If Hugh Beaumont had lived throughout the 1980s...?

[Grant Douglas]

Back in the 1980s, I watched the New Leave it to Beaver which featured the original cast from the 1950's series "Leave it to Beaver". However, the new series wasn't the same without Hugh "Ward Cleaver" Beaumont who died in 1982.

If Hugh Beaumont had lived throughout the 1980s, would he have been able to reprise his role as Ward on the revival series?

What do you think?

G. Douglas

[Mark B.]

Hmmm... Very good question! I have never thought about this possiblilty. I am sure he would have been included had he been around and was able.

It would have been a very different show in some respects. Many of the show's most touching moments came from the concept that Ward was gone, and yet he was still very much a part of the everyone's lives.

In fact, this was one of the most brilliant aspects of the show- the producer/ writers made Ward a part of the show throughout the run of the show's 4 seasons. He was elevated to almost a mythical figure in the Cleaver household(s). He was the father figure that Beaver was always trying to live up to in raising his own boys (another running theme that gave the show a lot of dimension).

Anyone else want to jump in with ideas? Haskellgirl are you out there!

[HaskellGirl]

I'm here Mark! You have some great ideas that I completely agree with.

I do think if Hugh Beaumont lived, he would have been included in the cast. That was something very amazing and wonderful about NLITB...almost everyone came back for it, Jerry, Tony, Barbara, Ken, Frank, even Diane Brewster and Rusty Stevens made appearances on it. And, according to Jerry Mathers book, Richard Deacon was slated to be a part of the new series before his death. So, with all that, I think Hugh probably would have been part of the cast, unless he held out for some reason. But I think its amazing that everyone came together at that time and place to do the new series.

But Mark, I completely agree with you that part of NLITB's overlying themes was remembering the past, as Wally, but especially Beaver, tried to be as good a father as Ward had been. Of course everyone missed Ward immensely, but the fact that June lost Ward and Beaver got divorced with two young sons...well, out of tragedy,, it was almost fitting that Beaver moved in with June and have her help him raise his two boys.

I've read some stuff about how some people don't like the fact that on the new series, Ward is gone and Beaver is divorced. But the wonderful thing about the series, which couldn't have been explored fully in the tv movie, is that they showed that life goes on, family and caring goes on, and even though Kip and Oliver's parents were divorced, they got plenty of love from their father, grandmother, uncle, aunt, cousins, and friends. And through this, Ward was always remembered in fondness and love, and as a guiding force for his family.

And this is a sidenote, but I thought the casting of Kipp Marcus as Ward "Kip" Cleaver, was especially good, because I always thought he resembled Hugh Beaumont.

[tv star collector]

Back in the 1980s, I watched the New Leave it to Beaver which featured the original cast from the 1950's series "Leave it to Beaver". However, the new series wasn't the same without Hugh "Ward Cleaver" Beaumont who died in 1982.

If Hugh Beaumont had lived throughout the 1980s, would he have been able to reprise his role as Ward on the revival series?

What do you think?

G. Douglas
I don't know. I never saw the series THE NEW LEAVE IT TO BEAVER. But I did
see the TV-movie STILL THE BEAVER (and now have it on DVD). It was fun
seeing all the original cast grown up but it's just a pity that they didn't make
the film a few years earlier when Hugh Beaumont was still alive. It is nice that
they included some clips of him from the original series. I think he was one of
the best father figures on TV (along with Andy Griffith and Bill Cosby).

[EmpressDR]

:yeahthat
:clap


I agree with that! It was a wonderful series! I loved that almost the whole cast came back.


Do you recall the Tomorrow Show ep where many came back? I think it was Tommorrow and not Mike Douglas. "Larry Mundello" and I think "Whitey" as well as Jerry Mathers and I think Tony Dow.