Straight from the horses mouth from a post of a close friend of Rusty on a Leave it to Beaver Facebook page I'm a member of:

From Rusty As Follows,,,"It seems we are approaching (at least for this cycle) the end of the LITB episodes that include the Larry Mondello character. I've noticed that this has produced a smattering of comments and questions about my "untimely" (and unexplained) exit. Over the years I've answered these questions with friends and family and others so many times that it got kind of old. But I think this group deserves to hear a "from the horse's mouth" explanation. I never dreamed at that time that my leaving the show would become the stuff of urban legend. But it pretty much did. Crazy stories about me hiding out, people posing as me...all kinds of nutty stuff.
Let me start with a few of the stories that have been put out there. There is one that I only came across since I have been following this group. It showed a podcast of an interview with Jerry Mathers, in which he said that I left the show after I was in the movie, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" because me and my family thought I was going to become more successful in Theatrical films. I am sure Jerry only said this because he heard it somewhere else. However, it's just kind of ridiculous. I was a nine year old kid with a small part along with other kids, and although it was an honor to be in such an iconic film, we certainly didn't think I was going to become a movie star. Plus I was in the show for two more years after the movie.
Another story that did have some truth to it was that my father was transferred out of state. He wasn't actually transferred and it didn't happen until a couple years after I left the show. But my parents had started thinking about moving back east which is where they came from. Please notice that I said "after I left the show." Many people refer to my exit as being "written out of the show," which is not accurate. I will address that shortly.
The other story that has been widely reported apparently came from Barbara Billingsley. I know Barbara has a lot of fans here, and I in no way mean to speak ill of her. However, Barbara's contention that my mother was the worse kind of "stage mother" and was a "terror" (I believe that's the actual word she used) on the set was totally untrue. First of all, my younger brother was about four years old at the time and other than when he was in childcare, my mother didn't even come to the set. They paid a relative of ours to accompany me the studio and also the sister of a next door neighbor. And I seriously doubt that either of those two ladies was a terror on the set. A couple of months ago there was an episode in which June cleaver says to one of the boys, "If you can't say something nice about somebody, don't say anything at all." The irony of that statement by her did not escape me. I must add here that I absolutely do not believe that Barbara Billingsley just made this story up. I'm sure that somebody told her about this. But I got along great with her and she was always very nice to me and as far as I ever saw, also got along with my mother when she was there. It just kind of disappoints me that she would feel it necessary to put out such a story which whether true or not would be embarrassing to me and my family.
As I've mentioned in other posts unrelated to this subject, my mother actually became friendly off the set with some of the other mothers. Jeri Weil's (Judy Hensler) mother and my mom became friendly and the same for Karen Sue Trent's (Penny) mother. We even went to their house for horseback riding. She also became friendly with the mother of Patty Ann Gerrity, who played one of the kids in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Not that it's unusual for the mothers of child actors to become friendly; I only bring this up to show that my mom was no more, or less, a stage mother than most mothers.
Having said that, let me add that my mother was by no means a shy person. I was not privy to all the things that went down between my mother and my agent, and the producers. That sort of leads me into the next section of this (long-winded "memoir.") I have told you the things that were not true. Let me now address the real reasons I left the show.
My early episodes on the show, were not always every week and my part would be very small. So I might only have to go in one day for shooting in a particular week. And although I had to attend 3 hours of school on the set, I obviously was not in class at my regular school. As the episodes I was in increased and my parts in those episodes got bigger, I was out of my regular school more and more. I was fortunate in that it did not have a negative effect in an academic sense. However, I believe there were other consequences that were beginning to occur. Namely, the social networks that naturally develop in school were beginning to not happen for me as a result of my going back and forth between the studio and regular school. I'm sure it was very subtle and not something that looked to be a major problem because I really enjoyed what I did at the studio. Also, our neighborhood had a very tight-knit group of kids. Although I could still do things with them, things were changing a little. I doubt that at this point my parents noticed anything relating to this, because it was only starting to dawn on me and I kept things pretty close to the chest even in those days.
At some point in 1958, I got the part of one of the "no necked monsters" (as Elizabeth Taylor's character called us) in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. In my opinion, this caused a lot of changes. Without bragging, I can say that my Larry Mondello character was getting more and more popular on the show and we were getting a surprising amount fan mail. Well, just prior to beginning production on "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," Liz Taylor's husband, Mike Todd, was tragically killed in an airplane crash. This naturally delayed production and since we as the kids were under contract for the movie, we had to be available. I don't remember the exact extent of it but it pretty much precluded doing any Beaver shows. Since as I said, Larry Mondello was getting more and more popular, the producers were not too crazy about having to write scripts without me. (Again, no conceit intended.)
After I again became available for LITB the Producers wanted to make sure that they had more control and so they put me under contract. This was a great thing for all the reasons you can imagine: money, prestige, etc. As far as I know, at that time I was the only non-Cleaver under contract. I assume that Ken Osmond and possibly Frank Bank were put under contract as time went by and more Wally-centric episodes were written.
Now keep in mind, up until this point I'm still going back and forth between Studio schools at MGM, for "Cat" and Universal for Beaver. So when I went under contract, now I'm going to be attending school on the set everyday. Plus I began to take part in the whole 5 day process of each episode: The "Reading" on Monday; rehearsals on Tuesday; and shooting on Wednesday Thursday and Friday, [I want to mention here that I especially enjoyed the Monday Readings. They were very laid back. We sat around a table and read our lines and got a feel for the episode for the first time. For characters that were not there, which was most of the non-principals, somebody else like the director or assistant director would say the lines. It was really neat when you said your line you got a laugh from the whole table]
What I did not realize at the time was that I was becoming even more estranged from friends because I was at the studio all the time. I know that Jerry and Tony did that day in and day out for 6 years and it didn't seem to bother them. The same goes for other successful child actors. I can only say how I felt in that position. All my friends we're starting to get interested in girls and there were dances and parties that kids were going to. Yes, of course I could have gone do these different things but since I was not going to school with them I did not feel like I was part of the group. Ironically, if I had played up the Beaver thing more I probably could have been the most popular kid in town. LOL But again that's not who I was.
Gradually, I started letting my parents know how I felt. And I guess they began to see some negative effects on me. Eventually, I was flat-out telling them that I didn't want to do the show anymore. And this is from a young boy who had loved acting in the series. So my parents had to do what they felt was necessary to get me out of the contract. Perhaps this is where Barbara Billingsley or someone else thought my mother was being a terrible stage mother. If being a stage mother means looking out for the best interests of your child, I'm sure my mother would have proudly worn that title.
Over the next couple years I did do some other TV shows here and there but they did not consume my time like LITB had done. Eventually we did move to Philly in early 1963. I can't say I regret that because I would not have my wife and daughter if we didn't make the move. In watching the shows again over the last several months i'm glad to say it only brings back very good memories. But let me confess one thing: The first time I saw another kid at the desk behind Judy Hensler, it brought a tear to my eye and a lump to my throat".🍎

Link please.

Thank you.

Fascinating. I wish someone would tell him about this site.

That is pure gold. Rusty Stevens always seemed the most mysterious of the LITB players - how wonderful to finally hear from him about his experiences with the show.

Link please.

Thank you.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/42742177731/


You will have to scroll down to the post which was made May 11th by Doug B. Joining this group is easy. Doug B (Rusty's friend) posts Rusty's thoughts through him about the show frequently.Interesting information.

Would someone who's on Facebook tell his friend about this site?

So it was actually Rusty Stevens himself who wanted to quit the series because it was interfering with his friendships at school. That is interesting.

He also says he doesn't know what went on when his mother and agent were negotiating his contract. She could have been quite assertive and Connelly and Mosher didn't like it, and spread "dirt" about her. Thus, (possibly) Barbara Billingsley's assertions.

I never really thought about character actors eventually going under contract. I imagine Osmond and Bank eventually were contracted, as well.

Here are Rusty's thoughts on Sue Randall AKA Miss Landers:



A Sue Randall Memory From Our Friend Rusty, As Follows,,,,"In the mid-70s I had just started going out with a girl who did not yet know my television history. We were walking around Rittenhouse Square in Center City Philadelphia, which anybody from the area will know. As we were walking, there was a woman walking towards us. As she and my friend recognized each other,they stopped and gave each other a brief hug. They talked for a few minutes and then we continued on our way, as did she. I didn't ask her about the woman because it was none of my business who she was. But after about 10 or 15 minutes she said, "Do you know who that was?" I said, "No, why?" She asked me if I had ever watched Leave It to Beaver. My antenna immediately went up, wondering what's this all about? I said yes I remember the show. She said well that was Miss Landers. Her friend Sue Randall had played her on the show, and that they had known each other because they we're both going to the same shrink. Well, I did some quick math in my head and figured that Sue Randall would have been late 30s or early forties at most. This woman could have easily passed for late 50s. If true, it meant that the gorgeous young actress that I knew in the late 50s had been through some pretty bad times. When I told my friend finally who I was she thought I was putting her on. However as she gave it more thought she realized that I was who I said I was. As things turned out, I only went out with her a few more times. But the absolute synchronicity of that meeting still blows my mind to this day. People have asked me why I didn't try to catch up with her or contact her. But to be honest I thought it would be embarrassing to her to say I knew her from the Leave it to Beaver days. She looked that bad. Evidently, she died about 10 years later and I hope her final years were good ones."🍎

