W & J nationalities seem a mystery?

I would assume from their names, sensibilities and tastes, that they were uber WASPs.

June gives no hints with her generic meals. No Polish, German, Irish or other specialty recipes.

Just guessing ...

Bronson ?

Bronson is a relatively rare Anglo-Saxon surname originating out of England and means “son of Brown”

Cleaver ?

The saga of the name Cleaver follows a line reaching back through history to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It was a name for someone who worked as a person who worked with wood.

I agree that the Cleavers were probably of British descent. Almost all of the LITB characters had WASPish surnames: Rutherford, Bates, Haskell, Landers, Canfield, Foster, Whitney, Hensler. Although the surnames of Woods and Rogers are of Irish origin. (I went to high school with a guy named Frank Rogers and he was so Irish-looking that he could have appeared in “The Quiet Man” or more recently, in the superb film, “Brooklyn,” starring the incredible Saoirse Ronan.)

Of course, the inimitable Larry Mondello was the only LITB character with a Southern European surname. Although, Larry didn’t really look any of the Italian-American kids I grew up with and went to school with.

Oh yeah, I wonder if June’s Bronson family members were related to screen tough guy Charles (Buchinsky) Bronson?

Wally is short for Wallace which is a rather famous Scottish family (and means 'Welshman'). I wonder if either Ward or June might have had some Scottish ancestry?

Then again, a person could have an English surname and only be a tiny % English bloodlines.

Beaver ;)

Etymology. The English word "beaver" comes from the Old English word beofor or befor and is connected to the German word Biber and the Dutch word bever. The ultimate origin of the word is from an Indo-European root for "brown". The genus name Castor has its origin in the Greek kastor and translates as "beaver"

Dam good research on Beaver...

June gives no hints with her generic meals. No Polish, German, Irish or other specialty recipes.

Wasn’t there an LITB episode where June is about to place spaghetti into a bowl of boiling water? I wonder if Ward and the boys enjoyed having a bowl of Pasta Fagioli or Lentil soup?

In “Godfather I,” there’s a great scene in which Pete Clemenza (actor Richard Castellano) is preparing a big bowl of spaghetti sauce for a group of “soldiers.” You see Clemenza showing Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) how to put in some sausages, peppers and a cup of sugar into the sauce. Sugar takes out some of the bitterness as the spaghetti sauce as it cooks. I remember my Italian grandmother also putting sugar into the sauce, something that the women did back in Sicily and Naples.

Don’t the Cleavers also talk about having chicken chow mein for dinner in another episode?

It would have been cool to have seen Wally, Beaver, Eddie and Lumpy hanging out at the local pizzeria on Friday night, enjoying pizza and some delicious calzones. Mangia!

^^^
What was the type of frozen foods they bought when June said something about the little old ladies that used to have their pictures on the packages?

I am thinking it was Chinese.

June making spaghetti. Poor Ward eating heavily sauced spaghetti wearing a suit and tie with white shirt. And no napkin bib. And those flakey Italian bread sticks would leave a lot of crumbs. Would Ward dare have a glass of wine with his Italian cuisine?

Didn't aunt Martha talk about the Bronson roots in England?

Did Beaver ever eat at Chueys? Ward could explain Mexican food to Beaver. Like Andy to Opie when the Taylors were going to move to S. America. Andy tells Opie " They eat something called a tortilla". Wow. No kiddin'.

I believe Ward picked out the frozen Chinese dinners much to June's displease. I think it's the same episode Ward makes a snide remark about a Bronson newborn girl.

Again, though many of the tv brass are Jewish. Not one Jew in Mayfield.

And the generic surnames chosen for show characters. Not one Pole, or Italian? No Italian deli or grocer.
No ethnic businesses downtown?

June making spaghetti. Poor Ward eating heavily sauced spaghetti wearing a suit and tie with white shirt. And no napkin bib. And those flakey Italian bread sticks would leave a lot of crumbs. Would Ward dare have a glass of wine with his Italian cuisine?

Didn't aunt Martha talk about the Bronson roots in England?

Did Beaver ever eat at Chueys? Ward could explain Mexican food to Beaver. Like Andy to Opie when the Taylors were going to move to S. America. Andy tells Opie " They eat something called a tortilla". Wow. No kiddin'.

I believe Ward picked out the frozen Chinese dinners much to June's displease. I think it's the same episode Ward makes a snide remark about a Bronson newborn girl.

Again, though many of the tv brass are Jewish. Not one Jew in Mayfield.

And the generic surnames chosen for show characters. Not one Pole, or Italian? No Italian deli or grocer.
No ethnic businesses downtown?

It got me thinking...

Other than the "brass" of the show; Mosher et.al, all the other names seen on the closing credits are very very Anglo: other than the Mondellos and Pete Rugolo for the music.

