Ward and June Cleaver The True Story of Despotism and Discontent

[Tankeryanker]

Never knew we were watching something so out of step.

"A recent story, widely circulated on both the internet and mainstream news, reported that a private Jewish reform school in New York, Rodeph Sholom Day School, had announced its intentions of renouncing the upcoming Mother’s Day and Father’s Day holidays. In other words, celebrations of these traditional holidays were being banned so school officials could "protect the feelings of children raised by same-sex parents."

https://www.lewrockwell.com/2001/05/...-june-cleaver/

[stevea]

I skimmed the story and one correction: the writer never remembers Ward yelling. His temper calmed down in the later years, but he was kind of a hothead in the early seasons.

That whole 2001 article was a sign of things to come, unfortunately (in my view). At least their renouncing of those holidays was never widely adopted.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by Tankeryanker

Never knew we were watching something so out of step.

"A recent story, widely circulated on both the internet and mainstream news, reported that a private Jewish reform school in New York, Rodeph Sholom Day School, had announced its intentions of renouncing the upcoming Mother’s Day and Father’s Day holidays. In other words, celebrations of these traditional holidays were being banned so school officials could "protect the feelings of children raised by same-sex parents."

https://www.lewrockwell.com/2001/05/...-june-cleaver/

There have been ongoing claims that a Jewish school in the US had "banned Mother's Day and Father's Day". Administrators at Rodeph Sholom Day School denied the report that they were renouncing Mother's Day and Father's Day, and they even observe Mother's Day on their website.

[vitoscotti]

Thread made me think of religion on LITB. Also, TAGS. On LITB (went to in the past) church is talked about. Though, I don't believe we see them ever going, or coming back from service. A pastor is never mentioned like TAGS. Sunday service is mentioned. We don't know if all Mayfield goes to the same church, like Mayberry. What are the odds?

On the 50s-60s sitcoms a lot of the cast, crew, and network executives are Jewish. But most families on the show are some form of Christian. You never see a Jewish family until later in the 70s on tv if I'm correct.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by vitoscotti

Thread made me think of religion on LITB. Also, TAGS. On LITB (went to in the past) church is talked about. Though, I don't believe we see them ever going, or coming back from service. A pastor is never mentioned like TAGS. Sunday service is mentioned. We don't know if all Mayfield goes to the same church, like Mayberry. What are the odds?

On the 50s-60s sitcoms a lot of the cast, crew, and network executives are Jewish. But most families on the show are some form of Christian. You never see a Jewish family until later in the 70s on tv if I'm correct.

Yeah, TV was pretty Christian in the 1950s. However, The Goldbergs, about a Jewish family, did air on CBS, NBC, DuMont and in first-run syndication from 1949 to 1956.

[GentlemanJim]

" Not only did its presentation of a conservative, patriarchal lifestyle do injustice to progressive social behaviors,"

Too freaking funny. The author of this tripe obviously has an ax to grind against mainstream values. As evidenced perfectly later in the article by her intentionally misspelling Ellen Degenerates name in satire.

I don't think there ever was a question in our house that we were NOT anymore like the Cleavers than we were like the Munsters or the Pruitts of Southampton.

It is, however, interesting to read this article in the context of Newton Minow's "vast wasteland" commentary.

[stevea]

Originally Posted by vitoscotti

Thread made me think of religion on LITB. Also, TAGS. On LITB (went to in the past) church is talked about. Though, I don't believe we see them ever going, or coming back from service. A pastor is never mentioned like TAGS. Sunday service is mentioned. We don't know if all Mayfield goes to the same church, like Mayberry. What are the odds?

On the 50s-60s sitcoms a lot of the cast, crew, and network executives are Jewish. But most families on the show are some form of Christian. You never see a Jewish family until later in the 70s on tv if I'm correct.

In one episode Beaver mentions coming back from church, Sunday school I guess. He comes in the back door and is talking to June.

In another episode Beaver and Larry talked about what they learned in Sunday school. Since they are different stories they must go to different churches.

No a pastor is never mentioned, nor is a church establishing shot shown. Of course in TAGS many episodes are set in the church, which appears to be nondenominational, with sermons, hymn singing, Gomer falling asleep, and Opie misbehaving.

[MichaelMartinD]

The fact that they alluded to church and Sunday school on the show but never actually showed them worshiping was a stroke of genius, because it allowed everyone to relate to them without showing a specific denomination. TAGS and FATHER KNOWS BEST actually showed the characters in church. In real life, Hugh Beaumont was a Methodist preacher and Jerry Mathers was/is Catholic.

[stevea]

Yes, in a season 5 episode of Father Knows Best Jim and Margaret renew their vows in a church. In that story Margaret relates they were married in a living room, originally. This disagrees with other previous anecdotes but, hey, we've never heard of inconsistencies in a sitcom, right?