Is Mayfield a suburb? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

MichaelMartinD · 07-02-2020, 04:48 PM

People always refer to shows like LITB and Father Knows Best as "suburban." But was Mayfield really a suburb? If so, what on earth was it a suburb of? The presence of a downtown area seems to indicate that it is a small town in the same sense as Mayberry. Opinions?

stevea · 07-03-2020, 07:11 AM

Mid-size town. In Beaver the Bunny we found out there was a bus that ran along Grant Avenue. A small town usually doesn't have buses.

Just iike Springfield in Father Knows Best. There are several clues in that shows that point to Illinois. References to Chicago, Rockford, Gurnee.

Scrabjan1 · 07-03-2020, 08:25 AM

Mayfield had their own stadium like in Poor Loser. I believe Mayfield was a suburb of Dodoma in Tanzania.

stevea · 07-03-2020, 08:29 AM

Mule Saunders built a larger stadium in Riverside. Next to his beauty parlor.

I thought Mayfield was is Tasmania. Don't you remember the episode, Beaver and the Tasmanian Devil?

Scrabjan1 · 07-03-2020, 09:22 AM

That would have been better than Beaver, the Bunny.

MichaelMartinD · 07-03-2020, 09:29 AM

In Father Knows Best, Springfield even had a college.

stevea · 07-03-2020, 10:12 AM

They had a suave and sophisticated area called Orleans St. The Saks Fifth Avenue of Springfield.

Complete with Sgt. Shultz painting portraits.

GrtGzu · 07-03-2020, 10:56 AM

they had a country club too, that almost every man in the neighborhood was a member of....and Ward's office was located downtown too..

Tankeryanker · 07-03-2020, 05:52 PM

I think it is a cozy, between small and medium-sized, rural town.

Tankeryanker · 07-03-2020, 05:53 PM

What would a medium to large town have that a small one wouldn't? Is it population or acreage that decides what makes a town small, medium, or large?

Scrabjan1 · 07-03-2020, 06:40 PM

They had a youth organization in the works, Briggs Sporting Goods, Tildens, Abernathy Potts, White Fox restaurant, the restaurant in Beaver Won’t Eat, restaurants Ward went to with clients, car dealers, a stadium, athletic area, Gorman’s Department store, several others and many buildings full of lawyers, dentists, brokers and Ward’s building. I’d say it was a big city.

MichaelMartinD · 07-03-2020, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrabjan1

They had a youth organization in the works, Briggs Sporting Goods, Tildens, Abernathy Potts, White Fox restaurant, the restaurant in Beaver Won’t Eat, restaurants Ward went to with clients, car dealers, a stadium, athletic area, Gorman’s Department store, several others and many buildings full of lawyers, dentists, brokers and Ward’s building. I’d say it was a big city.

So on that view, where the Cleavers lived would indeed be a suburb or residential area outside of the main city of Mayfield.

GentlemanJim · 07-03-2020, 07:17 PM

Are there any other local high schools mentioned besides Wally's "Mayfield High"?

That it is not called "Mayfield Central" or "Mayfield North" (etc etc) seems to imply that the town is not huge.

Multiple grade schools, one nominal high school.......that sounds like 15-25,000 population size to me.

Tankeryanker · 07-03-2020, 08:33 PM

Growing up in a rural farm town of 10,000. We had three 7 grade schools, 3 were k-8 because they were so far out in the boondocks. There was one Jr. High and one High school that everyone attended.

Scrabjan1 · 07-04-2020, 09:25 AM

In Mother’s Helper the girl mentions she goes to Union High so maybe two high schools. Also in Beaver On TV they show kids on Teenage Forum at least one kid from another grammar school in Mayfield. When Beaver graduates from grammar school I think Wally says there were several grammar schools in Mayfield.