Rusty's thoughts on Ken Osmond:

A Recent "Tidbit" From Our Friend Rusty, As Follows,,,,"Doug recently asked me about any recollections I have of Ken Osmond on or off the set. It got me to thinking about how relatively few episodes we were in at the same time, and as a result had minimal interactions. Part of the answer is that of course he was in more of the "Wally-Centric" episodes. However, the other day they showed the episode in which Mary Ellen Rogers invited Wally to the dance. Lumpy, Tooey, and Chester showed up in the episode, but no Eddie Haskell. And given the plot of the episode, he would have been a natural. Even in the episodes that centered more on Beaver, i'm a little stumped on why he wasn't in them. In my opinion, along with the opinion of millions of fans, Ken Osmond's portrayal of that role was Emmy-worthy. I don't think that's overstating it. Over the years, i've seen much less worthy supporting actor emmys given out. The more I reacquaint myself with the show (remember, as i've said, prior to this year I hadn't watched the shows in literally decades. I guess they were not on at convenient times and/or it was prior to the days when you could record TV shows) the more I realize that there are relatively long stretches of episodes in which his character does not appear. As the series went on and the kids got older he was in many more episodes. I still think it was a mistake to not include him in all the episodes. There may be a reason that I'm not aware of which of course could be the case. Maybe Doug or some other computer whiz could mosey on over to imdb.com and cross reference the episodes in which Ken and I both appear during the years I was on the show. I could be wrong but I think it is relatively few.
Two additional quick notes I do have about Ken Osmond is that during the filming of the final "New Leave It to Beaver" show, which I was in, I found Ken to be a very intelligent and articulate guy. I believe he was the one that arranged for members of cast and crew to go on a chartered bus to view a Cape Canaveral launching from an exclusive location.
And for those that don't know, Ken Osmond almost single-handedly pursued the issue of actors not getting compensation for foreign showings of TV shows. I'm not just talking about Ken and the actors of Leave It to Beaver; this was done on behalf of all actors in The Screen Actors Guild. All fans that don't know about this should look it up. It's fascinating that he took this important issue on...and won."��

Wow I don’t know why it took me so long to read this. I loved every bit of why he left and seems like such a great explanation. I had no idea that Rusty was in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof!! So glad we know the backstory! Love his memories of Ken Osmond. “Hey Larry where have ya been out frightening babies?” Beaver’s Library Book

Wow the Sue Randall story blows my mind too.

Thanks for posting these. Very interesting.

Rusty on his dad being away in Cincinnati:

A "Tidbit" from our friend Rusty, As follows,,,
"Everybody knows about Larry Mondello's father's epic business trips to Cincinnati. I don't know when the following incident occurred. It may have been the first time they used the Cincinnati joke or in some subsequent episode. At any rate, although I was born in Los Angeles, my parents and most of my relatives we're from Philadelphia. Well, during rehearsal for one of the "Cincinnati" episodes, when I guess I was feeling exceptionally brave, I approached our director, Norman Tokar, and asked him if we could use Philadelphia instead of Cincinnati because my relatives back east would get a kick out of it. Without missing a beat, Norman said no, "...because Cincinnati sounds funnier."
Well, he was absolutely right and never again did I make unsolicited suggestions."����

Re the meeting on Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, it seems odd that Rusty wouldn't have recognized Sue at that meeting, unless she had changed a lot over the years.

But both stories are fascinating. I know we've had threads about Ken's absences in seasons 2 and 5.

Rusty's recollections on Madge Blake:

A Memory From Our Friend Rusty, As Follows,,,,,"Somebody recently asked how it was to work with Madge Blake . Many of the episodes I was in, she was not in so I did not actually work with her that many times .However, when I did I found her to be a very nice lady . Even off-camera she still had that kind of ditzy, absent-minded, but lovable aura about her. But when the director said "Action" she seemed to take it up a notch and made every scene she was in very funny. A total professional.
My mother had some conversations with her and from that I know that she began her acting career late in life. I wasn't much of a fan of the old Batman series but I always watched The Real McCoys so I saw her on that show many times. ( I believe it was on Thurs nights, and I can still remember the words to the theme song!)"��

Rusty on Tony Dow:

Message From Our Friend Rusty, As Follows,,,,, "Here's my Tony Dow story. But first let me preface it with some back-story. Tony was the same age as my older brother, within a few months. And like Tony, my brother was very good at sports. At home my brother and I and other neighborhood kids were always playing baseball, football, basketball, and just about anything you can think of. On the set I sort of thought of Tony as an older brother. We would toss a baseball or football around when we were not in school or doing scenes. They are some of my fondest memories of that period. Another little ritual I remember sharing with Tony was getting buttered rye toast and orange juice from the commissary in the morning. Maybe my "little kid" memories are exaggerating the number of times we did all this stuff, but I know it was enough to make an impression on me.
So now fast-forward 22 or 23 years. I hadn't seen anybody from the cast in over two decades. They had called me to do the reunion show. I flew out there alone and my wife joined me about a week later due to her work schedule. When I checked into the hotel room that the studio had set up for me, there was a couple messages on the phone from Tony Dow saying that he was excited to see me after all these years and could we get together that evening. We met at the hotel bar and over drinks had a great time reminiscing. The best part was yet to come. After my wife joined me in California, Tony and his wife invited Terry and I to drive to Mexico with them just for the heck of it. I'm pretty sure he had a Volkswagen at the time. We stayed overnight in Ensenada. I guess our wives must have stayed back in the room that evening because Tony and I went to a bar on our own. Well, all the girls in the bar recognized Tony and were flat-out swooning over him. I can't remember if any of them recognized me, but it wouldn't have mattered - they would have knocked me over to get to Tony. I will tell you this: if you were single around that time and wanted to "get lucky" in a bar, Tony Dow was the guy to be with! I know there was a lot more stuff on that trip but that night always stood out for me. FYI... Both of us got back to our rooms at a very respectable hour".��

Rusty on Jerry Mathers:

A While Back, Our Friend Rusty Was Gracious Enough To Answer 2 Questions From A Group Member.
#1- What's your favourite episode (for whatever reason)?
#2- Were you and Jerry friends off-screen as well? (ie: around the studio lot, and/or, off?)
Rusty's Answers As Follows,,,,"It's really hard to say what my favorite episode was. But I guess the funniest one in which I was involved was "Found Money," where I threw money out the window and then made Beaver think that we were finding it after it fell out of an airplane. I'm even laughing as I type this because it's so ridiculously funny. Probably right up there in my favorites is also 1) where I hide in the bathtub after running away, and 2) the one where I sleep over and get sick from eating candy, and 3) the episode in which Beaver and I play hooky and ended up on TV. There were plenty of episodes that I was not in that were hilarious. It would take forever to mention those.
As to the other question, I can't really say Jerry Mathers and I were friends off the set. I believe he did come over to my house one time but I really don't remember what we did. At the studio, we did go "exploring" a few times. There were lots of neat things on the back lot to check out. I think I mentioned in one of my earlier posts that my clearest and fondest memories involve Tony Dow. I loved all sports and Tony was very athletic. We played catch when we had free time right outside the soundstage. And I don't know why this stands out so vividly in my mind, we would get buttered rye toast and orange juice in the morning from the commissary. They were good times".��

The Real McCoys was a funny show. Walter Brennan really made it.

The show hasn't been done justice on DVD. Bad ownership. I think it's the same company that has the rights to all the Danny Thomas shows, and Joey Bishop.

And I've always liked Madge Blake. One of my fave things with her is when she shoved Larry as they were leaving after he had run away to the Cleavers'. I wonder if that was an ad-libbed add-on. If so, it was great!

Awesome stories from Rusty Stevens, it's great to learn some behind the scenes information regarding the Leave It To Beaver TV show. It's sad though about Sue Randall, sounds like she had a rough life after LITB ended and went off the air.

A few things:

1. Both Rusty's acting, and the character, were A+. One of the best additions to the show. I agree with his statement that it was sad to see another kid sitting in the desk behind Judy.

2. It's a shame he asked his parents to get him out of the show, because the show suffered a little for it. But from his perspective it was totally understandable. He wanted to be a normal kid. But I don't think the show ever found a really good replacement. Nevertheless, they rebounded by doing more Wally/Eddie/Lumpy-centered stories.

3. One sad note: he mentioned the New LITB in a post. The general unavailability of that show is really sad.

4. What Rusty says about a non-personal relationship with Jerry meshes with what Jerry has said in his book. Sounds like Rusty was more friendly with Tony Dow.

5. No one in the cast seems to have any bad memories of their time with the show. Really incredible--there aren't many shows that can say that!

Rusty has a great memory and shares some exciting details. Those episodes were very funny. I wish he would write a book but thanks for sharing those great stories.

Has anyone joined the fan club?

I wish he'd join this board. It would be fascinating to hear from an insider.

I wonder if he lost weight over the years.

I’m surprised that Rusty’s friend didn’t introduce him to Sue Randall. If you are with someone and you meet a friend wouldn’t you introduce the friend to the other? Otherwise it’s rude. Imagine if Rusty’s friend said “Rusty this is Sue Randall from the old LITB show. She played Miss Landers.” Rusty: “Hi Sue remember me I played Larry Mondello, I would never have recognized you.” The friend of Rusty’s is dumbfounded.

https://www.picsofcelebrities.com/celebrity/sue-randall/pictures/large/sue-randall-wallpapers.jpg

Here is a photo of Sue I don’t know the date but she probably looked old to Rusty.

