Which family do you think was the most affluent, the Cleavers or the Rutherfords?

Both families lived in nice homes, drove nice cars, were members of the country club, and the wives did not work outside the home.

I've always wondered how the Rutherfords were able to take all those expensive vacations abroad. The Cleaver vacations seemed to be simple little family get aways not too far from home.

The Rutherfords were a two car family -- the Cleavers had one car.

Rather than affluence, it may be that the Cleavers adhered closely to a budget and avoided debt while the Rutherfords owed alot of money.

Fred mentioned a nest egg that he and his wife had (implying that is was substantial). Of course, Fred also said that they held Lumpy back his sophomore year of high school -- didn't want to push him just because he was above average intelligence.

:confused:

I THINK the Rutherfords were a bit more affluent, or at least lived that way. I don't think Fred earned more than Ward, but Gwen may have come from a moneyed background, which is what I think was also the case for Lumpy's eventual wife, Laetitia. Of course, they might just be the kind of people who put their earnings in more luxuries than the Cleavers did, just because that is what was important to them, but I just have the feeling that the Cleavers just didn't have as much money.

Ward came from a family of farmers, so I don't think he had much growing up. That's probably another reason he doesn't spend so liberally is because he knows the value of a dollar. June seemed like she had an affluent upbringing with private schools and such, and you know how Aunt Martha goes on and on about the Bronsons.;) But who knows really?

The Rutherfords and the Mondellos seem to be the only families besides the Cleavers into which we are given more than an occasional fleeting glimpse. [Amd.: with the Mondellos, it's only Larry and his mother and one 'profile' of his father; we never see Larry's sister or his married brother.]

Anyway, Fred R. is an interesting character because we don't know what's really supposed to be on his mind. In his interactions with Ward he is definitely a blow-hard with unrealistic perceptions of himself and his family... but sometimes we see him get mad at Lumpy and he comes down on him like a tyrant. He is not only well aware of Lumpy's ineptitude, he seems to be a willing sustainer of it. He does mention that his wife, Gwnedolyn, attended Vasser, which carries (at least then more than today) the implication of affluence and 'breeding.' Possibly that family owes much of their upper middle-class country club life to her family, though of course Fred would never say a word about it.

Personally I think it is a rather guarded mystery why the Rutherfords appear to be a little better financially than the Cleavers, even though Ward is clearly a more responsible and reasonable man-- and sometime he seems to be 'carrying' Fred to an extent at the office. We can just make of it what we want... Fred married into money; they just got lucky some way; or just that they spend every penny and take every ounce of credit they can get.