Leave it to Beaver –
The ideal family show

by Erika Cox

Leave it to Beaver aired from October 1957 to June 1963. It focused on the quintessential suburban family in the fifties and sixties. The show was mild mannered and the center of attention were the children in the family more so than the adults.

The main character was the youngest son, Theodore “beaver” Cleaver (Jerry Mathers), and focused on his growing experiences.

The show also depicted the oldest son, Wally Cleaver (Tony Dow) and his teenage experiences. Although, the show started in the late fifties during the rock and roll craze when teenagers were experiencing a little more freedom the show seemed to appeal to the desires or expectations of the parents.

The attitudes of many parents during this time were that children, teenagers in particular, were getting out of control and becoming disrespectful, so the show portrayed mild mannered, respectable teenagers who didn’t quite seem to participate in any of the teenage craze or fads at the time.

There were some episodes that showed Wally, and at times, Beaver attending parties but the two never attended any sort of concert or rock and roll event. And there was barely any mention of any famous rock and roll music artist.

Also, the dress styles of the two sons and the other kids in the show were pretty much out of style with some of the popular clothes worn by teenagers during that time. Neither wore leather jackets, long grease slicked hair or any sense of being “cool”, which was popular around that time for male teenagers.

Their dress style was typical of what parents thought was acceptable for teenagers to wear. Although, the boys would get into trouble like the typical teenager, the trouble was very mild, more like unfortunate mishaps or mild cases of mischief.

Their friends were pretty much the same mild mannered children, except for Eddie Haskell (Ken Osmond) who often portrayed the rebellious teenager; causing and getting everyone else involved in difficult situations.

Even though Haskell was seen as a bad influence, he was still respectful to the adults in the show. The show didn’t depict any of the kids in the show really listening to music, dancing, or meeting at the local juke joints that were popular in real life.

The parents, Ward and June Cleaver (Hugh Beaumont and Barbara Billingsley), were the model parents, never raising their voices but dispensing good sound advice. Ward Cleaver was the ultimate father figure and June was the doting mother.

The show didn’t have any major stars, which helped its image of being down to earth and reflecting everyday average families.

The show often focused on moral lessons learned by Wally and Beaver. The children would learn valuable lessons that their parents would discuss with them and were given advice that would make them think twice before engaging in any situation or dealing with situations they found themselves in.

This idealistic view resulted in its immense popularity and is one of the reasons the show is still in reruns today. The show had a feel good, simple approach with likable characters, even Eddie Haskell was liked by the viewers.

The reunion movie in the eighties led to a revived series called the “New Leave It To Beaver” and the house where the family lived can still be visited at Universal Studios today. The show even made sayings like, “Gee wiz” and “Golly gee” popular. Though, Leave it to Beaver seemed to portray an ideal (and fictional) family it served its purpose showcasing the simpler times of life in the fifties.

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