That's a good point. Why wouldn't she have introduced them? And wouldn't Sue have acknowledged him in some way, even if she didn't? At this point he hadn't told the girl about his Beaver days, so was he trying to keep it from her by not acknowledging Sue himself? Maybe I need to reread the story. A few odd things about it.

Rusty has a great memory and shares some exciting details. Those episodes were very funny. I wish he would write a book but thanks for sharing those great stories.

Has anyone joined the fan club?

I have been a member of this Facebook group for a year or 2. All you have to do is click the join button and I think they may ask you a couple of easy Leave it to Beaver questions to confirm your membership.I have even seen a couple of fairly current pictures of Rusty in this group.You have to look through the posts by Doug B. who is a close personal friend of Rusty. Click below link to join.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/42742177731/

Rusty on the food they ate during scenes :

A Friday night Tidbit from our friend Rusty. I asked him about the food they ate during scenes? His reply as follows,,,,"As far as the food that the Cleavers ate, i'm not a hundred percent sure, but rather than the production staff cooking it as you said, I believe it came from the commissary on the lot. In the episode where I hid in the bathtub and Beaver brought me food, unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) I can't remember if it was any good. Same thing for the episode in which Beaver ate at my house. In my years on the show I do not remember there ever being any food available for cast or crew other than what they brought from home or the commissary. I guess you could say that the apples and candy bars I ate were an exception to that because I did not bring them from home. Nowadays, from what I understand, at the end of a series run they have a wrap party and I imagine they don't do it on the cheap.
By the time they made the TV movie "Still The Beaver" and "The New Leave It To Beaver," things had changed. I was also involved in the finale of "The New LITB" but for both those shows in 1983 and 1989, I remember the craft table set up being really good. But then again, keep in mind i'm pretty much a junk food addict and have a pretty low bar for great cuisine. I remember hitting the bagels and cream cheese pretty good as soon as I got to the set.
On a somewhat related topic, I was always under the impression when actors used alcohol in a scene that it was not really alcohol. And that may well be the case normally. Well in that finale show in 1989 there's a party scene where the script called for us drinking beer. I thought for sure it would be water or soda or something like that. Much to my surprise when they handed me a bottle of beer, it was a bottle of beer. I don't remember how many takes there were for the scene but it could have gotten kind of messy if we had to do too many of them"��.

Rusty on Stand Ins :

Message From Our Friend Rusty, As Follows,,,"Regarding the episode, "A Horse Named Nick," awhile back a group member mentions a double for Jerry Mathers in a scene. He refers to the double as a "he." i'm assuming that is correct information regarding that particular scene. However, the group may find it interesting that Jerry and Tony had stand-ins for setting up shots, lighting, etc. Jerry's stand in was an older woman named Hazel. She had red hair and was quite short. I don't remember as much about Tony's stand in but I do remember that it was a male and obviously a little taller than Jerry's stand-in. I am sure Hugh and Barbara had stand-ins but I don't remember anything about them. There is a man who shows up as an extra once in awhile and I vaguely recall that he may that used as a stand-in for adults such as Hugh and Barbara. I think Jerry and Tony's stand-ins may have occasionally been used for some of us kids. It was pretty important that they have stand-ins because in my memory the worst part of the whole process is standing there for extended periods of time under hot lights while they got everything ready to shoot the scene. I know that things have changed drastically in the way TV and movies are filmed, but you better believe that the stars and recurring characters in shows are not standing there for long periods of time while they set up scenes. So I guess stand-ins and extras deserve a little love for the work they do that allows us to enjoy our favorite shows and films. Obviously, there's other behind the scenes individuals such as prop men and women, makeup and hair, wardrobe, and many others, but they get a fair amount of recognition in the credits and even Awards."��

Rusty on Harry, aka the faux Larry :

Message From Our Friend Rusty (Real Larry), As Follows,,,
"I feel the need to send out a huge thank you to the people that had such generous compliments for my portrayal of Larry Mondello. I guess it came up regarding the kid that played Harry. In His Infinite Wisdom, Doug Brendel felt it necessary to call that poor kid "Faux Larry". To be honest, prior to this past year I don't remember any episodes with him. It's probably not fair to do any comparisons because there wasn't enough time for the writers and the actor to develop a personality for the show. In the little bit that I've seen I actually find him kind of funny. But my main reason for this post is to thank everybody for the compliments and for the new swelled head that I have."��

Rusty on perfecting the stomach punch scenes with Jerry Mathers :

This is for our newer members and for those who may of missed the original post. I was giving Rusty "the business" about his great acting abilities, especially how he perfected the stomach punch reaction, right where Larry almost had his operation.
Which reminded him of a childhood memory, From Our Friend Rusty as follows,,,,,
"Since there's been attention paid to my appendix, I have a story from my own real childhood that could have been an episode on the show.
When I was about 7 or 8 years old (definitely before I was on the show) I decided one morning that I did not want to go to school. I told my mother that my stomach was hurting very badly. Back then (at least in my family) you didn't go to the doctor unless you were really really sick, deathbed sick. My mother relied on Vicks Vapor Rub for any kind of colds and congestion, and on Bengay for any muscle aches. Between me and my two brothers it seems like there was the pungent scent of one or the other in my house most of the time. At any rate, as I said, actually going to a doctor was not something that was usually done, so I felt safe faking the tummy ache. Well, for some reason my mom decided that particular day to take me to the doctor. I clearly remember the doctor examining me and me telling him where my "stomach hurt." After a while they told me to go in another room while they spoke. Again, I clearly remember reading some comic books in the room without a care in the world while they spoke. You can probably see where this is going. They came in and sat down and told me I was going to have my appendix taken out. I kind of knew what that was because in the 50s, it seems like every kid had his tonsils and appendix out. I think it paid many a Country Club tab for doctors back in the day. I was totally taken by surprise and too scared to tell the truth that my stomach felt perfectly fine. Within about a week I was in the hospital getting my perfectly healthy appendix removed. Hand-to-God honest story. Believe it or not, I never told my parents, and only told my brothers when we were adults."��

Rusty on Extras :

I Pointed Out To Our Friend Rusty That The Kid In The 2 Tone Jacket Was In 13 Scenes Within 2-3 Minutes In Todays Episode "Tenting Tonight". His Reply As Follows,,,,. "Doug, Great pickup on the kid who's an extra in the movie lobby scene. Actually, paying attention to extras in general is kind of interesting. When you see them in the background in a scene apparently talking to each other, keep in mind these people most likely don't even know each other. They could be talking about anything because you can't hear what they're saying of course. And if there's multiple takes which there usually is, they have to do it over and over. Also, although I can't swear to it, in the exterior shots of the Cleaver house that are used as a setup for another scene, you will see somebody, usually a man as I recall, walking along the sidewalk in front of the house. I believe it's often the same man if he was lucky enough to get the call. Keep in mind this is a performer known as an extra and they have a union for extras (at least they used to and probably still do).
Another thing to think about when you're watching movies or TV, although unrelated to extras, is still kind of interesting. And that is when you see an actor on the phone having a conversation, remember there's nothing on the other end. I'm sure people know this, but as viewers, we get so into a scene that we sometimes forget about that fact. I had a couple scenes on the telephone in LITB and it's kind of weird. In fact, I think in one episode while waiting for someone to pick up, I sang a few lines of "You Always Hurt The One You Love." Jerry, Tony, and especially Hugh and Barbara had many scenes on the phone... Talking to themselves basically. Not to beat a dead horse, (Too Late) but another thing I sometimes do is count the number of dials the actor does when calling somebody. In very old films it's fewer numbers. But by the time Leave it to Beaver was on I think it should always have been 7 numbers (or more likely two letters and five numbers.)
I hope i'm not being like Toto in The Wizard of Oz and pulling the curtain back, and ruining the magnificent illusions of movies and TV. I've always loved the phrase "The Willing Suspension Of Disbelief." Nothing better than that, accompanied by some Popcorn and Milk Duds. Or maybe a TV dinner?"��

Rusty on his jacket he wore on the show:

This Is For Our Newer Members And For Those Who May Of Missed The Original Post From September. A "Tidbit" From Our Friend Rusty, As Follows,,,"I have a couple questions for the group. I would guess that this is mainly for those who grew up in the 50s and early 60s. In many of the episodes that I am in I am wearing a jacket that we used to call a "car coat." It was a pretty specific looking jacket and was quite popular in my neck of the woods. What I'm wondering is if that particular jacket was also popular in other parts of the country (other than the West Coast) and if so did it have a different name or was it known as a car coat. I could be wrong but I do not recall other characters on the show wearing a car coat. We pretty much wore our own clothes for the show so maybe that's the simple reason my character wore it and others didn't.
My other question stems from one of the episodes, "Beaver Plays Hooky." In the episode, when we are sitting on the back of a billboard, as the camera pans up from our shoes to our faces, I noticed to my surprise that I seem to be wearing a pair of white bucks. Beaver is wearing sneakers/tennis shoes. For those of you "of a certain age" you will remember that white bucks we're popularized by Pat Boone. I had totally forgotten that I ever owned them, but there they were in black and white. Looking at it from a current perspective it seems kind of funny that a chubby, red-headed, 10 year old apple/candy bar-eating squirt would be wearing the shoes associated with a cool, smooth Pat Boone. (Yes youngsters, Pat Boone was once almost as popular as Elvis Presley.)
So the question is, do any of you guys remember owning a pair of white bucks, and at what age might it have been?"��

