Leave it to Beaver; Introduction and characters, part 1

I am a huge fan of ‘Leave it to Beaver.’
Partially this is because I simply love the era which it exemplifies; the 1950’s. Sure, I know there were lots of problems back then, and certain social laws and expectations that had to change, but ultimately I’ll take that over what we’ve got instead. But, never mind that now.
More importantly, it was simply a great show. One of the things that annoys me to no end is hearing people dismiss it as simplistic, overly sunny, or even stupid. It wasn’t. It’s sharp, clever, and, most importantly, genuine. Really, I would say that ‘Beaver’ is more true to life than most of today’s dysfunctional family sitcoms, which pride themselves on a ‘warts and all’ look at life. The problem being that in practice the approach tends to become ‘warts are all’ instead.
‘Beaver’ is a far more honest and affectionate look at family life. It is, of course, idealized to a certain degree, but then again, no show is ever really ‘true to life,’ and ‘Beaver’ is not simply idealized; it makes plenty of time for unpleasantness and conflict. If the Cleavers are a more or less ideal family, the show makes it clear that they are not the norm, contrasting them with Ward’s pompous, near-clueless coworker Fred Rutherford and his mean, stupid son, Lumpy, and Beaver’s friend Larry’s overbearing mother. And, of course, who could forget Wally’s best friend; the sycophantic, two-faced-and-loving it Eddie Haskell. Even the Cleaver boys aren’t perfect, and neither are their parents. Wally and the Beaver disobey their parents, prefer to spend time with their friends rather than their family, fight with their friends and each other, and do various other things which will be all too familiar to anyone who either has children or has ever been a child.
Nor are the parents perfect; Ward and June misunderstand their children frequently, get into arguments, and even occasionally punish them without reason. All the characters on the show are fallible human beings, but, unlike most modern shows, ‘Beaver’ doesn’t leave it at that. The Cleavers also are shown to be all exemplary individuals; Ward is a dedicated, devoted father, June is about the ideal mother, Wally is pretty much the best teenager a parent could reasonably hope for, and Beaver himself is a thoroughly friendly child. At one point June says of Beaver that “he likes everybody; even Eddie!” (temporarily forgetting that she is speaking to Eddie’s father).
This brings to another aspect of the show; the often times really quite sharp and hilarious writing. Take the scene quoted above; Eddie had gotten Beaver and Wally in trouble by convincing them to go to a horror movie against their parents’ wishes. In vengeance, Beaver makes a voodoo doll of Eddie (by labeling a Cabbage-Patch kid ‘Eddie Haskell’) and sticks a pin in it. When Eddie finds out about it, the power of suggestion causes him to feel sick. This, in turn, causes Eddie’s father to confront Ward about it. The situation of two modern, suburban parents discussing whether one’s nine-year-old son might have put a voodoo curse on the other’s teenager is frankly absurd, but everyone present knows that it is absurd. Most importantly, everyone acts exactly as you would expect them to act in this situation; Ward and June trying to convince George Haskell that this is absurd and George retorting that nevertheless Eddie is sick. The scene ends exactly as it should; George angrily tells Ward that he expects him to do something about this, “And don’t ask me what!” he bellows before Ward can ask the obvious question.
In the same vein as the clever writing is the frankly wonderful relationships between the characters; particularly Ward and June. Their witty, yet natural banter is often a highlight of the show (for me at least), and they are clearly two people who genuinely like and respect each other and whom you can believe were and still are in love. Hugh Beaumont and Barbara Billingsly have wonderful chemistry and play off each other perfectly.
Another great aspect of their relationship is their ever-shifting reliance on each other. I’m reminded of a line of Ransom’s in C.S. Lewis’ book, ‘That Hideous Strength,’ where he described obedience in marriage as being like a dance, with authority constantly shifting between the two partners. I haven’t seen this idea captured anywhere better than with Ward and June. Sometimes it is clear that Ward, as the man of the house, is in charge; what he says goes. Other times Ward is almost cowering before June’s assault of accusations or demands. In one episode, Ward tells the boys a story about how he dealt with a bully in his childhood by laying a trap of barrel-hoops for him. The three boys all laugh…until June makes her glowering presence known, causing Ward to rather sheepishly step out into the hall, where she rebukes him for telling the boys that kind of story.
Another thing which bugs the hell out of me when people talk about this show is their sneering at June; nowadays it’s practically an insult to compare a woman to June Cleaver, and I’ve read feminists call her one of the ‘losers’ of this era, because she stayed home and kept the house instead of getting a job. How anyone who’s ever seen the show can call June a loser is beyond me; she’s one of the pleasantest, most appealing female characters in either television or the movies. She never seems to be in a rut or to be abandoning her own dreams for her husband’s sake, or anything like that. She seems to be genuinely happy (which is not something you can say for most ‘empowered’ female characters), and indeed, why on Earth shouldn’t she be? She has a loving, dedicated husband, two well-behaved children, a nice house in a good neighborhood, and her day is her own. She’s a strong, self-possessed, intelligent woman. What reasonable person, male or female, could consider that being ‘enslaved’ or whatever? What exactly is she missing?
Ward likewise presents no cause for complaint or criticism. Indeed, it would be pretty hypocritical for people in this era to criticize Ward, because one thing that has struck me again and again is how much Ward comes across as an actual Man, which is more than the vast majority of modern male characters can manage. Ward may have a white-collar job, but he is shown to be very athletic, to enjoy hunting and camping and fishing, and had been an Engineer in the South Pacific during WWII. When he gives his sons an order, you don’t doubt that he expects it to be carried out and intends to do something if it isn’t. Even so, he is very patient and understanding with his children, even if he doesn’t hesitate to punish them if they warrant it. He is very affectionate towards June and never seems to condescend to her except in fun. Ward is, in short, strong when he has to be, but gentle when he can be, just as a real Man should be.
I’ll continue this little ‘character rundown’ in a future post, but if you ever want to put yourself in a really good mood, go out and watch some old ‘Leave it to Beaver,’ and you’ll find yourself wishing for an era when the media showed us the good in people, and not just the bad.