Let's look at some of the others:

Fred Rutherford - this guy sure wouldn't win father of the year. As just one example, when he finds out his son has not won a scholarship, he's more concerned about how it affects him than how it affects Lumpy. His favorite nickname for his son is "Ya big boob." He favors his daughter Violet.

Mr. Rogers - a father who undoubtedly knows Wally, but nevertheless tosses him out on his keister when he tries to deliver ice cream for his daughter's pajama party.

Mr. Gregory - a temperamental, hotheaded engineer who's overprotective to the max when it comes to his daughter, Kathy. He also throws Wally out in a fit of rage.

George/Frank Haskell - a guy who's willing to send his unprepared son to summer on a fishing boat. A man who knows Wally (whom his wife refers to as "that Cleaver boy") and Beaver, yet won't come to their aid when they have a fare problem on a train trip.

Mr. Compton - an attorney who, despite being one of Ward's best friends, charges Beaver 45 cents to get him out of a modeling contract.

Mr. Boothby - a tattletail who blabs to Ward that he saw the boys pushing Ward's car at the end of the Camelback Cutoff. He also see no problem in his daughter Evelyn driving Wally to a dance.

Let's look at some of the others:

Fred Rutherford - this guy sure wouldn't win father of the year. As just one example, when he finds out his son has not won a scholarship, he's more concerned about how it affects him than how it affects Lumpy. His favorite nickname for his son is "Ya big boob." He favors his daughter Violet.


While I agree that Mr. Rutherford's no prize as a father, how many folks WOULDN'T at least be tempted to favor the much less troublesome and smarter Violet over the whiny, constantly cloddish and dumber Lumpy if they were fated to have these two as their offspring? My guess is that Lumpy reminded Fred too much of himself at that age while Violet reminded him of his adored wife in much the same way Queen Victoria admitted that her disdain of her eldest son (the future Edward VII) was because she felt 'Bertie is my caricature' while she adored her eldest daughter the Empress Frederick due to her personality being closer to Prince Albert's.

Love that Royal history.

Hey how about the way Fred treated his adored wife in Parking Attendants always pushing her arm away and leaving her in the dust to talk to Langley.

Love that Royal history.

Hey how about the way Fred treated his adored wife in Parking Attendants always pushing her arm away and leaving her in the dust to talk to Langley.

That episode is a goldmine of social satire. I also love when Fred gets on the phone with Lumpy in front of Mr. Langley and his guests and inquires how his Trigonometry is going (trying to make it sound like he is a top student).

Mr. Compton - an attorney who, despite being one of Ward's best friends, charges Beaver 45 cents to get him out of a modeling contract.



Nothing wrong with that. He was trying to teach Beaver a lesson. Beaver's lucky that's all he had to pay. Ward warned him, but Beaver was still stupid enough to listen to Eddie.

Eddie's dad isn't shown a lot (In fact, I think I've only seen him once) but the way Eddie talks about him, he's not that great. Fred Rutherford annoys me but he is hilarious!

Let’s see Donna Yeager’s father wouldn’t let her keep the gold locket. Kenneth Purcell’s father couldn’t see his son doing anything wrong and Mary Ellen Rogers’ father kicked Wally out of the house without letting him explain like Kathy Gregory’s narrow minded dad. Chopper’s father was too busy finding new wives and Alma Hanson’s father let his bulldog of a wife run the show. I’d say Ward was the best dad in Mayfield.

Gilbert I's father, Mr. Gates, seemed like a pretty good guy. Even though, since he's a musician, it meant Gilbert I changed schools a lot and made up stories.

I call him Gilbert I since there are three Gilberts throughout the show: Gilbert Gates, the original in one episode (in future appearances for awhile he's just Gilbert). In season 4 and 5 in a few episodes, he became Gilbert Harrison (writer: hey, what's this kid's last name? We need it. producer's assistant: I dunno; just use Harrison. That's a biggie around here. And if you ever need somebody else's last name, just use Thompson.) Then in later season 5 episodes (writer: hey, what's this kid's last name? We need it. producer: I think it was Bates, way back in 1958. Yeah, Bates. Write it down and give it to the writer pool. I'm thinkin' we had this question before.) he became Bates.

I guess back in ‘58 the producers never knew that Gilbert Gates would last through the whole series.