Rusty Misc. thoughts:

Message From Our Friend Rusty, As Follows,,,,, "Here is a couple of bits of information that you might find interesting. For those of you who notice the credits on the show, you will see the name David Butler as director for many episodes. Well, it turns out he had some great experience in directing child actors. In the mid 1930's he directed several Shirley Temple movies. I was a big fan of those movies when they showed them on Saturday afternoons. One of my fondest memories of David Butler was a Christmas gift he gave me one year. It was a leather script book with my name engraved on it. With a script book, instead of just having the paper pages, you had them in a book form which was very professional. I don't know whatever happened to that script book. I guess it got lost in moves over the years. I sure wish I still had it.
The other thing I wanted to share, which is totally unrelated to the above, has to do with the set where the show was shot. Maybe a lot of you already know this but in the many, many scenes where you see somebody going up the stairs to the second floor of the Cleaver house, there was no second floor. You just walked up to a landing that overlooked the rest of the set. Of course, you waited until the scene was over and then walked back down. I suppose figuring that out isn't exactly rocket science but it is done so well on the show (and other shows for that matter) that it might not occur too many people that there is no second floor up there. The bedroom and the bathroom are simply different sets on the soundstage"��

Is there any proof that is really Rusty? I hope it is, but all of that dialog and those discriptions sound to me like the work of an amateur writer making everything up. It doesn't have the ring of truth to any of it.

Is there any proof that is really Rusty? I hope it is, but all of that dialog and those discriptions sound to me like the work of an amateur writer making everything up. It doesn't have the ring of truth to any of it.

Go to the Facebook link I provided on a previous post and decide for yourself. I for one think it's legit.There are a few recent pictures of Rusty but you have to search for them.

Much of it sounds like stuff that would really come from an insider. Other things do sound odd, like strange details about the meetup with Sue Randall. But strange things do happen. Real or fake, it's still very interesting.

I agree with omg, I think it traces back to him. One thing to think about: why would anyone fake being Rusty Stevens?

Re the stairs that lead nowhere. I think most people are aware there are no upstairs on soundstages (except the fully visible stairs on Brady Bunch and maybe a few other shows, with an upstairs landing that would lead nowhere.)

Also, re David Butler, I think I've read about his talents working with child actors. Maybe the same about Norman Tokar, another director on the show.

Going back to another post, about white bucks. There was an episode of Father Knows Best where the Bud character just HAD to have a pair of white buck shoes. He went to the shoe store and they didn't have his size. Unlike a Beaver episode this salesman protested, and told Bud these weren't his size, and they were out of his size. Bud insisted they fit fine, and eventually his feet got more and more sore and swollen. Eventually he was waiting backstage to receive some kind of student award, and took the shoes off. When they prematurely called him to the stage, he couldn't get the shoes back on. Then his younger sister brought him a pair of shoes from his father, which enabled him to get them on and receive his award.

I just read another post about phone use. I'm sorry, it's gotta be Rusty. What fake would remember singing You Always Hurt The One You Love, while waiting for an answer?

He mentioned phone calls, where no one is on the other end. Some actors really do a bad job with these. A lot of times they leave no space for listening to the other, non-existent person.

I joined the Facebook group and I just don't know...The messages are coming through a moderator for the group and that seems to make it more legit. Again, I hope the messages are coming from Rusty. There are a massive amount of photos of people from the show that I think fans will really enjoy. It is a good group for fans of the show to join.

Rusty has just been gone from sight for so long and not done any interviews, but I'm now leaning more to that this is legit. So far I found two much more recent photos of him there and one really does look like an older Rusty. The other was in a Halloween costume. It will be nice if it is Rusty. Sorry if my first post was wrong.

Sorry if my first post was wrong.

It makes sense to be wary of anything in today's world.

It makes sense to be wary of anything in today's world.

Agreed and I do not blame anyone for being skeptical.This just adds up to me for being legit.

Rusty certainly has an amazing memory and wonder why he felt his portrayal of Larry Mondello wasn’t worthy of our attention. LITB was a memorable TV sitcom but never tried to get a laugh. You just found it funny without being told to laugh. I just realized they had laugh tracks. The first 3 seasons were great. I think Rusty is very lucky he quit in season 4 and before Jerry got self conscious and awkward. I remember Rusty in a short scene in Still the Beaver and he still could act. He was a natural. All you have to do though is watch Beaver Makes a Loan and hear Larry singing Your Always Hurt the Ones You Love. I wonder why Rusty didn’t write a book way back why do it now on FB. That Sue Randall story was really a shock and wonder why he never told his wife he was Larry on the unforgettable show LITB.

Would love to hear his impressions of a Hugh and Barbara. Both of these actors did a great job on the phone giving time for the caller to respond. Hugh especially. The older Jerry didn’t do so well on the phone neither did Tony. In Party Spoiler Wally gives no time for the call to connect before he’s asking Don to come to his party.

Off topic: I like Father Knows Best but they are really bad on phone calls, early on. No time for answers, just spiel the lines. Director Russell should have cut the scene. "Retake!" Lauren, pause on the phone for responses." Or they could have had a dialog coach cue the actor.

Good point. I always got a kick out of seeing the director of FKB, William Russell, because he had the same name as my father. I love how good Ward was on phone. Does so well listening and you almost believe there’s someone on the other end. I always though he gave good phone. Richard Deacon did well too. Sometimes they would show the other caller and sometimes not. When Ward gets a call from Mrs. Rayburn about Beaver acing the Intelligence test we don’t see Mrs. R.

I've never noticed phone problems on LITB (except maybe stop action in the middle of a phone scene, and when it starts again the phone is in the other hand). Good directing and acting.

On FKB it was the kids that were the problem. Both adults were seasoned actors.

I asked Doug B to try and get Rusty's thoughts about his "cult" character on The New Leave it to Beaver series which was bizarre and a big letdown to me. Hoping to hear back on that and will post it here if I get a reply.

I asked Doug B to try and get Rusty's thoughts about his "cult" character on The New Leave it to Beaver series which was bizarre and a big letdown to me. Hoping to hear back on that and will post it here if I get a reply.

Could you also get the answer to a simple question: Is Rory Stevens one of his brothers? It seems pretty agreed-to on here that he is, but there appears to be no answer in any resource like imdb.

Interesting take from the adult Mr. Stevens. OK, I can understand how he may not have recognized Sue Randall had she aged more than he'd imagined from the time he'd worked with her when she was still in her 20's. But I'm a bit puzzled that she wouldn't have recognized HIM when she and the mutual pal greeted each other. Mr. Stevens got a bit taller but didn't change that drastically from childhood to early adulthood. Regardless, it is rather sad that she would die so young (49) and seemed to have been ailing for quite a long time beforehand.

Could you also get the answer to a simple question: Is Rory Stevens one of his brothers? It seems pretty agreed-to on here that he is, but there appears to be no answer in any resource like imdb.

Question has been asked. Will let you know if any answer.

Question has been asked. Will let you know if any answer.

So far the feedback I'm getting from members of the group is that Rory and Rusty are not related at all.

[QUOTE=Scrabjan1;5549736]I’m surprised that Rusty’s friend didn’t introduce him to Sue Randall. If you are with someone and you meet a friend wouldn’t you introduce the friend to the other? Otherwise it’s rude. Imagine if Rusty’s friend said “Rusty this is Sue Randall from the old LITB show. She played Miss Landers.” Rusty: “Hi Sue remember me I played Larry Mondello, I would never have recognized you.” The friend of Rusty’s is dumbfounded.

https://www.picsofcelebrities.com/celebrity/sue-randall/pictures/large/sue-randall-wallpapers.jpg

Here is a photo of Sue I don’t know the date but she probably looked old to Rusty.[/QUOTE

That is not Sue Randall. I think they just googled "Sue Randall" images and went with the first one that showed up. It's not her.

That is not Sue Randall. I think they just googled "Sue Randall" images and went with the first one that showed up. It's not her.

I agree. There's no way that picture was taken before 1984. It looks way too modern and digital.

Rusty's response on the Cult character on the New Leave it to Beaver. Not much to say about it:


What did Rusty think of his cult character on The New Leave it to Beaver Series ? Rusty's reply as follows,,,,,"I really don't have any specific feelings about it. It was fun to do and that's about it." ��

Sorry I saw a lot of Sue Randalls and this one had that script about her being Miss Landers so sorry to confuse the issue. We’ll never know how she looked when Rusty met her.

Sorry I saw a lot of Sue Randalls and this one had that script about her being Miss Landers so sorry to confuse the issue. We’ll never know how she looked when Rusty met her.


Sue Randall's actual given name was Marion so perhaps there may be pictures of her in later life floating around under that name. However; it may be that Miss Randall may have just wished her fans remember her in her youth before ill health took her life so it may just as well that only Rusty and her current friends & family recall her in any other way.