07-02-2020, 04:48 PM	#1
MichaelMartinD Member Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 23, 2013 Posts: 580	Is Mayfield a suburb? People always refer to shows like LITB and Father Knows Best as "suburban." But was Mayfield really a suburb? If so, what on earth was it a suburb of? The presence of a downtown area seems to indicate that it is a small town in the same sense as Mayberry. Opinions?

07-03-2020, 07:11 AM	#2
stevea 22 Years On Sitcoms Moderator Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 13, 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 45,408	Mid-size town. In Beaver the Bunny we found out there was a bus that ran along Grant Avenue. A small town usually doesn't have buses. Just iike Springfield in Father Knows Best. There are several clues in that shows that point to Illinois. References to Chicago, Rockford, Gurnee.

07-03-2020, 08:25 AM	#3
Scrabjan1 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 27, 2013 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 3,521	Mayfield had their own stadium like in Poor Loser. I believe Mayfield was a suburb of Dodoma in Tanzania.

07-03-2020, 08:29 AM	#4
stevea 22 Years On Sitcoms Moderator Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 13, 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 45,408	Mule Saunders built a larger stadium in Riverside. Next to his beauty parlor. I thought Mayfield was is Tasmania. Don't you remember the episode, Beaver and the Tasmanian Devil?

07-03-2020, 09:22 AM	#5
Scrabjan1 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 27, 2013 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 3,521	That would have been better than Beaver, the Bunny.

07-03-2020, 09:29 AM	#6
MichaelMartinD Member Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 23, 2013 Posts: 580	In Father Knows Best, Springfield even had a college.

07-03-2020, 10:12 AM	#7
stevea 22 Years On Sitcoms Moderator Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 13, 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 45,408	They had a suave and sophisticated area called Orleans St. The Saks Fifth Avenue of Springfield. Complete with Sgt. Shultz painting portraits.

07-03-2020, 10:56 AM	#8
GrtGzu Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Nov 05, 2012 Location: Ohio Posts: 203	they had a country club too, that almost every man in the neighborhood was a member of....and Ward's office was located downtown too..

07-03-2020, 05:52 PM	#9
Tankeryanker Do you like my monkey picture? Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 22, 2014 Posts: 3,058	I think it is a cozy, between small and medium-sized, rural town.

07-03-2020, 05:53 PM	#10
Tankeryanker Do you like my monkey picture? Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 22, 2014 Posts: 3,058	What would a medium to large town have that a small one wouldn't? Is it population or acreage that decides what makes a town small, medium, or large?

07-03-2020, 06:40 PM	#11
Scrabjan1 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 27, 2013 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 3,521	They had a youth organization in the works, Briggs Sporting Goods, Tildens, Abernathy Potts, White Fox restaurant, the restaurant in Beaver Won’t Eat, restaurants Ward went to with clients, car dealers, a stadium, athletic area, Gorman’s Department store, several others and many buildings full of lawyers, dentists, brokers and Ward’s building. I’d say it was a big city.

07-03-2020, 07:17 PM	#13
GentlemanJim Concerns, Support, & Feedback Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 26, 2019 Location: The back country Posts: 5,443	Are there any other local high schools mentioned besides Wally's "Mayfield High"? That it is not called "Mayfield Central" or "Mayfield North" (etc etc) seems to imply that the town is not huge. Multiple grade schools, one nominal high school.......that sounds like 15-25,000 population size to me.

07-03-2020, 08:33 PM	#14
Tankeryanker Do you like my monkey picture? Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 22, 2014 Posts: 3,058	Growing up in a rural farm town of 10,000. We had three 7 grade schools, 3 were k-8 because they were so far out in the boondocks. There was one Jr. High and one High school that everyone attended.

07-04-2020, 09:25 AM	#15
Scrabjan1 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 27, 2013 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 3,521	In Mother’s Helper the girl mentions she goes to Union High so maybe two high schools. Also in Beaver On TV they show kids on Teenage Forum at least one kid from another grammar school in Mayfield. When Beaver graduates from grammar school I think Wally says there were several grammar schools in Mayfield.