June Cleaver facts for kids
Quick facts for kids June Cleaver |
|
|---|---|
Barbara Billingsley and Hugh Beaumont as June and Ward Cleaver.
|
|
| First appearance | "It's a Small World" (pilot episode) (April 23, 1957) |
| Last appearance | Leave It to Beaver (film adaptation, 1997) |
| Created by | Joe Connelly Bob Mosher |
| Portrayed by | Barbara Billingsley (television series) Janine Turner (1997 film adaptation) |
| Information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | Homemaker |
| Family | Theodore Bronson (father) |
| Spouse(s) | Ward Cleaver (husband) |
| Children | Wallace "Wally" Cleaver (oldest son) Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver (youngest son) |
| Relatives | Martha Bronson, (aunt) Peggy, (sister) Infant niece |
June Evelyn Bronson Cleaver is a principal character in the American television sitcom Leave It to Beaver. June and her husband, Ward, are often invoked as the typical suburban parents of the 1950s. The couple are the parents of two sons, Wally and "Beaver". Wally is twelve years old and in the seventh grade when the series opens; Beaver is seven years old ("almost eight") and in the third grade. Episodes followed the escapades of Wally and Beaver and usually ended with a moral lesson delivered to the boys, but also often included reminders of childhood and minor lessons for the parents through the adventures of their boys. She was included in Yahoo!'s Top 10 TV Moms from Six Decades of Television for the time period 1957-1963.
June is played by Barbara Billingsley in both the pilot, "It's a Small World" (which aired in April 1957 on Studio '57), and in the original television series. Billingsley also plays the character in the show's television reunion movie, Still the Beaver (1983), and the show's sequel series, The New Leave It to Beaver (1985—1989). In the sequel series, Wally and Beaver are both parents, and June is a grandmother.
Character overview
June's birthplace is mentioned in one episode as East St. Louis. June attended boarding school as a youngster and was captain of the school's basketball team. At one point in her young years, she was a student of Cornelia Rayburn, the principal of Beaver's school. It is implied that June had an affluent upper middle class upbringing (contrasted with Ward's middle class childhood) which may in part account for June's perfect and fashionable clothing tastes throughout the series. June mentions her father occasionally
As a teen, June knew and dated Ward Cleaver, a farmer's son. Ward lived in nearby Shaker Heights. The two attended State college together. June kept her maiden name, Bronson, as one of her middle names after marrying Ward. Ward and June have two sons, Wally and Theodore aka "Beaver". June's oldest son, Wally, is a good student and popular with everyone while young Beaver has a difficult time staying out of trouble. The Cleavers live initially at 485 Mapleton Drive and move to 211 Pine Street at the beginning of the third season.
June is dedicated to her family; her interests outside the home are social events like weddings or school events like meetings and plays. She has ladylike pastimes: needlepoint, cake decorating, and arranging tea roses. She reads glossy but high-toned, tasteful women's magazines. In one episode, she entertains the ladies in her social club only to see the event ruined by Beaver's monkey who spoils the foods on the dining table.
When the boys arrive home from school, June can be found in the kitchen chopping salad vegetables, basting a roast, or icing a cake. Her kitchen is immaculate. Like most TV middle class sitcom families of the era, the Cleavers eat breakfast and lunch in the kitchen while their dinners are full scale affairs in the dining room.
June is ladylike and slightly formal in personal appearance, always seen with perfect hair and tasteful facial makeup. She is known among the show's fans for being dressed as a party hostess, even when doing her housework or relaxing around the house. For most of the series her wardrobe consists of simple but elegant dresses, suits, or skirts paired with blouses or sweaters and high-heeled pumps for shoes. She wears a pearl necklace in almost every scene, even when gardening.
Images for kids
-
Barbara Billingsley in the pilot "It's a Small World", 1957.
-
June supervises the boys and their friends.
