Link (http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/leave-it-to-beaver-frank-bank-dies-so-long-lumpy-rutherford-27831/)

Actor Frank Bank died this morning, one day after he turned 71. Today is his friend and former co-star Tony Dow’s 68th birthday.

Bank was primarily know for his role as Clarence “Lumpy” Rutherford on the Leave It to Beaver sitcom in the 1950s and 60s. He reprised his role as Wally Cleaver’s friend in the Still the Beaver TV movie and the 1980s sequel series, The New Leave It to Beaver, joining most of the original sitcom’s surviving cast.

Bank made a brief cameo in the 1997 film Leave It to Beaver as “Frank.”

In addition to Beaver, Bank appeared on several 1950s and 60s TV shows and also played comic book character Archie Andrews in the Life with Archie TV movie in 1962.

His autobiography, Call Me Lumpy: My Leave It To Beaver Days and Other Wild Hollywood Life, was published in 2002 and was currently a bond broker in Los Angeles.

Link (http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/leave-it-to-beaver-frank-bank-dies-so-long-lumpy-rutherford-27831/)

Actor Frank Bank died this morning, one day after he turned 71. Today is his friend and former co-star Tony Dow’s 68th birthday.

Bank was primarily know for his role as Clarence “Lumpy” Rutherford on the Leave It to Beaver sitcom in the 1950s and 60s. He reprised his role as Wally Cleaver’s friend in the Still the Beaver TV movie and the 1980s sequel series, The New Leave It to Beaver, joining most of the original sitcom’s surviving cast.

Bank made a brief cameo in the 1997 film Leave It to Beaver as “Frank.”

In addition to Beaver, Bank appeared on several 1950s and 60s TV shows and also played comic book character Archie Andrews in the Life with Archie TV movie in 1962.

His autobiography, Call Me Lumpy: My Leave It To Beaver Days and Other Wild Hollywood Life, was published in 2002 and was currently a bond broker in Los Angeles.

Oh how tragic! "Lumpy" was one of my favorite recurring characters. This is a shock! Rest in peace, Frank. Thanks for making us laugh for six seasons on Leave it to Beaver, "Lumpy", you will never be forgotten!

Jack

I just noticed that JudgeGarth also started a thread a few minutes before mine. Mods please feel free to merge them.

Poor Guy i will always remember him as the fat kid from Leave It To Beaver


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v31S3563Bcw

So sad to hear this...RIP. :crying: :rip:

Sorry to hear this. Lived the character and how his role changed over time.

NO!!!! This is too sad.

:rip:

Aww, too bad :(

New York Daily News (http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/frank-bank-leave-beaver-lumpy-rutherford-dies-71-article-1.1316359)

Frank Bank, who played the bumbling bully “Lumpy” Rutherford on the original “Leave It To Beaver” TV show, died Saturday, a day after his 71st birthday.

No cause of death was announced.

Known as “Lumpy” for his size and rather dim intellect, Clarence Rutherford was one of the several caricatures who made “Leave It to Beaver” perhaps the most memorable teenage TV show of the late-‘50s era.

He was introduced in the first season as the local bully who tormented Wally (Tony Dow) and Beaver (Jerry Mathers) Cleaver.

His bullying never caused any real harm, though, mostly because he was so incompetent.

He was also dominated by his father Fred, who called him “Clarence” — possibly an even worse name for a high school kid than “Lumpy.”

Like his colleague Eddie Haskell (Ken Osmond), a would-be con man and hustler, Lumpy never became completely warm and fuzzy.

But over time, the good-hearted Cleaver boys and wise, benevolent adults would always prevent them from doing any real damage.

So even though Lumpy aspired to be a bully, the bad real-life consequences of bullying were never addressed on “Beaver.” Lumpy was more a nuisance than a threat, and it was always clear his real problem was insecurity.

Lumpy eventually became friends with Wally and even graduated from high school, although he apparently had been held back three years along the way.

Bank was born in a Los Angeles hospital corridor during an air raid drill.

One of his first acting jobs was playing the young Will Rogers in a 1952 film biography.

He had guest roles in a number of 1950s shows in addition to his Lumpy gig.

He left acting after “Beaver” ended, becoming a bond broker.

He returned to reprise Lumpy in the 1983 TV movie “Still The Beaver’ and the 1980s TV show “The New Leave It To Beaver.”

This time he and Beaver had gone into business together.

Bank also appeared on “Hollywood Squares” and “Family Feud” in the 1980s.

