REVIEW: Leave It To Beaver

Title: Leave It To Beaver
Years: (1957 - 1963)
Seasons: 6
Genre: Family, Comedy Sitcom
Cast: Hugh Beaumont, Barbara Billingsly, Tony Dow, Jerry Mathers, Ken Osmond
Plot: An "All-American" family, living in the suburbs, tackle their children's everyday troubles through moral lessons.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: I usually just review films, but why not give my two cents on television shows as well.
I had always heard about the Leave It To Beaver show from other television shows. At times they'd make jokes about it, but I never got them, so I was terribly curious!
Anyway, it was on Netflix three years ago (probably not anymore), so Rasha and I gave it a go!

I didn't think I'd like it at first and thought it's probably kids stuff, but after getting into it, I felt very nostalgic and found myself remembering things I had done as a child that were very similar to the things they went through.
It's strange how everybody seems to have the same childhood memories, no matter what year you were born in, you could relate to all generations - except for this one (it's a sad fact, but I will do my best to change it for my family).

Rasha and I both loved the show so much, that we finished the whole series in less than a month!

We recently bought the DVD collection from Amazon and are rewatching the whole series again.
The Collection comes with a booklet that has all the episode titles, description and little bits of trivia here and there, like the fact that the first episode was aired on the same day Sputnik was launched by the Soviet Union.

The collection also comes with a bonus DVD featuring interviews with Barabara Billingsly, Tony Dow, Jerry Mathers, Ken Osmond and Frank Bank. AND it comes with a cute puzzle, which we have yet to play.

When I first saw the series, I was very surprised that children can be portrayed in such a genuine way and found out that the inspirations behind the Cleaver boys, were the writers' sons. One of the writers would even take his sons and their friends out and record their conversations on his notebook.

I love that the introduction and ending sequences for every season were different. The beginnings are very classic television series style, but the endings, with the boys walking home from school, gave out a nostalgic feeling. I almost feel like crying everytime I watch.

The Good:
Writing about the good stuff is the hardest, because everything about the show was perfection! I don't know why it's much easier to write about the bad haha, but I'll do my best and hopefully do the show justice.

One of my many favourite parts is seeing Beaver's transition, from following Wally and his friends around to being lonely and eventually, to making his own friends. It just seems more natural for a younger brother/sister to sort of tag along and to prefer spending more time with their older siblings than with their own friends. Also Beaver wondering around town alone, made him look even more innocent, because we got to see his interactions with other people.
 

Another thing I loved was the advice given, mostly by Ward, indirectly to parents. I loved how educated and articulate he was. Both Ward and June sort of raised my parenting standards and expectations. So many people say their parenting is idealistic, on the contrary, I believe people should always aim high to achieve the best. Besides, like Tony Dow said on the DVD interview; parents back then were like that and families actually lived like the Cleavers. It wasn't a dreamworld afterall, maybe only for today's standards, and that's why people cannot comprehend it.

Ward and June's relationship with eachother was something to aspire to. I appreciated that they never argued infront of their children, but let us know that their realtionship wasn't without them. It's natural for parents to hide their worries and put a happy face for their children, but I can't tell you how many times I have seen selfish parents these days arguing infront of their children without even giving one thought as to how it might affect them. They should really learn from the Cleavers.

The topics discussed in every episode were relatable. The first time I watched, I was shocked to see so many things the boys went through, I had too when I was their age. I just wish there was a version of this show with daughters, so I can learn how to react to girl stuff and have my girl-parenting 101 lessons hehe.

The Cleaver's dinners were a great base for the family discussions. Nowadays, it is extremely rare to find families sitting in one table and having any meal together. The poor children eat alone now, with only an ipad as a companian. Parents don't even want to put the time or effort anymore. Each member of the family has a different schedule and they can never find the time to make time together - or rather, the parents don't schedule their time to make time together.

I loved that for the Cleavers, dinner wasn't just time to eat or discuss, but it was also a way of teaching the boys etiquette. Nowadays you see children being fed by nannys and when the time comes, they can't even hold their fork or knife. Not that Ward was any good though hahahah. It was funny how he kept pointing out the wrong things his sons did over the table, when he couldn't use his cutlery properly himself hehe. The producers should've shown him the right way to do it, if they wanted to teach anyone. Still, I'm happy that Ward pointed out things like; making sounds or talking with your mouth full. Believe me, today you can sit with children from the best families, but find them eating like a bunch of farm animals.
 

Wally and Beaver's relationship reminded me at times of mine and Rasha's. I loved Wally's personality and how much he loved his little brother. I think for children to watch this brotherly relationship can make them fight less. Also maybe care more about eachother.

Ms Landers joining the show on the second season and replacing Ms Canfield was the best move the show had done. Ms Canfield always seemed so artificial to me. I don't think she ever liked the Beaver. Maybe even resented him for wanting more from her. Ms Landers, on the other hand, seemed like she genuinely cared about everyone in class.
Most of the characters' personalities and lines were inspired by the actors, so I think Ms Landers' lines were better, because it probably reflected her own. If I were one of the writers, I too would've had a difficult time making Ms Canfield seem nice.

