Hey All,

I don't have any of the LITB books, but have often pondered the following questions:

1. Of the cast, who was Jerry Mathers the closest to in terms of being a friend? Was there anyone whom Jerry did not get along well with? Was there anyone who didn't get along with Jerry?

2. How did Barbara and Hugh get along with each other and with the cast? I felt that the chemistry between them was SO PERFECT, that it seemed like they were really married!

3. What was Hugh Beaumont's style of directing? (He directed several of the later episodes) Did he really act like a father to Wally and Beaver offscreen, or was it mostly business? (I read somewhere that the kids had difficulting working with director Norman Tokar, who was described as "impatient." and a "perfectionist.")

4. What hobbies did Jerry and Tony like to do in their spare time?

5. Was Tony able to date regularly? Was he sociable or more reserved? I read that he had a problem with depression after the series ended.

6. In filming LITB, was there any one particular moment that a cast member can recall that was embarrassing or difficult for them to perform?

7. Was "Captian Jack" filmed at a real aligator farm, if so where?

Jack

I'll answer question 2... at first, Barbara and Hugh had gotten off to a rocky start becuase Hugh started to call her Pollyanna (and as you can see in my siggy, i'll put exactly her response to that) and it "teed me off!" so she wasn't too fond of him saying that to her, but later, they grew to 'love' eachother and were really good friends! She was probably the one who was heartbroken most when he died in 82... but they always said how they had kept in touch after the show i believe. But i think i remember reading in jerry mather's book that towards the end of the series, it wasn't very much acting, becuase they had grown to like eachother so much... I dunno, i think that's the cutest thing ever, wouldn't it have been quite funny if they had actually married in real life? hehe....

okay, i'll answer question 6 too! hahah, according to jerry mather's book, in the horse named nick episode, it was hugh's FIRST directing episode, and he heard about this horse who could sit on command, so he got it into the studio, but they could NOT get him to sit down, so they had to tranquilize him, and i guess he got out of hand (I think so, somebody correct my if i'm wrong) but after a while, the tranquilizer kicked in and he fell down, but he was sleeping. And according to Jerry Mathers, the horse kept farting really loud, haha! Cuz after the horse had fallen asleep they decided to go and shoot more scenes in the house, but they kept getting interuptred by his loud farting... haha! so eventually the boys went home and Hugh and Barbara shot the scenes where it was just them so that they wouldn't be AS far behind scheduele for it. But they all felt bad for Hugh becuase it was his first epiosde to direct! hehe!

Well according to Jerry mathers book he and Richard Correll (Richard Rickover) were good friends. They hung out, went to parties off the set. Tony Dow was very athletic in real life too and was especially good at swimming. I never read anywhere that Jerry didn't get along with anyone. I think everyone got along very well. Although I did read an interview with Stanley Fafara once and he said that he wasn't really close with anyone on the set in real life. It was just a job for him.

I'll answer question 2... at first, Barbara and Hugh had gotten off to a rocky start becuase Hugh started to call her Pollyanna (and as you can see in my siggy, i'll put exactly her response to that) and it "teed me off!" so she wasn't too fond of him saying that to her, but later, they grew to 'love' eachother and were really good friends! She was probably the one who was heartbroken most when he died in 82... but they always said how they had kept in touch after the show i believe. But i think i remember reading in jerry mather's book that towards the end of the series, it wasn't very much acting, becuase they had grown to like eachother so much... I dunno, i think that's the cutest thing ever, wouldn't it have been quite funny if they had actually married in real life? hehe....

Now I will have to see about reading Jerry's book! I have to read for myself about these two.....WOW they were hot together!:D

Now I will have to see about reading Jerry's book! I have to read for myself about these two.....WOW they were hot together!:D

They had great chemistry

I don't know all of my answers to be concrete facts, but I HAVE read a LOT about the show, since it's a favorite of mine.

1. Of the cast, who was Jerry Mathers the closest to in terms of being a friend? Was there anyone whom Jerry did not get along well with? Was there anyone who didn't get along with Jerry?

Richard Correll (Rickover) and Mathers were pals away from the show. Jerry, as far as I've read, never had any real animosity toward any other cast members. Now, I read before that some of the other kid cast members thought Mathers was a bit smug and arrogant near the end of the series...However, this never created animosity between anyone in the cast.

2. How did Barbara and Hugh get along with each other and with the cast? I felt that the chemistry between them was SO PERFECT, that it seemed like they were really married!

All I've read about the Billingsly/Beaumont relationship was rooted in the idea that they REALLY cared about each other. I know Beaumont lost some family in a car accident prior to the filming of the show, so I'm sure he wasn't just EASY to work with during that time period. However, no problems were ever widely circulated related to ANY in-cast friction...including none between Barbara and Hugh.

3. What was Hugh Beaumont's style of directing? (He directed several of the later episodes) Did he really act like a father to Wally and Beaver offscreen, or was it mostly business? (I read somewhere that the kids had difficulting working with director Norman Tokar, who was described as "impatient." and a "perfectionist.")

His directing ALWAYS revealed another area (visually) of the Cleaver's world, be that somewhere in their home or within Mayfield...I always liked that expansion of their "reality." From what I read, Mathers seemed to state that Beaumont was largely "business" minded, but was a great guy beyond that in terms of him being a "father-figure" to the kids in the cast. I do, however, remember Beaumont and Mathers, as recounted in a Leave it to Beaver book; had SOME friction in the early days because of Mathers sort of "missing the mark" here and there as a kid actor.

4. What hobbies did Jerry and Tony like to do in their spare time?

Dow was an athlete and an artist. In fact Dow set childhood records for swimming and track before becoming a part of the LITB cast. Jerry was an avid dancer...which is pretty funny when you see the record club episode and think to yourself..."He LIKED looking that dorky?"

5. Was Tony able to date regularly? Was he sociable or more reserved? I read that he had a problem with depression after the series ended.

That I do not know...However, you'd THINK someone as then high-profile would have dated some famous women over time...and, as far as I've read...I've never seen any reports of all that. From that, I'm guessing he was more of a "reserved" dude...and yeah, I too read about the depression problems he experienced...Sad stuff actually....

6. In filming LITB, was there any one particular moment that a cast member can recall that was embarrassing or difficult for them to perform?

Mathers did seem to dislike the "Bunny Suit" episode. I've read a few accounts where he found that one to be a bit "over the top..." and who could blame him on that one? That was a RIDICULOUS bit of classic TV...Hence, a favorite of mine...haha!

7. Was "Captian Jack" filmed at a real aligator farm, if so where?

If I remember correctly, I read somewhere or other that that episode was partially filmed on the studio lot and partially filmed using footage from the San Diego Zoo. However, that information is coming from the foggy recesses of my memory based on a potentially flawed TV history book I used to have.