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Eddie Haskell

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Edward Clark Haskell (also referred to as Edward W. Haskell ) is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Leave It to Beaver , which ran on CBS from October 4, 1957, to 1958 and on ABC from 1958 to 1963. He was played by Ken Osmond . The character was also featured in the later series Still the Beaver , and in the 1997 film remake of the original series .

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33-514: The son of George (however, in Season 1, episode 20, Eddie gives his name as "Edward Clark Haskell, Jr.," and in Season 4 episode 26, Eddie's father introduces himself as "Frank Haskell") and Agnes, Eddie Haskell was the smart-mouthed best friend of Wally Cleaver . The character, played in the original series by Ken Osmond , has become a cultural reference, recognized as an archetype for insincere sycophants . Ward Cleaver once remarked that "[Eddie]

66-400: A back seat to his older brother Wally, a student in his final years of high school. Tony Dow had grown into an attractive, athletic young man and was often featured in "heartthrob"-type magazines aimed principally at teen girls. Producers took advantage of Dow's popularity and scripted episodes delving into Wally's dating life, his after school jobs, his pals, and his car. Beaver was relegated to

99-524: A first-season episode, Mary Ellen cultivates Beaver's friendship in order to get to Wally, then maneuvers Wally into going to a dance against his will. In another episode, Wally takes cha-cha lessons to enter a dance contest with Mary Ellen. Even though Mary Ellen was Wally's principal romantic interest, Wally dated several other girls during his high school years. In one episode, he declines a vacation trip with his family to stay at home near his current flame, then discovers she has left town with her parents for

132-429: A greasy "tango dancer" style and in another episode he irks both his parents when he buys a garish suit in a men's wear store. In the first season of Leave It to Beaver , Wally is a thirteen-year-old in his final year (8th grade) at Grant Avenue Grammar School. In the second season, Wally attends Mayfield High School, and remains there for the show's last five seasons, despite the fact that he should have graduated. Wally

165-493: A laugh track nor the series' well known theme song, "The Toy Parade". It never aired as an episode within the series. Following its April 1957 telecast, the episode was subsequently misplaced and was feared lost until a copy was found in a film vault in Illinois. After rediscovery, it was aired as the third-season premiere for the 1980s TBS revival series The New Leave It to Beaver on October 4, 1987, exactly 30 years after

198-471: A local dairy in exchange for 1,000 bottle caps from the company's products. The boys collect the bottle caps, but, in attempting to redeem them, learn they've been duped. Ward takes pity on the boys and buys them a bicycle. "It's a Small World" was filmed with a single camera, in full screen black-and-white at Republic Studios and the Universal Studios backlot. Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher wrote

231-400: A story from kindergarten, when a caregiver sent him to school with a home permanent hairstyle. When he told his father about it, his father made a big joke about it. Eddie claims that was the last time he told his dad anything. Then he adds, "If you can make the other guy feel like a goon first, then you don't feel so much like a goon." One of Eddy's catchphrases is "What's up, Doc?", which

264-479: A vacation trip. In another episode, he falls for a tennis playing "older woman" who uses him to make her estranged boyfriend jealous. One high-school friend who made five "romantic" appearances was Julie Foster. In one episode, Wally grows a moustache over the summer, thinking Julie will be enchanted with his debonair look, and then the poor boy is humiliated when she laughs at it when he arrives back to school. As Beaver grew into an awkward young teen, he sometimes took

297-503: A very brief "after school" scene in the kitchen between June and Wally. Wally arrives home and finds his mother preparing dinner; he regales her with teenspeak banter about the day's events at school. Then, as Wally leaves the room with a parting bon mot and the canned laughter kicks in, the camera catches June's bewildered, dazed, or amused facial expression. A few episodes deal with Wally's teen taste in hairstyles and clothing. In one episode, he infuriates his mother by wearing his hair in

330-442: Is a fictional character in the iconic American television sitcom Leave It to Beaver . Wally is the thirteen-year-old son of archetypal 1950s suburban parents, Ward and June Cleaver and the older brother of the seven-year-old ("almost eight") title character , Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver . The characters grew older along with the actors. Wally is portrayed in the series by Tony Dow . Dow portrays an adult Wally Cleaver in both

363-427: Is a good student, who, unlike his brother Beaver, rarely gives his parents or teachers cause for concern. He spends school nights at home glued to his textbooks and scratching out essays in his composition tablet. In one episode, Wally runs for class president but loses the election. In another episode, Eddie "slugs" Wally in the school corridor when he believes Wally is moving in on his girl, and in another episode, Wally