Message from our friend Rusty about todays 8 AM episode "Teacher Comes To Dinner", An episode he was in, Message as follows,,, "For favorite one liners, right at the top for me would be when Miss Landers comes to the Cleaver house for dinner. When Wally comes downstairs and joins Beaver and Miss Landers, Beaver introduces Wally by saying, "This is my brother Wally. He's a sophomore in high school and he took a bath."
Right behind that line as a favorite is after Beaver introduces him, Wally, trying to make conversation with a teacher, says, "Is it true that Andrew Johnson was the only president to ever be impeached?" Miss Landers responds, "Yes I believe he was," to which Wally says, "Yeah that's what I heard." (who would have believed that in less than 40 years another president would be impeached for... Well we won't get into that here)
Actually, that episode has several great lines, regarding seeing her arms and that she might smoke, and when she asked Wally, "Habla usted Espanol?" and he responds, "Yeah but I feel kinda funny talkin it."��

A New Memory From Our Friend Rusty, Since yesterday was Memorial Day, Rusty and I were swapping "war stories", Rusty and I both served at the same Army base in W. Germany (Daley Barracks, Border Guard Unit)) but at different times. I asked him if he served in Vietnam? His reply as follows,,,,," I had basic at Fort Bragg in 1969. After basic there was no leave (which sometimes guys get after basic.) Anyway, on the bus from Fort Bragg to Fort Knox where I was going to get my armor training, I got really sick. Extremely sore throat, and my whole body ached. When we got there and assigned to a platoon, I was made a squad leader for some reason. I was really sick by this time and that was the last thing I wanted. For the next couple days I kept asking for permission to go on sick call. And the sergeant who was in charge and had made me squad leader kept refusing. By the third day or so I was burning up with fever and I couldn't take it anymore. So without permission I went to the infirmary. They immediately realized how sick I was, and asked why I didn't come sooner. I told them and they really seem pissed off. At any rate, they called it upper respiratory infection which was not uncommon at the time. They admitted me to the hospital and that evening a full bird colonel came to my room and said he had been told that I was not allowed to go on sick call. I told him I really didn't want to get anybody in trouble. He said do not worry about that. So I told him what happened. When I was released from the hospital few days later it was too late to join that cycle that I had been assigned to. So I didn't have to deal with the jerk of a sergeant from the original platoon. Well here comes the payoff: I was assigned to the next cycle. That entire group that I had originally been with, down to the last man, got orders for Vietnam after graduation. Of the group I graduated with, about half got orders for Vietnam and the other half for Germany (or a few other European locations.) I was one of the lucky ones and went to Germany. I often tell people that the biggest danger there was getting too drunk and dying in a jeep wreck. Ironically, a friend of mine there named Huckabee, who we used to call Jim Beam because he drank so much of it, DID actually die after running a jeep off the road. I've always been a bourbon drinker and I'm not sure if this incident is the reason that Jim Beam is my bourbon of choice. By the way, my brother served in Vietnam so I guess our family did contribute to the war effort."����

Yep, that was a well-written episode. Another good one: (June) Beaver, take Miss Landers' arm. (Beav) Gee, Mom, she doesn't have any clothes on it.

(Re post 55)

Teacher Comes to Dinner reminds me of Beaver’s Play. In both Ward thinks he’s being funny about getting nervous and it backfires for Beaver. “Oh gee Dad gee!” When Ward tells Beaver about cutting the roast and it falling in his lap. In Beaver’s Play “I expect you have a few butterflies in your stomach. And if you fall down on stage just get up and act like nothing happened.” Nice pep talk.

Rusty addressing the Rory Stevens relation question and an urban legend:

Friday night "tidbit" from our friend Rusty. This is for our newer members and for those who may of missed original post from September, As Follows,,,, "In response to some questions, Rory Stevens is no relation. As far as other shows I've been in, if you go to imdb.com it lists all the things I've been in, including every Beaver episode. You just have to put "Rusty Stevens" in the search box. However, as usual, several mistakes on the site. First of all, it has my date of birth and place of birth wrong. Secondly, it has the first program I had ever appeared in as a detective in "Racket Squad." From 1951, when I would've been about two years old! I do remember that series from my early, early years but I was never on the show.
The final incorrect bit of information is listed under the trivia section, and it has shown up on other places on the web. It says that they sent a detective out to find me for the reunion show. He supposedly knocked on our door and when my wife answered and he told her about my Larry Mondello character, the story goes that she said I had never told her. It's a very humorous and interesting story. The only problem is never happened. By the time they were getting ready to do that show my wife and I have been together for years and knew everything about each other."��

Rusty on Richard Deacon aka Fred Rutherford:

Message From Our Friend Rusty, As Follows,,,, "I have a question for the group: Who do you think is the biggest all-time jerk on the show. Many people may say (lovingly) that it is Eddie Haskell. My vote is for Fred Rutherford... And it's not even close. I was watching the episode about Lumpy's scholarship. He treated his son like dirt, and his relationship throughout the series with Ward went way beyond "giving him the business." Feel free to vote for the character named Larry Mondello. I won't hold it against you. Or even for single episode characters, such as the beer-drinking, cigarette-smoking hottie from "Box Office Attraction." By the way, Fred Rutherford's total "jerkness" is a testament to the great acting ability of Richard Deacon".��

I agree with Rusty. He treated his family like dirt, except Violet.

Here is a recent ? picture of Rusty on the facebook page. Hopefully this link works.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2471011986282774&set=ms.c.eJwtzsENxEAMAsCOTgavwfTf2GmTfAch4DHKrIpQqPnxApAVl~%3Ba5UElzxD06fmFNRdhxHtiDs4x0ggfEsZndEn88CrXVDfa2Xiik4hiYB5DBA84HG1ejIeWFqUW2SN5j8kHH0uF4Xiixc22fWcOF6e7WV4H2xnJ5~%3BsPQM9I~-.bps.&type=3&theater&ifg=1

Rusty on the Penny character played by Karen Sue Trent:


A "Tidbit" From Our Friend Rusty, As Follows,,, "The character, Penny, played by Karen Sue Trent has been on the show lately. The first episode she appeared on (I don't remember the title, but me and beaver were supposed to go to a dance) and she shows up on a horse. Well, in future episodes she mentions riding and horse shows, etc. As it turned out, Karen really was into riding. I don't know if it was a coincidence or if they cast her because of her riding horses. Her mother and my mother became kind of friendly and I went to her house and went riding with her. I can't remember if she stabled the horse at her house or a nearby stable but I had a really neat time. Looking back at her on the show, she was really cute. I bet she turned into a beautiful woman. Jeri Weil (Judy) was cool but I think Karen Sue Trent was the cutest girl (not counting one or two of Wally's knockout girlfriends) on the show. Anyway, that's all I got for now."��

Rusty's right she was cute, as were a couple of Beaver's girlfriends in the last season. There was one girl of Beaver's, I think her real name was Chrystie Jordan (I might have the last name wrong) but she played different roles in two season 6 episodes, and she was really a cute little girl. In one episode she played a newspaper delivery person (in Rich Correll's final episode) that Beaver got in a fight with. In another episode she played a different girl Beaver fell for, and he got her an expensive locket (that he won at a carnival). Her father disapproved of the gift and mailed it back.

I don't know about you guys, but I have a hard time believing that picture is Rusty Stevens.

This whole this has got to be Rusty. I was convinced when he relayed the trivia re singing You Always Hurt the One You Love while waiting for an answer on the phone.

As the line goes in the movies, this guy knows too much--to not be Rusty Stevens.

I'd just simply like to see some ID. Many times we're all asked to show our driver's license and it's no big deal for us to do it. Here, there's just too many times where someone has pretended to be someone else. It happened with The Little Rascals and it happens a lot on the internet. So, show some proof.

And almost all of those quotes still sound to me like someone who watched the show and not someone who worked on it. They're phrased the way a fan would say it. Hell, Larry even faked his own secret club on the show. Couldn't trust that kid. Maybe this is a tribute to that...

Good points. Most actors in shows don't know a lot about their shows. A lot of the time they don't even seem to watch it. Example would be Marlo Thomas' commentary on That Girl. She didn't seem to know anything. And Jerry Mathers' book. Half the time he got it wrong, too.

Hard to know. One good argument I have for believing it: Who'd go to the trouble and take all this time to be a fake Rusty Stevens, of all people?

Rusty on the monkey episode:

A Little "Monkey Business" From Our Friend Rusty, As Follows,,,"I just caught up on some episodes I hadn't watched for awhile. I had a real mishap in the episode "Beaver's Monkey". Even though I was only in one small scene, I was there every day because by then I was under contract. At any rate, there were three or four of us standing around. I forgot who was holding the monkey but all the sudden he jumped on me and started pulling my hair mercilessly. It felt like he was going to pull the hair right out of my head. It nearly brought me to tears. At first nobody could get him off of me but eventually (I think it was his trainer) that got him away. The theory was my hair color somehow excited him and he wanted it. To this day, I just don't trust monkeys".��

He must be watching--that episode was just on MeTV this morning. His run is just about over.

If it really is Rusty telling these memories they’re pretty funny. I can imagine Stanley grabbing onto someone’s hair with an iron “monkey fist.” The story he told about meeting up with a woman who turned out to be Sue Randall and neither of them recognizing each other is totally believable. How Rusty couldn’t believe that was Miss Landers. After just 10 years he should have been able to recognize her. I can see how Sue Randall couldn’t recognize Rusty. Kids change completely in 10 years.

If this was titles, we could have, "Stanley Shows Andy a REAL Monkey Fist"

One interesting thought I had--wouldn't it be something if Rusty had been cast as Beaver? So, my question is, did Rusty audition for the part?

I would really like to know what Rusty's audition was like. Someone should ask him to talk about that. I wonder how many other aspiring Larry Mondello's were there?

