Leaver it to Beaver: Season One

Growing up in the fifties was an exciting time for a kid. Television was becoming a part of almost every household. That little screen showed black and white images right their in the living rooms. Some of my earliest memories of television were of the family sit-com, Leave it to Beaver. As I child I could identify with the family that the series depicted, for a kid that meant a lot. It was only after many years I would discover why the series also had appeal for the adults in the room. The set up for the series was simple, the stories focusing on the exploits of the youngest member of the Cleaver family, Theodore ‘Beaver’ Cleaver (Jerry Mathers). The Beaver was part of the typical American family, the Father Ward (Hugh Beaumont), mother June (Barbara Billingsley) and older brother Wally (Tony Dow). Each week The Beaver would get into some form of trouble and would turn to his friend Whitey (Stanley Fafara) and Wally to help extract himself.

Now that Universal has released the first season on DVD families can once again gather together to watch this ground breaking series. Yes, I said ground breaking. As banal as it may appear for many modern viewers you have to remember that almost everything on television in 1957 was new to the public. For example in the second episode called Captain Jack the television audience got to see a toilet on the tube for the first time. The television sit-com was still in its embryonic form in the fall of 1957 when this series first appeared. This was a two edged sword, there was still a learning curve for the actors, writers and producers but since television was still a novelty for most Americans no one would notice.

From a child’s perspective this show was something we could identify with. The problems that Beaver faced where things we could, and often did, do. There where no ‘special episodes’ concerning teen pregnancy, drug use or guns in school. The boys would find themselves in common dilemmas such as getting into a school fight, ordering something from the back of a comic book or getting a paper route. One episode showed the boys playing baseball in the street. This was something I would do with my friends after school on summer’s afternoon. The biggest fear of any boy was shown, breaking a neighbor’s window with the ball. Sure, to those used to the deep drama of today’s television this may seem a trivial matter but if you are the boy standing there with the bat in your hand as use hear that fateful crash, it was the most serious matter in the world. There is also a lot of focus on the new teenager, Wally. He goes through the messy phase into a desire to be well groomed. The appearance of girls on his hormone enriched radar may have had a lot to do with this. Wally’s best friend Eddie Haskell (Ken Osmond) has become part of the American culture as one of the biggest brats ever on TV. He was the perfect two faced teen, polite to the adults but able to switch in a moment to distain for Beaver and his pals.

For the adults of the late fifties this show had a different appeal. On the day that Leave it to Beaver first appear on home screens, October 4^th 1957 the news was filled with the launch of the Russian space craft Sputnik. It was only about a year before that the dark era of McCarthyism ended in the United States. The Cold War was still as strong as ever and the nuclear arms race was growing more ominous each day. While the children where only marginally aware of this the adults lived in an atmosphere of fear. The Red Menace was out there with H-Bombs aimed at all of us. After the horrible events shown on the evening news a family needed time together to bask in the glow of the television and forget the problems of the day. A series like this was just the thing. It was the American way of life. This was long before the proliferation of alternate family structures. Single parents where way and same gender parents where not even considered. The grown-ups could sit with their kids and watch a show that displayed the values they held dear. In the sixties and seventies the parents would be shown as almost mindless drones. Here, the adults where the source of strength in the family. The father exhibited wisdom and compassion. He would be fair in his punishments and the children respected him. The mother was the center of the home, providing food, cleaning the house and generally making the home a safe haven.

Now, with such heinous current events many are returning to series like Beaver. With all the terrorism on the news, natural disasters and hatred a series like this is like a huge slab of chocolate cake and an ice cold glass of milk. There is a comfort to watching the simpler life so many of us left behind a long time ago. There is little in the way of excitement, no shoot outs or car chases are to be seen. What is shown is a gentle, simple return to an American many of us left behind decades ago.

The cast here goes beyond perfect; it set the bar for the American television family for many years. Jerry Mathers was the all American kid. With his fresh face and mischievous disposition he was someone that kids watching could relate to immediately. We all knew kids like this; actually there was a lot of the Beaver in most kids watching. Tony Dow nailed the part of the awkward teen. This was when holding a girl’s hand was a really big deal. With the modern explicit sexuality among teens it is refreshing to see a boy that worries about what to say to a girl he likes. Hugh Beaumont is without any doubt one of the most beloved television dads of all time. He was always there for his family. Work was left behind as he passed through the door to the family home. In fact just what he did for a living was never much of a concern to the children, they just knew that dad went to work each weekday. What father said was law in the home. Before Mrs. Brady there was June Cleaver. Barbara Billingsley played her with flair and perfection. She was the epitome of the American mom, with her apron and pearls she was the ideal caretaker of the home.

Universal is making a name for itself by giving television fans the series that they grew up with. This first season set was done with respect for the memories of the audience. First of all the video is exceptional. The re-mastered full screen video is almost flawless. There is no significant dirt or artifacts to be found. The Dolby mono may not be what many younger DVD owners are used to but for us older ones out there it was a lot better than the tinny little speaker we grew up with. There is a great extra provided, the original pilot episode ‘It’s a Small World’. In this presentation Casey Adams played the dad with Paul Sullivan portraying Wally. It’s a little strange for those of us that grew up with this series to see anyone other than the regular cast in these roles. Gather the family together with this boxed set and your television will become a time machine that will transport you back to a simpler time. Enjoy.

Posted 11/26/05