Leave it to Beaver
Santa Claus Lane Parade in 1960
Santa Claus Lane Parade 1960!
Here is vintage footage of the Santa Claus Lane parade in 1960. You will see Barbara Billingsley, Tony Dow and me at 12:12 in the video. Hugh Beaumont was in Minnesota at his property where he grew Christmas trees. He brought them out to Los Angeles and sold them at his Christmas tree lot.
This brings back lots of memories! Who else in the parade do you remember?
Hollywood Christmas Parade 2013!
Hollywood Christmas Parade 2013!
The City of Los Angeles will once again be presenting The Hollywood Christmas Parade! This year is the 82nd anniversary of the parade, and it will be the best year yet!
Please come out to see Tony Dow, Ken Osmond and me (Jerry Mathers) on December 1st! We will be riding together in the “Leave it to Beaver” car! The parade will include Grand Marshall Buzz Aldrin, celebrities, marching bands, floats, giant balloons, lots of great entertainment and surprises!
WHEN
Sunday, December 1st, at 5:00 PM
WHERE
From the Heart of Hollywood! Starting on Hollywood Blvd at Orange, the U-shaped parade route will travel east to Vine, south on Vine to Sunset Boulevard and west on Sunset, back to Orange.
St. Louis appearance – Christian Hospital
If you need help managing diabetes, just Leave it to Beaver (and Christian Hospital)
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Christian Hospital
Paul F. Detrick Building, Ground Floor Atrium
11133 Dunn Road
St. Louis, Missouri 63136 USA
In the mid ’90s, Jerry Mathers was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. However, the former “Leave it to Beaver” star took preventive action and lost 55 lbs! Today, Mathers is a leading speaker on living with diabetes. He partners with organizations like Christian Hospital to generate awareness of this epidemic. He has even spoken at the Congressional Caucus on diabetes, so we’re proud to provide you with this opportunity to hear him in person.
The event is free but space is limited. Call 314.747.WELL (314.747.9355) or toll-free 877.747.9355 to reserve your place.
Jerry Mathers personal appearance at South Arkansas Community College
Here is an article written in the Magnolia Reporter in Arkansas on Nov. 6, 2013…
Jerry “Leave It to Beaver” Mathers
will speak in El Dorado on November 21
Jerry Mathers
Former child actor Jerry Mathers will speak in El Dorado on November 21.
Classic TV legend Jerry Mathers, who played Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver on “Leave It to Beaver,” will speak at the El Dorado Conference Center at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21.
Mathers’ appearance is part of the eighth annual South Arkansas Community College Lecture Series. The event is free and open to the public.
“The Golden Age of Television and Media Trends Today” will include Mathers’ behind-the-scenes stories about “Leave It to Beaver” and other projects as well as his thoughts on current trends in TV.
Born in 1948, Mathers began his show-business career at the age of 2 in a PET Condensed Milk commercial on “The Colgate Comedy Hour.” He continued in minor roles as a child actor throughout the dawn of TV and made his movie debut in 1954 in “This Is My Love.” He went on to co-star in Alfred Hitchock’s “The Trouble With Harry” and “The Seven Little Foys” with Bob Hope, among several other film roles throughout the mid 1950s.
Mathers reached a higher level of stardom upon being cast as the Beaver in 1957.
“Leave It to Beaver” is one of the most beloved TV series of all time and often is used as a perfect example of 1950s Americana. Even though its original broadcast run ended in 1963, the half-hour comedy hardly ever has been off of the small screen since; on its 50th anniversary it was noted as the longest-running scripted show in TV history.
It also crosses cultural lines well enough that it has been shown in more than 80 countries and translated into 40 languages.
Nostalgia for the era led to a revival with “The New Leave It to Beaver” in 1984, featuring Mathers and most of the original cast. The series aired until 1989. Mathers directed some episodes.
“Leave It to Beaver” charted on Time magazine’s “100 Best TV Shows of All-Time”; Mathers himself was named as one of the most well-known individuals in TV history by People magazine.
In addition to speaking, Mathers still does some acting, including TV, film and stage roles. In 2007 he debuted on Broadway in “Hairspray,” portraying Wilbur Turnblad.
A type-2 diabetic, Mathers often is a spokesperson for diabetes awareness, even addressing the U.S. Congress on the topic.
Mathers’ talk will be followed by a question-and-answer session and a reception.
For additional information about the Lecture Series, call (870) 864-7156.
Leave it to Beaver — Happy 50th Anniversary!
Leave it to Beaver 50th Anniversary – 2007 – Good Morning America
Happy anniversary Leave it to Beaver! Our very first episode aired on October 4, 1957 and we then shot 235 episodes. The last first-run was in June of 1963. The show then went into re-runs and is still airing today…the longest running scripted show in television history!
Leave it to Beaver has had a great run and it is still relevant and humorous. I am glad to have had the privilege of being a part of this iconic television phenomenon which has made me friends all over the world. I truly treasure all my memories of the cast, crew and fans, many of whom are lifelong friends. When I look back, all of this has contributed to a great life!
Video is a great way to promote your business!
