Changes

It has become an icon of stable family life in a [[nuclear family]] (comprising only the parents and their children) and moral decision-making in a world of small human foibles and no great issues.

It has become an icon of stable family life in a [[nuclear family]] (comprising only the parents and their children) and moral decision-making in a world of small human foibles and no great issues.

The plot revolved around the life of Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver  (played by Jerry Mathers), a curious and frequently naïve pre-adolescent boy living in an upscale, middle-class neighborhood in the innocent years of the 1950s. His teen-age brother, Wally, was played by Tony Dow, his father, Ward, by  Hugh Beaumont, and his mother, June, by Barbara Billingsley. Eddie Haskell was the two-faced teenage conniver who turns choirboy whenever he is in the presence of adults. Joe Connelly (1918-2003), a television writer was the main creator; his 8-year-old son was the inspiration for Beaver, and his 14-year-old son was the model for Wally.  The producer was [[Harry S. Ackerman]].  

The plot revolved around the life of Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver  (played by Jerry Mathers), a curious and frequently naïve pre-adolescent boy living in an upscale, middle-class neighborhood in the innocent years of the 1950s. His teen-age brother, Wally, was played by Tony Dow, his father, Ward, by  Hugh Beaumont, and his mother, June, by Barbara Billingsley. Eddie Haskell, portrayed by Ken Osmond (1943-2020), was the two-faced teenage conniver who turns choirboy whenever he is in the presence of adults. Television writer Joe Connelly (1918-2003) was the main creator; his 8-year-old son was the inspiration for Beaver, and his 14-year-old son was the model for Wally.  The producer was [[Harry S. Ackerman]].  

In its "Golden Age," television served as a kind of social training film; sitcoms like  ''Leave It to Beaver,'' ''[[The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet]],'' ''[[The Donna Reed Show]]'' and ''[[Father Knows Best]]'' were all prime-time staples that taught Americans newly arrived in the suburbs from city tenements how to act middle-class.   

In its "Golden Age," television served as a kind of social training film; sitcoms like  ''Leave It to Beaver,'' ''[[The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet]],'' ''[[The Donna Reed Show]]'' and ''[[Father Knows Best]]'' were all prime-time staples that taught Americans newly arrived in the suburbs from city tenements how to act middle-class.   

==Further reading==

==Further reading==

* Kassel, Michael B. "Mass Culture, History and Memory and the Image of the American Family," PdD dissertation, Michigan State U. 2005 65(9): 3537-A. DA3146050 613p.  

* Kassel, Michael B. "Mass Culture, History and Memory and the Image of the American Family," PdD dissertation, Michigan State U. 2005 65(9): 3537-A. DA3146050 613p.  

* Mathers, Jerry. ''And Jerry Mathers as "The Beaver,"'' (1998), memoir.   

* Mathers, Jerry. ''And Jerry Mathers as "The Beaver,"'' (1998), memoir.   

* Shaffer, Jeffrey. "Epic Beaver Cleaver", ''Christian Science Monitor'', May 28, 1999, Vol. 91, Issue 128

* Shaffer, Jeffrey. "Epic Beaver Cleaver", ''Christian Science Monitor,'' May 28, 1999, Vol. 91, Issue 128

====References====

====References====

==See also==

==See also==

*''[[The Donna Reed Show]]''

*''[[The Donna Reed Show]]''

[[Category:Television]]

[[Category:Television]]

[[Category:Television Shows]]

[[Category:Television Shows]]