"Leave It to Beaver" is a beloved American television sitcom that captured the hearts
of audiences during its original run from 1957 to 1963. This iconic show provided a
charming and nostalgic glimpse into the Cleaver family's suburban life
in the 1950s. While it presented an idyllic image of family values and wholesome humor,
"Leave It to Beaver" was not exempt from its fair share of mistakes and lesser-known
quirks behind the scenes. In this video, we will delve into some of those bloopers,
as well as some lesser-known facts about the show. So stick around, as Facts Verse presents:
This Scene Wasn't Edited, Look Closer at His Leave it to Beaver Blooper!
Where Have The Blooper’s Gone? If you’re a fan of blooper reels, you probably
love searching the internet for compilations of them. But sadly, for many early shows, like Leave
It To Beaver, they don’t seem to exist. This isn’t because those shows were done perfectly and there
weren’t any bloopers. In fact, if you head to the official website of Jerry Mathers, aka the Beaver,
he talks about why they aren’t around. Mathers points out that while they did make plenty of
hilarious mistakes, and that he’d love to be able to see them, they are physically no longer around.
That’s because they shot the show on 35mm film. That was a costly medium, so they tried to stretch
their budget by taking the physical rolls of any shots that were unused and stripping the silver
coating off them. That meant that the reel could be used again, but it also meant that the footage
on there was gone forever. And obviously back then there wasn’t really an industry or a tradition of
hanging on to bloopers and funny moments. They just needed whatever clips they were actually
going to use in the show. So each day, the editor and director would huddle to choose the takes they
wanted, and physically cut those out. The rest was sent off to the lab to be wiped. It’s too bad,
because it would be hilarious to see the Cleaver gang burst out laughing when they flubbed a line!
June’s Calendar June Cleaver was legendary for
keeping a pristine home. In fact, over the years, the Cleaver household has been held up as perhaps
the prototype of good housekeeping. And yet even the fictional June wasn’t immune to a mistake now
and then. Of course, since she was a fictional character, the mistake happened more from the art
department. They forgot to use an updated calendar on the wall of the Cleaver home. So, in a 1963
episode, “The Poor Loser” there’s an establishing shot of June writing on a hanging calendar. All
seems normal unless you really pay attention to the specific days. Because the ones pictured don’t
actually match the days of 1963. The calendar was likely one from 1961, which matches the
correct days and dates, and they hadn’t thought to replace it with one that was set in 1963. Or maybe
June was secretly a time traveler. But that would certainly make us see the show a LOT differently.
Eddie’s “Favorite” Author You’d think that if someone had a favorite author,
they’d actually know their correct name. Sadly, this didn’t seem to be the case in the episode,
“Summer in Alaska.” In it, Eddie is working in Alaska for the summer months on a fishing boat.
In an attempt to fit it with his fellow fisherman, he tries to act like he knows a lot about the sea
by referencing a book called Two Years Before the Mast. He also refers to the author of the book:
Charles Dana. The only problem? 50% of that name was incorrect. He got the author’s last
night right but missed the fact that his full name was Richard Henry Dana Jr. Now,
perhaps this was an attempt by the writers to show that Eddie was even more in over his head
than he realized. The poor kid couldn’t even get the name of an author right, let
alone be an experienced fisherman. Or perhaps the actor just flubbed his lines! We’ll never know.
Bee-Havior Back in the day, they had to use
practical effects for everything. In other words, there was no CGI to insert things like, say, a bee
into a shot. In the episode “The Silent Treatment” there’s a moment when Beaver is painting a door.
He’s standing outside, and a bee suddenly starts buzzing around his head. Of course, they weren’t
about to use a trained bee, so they had to fake it. And that meant having a fake bee hovering on
a string. If you look closely, you can clearly see the bee’s string bouncing around his face.