Did Beaver ever eat at Chueys? Ward could explain Mexican food to Beaver. Like Andy to Opie when the Taylors were going to move to S. America. Andy tells Opie " They eat something called a tortilla". Wow. No kiddin'.

They could have kept the Chuey character rather than make him a one-off. The kid was as good a kid actors as the others were.

There could have been plot twists where Larry was slow to accept him, and Beaver interceded to help with that.

Other than Chuey & his family no one I remember has a hint of an ethnic accent, or spoke a 2nd language. Which was quite common as I remember late '50s - early '60s. Even if Larry's family was Italian. He and his family showed no visible pride, or hints of their heritage.

I know late 50s tv played it safe. But LITB has to be the king of playing it safe going full throttle generic.

Someone mentioned a pizza parlor. Is pizza even ever mentioned in LITB? If not, or rarely? Was pizza too ethnic for M & C?

Besides the stellar cast, writing oddities, and inconsistencies have to be a reason SCOL LITB is so active compared to other older shows.

Judging from a post on YouTube a while back, it appears that the writers named most of the characters on the show after actual people in central Ohio. So I suspect that "Mondello" and a lot of the other names were inspired by real people that Connolly and Mosher knew. This makes sense - I mean, why would you just spontaneously come up with "Mondello"?

But does anyone know if Connolly and Mosher actually lived in Ohio? It seems they were both born in New York state. I'd be interested to hear more about this Ohio connection.

About the original topic of the post: Yes, LITB projected a toroughly Middle America WASP atmosphere in its cast (apart from "Mondello"). As far as being generic, though, I'd say that LITB is not nearly as bad as the late TAGS episodes, which had drained away any hint of a southern atmosphere from that show. By the color years, Mayberry could just as well have been in the Midwest.

I don't recall pizza being mentioned. Pizza was popular back then--I remember for Sunday lunch my mom thawed out an Ellio's pizza, which was quite good. Sometimes she would get one of the Chef Boy-Ar-Dee box pizza kits, where it's kind of homemade. Of course you have to add more shredded cheese than the little can of Parmesan cheese that's included.

Pizza not mentioned on LITB is really interesting being that pizza is such a big part of kids favorite foods. The Chef Boyardee kits were really good. Totino's and John's cheap frozen pizzas were quite good to a kid too.

I notice when the Cleavers eat no one is really enjoying the food except young Beaver occasionally. Every one is very stoic showing no enjoyment. I don't remember any compliments to the chef. The boys looked like they were going to the firing squad when June said they could get dessert. Someone might of uttered a stray "Mmm" in the Brussels sprouts episode.

I really never liked the forced fake Southern twangs in TAGS. Though, it makes sense in a show supposed to be in N. Carolina.

I don't recall pizza being mentioned. Pizza was popular back then--I remember for Sunday lunch my mom thawed out an Ellio's pizza, which was quite good. Sometimes she would get one of the Chef Boy-Ar-Dee box pizza kits, where it's kind of homemade. Of course you have to add more shredded cheese than the little can of Parmesan cheese that's included.

stevea,

Oh, wow, you bring back great memories of frozen pizza in mentioning Ellio’s with their rectangular slices of pizza! What about Tree Tavern Pizza and those Celeste frozen pizzas being hawked by the beloved Mama Celeste on tv?

During the opening credits of “The Sopranos,” you see Pizza Land pizzeria, as Tony Soprano drives home from NYC. I’ve driven by that place about a million times. It’s located on the Belleville Turnpike, just below Kearny Avenue and a few miles from the world-famous Satriale’s Meat Market in Kearny, NJ. Even today, people from all over the USA order pizzas from that Garden State pizzeria.

Someone mentioned the dearth of ethnic characters and minority characters on LITB. I believe that there was only one African-American woman to appear in Mayfield, USA. However, in Mayberry, NC, there were very few African-American characters portrayed in that American southern town, which is even more surprising.

Was lack blacks or African-Americans because segregation or to allow it shown nationwide at the time? It was at little even by the end of series it was a little surprising that there no African-Americans if the six grammar school that combined into the high school except one who was a cook or something.

Was lack blacks or African-Americans because segregation or to allow it shown nationwide at the time? It was at little even by the end of series it was a little surprising that there no African-Americans if the six grammar school that combined into the high school except one who was a cook or something.

At this time on Sitcoms, probably all you might see would be African-Americans in what would be considered a stereotypical role, unfortunately. Such as the Langleys' maid in that one LITB episode.

stevea,

Oh, wow, you bring back great memories of frozen pizza in mentioning Ellio’s with their rectangular slices of pizza! What about Tree Tavern Pizza and those Celeste frozen pizzas being hawked by the beloved Mama Celeste on tv?

I don't know if Ellio's was a regional brand, but I grew up in South Jersey, around 18 miles from Phila. I really recall liking their pizza. This was a LONG time ago!