He wrote an autobiography, “Call Me Lumpy,” that was published in 2002.

Mathers tweeted Sunday that he was “so sad to hear of the passing of my dear friend and business associate.”

Died on Tony Dow's birthday. :(

:rip: Frank

Here's Mr. Bank with the rest of the Leave it to Beaver "family" on Family Feud. I think this was 1984, or maybe 1985.

Sad to hear the news of Frank's passing... :(

Very sad news, may he rest in peace.

He said in his book "Call Me Lumpy," which came out in 2002, that he'd had a heart attack several years before. Maybe he had another one.

I thought the book came out in 1998, unless it was updated and reissued in 2002.

:rip: Frank Bank

I thought the book came out in 1998, unless it was updated and reissued in 2002.
Maybe so. I could be wrong on the date.

RIP Lumpy. I was shocked by the news!!! Lumpy was the bully in some ways, but even when tormented the Beaver or Wally, he got whats coming to him.

New York Daily News (http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/frank-bank-leave-beaver-lumpy-rutherford-dies-71-article-1.1316359)

Frank Bank, who played the bumbling bully “Lumpy” Rutherford on the original “Leave It To Beaver” TV show, died Saturday, a day after his 71st birthday.

No cause of death was announced.

Known as “Lumpy” for his size and rather dim intellect, Clarence Rutherford was one of the several caricatures who made “Leave It to Beaver” perhaps the most memorable teenage TV show of the late-‘50s era.

He was introduced in the first season as the local bully who tormented Wally (Tony Dow) and Beaver (Jerry Mathers) Cleaver.

His bullying never caused any real harm, though, mostly because he was so incompetent.

He was also dominated by his father Fred, who called him “Clarence” — possibly an even worse name for a high school kid than “Lumpy.”

Like his colleague Eddie Haskell (Ken Osmond), a would-be con man and hustler, Lumpy never became completely warm and fuzzy.

But over time, the good-hearted Cleaver boys and wise, benevolent adults would always prevent them from doing any real damage.

So even though Lumpy aspired to be a bully, the bad real-life consequences of bullying were never addressed on “Beaver.” Lumpy was more a nuisance than a threat, and it was always clear his real problem was insecurity.

Lumpy eventually became friends with Wally and even graduated from high school, although he apparently had been held back three years along the way.

Bank was born in a Los Angeles hospital corridor during an air raid drill.

One of his first acting jobs was playing the young Will Rogers in a 1952 film biography.

He had guest roles in a number of 1950s shows in addition to his Lumpy gig.

He left acting after “Beaver” ended, becoming a bond broker.

He returned to reprise Lumpy in the 1983 TV movie “Still The Beaver’ and the 1980s TV show “The New Leave It To Beaver.”

This time he and Beaver had gone into business together.

Bank also appeared on “Hollywood Squares” and “Family Feud” in the 1980s.

He wrote an autobiography, “Call Me Lumpy,” that was published in 2002.

Mathers tweeted Sunday that he was “so sad to hear of the passing of my dear friend and business associate.”

On the New Leave it to Beaver, what business did Beaver and Lumpy work in together?

Jack

Yeah, I was shocked by this too.
I love the show and just feel close to watching them when they were teenagers and younger. I read Frank's book but had forgotten of any of his health problems. It's sad enough to see the adults we watched grow older but it seems too harsh a reality for the kid actors to begin dying of, basically, old age. Wherever this fits, I'm sorry to hear it.

Here's Mr. Bank with the rest of the Leave it to Beaver "family" on Family Feud. I think this was 1984, or maybe 1985.

Richard Deacon (Fred Rutherford) died in 1984 (August 4 IIRC), so that throws 1985 out.

Richard Deacon (Fred Rutherford) died in 1984 (August 4 IIRC), so that throws 1985 out.

Close, August 8th and If IMDb is correct it aired in 1983.

OK, thanks. I knew it was one of those three years - '83, '84 or '85.

On the New Leave it to Beaver, what business did Beaver and Lumpy work in together?

Jack

I don't think it was ever specified, but I could be wrong.

Sorry to learn that Frank has passed on. I always liked the episodes in which he had a substantial role.

Sleep well my friend.:(

Sorry to learn that Frank has passed on. I always liked the episodes in which he had a substantial role.
Like the one where Wally and Eddie messed with the chassis on his car!! :eek: :crazy:

After playing Wally's dim-witted sidekick on the popular TV show in the 1950s and 1960s, Bank found himself typecast, so he quit acting and became a successful financial broker, with 'Beaver' co-stars Jerry Mathers and Barbara Billingsley among his clients.

