Leave It to Beaver

When it comes to lampooning the idealized 1950s “all American” suburban family, Leave It To Beaver is the one to look to for inspiration. Although ripe with comedically-corny moments, it presented an innocent and wholesome take on ’50s family life. Leave It To Beaver debuted in 1957 and ended in 1963. Seven year-old Beaver Cleaver (actual name, Theodore) was the title character, played by child actor Jerry Mathers. He lived in the ideal single-family home with a picket fence in the ideal town of Mayfield with his housewife mother, June (Barbara Billingsly), accountant father, Ward (Methodist lay preacher and religious film actor, Hugh Beaumont), and 12 year-old brother, Wally (Tony Dow). Each episode usually followed the daily lives of its main characters, largely Beaver and Wally, and their misadventures at school or with friends. Frogs in pockets, brother-created hair masterpieces, and storing alligators in toilets all factored into the “boys will be boys” storylines that often focused on themes of self-respect, honesty, and responsibility. Many installments featured moral lessons taught by Ward to the children, with Beaver and Wally having learned their lesson. The show's creators, Joe Connely and Bob Mosher, based most of the young characters on their own kids. As the series progressed and the children aged, the show delved into the subjects of girls and growing up, but couldn’t disguise the fact that much of the show’s original charm and Mathers’ cuteness was waning. One of its early episodes was the first to show a toilet on TV. Diane Brewster played Beaver’s second-grade teacher, Miss Canfield and Ken Osmond played the two-faced Eddie Haskell. Leave It to Beaver placed on Time's "The 100 Best TV Shows of All-Time" list.

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