Still the Beaver

This look at the extended Cleaver clan and their friends had one season on Disney from 1984-1985 and three seasons on TBS from 1986 until 1989. It got things right in the sense that it had a high regard for the history of the original show upon which in was based - Leave It To Beaver, which ran from 1957-1963 and followed the exploits of Beaver and older brother Wally Cleaver.

The only thing to happen in 1983 was one TV movie, "Still The Beaver" which aired in March 1983. There are some understandable inconsistencies between the movie and the series that premiered in 1984. First, the movie has Wally and his high school sweetheart Mary Ellen Rogers marrying in their thirties and dealing with infertility as they attempt to start a family. In the series they suddenly have a tween daughter like they have been married some 15 years. In the movie, June, widowed for several years, tells Beaver at the end of the film that she is moving to a condo and is selling him the Cleaver house at a reduced price. In the series, June still lives in the Cleaver home and never mentions moving.

Beaver, now divorced, has two sons that live with him in his childhood home, with all of them pretty much being abandoned by Beaver's ex who is going to veterinary school in Italy. Beaver's oldest son, Kip, has a friendship with Eddie Haskell's oldest son, Freddie, that somewhat mirrors Wally's teen friendship with Eddie.

Eddie Haskell, still portrayed by Ken Osmond, continues to be the rascal he was in the original show, still with the obvious insincere flattery. Except now Eddie is married with two children, the oldest being portrayed by Ken Osmond's actual oldest son, Eric. Eddie being such the manipulator causes problems in his marriage and in his business, and yet Wally is still his best friend in spite of the lapses in Eddie's character and judgment. Likewise, Frank Bank still plays Lumpy Rutherford, with a tween daughter who is good friends with Wally's daughter.

The humor holds up forty odd years later, just like the humor holds up on the original LITB show 65 years later. This is mainly true because the emphasis is on relationships and the importance of family, and that never really changes.

Some of the episodes, at least for the first couple of seasons, are available on youtube, although they are seemingly duped from old VHS tapes and thus the video is rather fuzzy. If you are used to blu ray quality, you'll need to adjust your expectations in that regard.

The only thing that kept this 'gem' from being a major hit is timing. A new "Beaver" audience has been created from the re-runs on TVland, Nickelodeon, and TBS. Now is the time for these shows. I'm still waiting for someone to unearth these tapes and show them along with the originals.

I remember ordering the Disney Channel just for this show. Later, I dropped Disney when the show went to TBS. Is was a little rough starting out. Beaver, divorced with custody, moving back in with his mom, and his dad (Ward), now dead, are a bit hard to take from the simpler days of the past. After settling down, the shows were charming and funny. The next generation of kids, including the offspring of Eddie Haskell (a son who would make Eddie proud), "hipped" up the show a bit without losing the original flavor.

June would talk to Ward's tombstone on occasion, old faces would turn up (Eddie, Lumpy, and even Judy Hensler), and Wally and the Beav' interacted like they were still kids. They even had an episode with (June's) Aunt Martha's funeral, the mostly invisible aunt from the olden days.

One pet peeve of mine are writer's who are hired to do re-makes of shows who seem to show no knowledge of the original shows. They are 'lost' and the shows are terrible (ie. the 'new' Columbo). The writers of 'Beaver' were definitely devotees of the original. The Cleaver clan evolves smoothly and beautifully and I was sad all over again when the shows stopped.

The Cleaver's were more than just scripting though. The theatrical release, although technically sound, had no chance of duplicating the charm and success of this little bit of americana.

PS-- a nice touch was Wally marrying a girl very, very reminiscent of his mother...

During the plague of "New" shows in the 80s (The New Monkees, The New Gidget, The Bradys, etc.), this was probably the best. "Beaver" didn't focus solely on the original audience (like The Bradys did), nor did it ignore the original show (like The New Monkees) or try to recreate those characters as modern pop icons (like The New Gidget). No, "Beaver" gave fans of the original show a chance to see their old friends again (and they were still the same old characters) as well as using the characters' children to maintain the innocence and fun of the original show, drawing in a new, younger audience. "Still the Beaver" was a true family show: clean enough for kids, nostalgic and fun for adults. (And I was at the right age that Kaleena Kiff was my dream date, but I digress . ..)

Hopefully, the reruns will start soon, and this will become another classic. Ward was missed in the series, but his legacy lived on in his sons. In that and everything else, this show did very well.

I loved every episode of this show! They did a great job of updating and adding to the original series. I especially loved the 1940's flashback where they showed how Ward and June met. If you loved the original series you must see this. Ken Osmond is particularly talented. I noticed many episodes focused on Eddie Haskell. They must have realized he was the most entertaining character. Barbara Billingsley seems to be having the time of her life. They were so lucky to get so many of the original cast members back for this one. No "remake" show was ever this successful. Clever and creative writing. Occasional clips of the original show. We must get this complete series available on DVD!

Bringing back as many of the characters, as they were, from the original show was pivotal in allowing the children of these characters to help carry the show as the kids did in the original. Meeting up again with Beaver, Wally, Eddie and Lumpy was great as we see them as adults.

It just has to come out on DVD, soon. My grandkids enjoy this show which I just started showing them.