Leave It to Beaver

Leave It to Beaver is an American television sitcom series. It first aired from October 7, 1957 to June 20, 1963. The series stars Jerry Mathers as "Beaver"; Tony Dow as his older brother Wally; Barbara Billingsley as his mother June Cleaver; and Hugh Beaumont as his father Ward Cleaver.

Semi-regulars include Ken Osmond as Wally's friend Eddie Haskell; Frank Bank as Wally's other friend Lumpy; Burt Mustin as Gus the fireman; Sue Randall as Beaver's teacher Miss Landers; Rusty Stevens as Beaver's friend Larry Mondello; and Jerry Weil as Beaver's mean little schoolmate Judy Hensler.

The series is about Beaver's adventures at home, in school, and around his neighborhood. Writers Bob Mosher and Joe Connelly based Beaver's adventures on the exploits of their own children. In most episodes, Beaver would get into trouble. His parents would speak to him and explain what he had done wrong. They would hope that he had learned a lesson.

Various critics and television viewers adored the series, with Variety comparing the series to Tom Sawyer. Websites like Time and Bravo placed the series at the top of their "best of television" lists.^[1] In 1999, TV Guide ranked Eddie Haskell number 20 on its "50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time" list.^[2] In 1997, a movie based on Leave It to Beaver opened in theaters, of the same name.

Notes

↑ "The 100 Greatest TV Characters". Bravo. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
↑ TV Guide Book of Lists. Running Press. 2007. p. 190. ISBN 978-0-7624-3007-9.

References

Applebaum, Irwyn (1998), The World According to Beaver, TV Books, ISBN 1575000520
Mathers, Jerry (1998), ...And Jerry Mathers as "The Beaver", Berkley Boulevard Books, ISBN 0425163709

[1] "The 100 Greatest TV Characters". Bravo. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved October 19, 2010.

[2] TV Guide Book of Lists. Running Press. 2007. p. 190. ISBN 978-0-7624-3007-9.

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