BzS – The Business Spotlight Webisode Series
When I was doing research to learn about website building I found out that it is very important to provide as much video content on my site as possible because nothing drives traffic to a website and builds rapport better than video. In addition to the videos from projects that I have done throughout my acting career, I also wanted to include information on my website about how important it is to brand my business. Acting and public speaking are my professions and need marketing exposure as much as any other business.
I recently shot this video to help promote my brand with my my dear friend Sue Berry. She is the Executive Producer of BzS which is a business spotlight webisode series. It was fun doing the interview with BzS host Bella Shaw who you may recognize from her 10 years as a CNN news anchor.
If you have a small to midsize business in the Southern California area, and would like more information regarding how you could have an affordable marketing video produced for your company, please contact Sue at http://bzspotlight.com/. And, tell her I sent you!
Happy 70th Birthday Ken Osmond, aka Eddie Haskell!
Here’s is my chance to wish my good friend former LAPD motorcycle officer Ken Osmond aka Edward Haskell, a happy 70th birthday. Ken, I know what a terrific actor you are. You brought to life a mischievous villain that is so much NOT like you that it’s hard for me to believe that you could play such a great character so different from the real you. Who would have thought that the name “Eddie Haskell” would become synonymous with all the things that Ken Osmond isn’t!
What many people don’t know is that Kenny also had other great acting roles including the film Pilgrim Adventure with Spencer Tracy and Gene Tierney, Lassie, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Fury, Petticoat Junction, and The Munsters to name just a few.
Kenny then changed professions and in 1970 he joined the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). He was an active member of the force until he was shot in the line of duty on September 20, 1980. His bulletproof vest and belt buckle saved his life. He eventually retired from the LAPD in 1988. Because of this he was able to join the cast of The New Leave it to Beaver and reprise his role as the two-faced protagonist to Beaver and the Cleaver clan.
To a great guy on his 70th birthday — it doesn’t sound so bad being that old because I just hit 65 on June 2nd and it didn’t hurt a bit. Happy birthday Ken!
Jerry
My best friend growing up, Richard Correll
I’m looking forward to a great time tonight at my long time friend Richard Correll’s 65th birthday celebration at an historic Hollywood hotel.
Richard played “Richard Rickover” in Leave it to Beaver. He was not only a character on the show, but my best friend growing up.
We spent many weekends at each other’s houses getting into mischief…typical adolescent pranks!
After Richard graduated from high school and while he was at USC’s film school, he worked extensively with the Harold Lloyd estate.
Richard has had an incredible career as a top Hollywood television director, producer and writer. Some of his credits include Family Matters, Full House, Hannah Montana, That’s So Raven, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and Perfect Strangers to name only a few. He wrote episodes for Happy Days early in his career.
Richard has always been a very good friend and I look forward to sharing many more birthdays with him!
Steve Talbot – My Leave it to Beaver Pal!
Happy Birthday Steve!
Hey Jerry, thanks for the birthday greetings, my friend. Unbelievably, I have now reached that age immortalized by the Beatles — “Will you still need me? Will you still feed me? When I’m 64,” an age that seemed impossibly distant when I was playing the role of your pal, Gilbert. What’s amazing to me is how vividly I remember our days at Republic Studio and then at Universal, where we’d see people like Alfred Hitchcock in the commissary or rummage through the monster masks in the costume department.
I’ve been thinking a lot about my Hollywood past these days because my youngest sister, Margaret Talbot, who is a staff writer at The New Yorker magazine, just wrote a book about our father, Lyle Talbot, who, as you know, had a long career as a stage, film and TV actor. The book is called, “The Entertainer: Movies, Magic and My Father’s Twentieth Century.” She even includes an analysis and appreciation of “Leave it to Beaver,” which she watches in re-runs with her son and daughter.
One thing that seemed totally normal back then, but strikes me as pretty unusual now is that while I was your pal on “Leave it to Beaver,” my Dad (who was also in several “Beaver” episodes) was playing Ozzie’s best friend and neighbor, Joe Randolph, on “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.” So, my Dad and I were sidekicks on two of the most iconic American shows about suburban life in the Eisenhower and Kennedy era.
I’m hardly the first to say it, but one of the real distinctions of “Leave it to Beaver” was its portrayal of life in the ‘burbs from the point of view of the kids, something the show captured very well. It’s a baby boomer time capsule in black & white.
So, what have I been doing for the past 50 years? I became a reporter and a producer of TV documentaries, first for KQED in San Francisco, and then the PBS series, Frontline. I’m now producing a music show for PBS called “Sound Tracks: Music Without Borders” and I’m a senior producer at the Center for Investigative Reporting in Berkeley (right down the street from your alma mater). My wife, Pippa, and I have lived in San Francisco for over 30 years, and our two grown kids, Dash, a lawyer, and Caitlin, a yoga teacher and actress, both live in L.A.
I have very fond memories of working on the show with you, Tony Dow and the whole cast. I was lucky to have been a part of it all.
Steve Talbot
Hugh Beaumont and Jerry Mathers – Rose Hills Memorial Park commercial
Before Leave It to Beaver, Hugh Beaumont and I filmed a promotional commercial for Rose Hills Memorial Park. Many thanks to my dear mother who told Hugh that the producers from Leave It to Beaver were looking to cast the father in the new television series that I was just hired for, and she thought he would be perfect. He auditioned, got the part and the rest is history!
Here is the 1955 film in living color!