Someone mentioned the dearth of ethnic characters and minority characters on LITB. I believe that there was only one African-American woman to appear in Mayfield, USA. However, in Mayberry, NC, there were very few African-American characters portrayed in that American southern town, which is even more surprising.

The one minority I remember on TAGS was a football coach for Opie's team. It was a major character actor part. The script involved Opie's piano lessons interfering with his football practice. The football coach then showed off his piano-playing prowess, demonstrating to Andy that one can juggle practicing two talents/hobbies at the same time.

During the '50s and early '60s, black Americans were mostly shown as extras or in incidental roles of domestics or maids (reflecting the sorts of jobs many black Americans had in the early-to-mid 20th c.) TAGS frequently showed black extras in street scenes in its early years.

Some TV producers probably caved into the demands of viewers in the segregated South, who would have protested if a black character was featured in a major role.

One exception was AMOS 'N' ANDY, the TV show based on the popular long-running radio show, which featured a black cast. A number of early TV shows spotlighted the sassy, knowing black servant or maid - for instance, the character "Rochester" on THE JACK BENNY SHOW, again a carry-over from radio.

Things began to change in the later '60s as a result of the Civil Rights Movement and demands for more representation of black people in entertainment. In movies, the change had already started earlier in the '50s with the emergence of black leading actors like Sidney Poitier. Even back in the '40s you had an actor like Rex Ingram who played a number of serious and dignified supporting roles.

I wouldn't say that the maid in LITB was stereotypical; her job was a realistic reflection of her era. The character seemed smart and competent and was not portrayed stereotypically at all.

During the '50s and early '60s, black Americans were mostly shown as extras or in incidental roles of domestics or maids (reflecting the sorts of jobs many black Americans had in the early-to-mid 20th c.) TAGS frequently showed black extras in street scenes in its early years.

Some TV producers probably caved into the demands of viewers in the segregated South, who would have protested if a black character was featured in a major role.

One exception was AMOS 'N' ANDY, the TV show based on the popular long-running radio show, which featured a black cast. A number of early TV shows spotlighted the sassy, knowing black servant or maid - for instance, the character "Rochester" on THE JACK BENNY SHOW, again a carry-over from radio.

Things began to change in the later '60s as a result of the Civil Rights Movement and demands for more representation of black people in entertainment. In movies, the change had already started earlier in the '50s with the emergence of black leading actors like Sidney Poitier. Even back in the '40s you had an actor like Rex Ingram who played a number of serious and dignified supporting roles.

I wouldn't say that the maid in LITB was stereotypical; her job was a realistic reflection of her era. The character seemed smart and competent and was not portrayed stereotypically at all.

And now if you see a white person in a commercial it's a rarity.

I don't recall pizza being mentioned. Pizza was popular back then--I remember for Sunday lunch my mom thawed out an Ellio's pizza, which was quite good. Sometimes she would get one of the Chef Boy-Ar-Dee box pizza kits, where it's kind of homemade. Of course you have to add more shredded cheese than the little can of Parmesan cheese that's included.

Those pizza kits don't include the parmesan anymore. It's only the crust mix and sauce now.

Those pizza kits don't include the parmesan anymore. It's only the crust mix and sauce now.
Next will be an empty box. Just add crust, sauce, cheese, meat.

And now if you see a white person in a commercial it's a rarity.

Some say there is no point in advertising to whites anymore as they will become a very small minority very soon by mass immigration from non-white countries and they will no longer have the higher paying jobs to afford to be the target market.

Some say there is a war on whites.

Next will be an empty box. Just add crust, sauce, cheese, meat.

Right, just use the box for instructions!

June to Ward, "The Beaver has unconscious bias". Ward replied, "We're all guilty of white privilege". June says, "Aunt Martha was a social justice warrior at her boarding school". Again June chimes in, "Wally got an A+ in his white guilt class."

I think you folks are being a tad overly harsh. It's not "the end of white America" they are promoting. They are just trying to $capitalize$ on selling a sense of "come uppance".

Minorities seeing themselves as in need of ascension, will observe people just like them in elevated roles, and identify with them.
Then to be more-like the commercial icons they will buy the products featured in the ads.

It's just an emancipation twist on one of the oldest tools in Madison Avenue's tool chest, called "keeping up with the Joneses".. This later version you might call it "keeping up with the Huxtables"....

I think you folks are being a tad overly harsh. It's not "the end of white America" they are promoting. They are just trying to $capitalize$ on selling a sense of "come uppance".

Minorities seeing themselves as in need of ascension, will observe people just like them in elevated roles, and identify with them.
Then to be more-like the commercial icons they will buy the products featured in the ads.

It's just an emancipation twist on one of the oldest tools in Madison Avenue's tool chest, called "keeping up with the Joneses".. This later version you might call it "keeping up with the Huxtables"....
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ORbseYAkzRM

This thread really went off the rails and got reported.