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396-437: Is a reference to the same catchphrase said by Bugs Bunny in response to Elmer Fudd pointing his gun at him, preceded by an "Eh..." and lip smacking while eating a carrot. In the 1980s revival series, titled The New Leave It to Beaver , Eddie is now married to Gertrude ("Gert") and they have two sons, Freddie and Edward Jr. (played by Osmond's real-life sons, Eric and Christian, respectively). Edward Jr. (nicknamed "Bomber")

429-434: Is based on Connelly's son, Jay. Wally is the "all-American" boy. He is an intelligent, polite teenager, who is trusted by his parents, popular with his peers, and liked by his teachers. He is an athlete with track , basketball and baseball being his three favorite sports; and, he excels at all. His friends, Clarence "Lumpy" Rutherford and Eddie Haskell , have a knack for getting into trouble and taking Wally along for

462-421: Is caught by the coach throwing towels around the locker room. The series ends with Wally a high-school graduate preparing for State college and Beaver looking forward to entering Mayfield High. Wally's age permitted the writers to place him in dating situations with his school friends. Wally's first girlfriend on the show is Penny Jamison, a New York girl he meets during ballroom lessons at Miss Spencer's School of

495-535: Is enrolled at Vicksburg Military School, the result of his having spilled grape juice on the Haskells' white carpeting. Both Freddie and Bomber have adopted their father's scheming and insincere nature. Eddie operates an eponymously named contracting company. He remains an avid Woody Woodpecker cartoon fan. In 1999, TV Guide ranked Eddie Haskell number 20 on its "50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time" list. Wally Cleaver Wallace " Wally " Cleaver

528-478: Is married to high school-sweetheart Mary Ellen and is an attorney engaged in private practice. Although it is not specified what Wally's exact specialties are, he did agree to be Beaver's attorney to fight for custody of his kids, but the plans changed when Beaver's ex-wife asked him to take the boys because the only vet school that will take her is in Italy. When the sequel series begins in 1984, Wally and Mary Ellen are

561-445: Is seen drying dishes. But the typical chores of a teen boy (mowing the lawn, carrying out the trash, washing windows), apparently are not his. After school time is spent practicing sports, and, once home, Wally spends most of his time doing schoolwork in his bedroom. In one episode, however, Ward is out of town and Wally is asked to play the man of the house. He carves the roast at dinner and monitors Beaver's behavior. Many episodes have

594-550: Is so polite, it's almost un-American." Eddie was known for his neat grooming—hiding his shallow and sneaky character. Typically, Eddie would greet his friends' parents with overdone good manners and often a compliment such as "That's a lovely dress you're wearing, Mrs. Cleaver." However, when no parents were around, Eddie was always up to no good—either conniving with his friends or picking on Wally's younger brother, Beaver , whom he regularly derided as "Squirt". "Gertrude" and "Sam" were nicknames he reserved for Wally. Eddie's duplicity

627-426: Is sometimes frustrating as he tries to deal with the thoughts and emotions of teenaged girls. Wally also acts as a foil to the shenanigans of Eddie and Lumpy, but sometimes reluctantly goes along with them. Wally serves as a bridge between Ward, June and Beaver. He is more astute and experienced than his brother and often puts parental communications in simpler terms for Beaver's comprehension. At other times, he clues

660-492: The Dance. Penny has danced with college boys and thinks Wally dances just as smoothly as they do. She wraps Wally around her little finger, and even has him going to the library to fetch a copy of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm for her. The romance ends when Beaver sends Penny a toad in a nicely wrapped box. Wally then becomes romantically involved with Mary Ellen Rogers , though the viewer often hears about her rather than sees her. In

693-451: The background. In June 1963, the series came to a close at milestones in the lives of Wally and Beaver: high school grad Wally preparing for State college and Beaver looking forward to entering Mayfield High. The last episode was a retrospective one called "Family Scrapbook" and has claimed its place in TV history as the first prime time sitcom episode specifically written as a series finale. In

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726-418: The bedroom, and the room is often the scene of Ward's disciplinary lectures. Though Wally sometimes warns Beaver he will suffer some sort of physical punishment from Ward ("Dad's gonna clobber you!"), such punishments never occur. Wally is rarely seen doing regular chores around the house. He sometimes clears the dinner table for his mother (i.e., he carries a few dirty dishes to the kitchen), and in one episode

759-521: The episode, the Cleavers reminisce over old photos in a scrapbook while flashback clips are played from previous episodes. It is during the course of the last episode the viewer learns how Beaver got his nickname. The show ends with Beaver and Wally playing with a wind-up toy and laughing like children. In 1983, CBS aired the reunion telemovie Still the Beaver starring Jerry Mathers. Other members of

