6 Things You Didn't Know About Leave It To Beaver!

By Kara Kovalchik |
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1. The Reason June Cleaver Always Wore Heels and Pearls

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2. Beaver Gets Turned Down by the Marines for being Too American

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3. Eddie Haskell Grows up to be a Cop

Describe someone today as an "Eddie Haskell" and most people will immediately know what you mean. Actor Ken Osmond played the oily and unctuous Eddie to such perfection that 40 years later his character is a cultural reference. Osmond (no relation to the singing family), like Mathers, was the subject of a couple of urban legends. Just to clarify "“ he didn't grow up to be either shock-rocker Alice Cooper or porn star John Holmes. He grew up to be an L.A. police officer who was shot three times in the line of duty and was saved by his body armor. Enjoy this bit of typical Eddie behavior as he smoothly transitions from sucking up to the parents to getting Wally and Beav in a heap o' trouble:

4. Why Mr. Cleaver Resented the Show

Hugh Beaumont was a deeply religious man and obtained his Master of Theology degree from USC in 1946. He only turned to acting after he was assigned as pastor to a community that couldn't afford to pay him. To supplement his income, he first did ads and serials on radio. When he made the transition to television, he was usually cast as the "bad guy" until Leave It to Beaver came along. Beaumont was always professional on the set and friendly to the kids, but he harbored a deep sadness that he blamed on the show. He lived with his family part of the year in Minnesota, and he usually drove his crew to L.A. when it was time to work. However, because filming on Beaver began rather abruptly after the pilot sold, Beaumont had to fly to California, leaving his son Hunter to drive Beaumont's wife and her mother out west. Hunter lost control of the car along the way, and Beaumont's mother-in-law was killed in the crash.

5. A Pool of Talent

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6. Lumpy Pulls a Wilt Chamberlain

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What's your favorite Beaver episode? The one where he falls into the giant soup bowl? Or maybe the one where Wally insists on being allowed to buy his own suit and returns home with a multi-pocketed yellow plaid number? It's hard for me to choose, but I tend to lean toward "Wally's Haircomb," where Wally adopts the latest hairstyle, the Jellyroll. The producers let the audience know just how subversive and counter-cultural this style was by playing wild hep-cat music every time the greasy "˜do was shown onscreen. Do take time after watching this clip to share your LITB memories.