Link (http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-frank-bank-20130416,0,7712585.story)

Frank Bank, who as Clarence "Lumpy" Rutherford served as the dim-witted foil to "Beaver" Cleaver and brother Wally on the classic TV comedy "Leave It to Beaver," died Saturday. He was 71.

A spokesman for Hillside Memorial Park in Los Angeles confirmed Bank's death but did not disclose where he died or the cause.

Bank had a number of illnesses and was hospitalized recently in Rancho Mirage, said Jerry Mathers who played Beaver Cleaver in the popular series that ran from 1957 to 1963.

"Leave It to Beaver" revolved around young Beaver and his misadventures, which usually involved the teenage Wally and Wally's friends — skinny, sarcastic Eddie and oafish, overweight Lumpy, who loved pushing Beaver around.

"Lumpy was the ultimate bully, but Frank was a very, very kind and gentle person and a very good actor to play it so well," Mathers told The Times this week. "The show was about all the people you knew growing up and throughout your life, and Frank brought that perspective to the show."

After the show ended, Bank was chosen to play comic book character Archie Andrews in the pilot for a new series but found he could not shake his previous TV identity. "That's not Archie, that's Lumpy," Bank, in a 1998 People magazine interview, recalled hearing the sponsor say.

Discouraged by the typecasting--and not wanting "to be like George Reeves, who could only be Superman,” he said -- he decided to give up on acting to pursue business.

While others read Daily Variety, Bank said he read the Wall Street Journal during breaks on the "Leave It to Beaver" set. Later, he helped his parents at the meat market they owned and taught himself about the stocks and bonds business.

By the mid-1970s he was earning a six-figure income as a stock-and-bond broker in Los Angeles. Among his clients were former co-stars Mathers and Barbara Billingsley, who had played Mrs. Cleaver. "Frank is certainly brighter than Lumpy Rutherford, and a very good stockbroker," Billingsley said in the People magazine article.

Born in Los Angeles on April 12, 1942, Bank made his acting debut in 1950 with an uncredited appearance in the movie "Cargo to Capetown." He had small parts on television before joining the cast of "Leave It to Beaver" and becoming forever linked to the Lumpy character.

He rarely brought up his role in the iconic sitcom until after he married and had children old enough to wonder what their father did when he was younger. Then, he told Orange Coast magazine in 1989, "they were so proud, I became proud."

He reprised the Lumpy role in the 1983 TV movie "Still the Beaver" and the series "The New Leave It to Beaver," seen on the Disney Channel and later WTBS from 1985 to 1989.

A longtime resident of the San Fernando Valley, he wrote a memoir, "Call Me Lumpy" (1997). Subtitled "My Leave It to Beaver Days and Other Wild Hollywood Life," it drew attention mainly because of a bawdy chapter detailing his "perpetual sexfest" during the 1960s. "I have slept with over 1,000 women," the chapter begins.

The introduction to the book was written by Ken Osmond, who played Eddie Haskell on "Leave It to Beaver" and later was a Los Angeles police officer until he was shot in the line of duty and retired.

His friend and former co-star "has got some working brain cells," Osmond wrote. "They just don't show when you first meet him. I have no idea why."

Bank is survived by his wife, Rebecca; daughters Julie Bank, Kelly Lightner, Michelle Randall and Joanne Littman; and five grandchildren.


http://www.trbimg.com/img-516c7a7e/turbine/la-me-frank-bank-20130416-001/600

I like this about his kids and how they changed his thoughts about the show:

He rarely brought up his role in the iconic sitcom until after he married and had children old enough to wonder what their father did when he was younger. Then, he told Orange Coast magazine in 1989, "they were so proud, I became proud."

What a shock to read this about Frank. This is sad news. May he rest in peace.

RIP Lumpy...I mean Frank:(

Sorry to learn of Frank's passing. R. I. P.

What I really like about most of the cast members from "Leave It To Beaver" is that they appear to enjoy being associated with those roles and that show. You don't hear them complain about being "type cast".

Unfortunately, the real actors continue to age and then, one day, we learn that they have passed away; like Frank Bank or previously, Barbara Billingsley. Fortunately, they remain forever young when you are able to watch that show.

^ Well said - I couldn't agree more.

sad to hear of his passing i loved the eps when lumpy would get into some kind of trouble and then when he wanted his father toi bail him out he would whine daddyyyyy

:rip:

Very sad to hear about this.