Leave It to Beaver originally aired from 1957 to 1963, but the show gained many more fans in reruns. Beaver is a suburban boy, not a dam-building mammal, and he gets into all sorts of minor scrapes with his young friends. How much do you remember? Let’s find out!
1: Where did the Cleavers live?
ABC, CBS
Beaver and Wally Cleaver lived with their parents in a suburb called Mayfield. In early seasons, their address was 485 Mapleton Drive; in later seasons, it was 211 Pine Street. The show never revealed their state, but some clues point to Ohio.
2: How did Beaver get his nickname?
ABC, CBS
According to the show’s finale, Wally couldn’t pronounce “Theodore” when he was little. Instead, he said something like “Tweeter” or “Beaver,” and Beaver stuck. Conveniently, Beaver rhymes with Cleaver as well. Oddly, though, people often referred to him as “the” Beaver.
3: What is the pilot episode called?
ABC, CBS
The pilot episode of Leave It to Beaver is called It’s a Small World. However, it aired as part of a syndicated anthology series, Studio 57, and did not air as part of the official series. The episode was lost for decades, then found again in an Illinois film vault in the 1980s. Ward and Wally were played by different actors than the ones we know and love.
4: Which SNL star appeared in the long-lost Leave It to Beaver pilot?
ABC, CBS
Harry Shearer played the part of Frankie Bennett, a character that evolved to become Eddie Haskell. Shearer's parents did not want him to work regularly at such a young age, so he did not continue with the show. Harry Shearer is known today as the bassist from This Is Spinal Tap and for his many voices on The Simpsons.
5: When Leave It to Beaver begins, what grade is Beaver in?
ABC, CBS
In season 1, Beaver is in the second grade, and Wally is in eighth. However, by the last season, Beaver is finishing eighth grade and Wally is a senior. Somehow, Beaver aged two years faster than Wally. Oops!
6: In the episode In the Soup, what’s so special about the soup?
ABC, CBS
There’s no actual soup here. Instead, a giant three-dimensional bowl of supposedly steaming soup on a billboard is an attractive nuisance for a curious boy. Beaver just has to climb up, and of course he falls into the bowl.
7: Who are Beaver’s closest friends?
ABC, CBS
Larry Mondello appears in 68 episodes, Gilbert Bates appears in 57 episodes, and Whitey Whitney appears in 57 episodes. Leave It to Beaver ran for six seasons, with 234 episodes—or 235, including the lost pilot.
8: What is unusual about Leave It to Beaver’s opening sequence?
ABC, CBS
Each season featured new scenes for the opening credits, probably to keep up with the boys’ ever-changing looks. Every season featured a narrator who mentioned actors Barbara Billingsley, Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow, and “Jerry Mathers as the Beaver.”
9: In the show, what is lumpy?
ABC, CBS
Wally’s friend, Clarence Rutherford, goes by the nickname Lumpy. In early episodes, Lumpy bullies both Beaver and Wally.
10: What does June Cleaver typically wear while doing housework?
ABC, CBS
June Cleaver is always dressed for a dinner party or other special occasion, as she was taught during her upper-middle-class childhood in East St. Louis. She usually wears a nice dress, but occasionally she deigns to wear pants. Odds are good that she was never seen during the series’ run without her pearls and high heels.
11: In the episode June’s Birthday, what gift does Beaver give to his mother?
ABC, CBS
Beaver gives his mother a tacky blouse emblazoned with images of Paris for her birthday. She tells him that she will wear it to a mothers’ club tea, not knowing that Beaver’s class is scheduled to sing at the event. He sees that she is not wearing the blouse, his feelings are hurt, and June is caught in a lie. Poor Beav!
12: Which character gives the Beaver a black eye?
ABC, CBS
When Ward sees Beaver’s black eye, he encourages his son to fight back—not realizing that the aggressor was (gasp) a girl. Appropriately, the episode is called The Black Eye.
13: Why is a little boy upset in the episode called Beaver, the Magician?
ABC, CBS
Beaver and Larry play a trick on a younger boy, making him think that Beaver has been turned into a rock. The little boy takes the rock home to take care of Beaver, and no one can convince him that he has been fooled.
14: According to rumor, what did Ken Osmond, the actor who played Eddie Haskell, do when he grew up?
ABC, CBS
In fact, Ken Osmond retired from acting and became an officer with the LAPD. The odd rumor started after Alice Cooper mentioned in an interview that he used to behave like an Eddie Haskell.
15: In the famous episode that shows a toilet tank, what items are missing from the Cleaver household?
ABC, CBS
Wally and Beaver are keeping a small alligator in their bathroom without their parents’ knowledge. Based on advice from a man who raises alligators, the boys feed their pet milk, raw egg, and brandy, and they use beauty cream to keep its skin moist. The episode is called Captain Jack.
16: What is the title of the show’s opening theme song?
ABC, CBS
The show always opened with a narrator and an instrumental called The Toy Parade. But did you know that the song has lyrics? Here’s a sample: “Hey! Here they come with a rum tee tum / They’re having a toy parade / A tin giraffe with a fife and drum / Is leading the kewpie parade.”
17: In the episode Wally’s Haircomb, what style does Wally wear?
ABC, CBS
June is not happy about Wally’s new look. Ward, on the other hand, wants to sit back and let Wally realize that his new hairstyle is rather silly. (The jellyroll was a pompadour, arranged sort of like a donut, and it required a good amount of hair gel to maintain.)
18: Speaking of hairstyles, what does a girl at school call Beaver when she is making fun of his hair?
ABC, CBS
This season 6 episode is aptly named Beaver, the Sheep Dog. Beaver gets upset, but is Sheep Dog a worse name than Beaver?
19: In the episode Party Invitation, why doesn’t Beaver want to go to a birthday party?
ABC, CBS
Beaver doesn’t want to go to a girl’s birthday party—especially since no other boys were invited. However, his parents make him attend. At the party, Beaver bonds with the birthday girl’s father.
20: What was unique about the show’s finale?
ABC, CBS
Leave It to Beaver was the first prime-time sitcom in America to have a specific scripted finale, called Family Scrapbook. In the episode, June finds a scrapbook, inspiring everyone to reminisce and providing a reason to show flashbacks.
