Did they ever say? All I ever hear June say to Ward about work is stuff like "How did it go at the office?" I've been watching LITB for a few years now and I STILL don't know what he does! Can someone help me? Thanks :wave:

For some reason many people assume he was an accountant, like they assume Mayfield was in Ohio.

Actually, neither were ever stated in the show! I think he may have been in marketing or sales. On a couple episodes they mention that his company was making marketing surveys, etc. Also, he apparently could have been a commercial artist, but didn't do that. :)

According to "The Complete Directory to Primetime Network and Cable TV Shows: 1946- Present" Ward was an accountant and Fred was his boss.

From my close watching of the show over many years, I don't believe they ever specified what it was. Certainly they never said Fred was his boss. It was always implied that Ward was "over" Fred, having a corner office, etc!

I doubt he was an accountant. He could barely explain to Wally the difference between a stock and a bond. June ended up telling him.

I thought he could be an architect. In the episode "Beaver's hero" he said he was an architect in the war so why not as a career? And I don't think Fred could ever be anyone's boss. I agree that Ward seemed to be over him.

Jim Anderson from Father Knows Best was definitely an accountant. Ward, on the other hand, I'm not too about. Here is what I do know about Ward's career:

He worked in an office.

He wore a suit and tie.

Fred was his boss.

He made enough money to feed, clothe and shelter a wife and two sons in comfort.

He usually didn't work on the weekends.

How do you know Fred was his boss? I don't think that was ever stated on the show. As I said earier, I think it was usually implied that Ward was "over" him!

Fred was DEFINITELY NOT his boss.

by the way, mayfield WAS in ohio.

I agree with you about Fred R., but not Ohio. It could have been there, but there are just as many things pointing to Oregon or the Pacific Northwest.

In one episode, June was going to plant camellia bushes, which don't grow in Ohio, and in "The Boat Builders" Ward clearly states that "the ocean" is 20 miles away! :)

They never said specifically what Ward did. However, Fred was definately not his boss. In the reunion movie, Fred became the boss of the company, and Lumpy and Beaver worked under him. So whatever Fred and Ward did, Lumpy and Beaver had the same (or very similar) careers. Later on in the new series, Lumpy and Beaver started their own company together, and 60% of their business was with a company in Japan. I think whatever they were all doing, it was in the field of business. Not sure if it was finance or what, but something having to do with business.

As far as where Mayfield was, Jerry Mathers explained it in his autobiography. Mayfield was supposed to be any random American town. They specifically did not choose a certain location or state for it, that's why there are so many discrepancies. If I recall correctly from the Leave it to Beaver movie that came out a few years ago, they stated that Mayfield was in Ohio, but in the series, they never said. Cleveland does have a Mayfield Heights suburb, along with a Village of Mayfield suburb, along with a Shaker Heights suburb (which is where Ward is from), and in the new series (created by Brian Levant, who also did the reunion movie and the big screen movie), Eddie Haskell said his family came from Akron, OH, which is like an hour and half away from Cleveland. I actually think this is why Jerry Mathers mentions that there is a "Mayfield" close to Akron, OH in his autobiography (instead of Cleveland, which is what its a suburb of), because he remembers Akron being mentioned a couple of times on the new series. So I'm pretty sure Brian Levant visualizes Mayfield being in Ohio, but the original creators kept it vague, just like Ward's career was kept vague.

When i was a kid, which is about the same time Beav was a kid though he is a few years older than me, but same idea, all fathers worked in offices in sort of general, unnamed way, sort of like a middle management position. Unless you were a doctor or something specific like that. But most dads just wore a suit and went to work and we never knew what they did, so it seems perfect that Ward just worked in an office with a secretary and that we don't know what he did.

I guess Fred is one of those people you work with who just think they're the boss. :lol:

Oh he was that all right, "a legend in his own mind!" :D