Jerry’s Audition When Jerry Mathers
auditioned for the part of Beaver, he made quite the impression. And partially it was because he
impressed the show's creators, Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher, with his natural charm, innocence,
and ability to deliver lines with authenticity. His genuine portrayal of a curious and relatable
young boy captured the essence of the character, and the creators were convinced that they had
found their Beaver Cleaver. But what really sealed the deal was the fact that Jerry was
not really interested in being there. In fact, he had on a cub scout uniform,
because he was supposed to head to his cub scouts meeting after the audition. And the timing was
such that Jerry was worried he’d be late for it. So he tried to get ahead by simply wearing
the uniform to the audition, even though it wasn’t called for. When the producers asked him about it,
he replied that he was worried he’d miss cub scouts, and was really more interested in
finishing up the audition quickly so he could run to his meeting. The producers found him
so charming and different, they immediately knew he was the right choice for the part.
No Laughing Matter The show's producers had a
specific vision in mind regarding the audience's reaction. Unlike some sitcoms that thrive on big,
uproarious laughs from the audience, the creators of "Leave It to Beaver" aimed for
a more subtle and gentle approach. They preferred to elicit chuckles rather than roaring laughter.
This deliberate choice contributed to the show's unique tone and helped create a warm,
family-friendly atmosphere. The goal was to depict an idealized version of family life in the 1950s,
focusing on relatable and often humorous situations that would resonate with viewers.
Their aim was to capture the everyday experiences and misadventures of the Cleaver family with
authenticity and a touch of lightheartedness. They believed that comedy should arise naturally
from the characters and their interactions, rather than relying on exaggerated jokes or
over-the-top humor. Tony Dow put it explicitly, saying, “If any line got too much of a laugh,
they'd take it out. They didn't want a big laugh; they wanted chuckles."
Where’s Mayfield? One of the intriguing debates surrounding
the show revolves around the actual location of the fictional town of Mayfield, where the Cleaver
family lives. While the show never explicitly mentions a specific state or city, several clues,
and references have sparked speculation and discussion over the years. One prevailing
theory suggests that Mayfield is located in the Midwest. The show's creators,
Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher drew inspiration from their own Midwestern backgrounds when
developing the show's setting. The Cleaver family's suburban neighborhood,
with its tree-lined streets and picket fences, embodies the quintessential Midwestern community
often associated with small-town America. But some fans argue that Mayfield could be located
on the East Coast, citing references to nearby cities such as Pittsfield and Buffalo in the
show. Others suggest that Mayfield might be in California, pointing to the show's production
being based in Los Angeles and the presence of palm trees visible in certain episodes.
Adding to the ambiguity is the fact that "Leave It to Beaver" intentionally created a timeless
quality, aiming to represent an idealized version of American family life rather than
anchoring itself to a specific geographic location. This deliberate choice allowed
viewers from different regions to relate to the show's themes and characters, emphasizing the
universality of the Cleaver family's experiences. Ultimately, the true location of Mayfield remains
a subject of debate and interpretation, with fans offering their own perspectives and theories.
The Infamous Toilet Due to the conservative norms of the era,
a lot of real life wasn’t allowed to be shown on television. And, for some bizarre reason,
that included toilets. But there was an element in the pilot script that meant they NEEDED to
show a toilet. It involved the boys ordering a small alligator from a magazine ad and realizing
they had nowhere in the house to put it. The boys knew enough to realize that the creature
needed to be in the water. So they decided that the easiest place for it to live (and be hidden
from their parents) was in the toilet’s water. And obviously for the audience to see this happen,
they’d need to see a toilet. Or at the very least, acknowledge that such a thing existed. CBS execs
caught wind of the plan to show a few frames of the boys’ toilet in the pilot episode. Apparently,
it caused quite a stir. Their standards and practices department had an issue with
showing the toilet bowl on television. And yet the network was excited about the show,
so they wanted to do everything they could to make sure it got on the air. Eventually,
they figured out somewhat of a workaround. They agreed to let Leave It To Beaver show the toilet,
but not the actual bowl. They could show the back of the toilet tank. That would imply that
the boys put the alligator inside the bowl, without actually showing it. The episode then
ran as the second of the series, and history was made. Leave It To Beaver became the first
show to air footage inside a bathroom and the first to actually show a toilet.
Now it’s time to hear from you. What’s your favorite
Leave It To Beaver episode? Let us know in the comment section!