest grades on an intelligence test that his class takes. A proud Ward brags about Beaver's score to his golfing buddy, a braggart who always has something to say about his own kids. Beaver's parents consider sending him away to a private boarding school until Charles Fredericks confesses that he switched papers in order to fit in because he was new at school... read more.

1x13: Voodoo Magic recap: Against their parents' orders, Wally and Beaver decide to go to a double feature called Voodoo Magic, with Eddie's convincing. Beaver leaves his cap behind at the theater and course they do get caught and punished once the theater calls them up to tell them of the found hat. So an angry Beaver decides he will place a voodoo curse on Eddie. After hearing Eddie was sick in bed, Beaver is sure he is to blame. Although Eddie was faking, once he hears of Beaver's curse he then really does feel sick... read more.

Crew

Creator: Joe Connelly, Bob Mosher
Executive Producer: Harry Ackerman
Producer: Bob Mosher, Joe Connelly
Associate Producer: Dan Nathan
Music Supervisor: Stanley Wilson, Joseph E. Romero, Frederick Herbert, Frank Morriss, Jack Wadsworth

View full crew list

Recurring Guests

• Rusty Stevens as Larry Mondello (21 eps)
• Tiger Fafara as Tooey Brown (18 eps)
• Ken Osmond as Edward "Eddie" Haskell (17 eps)
• Doris Packer as Mrs. Rayburn (17 eps)
• Buddy Hart as Chester Anderson (15 eps)
• Burt Mustin as Gus the Fireman (14 eps)
• Karen Sue Trent as Cowgirl (14 eps)
• Jeri Weil as Judy Hensler (12 eps)
• Madge Blake as Margaret Mondello (11 eps)
• Stanley Fafara as Hubert "Whitey" Whitney (11 eps)

• View All Recurring Guests

Leave It to Beaver

Classification: Scripted
Genre: Comedy
Status: Canceled/Ended
Network: ABC (