October 4, 1957, was a momentous day in the United States. On the upside, one of the greatest and most enduring television programs debuted, but on the other hand, Russia took the lead in the space race, flinging its Sputnik 1 satellite into outer space.
It represented a stinging defeat for the U.S.A. in the Cold War battle, and it triggered public support for the race to the moon. In the end, it would identify the ‘50s as much as the Cleaver family did.
Leave It to Beaver First Aired on CBS
It was CBS, not ABC, who debuted the iconic show. During the first season, the family sitcom didn’t make the cut with Nielsen ratings, and the big one got away. ABC gladly took over production and aired the program until 1963.
Sixty years later, ABC is still raking it in with two successful spinoffs, home media sales, and tie-in revenue.
The ABC Network Landed the Show
When poor Nielsen ratings left "Leave it to Beaver" on the chopping block, backroom wrangling kicked into high gear. In his 1998 autobiography, "And Jerry Mathers as 'The Beaver,'" Mathers revealed why ABC landed the show.
He said it was Purina pet food that sealed the deal. The company offered the most money to sponsor the program and sealed a contract with ABC.
ABC spent $50,000 on One Episode
"Leave it to Beaver" enjoyed a generous budget. The episode “In the Soup,” in which the Beave decides to climb up to see if it’s real soup, was one of the most expensive.
Luckily, it’s also one of the most memorable. The reason it was so pricey is that the studio built the actual billboard in the Universal backlot. Today’s money is $400,000. In today’s world, they would have had Campbell’s Soup pay for it!
Bob Hope Saved Jerry’s Life
While filming "The Seven Little Foys," a 1955 comedy movie about vaudeville entertainer Eddie Foy, there was a fire scene that got out of hand. Too much gasoline was poured into igniting the scene, and Mathers’ life was in danger.
Hope, the legendary actor/comedian, grabbed a blanket and essentially ran into a burning building to save young Mathers.