What TV Guide said in 1960
For two years now a program called Leave It To Beaver has been one of the most honest, human, and satisfying situation comedies on TV. Beaver's charm lies in its departure from the norm. Here, there is no cantankerous father (Life With Father), no bungling wife (I Love Lucy), no babbling mother-in-law (December Bride). In Beaver, the father, Hugh Beaumont, makes his share of mistakes in raising his two sons and he undergoes some embarrassing defeats. Once in a while, praise be, he even wins a small victory. A case in illustration
In a recent segment of Beaver, Father's older son Wally, Tony Dow, attending school prom is ordered by date to buy her an [expensive] orchid. In his day, girls were just girls, but this one is a glamour girl. Dad forbids it. Loyal younger brother Beaver, Jerry Mathers, acquires a slightly used orchid, storing it in the refrigerator. When the orchid starts to disintegrate (it's beginning to smell like salami), both boys plus mother, Barbara Billingsley, again pressure a reluctant father, who finally succumbs. He buys an orchid for Wally when he remembers he once, under similar circumstance, bought one for his spouse.
Father's Victory lies in his realization he can accept defeat with good grace. Leave It To Beaver, which enters its third season with its family candidly growing older and facing new problems (at the moment, Wally likes girls, Beaver prefers to look at skunks). Leave It to Beaver is the creation of Joe Connelly and bob Mosher who have nine children between them and seem to know how fathers are expected to behave around the house; largely responsible for the consistent excellence of Beaver is Jerry Mathers who has most of the best lines, although no Alfred Lunt he can legitimately act.
