9. TONY DOW HAD NO ACTING EXPERIENCE
Tony Dow had no acting experience when he was cast as big brother Wally on the show. He had been suggested for a different pilot because of his athletic experience as a Junior Olympics diving champion.
While that show didn’t sell, the producers remembered him when it came time to cast Leave it to Beaver and the rest is history.
10. HUGH BEAUMONT RESENTED THE SHOW
Hugh Beaumont, who played patriarch Ward Cleaver, was a deeply religious man who was actually an ordained minister. He only started acting to supplement his income when he was assigned to be a pastor in a community that didn’t pay.
He chose to live in Minnesota and commute to work on the show. His family had to drive out to LA once the pilot was picked up but, sadly, on the way they got in a car accident that killed his mother-in-law. He never got over the regret.
11. SO HE BECAME A STOCKBROKER INSTEAD
Frank Bank became a stockbroker and ended up pulling in around $300,000 a year by the time he was 30.
His client list included Jerry Mathers (Beaver), Tony Dow (Wally Cleaver), and Barbara Billingsley (June Cleaver), so Lumpy did alright for himself.
12. HUGH BEAUMONT WAS NOT THE FIRST CHOICE TO PLAY THE FATHER
A different actor, Max Showalter, was initially cast to play the stalwart dad in the show and he even shot the pilot.
The episode never aired and they ended up replacing him with Hugh Beaumont, who is forever Ward in our hearts and minds.
13. THE SHOW DID NOT END BECAUSE OF BAD RATINGS
Generally shows get their plug pulled when the ratings drop and they are no longer profitable, but this was not the case with Leave it to Beaver. What happened was Jerry Mathers was headed to high school and wanted to focus on his studies.
Production knew it wouldn’t be the same without him, so they ended things there after six great years.
14. JERRY MATHERS WAS TURNED DOWN BY THE MARINES
There were once rumors circulating that Jerry Mathers died in Vietnam, but he was actually turned down by the Marines.
At the time that he went to enlist, a football player had recently died on duty and they needed to want any more negative publicity for losing All-American icons. He joined the Air National Guard instead.
15. EDDIE HASKELL BECAME FODDER FOR URBAN LEGENDS
There were also plenty of rumors and urban legends about what happened to Ken Osmond, who played the obnoxious sycophant Eddie Haskell. Some said the actor was the rock star, Alice Cooper, while others said he had become a porn star!
The truth is that he became a policeman in Los Angeles and was actually shot in the line of duty, a scare that he survived. (Credit)
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