The New Leave It to Beaver facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The New Leave It to Beaver |
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The New Leave It to Beaver cast photo.
(Top row; left to right) Ken Osmond, Jerry Mathers, Janice Kent, Tony Dow. (Center row; left to right) Eric Osmond, Kipp Marcus, Barbara Billingsley, Kaleena Kiff. (Bottom row; front) John Snee. |
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| Genre | Sitcom |
| Directed by | Nick Abdo Bob Claver Roger Duchowny Jeffrey Ganz Steven Hilliard Stern |
| Starring | Barbara Billingsley Tony Dow Jerry Mathers Ken Osmond Frank Bank |
| Theme music composer | Walter Murphy |
| Composer(s) | David Frank |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 101 (+ 4 part Television movie) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Nick Abdo Brian Levant |
| Producer(s) | Al Aidekman Cindy Begel Fred Fox, Jr. Lesa Kite Peter Ware |
| Editor(s) | Gael Chandler |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Sprocket Films (season 1) Telvan Productions Universal Pay Television (season 1) Universal Television (seasons 2–4) |
| Release | |
| Original network |
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| Picture format | Color |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original release | March 19, 1983 – June 4, 1989 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Leave It to Beaver Still the Beaver |
The New Leave It to Beaver (also known as Still the Beaver) is an American sitcom. It is a sequel to the popular TV show Leave It to Beaver, which aired from 1957 to 1963. This new series started with a special TV movie in 1983 called Still the Beaver.
The movie was so successful that it led to a new TV series. This series also began as Still the Beaver on The Disney Channel from 1984 to 1985. Later, in 1986, the show moved to WTBS and was renamed The New Leave It to Beaver. It continued airing until June 1989. This show is a great example of a TV series that brought back its original characters for new adventures, much like Fuller House.
Contents
Meet the Cleaver Family Again
This show follows the lives of Wally Cleaver (Tony Dow) and his younger brother, Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver (Jerry Mathers), as grown-ups. They now have their own families!
Beaver is divorced and lives with his mom, June Cleaver (Barbara Billingsley), who is now a widow. Beaver's two sons, Kip and Oliver, also live with them. Wally lives right next door with his wife, Mary Ellen, and their children, Kelly and later, Kevin.
The actor who played Ward Cleaver, Hugh Beaumont, passed away in 1982. So, in the show, his character Ward also passed away in 1977. The 1983 TV movie was dedicated to Hugh Beaumont's memory.
Returning Friends and Family
Many other characters from the original show also returned! Wally's old friend Eddie Haskell (Ken Osmond) is back, and his sons Freddie and Bomber are played by Ken Osmond's real-life sons. "Lumpy" Rutherford (Frank Bank) also appears with his daughter J.J. Even Beaver's old grade school teacher, "Miss Canfield" (Diane Brewster), came back for a few episodes. Some of Beaver's childhood friends, Larry Mondello (Rusty Stevens) and Richard Rickover (Rich Correll), also made appearances.
Meet the Cast
- Barbara Billingsley as June Cleaver
- Tony Dow as Wally Cleaver
- Jerry Mathers as "The Beaver" (Theodore Cleaver)
- Ken Osmond as Eddie Haskell
- Frank Bank as Clarence "Lumpy" Rutherford
- Kipp Marcus as Ward "Kip" Cleaver II
- John Snee as Oliver "Olly" Cleaver
- Kaleena Kiff as Kelly Cleaver
- Eric Osmond as Freddie Haskell
- Janice Kent as Mary Ellen Cleaver (née Rogers)
- Ellen Maxted as Gertrude "Gert" Haskell
- Christian Osmond as Eddie "Bomber" Haskell Jr.
- Giovanni Ribisi as Duffy Guthrie
- Diane Brewster as Miss Canfield
- Rusty Stevens as Larry Mondello
- Rich Correll as Richard Rickover
- Troy Davidson as Kevin Cleaver (seasons 3–4)
Episodes and Seasons
The series started with a two-hour TV movie called Still the Beaver in March 1983. This movie was later split into four shorter "pilot" episodes for the TV series.
Season 1: On Disney Channel (1984–1985)
The first season aired on The Disney Channel and was still called Still the Beaver. It had 26 episodes. One episode, "Dear Pen Pal II," was meant to be the finale for The Disney Channel run but aired later in Season 3 on WTBS.
Seasons 2-4: On TBS (1986–1989)
When the show moved to WTBS, it was renamed The New Leave It to Beaver.
- Season 2 (1986–1987): This season had 27 episodes. Wally and Beaver reminisced about old times in an episode that showed clips from the original series. Wally's son, Kevin, was born in this season.
- Season 3 (1987–1988): This season had 29 episodes. It included a special episode that showed the very first pilot of the original Leave It to Beaver from 1957. Jerry Mathers (Beaver) and Tony Dow (Wally) even directed some episodes!
- Season 4 (1988–1989): The final season had 19 episodes. The production of the show moved to Universal Studios Florida. In one episode, Oliver has a dream about the Cleaver family in the year 2014, showing some cool future technology. The series ended with a two-part episode called "Dads and Grads."
Awards and Recognition
The show and its young actors received several Young Artist Awards nominations and wins. These awards celebrate young talent in entertainment.
- In 1988, Kaleena Kiff (who played Kelly Cleaver) won "Best Young Actress in a Cable Series or Special." The show also won "Best Cable Series."
- In 1989, Kaleena Kiff won her award again!
- Other young actors like John Snee (Oliver) and Eric Osmond (Freddie Haskell), and Kipp Marcus (Kip Cleaver) were nominated for their acting. The show was also nominated for "Best Cable Family Comedy, Drama Series or Special" in 1989 and "Best Off-Primetime Family Series" in 1990.
Images for kids
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The New Leave It to Beaver cast photo.
