“Dow lived in the shadow of his adolescent stardom and was dogged by feelings of depression,” CBS News reported in a Sunday Morning feature. When “Beaver” went off the air in 1963, Dow was all of 17 and suddenly out of the spotlight. Wally, it seemed, could conquer any obstacle and lead the ideal life. His best friend, for some strange reason, was the obnoxious and devious Eddie Haskell, played with zestful whimsy by the late Ken Osmond.īut, no matter how bad the situation was, or how much trouble Beaver got into, Wally was always there to help. He was everything Beaver aspired to be: athletic, handsome, tough, smart and wise.

īut none compared to Wally, Beaver’s guide, companion and blood brother on the journey to adulthood from the 1950s to the ‘60s.ĭow perfectly played the role. There were also shady characters and dubious friends like Eddie Haskell (Ken Osmond), Lumpy (Frank Bank) and Larry Mondello (Rusty Stevens). Teachers like Miss Landers (Sue Randall) taught him lessons of life while old-timer Gus the Fireman (Burt Mustin) provided a philosophical perspective to a complicated world. Ward (Hugh Beaumont) and June Cleaver (Barbara Billingsley) were the parents who guided Beaver through the pitfalls of adolescence. It was a challenge being a kid in 1960, and it still is today.īeaver Cleaver struggled to get by in an adult universe dominated by rules set by parents and teachers. The reason is simple: “Beaver” looks at the world from a kid’s viewpoint, and the cast made it real. And “Leave It To Beaver” has been shown on reruns for the past 60 years and is still going strong. It you missed a show in the old days, you had to wait for reruns. Back then, there were only three national television networks, in a world without cell phones, streaming, and web-sites, YouTube or even VCRs. It was prehistoric, compared to these digital times. Post-World War II Baby Boomers grew up in a far different media age. The MeTV network will honor Tony Dow on Sunday, July 31, airing “Beaver” episodes from noon until 5 p.m.

Rusty stevens