792-488: The feature film Leave It to Beaver was released with young Erik von Detten as Wally. It%27s a Small World (Leave It to Beaver episode) " It's a Small World " is the pilot episode from the American television series Leave It to Beaver (1957–1963). The pilot (originally proposed as Wally and The Beaver ) was first televised April 23, 1957, on the syndicated anthology series, Studio 57 , without

825-495: The original series cast, including Dow, reprised their roles. In 1985, a sequel to the original series was produced called Still the Beaver , again starring Jerry Mathers and other original cast members. The series lasted one season on the Disney Channel before being picked up by TBS in 1986 and renamed The New Leave It to Beaver . The series aired until 1989. In Still the Beaver and The New Leave It to Beaver , Wally

858-483: The original series officially premiered on CBS. It was televised again in October 2007 as part of TV Land 's 50th anniversary celebration of Leave It to Beaver . It was released to DVD in 2005. The series made its CBS debut several months later on October 4, 1957, with the episode, " Beaver Gets 'Spelled ". Wally and Beaver want a new bicycle. Frankie Bennett, a mischievous boy, tells them new bikes can be had at

891-482: The parents in on Beaver's activities, plans and feelings. At the age of five, Wally gave a newborn Beaver his nickname while trying to pronounce his given name of Theodore. Though there are four bedrooms in the Cleaver house, Wally and Beaver share a bedroom. Their bedroom is a principal setting on the show. Wally spends his time in the bedroom at a small desk doing school assignments, the boys entertain their friends in

924-443: The parents of a 10-year-old daughter, Kelly (Kaleena Kiff). In 1986, Mary Ellen gives birth to their second child, Kevin (who was age advanced to 4 years old in the fall of 1987 and played by Troy Davidson). The family lives at 213 Pine Street ... next door to his widowed mother June, Beaver, and Beaver's sons; Ward had died shortly before the events of Still the Beaver take place (series star Hugh Beaumont had died in 1982). In 1997,

957-604: The position of blame if (and frequently when) they were caught. One of his most infamous pranks with the Cleaver brothers involved fastening a chain around the rear axle of their friend Lumpy Rutherford 's car, causing unplanned damage as the entire rear axle, wheels and all, became detached when Lumpy tried to move the car. The prank has been repeated on police and gangster cars in scenes in various films including American Graffiti (1973), Porky's (1981), and Gone in 60 Seconds (2000). S4-E38 "Beaver's Doll Buggy" may explain how Eddie's scheming character came to be. He related

990-579: The reunion telemovie, Still the Beaver (1983), and in the sequel series The New Leave It to Beaver (1985–1989). Child actor Paul Sullivan, however, portrays the character in the series pilot, "It's a Small World" , which aired in April 1957. In the 1997 film adaptation of the original series, Leave It to Beaver , Wally is portrayed by Erik von Detten . Leave it to Beaver was created by writers Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher , who found inspiration among their own children for plot lines and dialogue. Wally

1023-602: The ride. Unlike his brother Beaver (who thinks girls are "creepy"), Wally is popular with the girls and has many girlfriends during the course of the series' run. In the later seasons, Wally has a few after school jobs and buys a used car. The humor of the character rests in Wally's teenage perspective. He occasionally makes blunt or inappropriate comments that are bewildering or embarrassing to adults. He slips into slang occasionally, which upsets his mother. He sometimes humorously regards his parents as clueless squares. His dating life

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1056-679: The teleplay with Jerry Hopper directing the episode. Richard Lewis produced the episode. A number of actors who appeared in supporting roles in the pilot were later cast in recurring roles in the series. Diane Brewster appears as Miss Simms, a secretary, with Richard Deacon as Mr. Baxter, Miss Simms' boss. Brewster and Deacon would find roles in the series as Miss Canfield, Beaver's second grade teacher, and Fred Rutherford, Ward's co-worker and father of "Lumpy," Eddie Haskell's easily duped henchman/bully. Other cast members include Russ Thorson as Man with Milk Bottles, Leonard Bremen as Milk Bar Operator, Tim Graham as Doc, and Virginia Carroll as Nurse. After

1089-415: Was also exemplified in his efforts to curry favor by trying to talk to adults at the level he thought they would respect, such as referring to their children as Theodore (Beaver's much-disliked given name) and Wallace, even though the parents called them Beaver and Wally. An untrustworthy wise guy, Eddie could be relied upon to concoct and instigate schemes with his friends, schemes for which they would be in

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