Beaumont was known for playing the lead in crime dramas, but he truly appreciated playing Ward Cleaver.
As an ordained minister, he said characters like private detective Michael Shayne, who he starred in several movies, were not fitting for a priest. He’d rather be remembered for Ward, and he was.
Tony Dow Could Not Break the Typecast
As a character, Wally Cleaver made such a cultural impression that the actor who played him could not escape the role. He was typecast. As a result, they asked him to play only extraordinarily naïve and wholesome young lads.
As an actor, Tony was frustrated. It was difficult, he told "Connecticut Magazine." In 2018, he said, “People really wanted you because you were Wally, or they don’t want you because you were Wally.”
Dow Took a Dig at the Typecast
In 1977, Tony had his chance to air his ire. Appearing in the film "Kentucky Fried Movie," Dow parodied Wally with a wicked skit. In a courthouse scene, Wally and the Beave are engaged in one of their typical brother-to-brother banters.
But as full-grown men, it’s a hilarious caricature of the golly-gee, happy-go-lucky Cleaver boys.
Where in the World Is Mayfield?
The Cleaver family lived in a fictional town called Mayfield. The U.S.A. setting was ambiguous on purpose, but that didn’t stop fans from trying to locate the utopian suburb. Some decided Mayfield was in Ohio because Wally attended school near Shaker Heights.
But, in one episode, Beaver says they live 30 miles from the beach. There are also some indications that Mayfield is in Wisconsin because the Cleavers were Packer fans. In another Wisconsin hint, Wally says his high school band played in Madison.
Mayfield Started as a Ford Town but Ended up Chrysler
Early in the series, everyone in town drove a Ford. Those with a sharp eye will notice that all of that changed when Chrysler made a deal to sponsor the show.
In the first few seasons of "Leave it to Beaver," Ward Cleavers’ family car is a 1957 Ford Custom. Later, he was behind the wheel of a 1959 Plymouth Fury and eventually drove a 1961 Plymouth Belvedere.