I loved that the Cleavers moved to another house. One of my favourite things is when the whole set on shows change after a while, like with I Love Lucy. In both shows, the new homes made the shows better, because more stories came out of them.
Their old house was great, but the newer one was even better. I think my house will have so many aspects of the Cleaver house hehe
 
The Bad:
Naturally, every show has it's faults, and there were plenty of things I didn't like about this one.
For instance, even though the parents were good, very understanding and never prejudice, when it came to their children making fun of people's appearance, they said nothing. In fact, they laughed along and at times even initiated such jokes.

Another thing I can think of right now that irritated me, was that whenever anyone left the show, they wouldn't be mentioned again, like when Larry Mondello left the show for good. They could have at least made some excuse for him not to appear. Perhaps, he could have just moved. Since his father's job required him to travel a lot, it would be easier if they all just moved to wherever he used to travel to.
Or he could've moved to stay with his aunt or grandmother, because maybe the school was better there. That would also mean we'd see more of Mrs Mondello. Either way, he would have ended up sending letters to Beaver. He was a big part of the show and after he left, it was very hard to make the show as good as it was.

I like Gilbert, but I didn't feel he should have been Beaver's best friend after Larry left. I think the writers didn't think so either, that's why they added Richard. But Richard made the whole friendship less believable. I think they should've kept Gilbert, but made Whitey his best friend too since he was already a recurring guest and actually knew how to act unlike Richard.

Wally's old friends should have also stayed. I didn't like when they just completely forgot about Chester and Tooey. I really loved the dynamic of Wally's circle of friends and although I was happy that it included Eddie and Lumpy, I think it would've been fun to see some episodes with the rest of them too. Especially that some of the later episodes included additional friends that really ruined the series.

It's sloppy things like this that get to me...

One very important point was the Cleaver's relatives. I was happy to see some, but wanted to see the uncles Ward had always talked about, or the aunt June visited - that had a baby. I felt they should at least have suggested about them visiting eachother. I didn't like that the children always asked about their aunts and uncles as though they were complete strangers. For such a close-knit family, I thought it should've been extended to the rest of the relatives.
I know Ward's father was probably the wrong person to show and June's mother too, because of all the bad memories that came with them, but I think by showing the grandparents, they can show their good and bad sides. This way, children watching would have learned that people who treat others badly aren't necessarily bad people, but that they do mistakes like all of us. Every generation's parenting techniques might seem backward to the newer ones, but that's life and people should know that.
 
There were a few occasions when I didn't like how the lessons came about at the end of each story, when it came from Beaver's mouth instead of his parents. I think children teach their parents by showing and not by telling. A few times they could've let June tell Ward what he had done wrong, but they gave those lines to Beaver. It just made Beaver sound impertinent.

One thing more, the final episode felt useless! I would've rather have them make a random story than look at pictures and remember things.

The Ugly:
Something ugly I didn't like - loathed actually - was Wally wearing a dress...I almost threw up. It was only an episode thank God Almighty, but I wondered how, in those days, was cross-dressing acceptable.
I don't think it was, even if it was done in theatres longer than I can think, it wasn't the norm in society.
Like with I love Lucy, you can sort of understand people's views from their reactions to the jokes or things of this sort. For this, it was obvious people didn't like it from the "ohs" and "ahs". The idea behind this episode was so forced and I felt so sorry for young Tony Dow.
When I see unnatural things like that, my stomach turns, so I just like to imagine episodes like this never happened!

When I have children someday, I'll let them watch this show, but I'll make sure to cut out and censor some scenes I think are inappropriate. If I couldn't, then I'll watch with them, as I always imagined I'd do, and explain what's wrong.

Naturally, every parent should always know what their child is watching - especially if it's modern television.

Who Is Your Favourite Character On "Leave It To Beaver"? 
It's hard to choose one, I love all of them. But I'll still list them:

Ward Cleaver
June Cleaver
Wally Cleaver
Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver
George Haskell (the first one)
Eddie Haskell
Larry Mondelo
Mrs Mondelo
Fred Rutherford
Clarence "Lumpy" Rutherford
Whitey Whitney
Tooey Brown
Chester Andersen
Gilbert Bates
Judy Hensler
Ms Landers
Mrs Cornelia Rayburn
Gus The Fireman
Mary Ellen Rodgers


Hehe it seems I put a list of the whole cast, but I really love them all and they all made the show what it is! I highlighted the ones I loved most from my most list though hehe
 
What Is Your Favourite Season And/Or Episode? 
As we are still rewatching the series, I cannot remember which ones I loved the last time we watched. We're still half way through the second season, so I'll just pick the one from each:

• The Haircut
• Beaver's Poem

Eventhough I asked, I hate choosing hehe, but I did for the purpose of reviewing. I'll post my favourite episodes on a different post next time, when I'm done with the series.
I wanted to add quotes, but I think I'll make a special post for that because there are a lot of good ones, plus it will take me forever and a day!