Jerry Mathers' Acting

[stevea]

All in all I think Jerry acts really well:

Example:

In today's Beaver and Andy, he does pretty well in the dinner table scene, where Ward angrily asks him if he doesn't know he got Andy started drinking again. Beaver tells Ward and June that, with all their vague references, he didn't know what was going on. Ward immediately agrees that Beaver is right.

Do you have any examples, either way?

One example I have the other way is an annoying habit he developed sometime in the fourth season, where he added "wul" (for well, I guess) before a lot of his lines.

[Scrabjan1]

Yeah Jerry was quite brilliant playing little Beaver. So relaxed and believable. I loved how in early seasons he would think about something and look down then up and say his line. He was excellent in his scenes with Wendell Holmes as Andy. Jerry was a real pro in the business and Tony had great admiration for him.

I liked the scene in Beaver vs. The State when he's telling the judge the truth and crying. "Larry was over and he was eating apples."

[Torgo]

He was better when he was younger, awkward in his later years. Maybe it's me but seems as he got older, we see him more and more mouth the other actor's lines.

[Marvo301]

Originally Posted by Torgo

He was better when he was younger, awkward in his later years. Maybe it's me but seems as he got older, we see him more and more mouth the other actor's lines.

In interviews Barbara Billingsley said that Jerry was a natural as a little kid and a very good actor but that he became self conscious as he got older and as a result his acting was less natural and more stiff.

[Scrabjan1]

I guess when actors mouth other people's lines they don't realize viewers are watching them too not just the one speaking. I noticed Jerry briefly mouths Larry's line when they're in the library and Larry's telling him about Call of the Wild.

[stevea]

In Beaver's Tree I noticed (one time) Jerry mouthing while someone else was reading their part of the poem.

[MichaelMartinD]

Originally Posted by Torgo

He was better when he was younger, awkward in his later years. Maybe it's me but seems as he got older, we see him more and more mouth the other actor's lines.

He mouths the other actors' lines more in the earlier episodes.

[Torgo]

Originally Posted by MichaelMartinD

He mouths the other actors' lines more in the earlier episodes.

Guess I've missed it , been going through the series again, halfway thru the second season I haven't noticed him doing it. Maybe I picked up on it more in the later seasons because I always focus on his awkward acting. Now I'll probably notice him doing it in these early years because I'll be looking for it.

[Scrabjan1]

That's so funny "Focus on his awkward acting." He really repeats Penny's lines when they yell at each other face to face in Goodbye Penny or Farewell Penny.

[stevea]

It makes sense to me that he would mouth the poem (in Beaver's Tree) along with another actor, because he probably had to learn the whole poem. However, I had never noticed it in the other situations pointed out. Although I would think an actor would read a whole script, I didn't know they would memorize another actor's lines, as well.

[Torgo]

There's a famous scene in The Empire Strikes Back where Harrison Ford mouths one of Carrie Fisher's lines as she's saying it, so Jerry is in good company.

[Scrabjan1]

Wow Harrison Ford mouthing someone's lines?? You won't see Jack Nicholson doing that. Imagine if Jack mouthed Chief's line when he says "Juicy Fruit."

I used to like this (actor?) way way back and saw him in a movie where he spent the whole time mouthing lines. I never liked him anymore.

[Dude111]

Jerry is an excellent actor for sure!!!

[Marvo301]

Originally Posted by stevea

It makes sense to me that he would mouth the poem (in Beaver's Tree) along with another actor, because he probably had to learn the whole poem. However, I had never noticed it in the other situations pointed out. Although I would think an actor would read a whole script, I didn't know they would memorize another actor's lines, as well.

Danny Bonaduce who played Danny Partridge on The Partridge Family has a near photographic memory and memorized the entire script. When other actors on the show messed up their lines he would correct them. I don't know if Jerry Mathers did that but he may have learned the lines that came before his lines so he wouldn't miss his cues.

[Scrabjan1]

Danny B was a very funny kid and very bright. Too bad he got waylaid by drugs.