Another topic, not related to Rusty: I remember a few years ago someone did a post about the real kid that Eddie Haskell was based on. He had an Italian name. I wonder if he is still around?

Interesting post from the Facebook group from last year:

I Just Received This Message (And Current Image) From Bob Rusty Stevens As Follows,,, "Hi folks, I have a couple things I wanted to share with the group. In the "don't believe everything you read" category, I think I already mentioned that many websites have my date of birth incorrect. I also wanted to mention that I just saw on imdb.com (as well as other sites) that I was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Not even close. I was born in Los Angeles, California. I've also seen that I was born and/or currently live in Georgia. I love the peach state but I've never lived there nor was I born there. Also, I believe there was some guy who worked for a newspaper somewhere in New York who was seriously posing as me. It was quite a while ago and I don't remember all the details but this dude evidently really got into it. Well, enough of that. Now a little anecdote about the show. I've noticed that the character, Penny, played by Karen Sue Trent has been on the show lately. The first episode she appeared on (I don't remember the title, but me and beaver were supposed to go to a dance) and she shows up on a horse. Well, in future episodes she mentions riding and horse shows, etc. As it turned out, Karen really was into riding. I don't know if it was a coincidence or if they cast her because of her riding horses. Her mother and my mother became kind of friendly and I went to her house and went riding with her. I can't remember if she stabled the horse at her house or a nearby stable but I had a really neat time. Looking back at her on the show, she was really cute. I bet she turned into a beautiful woman. Jeri Weil (Judy) was cool but I think Karen Sue Trent was the cutest girl (not counting one or two of Wally's knockout girlfriends) on the show. Anyway, that's all I got for now."

I would really like to know what Rusty's audition was like. Someone should ask him to talk about that. I wonder how many other aspiring Larry Mondello's were there?

Another topic, not related to Rusty: I remember a few years ago someone did a post about the real kid that Eddie Haskell was based on. He had an Italian name. I wonder if he is still around?

Great suggestion for his thoughts on the audition. I have asked this and will report back with any feedback. You all should join the Facebook group.It's easy and you all have way better questions to ask than I do.Once a member,you can ask your Rusty questions to Doug B and he will send them to Rusty for any feedback.

Duplicated

I know Rusty’s Larry was a real asset to the show but he was so natural I wonder how he would have fared as the Beaver character. Stevea asked if Rusty tried out as Beaver. Beaver got in so much trouble I guess we needed Larry to put him there. I think Rusty was even pretty good in Still the Beaver in his religious garb and love his line about getting a wife next year.

It would be interesting to know if Rusty auditioned for the Beaver part. This would probably have been way before they even considered any Beaver's friend role.

We know for sure he auditioned for the Larry M. part, and details about that would be interesting too.

For those who don't know about Mathers' audition (as detailed by him, anyway), Connelly and Mosher were impressed by him because he was more concerned about missing his Scout meeting than about getting the Beaver part. Even at Mathers' young age, he was a seasoned actor when he auditioned for role.

Rusty on writing a script for the show:

A "Tidbit" From Our Friend Rusty, As Follows,,, "Here is probably one of the more interesting things that happened during my tenure with LITB. It's apropos that I tell the story, because the brussel sprouts episode was on recently.

I always enjoyed reading and writing, even when I was just a little squirt. When the new script for the upcoming week would arrive I would really enjoy reading it and thinking about the whole process of the writers coming up with the ideas and the jokes. At some point I guess I figured it can't be that hard and I decided to write a LITB episode. Without telling my folks, or anyone else, I proceeded to write a script. It took a while because I did it when nobody would see me or at least nobody would know what I was doing. When I was done I took it to my mother and asked her to read it. My mother who was a very gifted writer said it was very good and that if I wanted, she would type it up and submit it to the producers. To tell you the truth I don't even remember much of what the story was about. But I wrote a scene where the Cleavers are at the dinner table, and June is asking Beaver why he isn't eating his peas. Beaver replies, "'Cause I only like the outsides of them... I don't like the insides." That line came directly from my own feelings about peas. It is of course ridiculous, but I guess that's what makes it kind of humorous.

At any rate, my parents and I don't hear anything about it for several weeks. I was probably a little disappointed but we weren't that surprised that the writers/producers would not pay much attention to a script written by a nine-year-old boy. Well, fast forward a few more weeks and we get a script that, much to our surprise, included the line about peas. Totally different storyline but it had my "peas line." Nobody said anything to me or my parents about it and I guess my parents decided not to even bring it up. However, the next time I got a paycheck it included an extra amount (I have no memory of how much it was, but it wasn't much) that we could only assume was for that line. The crazy thing is, it was never spoken of and I seriously doubt that even any of the other cast members knew (or currently know) about it.

It was in season 2, and although I can't swear to it, I think it might have been the episode titled "Ward's Problem." When the episode appeared in this last cycle, I was going to write about it but I guess it just slipped my mind until the brussel sprouts episode. By the way, I checked the dates and the brussel sprouts episode was nearly a full two years after the episode that I'm writing about.

I suppose there's only so many episodes in which you can write about vegetables".��

I remember the insides of the peas line. I think it was a later episode than Ward's Problem. It might have been Beaver Takes a Bath.

If I'd written a script as a 9-year-old, I would hope either I or a family member would save it.

As I was reading that line about not liking the insides of peas only the outsides I also thought that was Beaver Takes a Bath. It’s the same conversation while sitting at the table that Beaver wants Wally’s bottoms of the hamburger bun while he takes the tops. I would want the tops.

That’s a great story from Rusty and I’m convinced it really is Rusty and what a memory. I would also save a script even if they didn’t use it, they read it.

If it was the same episode as the bun bottoms and tops, it was definitely Beaver Takes a Bath (another misnamed episode--did he ever get that bath?--let's see--maybe "Ceiling Gets Soakee"?)

Rusty Stevens should publish all these reminiscences in a book and call it "Revelations from Rusty."

It would be interesting to know if Rusty auditioned for the Beaver part. This would probably have been way before they even considered any Beaver's friend role.

We know for sure he auditioned for the Larry M. part, and details about that would be interesting too.

For those who don't know about Mathers' audition (as detailed by him, anyway), Connelly and Mosher were impressed by him because he was more concerned about missing his Scout meeting than about getting the Beaver part. Even at Mathers' young age, he was a seasoned actor when he auditioned for role.

Stevea.

I asked this question and this is the reply I received.


For Our Newer Members, A "Tidbit" From Our Friend Rusty, As Follows,,,"Doug, I don't know if you saw it but Robin Tokar Glassman the great niece of director Norman Tokar wrote a post on the site. I have a humorous tidbit about Norman. The very first time I went on the interview for the show I met with a lady who was the casting director. We talked for a little while and I guess she thought I might be good for the part, because she took me out of her office and she asked my mother if she could walk me over to the sound stage to meet the director. Well, we walk across the lot to the sound stage. I think they might have been doing rehearsals when she introduced me to him. He had red hair like me and immediately said, " Kid, if you call me Pop, I'll punch you right in the nose." Everybody cracked up, and the job was mine.

I really liked working for him (if you can call it that.) He had a real feel for working with kids. He had performed in radio on the Henry Aldrich show as Henry's friend. It's before my time but I bet he was good.

I just looked at Norman on Wikipedia and to my surprise I found out that he was married to Phyllis Coates. The same Phyllis Coates that played the new neighbor who kissed Beaver! She also played Lois Lane on the first season of Superman."🍎

That was a great story about Norman Tokar. I wonder if that was Rusty’s first audition.

Anyone remember little Kevin Corcoran from Toby Tyler he could have been Rusty’s younger brother.

Had heard/read about Tokar and directing kids before, but I never knew he had red hair. Yes, it was an interesting story. MMD (above) is right--his anecdotes would make an interesting book.

Wonder why it took so long to get the full story about the lovable Larry Mondello. People have loved LITB for years.

Quick snippet from Rusty on those who have impersonated him:

Quick message from our friend Rusty, as follows,,,, "It is true that there have been people posing as me which friends of mine have pointed out. I actually get quite a kick out of it. It's pretty pathetic if someone needs to assume the identity of Larry Mondello to make them feel more important". ��

Earlier in this thread (the title of which I modified, due to its widening scope on Rusty) some of us were doubting this was the real Rusty. My thought was, who would fake being Rusty Stevens aka Larry Mondello? Well, based on the post above, I guess it's been done!

I just now discovered this entire thread and found it fascinating. I read thru the whole long thing. I too at first doubted that this was really Larry, but I kind of believe it just MIGHT be. Some reasons to doubt, his stories are just a bit too full of detail and small incidents and tiny things that happened 60 years ago, do most people remember many many tiny details of many different small incidents in their very young lives? I remember a few things from when I was a little kid, but not endless anecdotes full of detail. The stories are just a bit too good and full of detail to be true, but heck, I still hope they're true, they sound so good, I'd like them to be true.

As for why Larry quit the show, I had always heard (and this theory "Larry" didn't mention as one of the reasons that are supposedly not true) I had always heard that Larry had gotten very nervous and had problems dealing with being a kid actor. You can see in many later episodes a tick Larry develops as he got older. So this reason, that of his own real nerves, as the reason for quitting "Larry" doesn't mention.

Oh well, I still hope this is the real Larry, the stories are no doubt fascinating and I'd like if they were real. Though accepting that Larry as a young man would not even recognize Miss Landers voice (even if she has aged more than her years) or that Miss Landers would not even recognize Larry is a bit hard to believe too. A kid might look different but Larry must have been in his 20's when this incident supposedly happened, Larry couldn't have changed that much that Miss Landers wouldn't have recognized him and her voice would surely have been recognizable. And who meets somebody on the street and doesn't introduce them to the person they're with? More oddness.:confused:

Rusty not recognizing Sue Randall and vice versa, and his girlfriend just happening to know her--the whole thing is very odd. If this were a "fake" Rusty, he probably would have made up a more plausible story. Strange things do happen.

Another thing: he made a point of correcting his birthplace to L.A. An impersonator probably wouldn't have even thought of that.

I agree, it's odd for someone in their 70s to remember so many details from being 9 or 10. But most of us don't have so many interesting things to remember.

The odd thing is, why is Rusty all of a sudden speaking out, after having not said a word for years? He also talks as if he is watching the episodes for the first time in a long time. I'm not saying it proves it's not the real Rusty, I'm just saying it's unusual.

He "speaks" through a buddy who is on Facebook. Maybe "omg" can tell us how long that's been going on.

BTW, re a tic Rusty/Larry had. I'll have to keep an "eye out" for that. I never noticed it.

He "speaks" through a buddy who is on Facebook. Maybe "omg" can tell us how long that's been going on.

BTW, re a tic Rusty/Larry had. I'll have to keep an "eye out" for that. I never noticed it.

Hey Steve. I joined that Facebook group last year and I had noticed some of these posts from Rusty through Doug several months ago.I'm honestly not sure how far back Doug's posts go but I'm guessing almost a year ?I'm not sure how old this group is either.Rusty is in his 70's so being quiet all these years could be chalked up to reluctance or ignorance of social media due to his age ? Rusty seems kind of dumfounded that he was such an icon.
I should created this thread earlier as I myself always along with many others here wondered what happened to Rusty.My apologies and honestly with all the busyness going on in my life,I just didn't think about it.
I would suggest joining this Facebook group.You can post and ask your Rusty questions to Doug and he will answer.
I really hope it is Rusty and I do believe it is.
Regarding the nervous ticks of Rusty on the show Hazel Anyday points out,I had noticed that too. He squints his eyes several times in a row.

A new "Tidbit" from Rusty.

I recently posed this question to our friend Bob/Rusty,,,,

“A lot of comments were made about your smooth acting ability. You were so natural compared to all the other kids, even Jerry and Tony.

When the cameras were rolling, were you Bob Stevens delivering his lines? Or did you go into Larry Mondello?

Basically what I'm asking, was Larry you? or did you play as a character?”

Rusty’s reply as follows,,,, “Answer is, to be perfectly honest, it was just me delivering lines that I had memorized. Nothing more nothing less. I think it’s more accurate to say I was natural rather than smooth or even acting”.��

Another memory from Rusty:

A "Tidbit" From Our Friend Rusty, As Follows,,,, "Somebody recently posted a picture of Tony Dow in a go kart. This is an embarrassing story but I will tell it to you. Tony owned a go-kart and one day invited me to try driving it. We went out to this big open area near his house. I'm 99% certain that the go-kart in the picture is the one he let me drive but it's possible that it was a different go-kart. At any rate, I get in the go-kart and proceeded to go faster then I should have and as I recall, lost control of the steering. I ran into something but I can't remember what it was. I am pretty sure (at least I hope) there was only minor damage. As you could imagine I felt like crawling into a hole. Well, Tony said something like, "Ah, don't worry about it. It's no big thing." That's the kind of guy he was. I don't remember if when I saw him again in 1983, I brought the subject up. By the way as an adult I am a fantastic driver! P.S. I guess is was a very Mondello-ish thing to do"��.

I agree with stevea that a “fake” Larry would have made up a more plausible story. It could totally be true that he didn’t recognize her. Sue and Larry’s friend probably had things to talk about like their shrink. I wouldn’t have recognized Rusty either like when I saw him in Still the Beaver. I know it’s Rusty just about how he tells things and as for details I would remember details too if I was in a TV show. He has more stories with Tony than Jerry.

Once I heard they were filming a scene from The Crown Caper in 1967 in our neighborhood shopping area. We went down to hang around the Woolworth’s (remember that) and this guy came over and asked Andrea, Terrie and me if we would like to be in the window being a shopper. We loved it. It was boring doing take after take but enjoyed seeing Jack Weston do his stunt. After they wrapped it we went over to the guy and asked him for his autograph. He said he wasn’t anyone special but gave us his autograph and $2.

Can you imagine my surprise when just 3 years ago I realized he wasn’t just the director of the scene but the whole movie The Thomas Crown Affair. He was Norman Jewison and his signature was so bad I couldn’t read it. I remember lots of details. BTW I see myself in the window even today with the HD technology.

In regards of Rusty being able to recall things from his childhood in such great detail, I've heard/read people writing their autobiographies, once they start recalling events from their childhood, more detail, and other memories become more vivid.
And like Stevea pointed out, this wasn't an average childhood, these are very memorable moments.

This is an earlier post, so sorry, but what did it for me was recalling singing You Always Hurt the One You Love while waiting on the phone. I think only he would dredge that one up. Yes, diehard fans know it, but a diehard fan doesn't "play" Rusty Stevens. And when you come right down to it, who would?

In regards of Rusty being able to recall things from his childhood in such great detail, I've heard/read people writing their autobiographies, once they start recalling events from their childhood, more detail, and other memories become more vivid.
And like Stevea pointed out, this wasn't an average childhood, these are very memorable moments.
It's funny. Some of my childhood memories are crystal clear while many of my adult memories aren't. lol

It's funny. Some of my childhood memories are crystal clear while many of my adult memories aren't. lol

I can relate haha

From Rusty:

A "Tidbit" From Our Friend Rusty, As Follows,,,,"In the "Found Money" episode which aired this morning, although my memory is very imperfect on these things, as I recall that was not real grass we were crawling around on. It was the days before AstroTurf so I'm not sure what it was but I'm pretty sure they hadn't grown real grass there. I can almost remember how the pseudo-grass felt in my fingers. Now watch, somebody in the group here whose grandfather was a prop man or something will contradict what I'm saying. As i've said before, sometimes I can't remember what I had for dinner last night so my memory of 61 years ago is a little blurry sometimes".��

More from Rusty, courtesy of his contact on Facebook:

"Doug recently asked me about any recollections I have of Ken Osmond on or off the set. It got me to thinking about how relatively few episodes we were in at the same time, and as a result had minimal interactions. Part of the answer is that of course he was in more of the "Wally-Centric" episodes. However, a while back they showed the episode in which Mary Ellen Rogers invited Wally to the dance. Lumpy, Tooey, and Chester showed up in the episode, but no Eddie Haskell. And given the plot of the episode, he would have been a natural. Even in the episodes that centered more on Beaver, i'm a little stumped on why he wasn't in them. In my opinion, along with the opinion of millions of fans, Ken Osmond's portrayal of that role was Emmy-worthy. I don't think that's overstating it. Over the years, i've seen much less worthy supporting actor emmy's given out. The more I reacquaint myself with the show (remember, as i've said, prior to last year I hadn't watched the shows in literally decades. I guess they were not on at convenient times and/or it was prior to the days when you could record TV shows) the more I realize that there are relatively long stretches of episodes in which his character does not appear. As the series went on and the kids got older he was in many more episodes. I still think it was a mistake to not include him in all the episodes. There may be a reason that I'm not aware of which of course could be the case. Maybe Doug or some other computer whiz could mosey on over to imdb.com and cross reference the episodes in which Ken and I both appear during the years I was on the show. I could be wrong but I think it is relatively few.

Two additional quick notes I do have about Ken Osmond is that during the filming of the final "New Leave It to Beaver" show, which I was in, I found Ken to be a very intelligent and articulate guy. I believe he was the one that arranged for members of cast and crew to go on a chartered bus to view a Cape Canaveral launching from an exclusive location.

And for those that don't know, Ken Osmond almost single-handedly pursued the issue of actors not getting compensation for foreign showings of TV shows. I'm not just talking about Ken and the actors of Leave It to Beaver; this was done on behalf of all actors in The Screen Actors Guild. All fans that don't know about this should look it up. It's fascinating that he took this important issue on...and won."��

More from FB:

A Little "Monkey Business" From Our Friend Rusty, As Follows,,, "I just caught up on some episodes I hadn't watched for a few days. I had a real mishap in the monkey episode. Even though I was only in one small scene, I was there every day because by then I was under contract. At any rate, there were three or four of us standing around. I forgot who was holding the monkey but all the sudden he jumped on me and started pulling my hair mercilessly. It felt like he was going to pull the hair right out of my head. It nearly brought me to tears. At first nobody could get him off of me but eventually (I think it was his trainer) that got him away. The theory was my hair color somehow excited him and he wanted it. To this day, I just don't trust monkeys".����

Love that monkey story. I bet Larry hated bringing those flowers to that monkey who almost pulled his hair out by the roots. It reminds me of that horrid chimpanzee attack on that woman’s face. Well maybe not as drastic.

I'm late to this party ... just the other day I have Wagon Train playing on MeTV reruns and Rusty & Billy Mumy are both together in the episode

and again I'm watching Perry Mason and Sue Randall is a co-star of sorts

Rusty's stories posted earlier here are top notch - seems he has no idea how poplar Beaver reruns are +-

on other note - in the Beaver episode Beaver's Houe Guest, Chopper, Barry Gordon is also on the Jack Benny show as the flash back Young Jack Benny - very funny episode - and has a long career ... also including being a Ninja Turtle Voice Donatello

Yes, I've seen him on Jack Benny and some other program, maybe a Danny Thomas episode. I know I've also seen Rich Correll on Danny Thomas.

I think Barry Gordon is still active, but behind the scenes stuff like directing. Also I'm sure everyone knows Correll has been directing for years--Happy Days and a lot of Disney channel sitcoms.

When Wally goes for a beer with Marleen (LOL), and see dances with another guy, what song was played on the dime juke box?

Memory of Elizabeth Taylor on the set of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. This is for our newer members and for those who may of missed it in the past. I asked our friend Rusty if he had any memories of Elizabeth Taylor while making the movie "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof"? His reply as follows,,, "Yes, I did work with Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof . Also in it was Burl Ives & Jack Carson (a very recognizable character actor.) She had the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. They really were purple! There was a scene with Paul Newman in which she is wearing a slip . I wasn't in the scene but I can remember seeing her in that slip. Even as a 9 yr old knew I was seeing something special.
An interesting side note about this is that the shooting of the movie got delayed several weeks because her husband at the time, Mike Todd, had been killed in an airplane crash . She was kind of stand=offish (at least with us kids) but remember, she had just tragically lost her husband".🍎

Here is a follow-up to an earlier post question. A "Tidbit" from our friend Rusty, Recently I asked him about his trademark scar/dimple on his cheek, his reply as follows,,,, "I kind of like this picture with my hair combed because most of my pictures show my hair all messed up which is okay too. As far as the scar/dimple, there is a story behind that as well. We used to have a swing set in our backyard. I can't remember if this incident happened before I got on LITB or shortly afterwards. At any rate I guess I was about somewhere between the ages of 8 and 10. My younger brother is 5 years younger than I am. We were in the backyard and I was teasing him mercilessly about something. He picked up a metal pipe that was part of the swing set and threw it at me. It hit me in the face and as my mother used to say I was fortunate in that it turned out to look like a dimple. I guess it sounds like a serious incident, but I'm actually laughing as I type this. As best as I recall it did not require stitches... And it did not stop me from teasing him in the future. Just like my older brother teased me. To this day, we love each other dearly, but from this story you can see that we were clearly not the Cleaver Brothers".��

A message from our friend Rusty. A while back I asked Rusty,,, "Why did they dress The Beaver in a suit and tie just to go to Larry's house for dinner"?
His reply as follows,,,
"I agree. Even more ridiculous is the episode the other day in which Beaver goes with his parents to look at a potential new house. He is dressed "to the nines" and even Ward is dressed casually. I know people say that's how it was back in the day. Well I lived back in the day and maybe it was a geographical thing but getting dressed up in a jacket and tie was definitely reserved for truly special occasions, especially for 9 or 10 year olds. Remember that "back in the day" for the folks that wrote these episodes was maybe the 1920s or early 1930s. I think that period is more likely reflected in some of those scenes, rather than our 1950s and 1960s. Back in the twenties and thirties if you saw somebody wearing dungarees, you would probably assume they were farmers".��

A "Tidbit" From Our Friend Rusty,, As Follows,,, "Ever notice that whenever Beaver is referred to in the third person they usually say "THE" Beaver. It seems like this is especially true when Ward, June, or Wally is referring to him. If you think about it it is kind of strange to put the word "the" before someone's nickname. It is even weirder I think when that nickname is an animal because that is the way you actually would refer to an animal of that name. That never even occurred to me when I was doing the show but since I've started watching it on a pretty regular basis I have found it kind of odd that the writers chose to have him referred to this way. And yet it is unique things like this that made the show so unique." ��

A neat memory from our friend Rusty In regards to today's 8 AM EST episode "School Play". I asked Rusty about the Frog Costume, his reply as follows,,,, "Doug, I thought you and the group might get a kick out of a little story regarding that frog costume I was in, that you asked about. Around the time of that episode, Jeri Weil (Judy) had a Halloween party (at least I'm pretty sure it was for Halloween.) The powers that be allowed us kids in the cast to wear the costumes for the party. I don't remember which specific kids were there but for some reason I'm pretty sure that Stanley Fafara (Whitey) was there. As I sit here now I don't remember anybody else but there was some of us along with her other friends. Needless to say, us kids had the BEST costumes at the party.
There was another time, and for the life of me I can't remember what it was for, but the makeup man, Bob Dawn, who was a great guy, did some make up on my face that was like Frankenstein. I specifically remember the scar on the forehead.
This reminiscing is bringing up things I hadn't thought much about in many years".��

Just in from our friend Rusty, a new "tidbit".
"Doug, We are getting to the meat of my episodes so that may give me more to talk about. Actually you can tell my character was getting more popular because my name in the credits was moving to the top. That may sound conceited but it's just a fact. A lot of times they will put the name of an adult actor at the top even if he or she was a nobody. I may be remembering it incorrectly but I think even in those cases my name was first or possibly (and I don't remember for sure) second to Ken Osmond". ��

I recently posed this question to our friend Rusty, "Bob, what's up with all the apples?"
His Reply As Follows,,,,,
"Doug, I have no apple stories. I don't know what else to tell you. They would give me an apple and I would eat it. To be honest , as I was watching the shows these past few weeks that I was in, I was kind of surprised at how many episodes in which I DID NOT have an apple . I kind of remember scenes with candy bars more than apples. Maybe that's because I like candy bars a whole lot more then apples". ��

A "Tidbit" from our friend Rusty, I asked him about his lighter blondish hair in his first appearance, Rusty's reply as follows,,,,,, "Not only is it lighter, it is noticeably shorter. I wish I had an answer for it but I don't know. It's one of those times when I wish my parents were alive and I could ask them questions about things I can't remember. I am pretty sure that picture is from my first episode, "Beavers Crush." it also gives me a time frame on when I got that scar/dimple, because I did not have it there". ��

Message from our friend Rusty, As follows,,, "I feel the need to send out a huge thank you to the people that had such generous compliments for my portrayal of Larry Mondello. I guess it came up regarding the kid that played Harry. In His Infinite Wisdom, Doug Brendel felt it necessary to call that poor kid "Faux Larry". To be honest, prior to this past year I don't remember any episodes with him. It's probably not fair to do any comparisons because there wasn't enough time for the writers and the actor to develop a personality for the show. In the little bit that I've seen I actually find him kind of funny". ��

In regard to the last comment from Rusty, I don't think they were ever in an episode together.

Also from an earlier comment of his, there's been many who question the usage, "THE" Beaver. It does sound kind of natural, and I've heard Wally and June use it quite often. I know a few of Beaver's friends (Penny, Whitey) have used it, but not Larry, and not Ward, I don't think. That makes me think it was optional as far as the script and the director went. The reference goes way back to the beginning of the show, and it bothers a lot of posters, both here and on FB (me not included).

I think it was fairly common to use "the" in conjunction with a nickname. Wasn't there "the Duke" in Wally's high school?

A message from our friend Rusty. A while back I asked Rusty,,, "Why did they dress The Beaver in a suit and tie just to go to Larry's house for dinner"?
His reply as follows,,,
"I agree. Even more ridiculous is the episode the other day in which Beaver goes with his parents to look at a potential new house. He is dressed "to the nines" and even Ward is dressed casually. I know people say that's how it was back in the day. Well I lived back in the day and maybe it was a geographical thing but getting dressed up in a jacket and tie was definitely reserved for truly special occasions, especially for 9 or 10 year olds. Remember that "back in the day" for the folks that wrote these episodes was maybe the 1920s or early 1930s. I think that period is more likely reflected in some of those scenes, rather than our 1950s and 1960s. Back in the twenties and thirties if you saw somebody wearing dungarees, you would probably assume they were farmers".��

This thread offers essential reading for fans of older sitcoms. There are aspects of other series as well where the writers draw heavily upon childhood experiences from earlier decades.

Some fascinating reading here--comments from Rusty Stevens. He's a walking encyclopedia on LITB.

Bumping this up as I am no longer on Facebook and was wondering if anyone here is following the LITB group and has any updates ?

About 15 and 18 threads down are very interesting interviews of "Tiger" Fafara and Steve Talbot, done by Bryon Nelson, admin. of the Facebook group.

The Fafara and Talbot interviews are from Youtube, but CosmicCharlie posted the original on here. I'm wondering if he's on the Facebook group.

About 15 and 18 threads down are very interesting interviews of "Tiger" Fafara and Steve Talbot, done by Bryon Nelson, admin. of the Facebook group.

The Fafara and Talbot interviews are from Youtube, but CosmicCharlie posted the original on here. I'm wondering if he's on the Facebook group.

Thanks. I saw the Talbot reunion video with Mathers from I think last year or the year before. Talbot seemed very happy to interact with Mathers after all the years they had not seen each other and was smiling and laughing alot. Nice to see.

The Bryon Nelson interview was a solo with Talbot. IIRC there might have been an unidentified female interviewer asking questions, too.

Some info. from Jerry Mathers about Rusty --

https://www.metv.com/stories/jerry-mathers-searched-for-decades-to-reunite-with-larry-mondello