RIP Eddie Haskell | The Boneyard

RIP Eddie Haskell

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I never appreciated Leave it to Beaver as a kid ,but I grew to appreciate the genius of the show that is still broadcast 60 years later.
The scripts are all written through the lens of a small child Beaver with Wally serving as an imperfect adolescent interpreter. The Two writers both had large families so the stories came from actual situations.
Eddie struck such a chord that my son who grew up in the 1970’s and 80’s reruns knew exactly what I meant when describing one of his 12 year old sons friends as a little bit Eddie Haskill. Talk about creating an enduring character .
Interestingly the cast stayed close all these years they spoke in reverence to the writers and TV parents.
The cast background was almost unique in entertainment.
Hugh Beaumont was a Methodists minister who moon lighted as an actor to help support a very poor parish
Barbara Billingsly was a wealthy socialite who was a noted philanthropist.
Eddie himself as an adult joined LAPD who was actual shot 5 times ,saved by his vest and belt. He auditioned for Wally but although he didn’t get the part the writers were struck with him a created a character for him.
Lumpy became a financial planner who made them all a lot of money before he passed .
Wally was an Olympic aspiring Diver who never acted
Beaver was a professional child actor who gave up acting to go to a high school because he wanted to play sports. However his father was the superintendent of Schools in LA so money was never an issue for him.
An unusual assembly of mostly non actors who seemed to become pretty normal adults.
 
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I wish there was some list of people who are still alive. All these famous people dying lately and I had them all dead a decade ago. Who knew Don Shula was alive in February? Not this guy.
 
Waquoit said:
It must have been tough being Eddie Haskell. I remember Beaver telling him,"Gee Eddie, nobody likes you. Not even Wally and he's your best friend."
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Look on the bright side. When you heard that comment directed at you, you knew you had company.
 
prankster said:
It is beginning to bother me that I look at these notables who are dying and think, "Gosh, he was so young".
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Reminds me of a Louis CK bit, "I don't want to die so young that people need to ask why I died. I want my friend to say, 'oh, sorry to here that ... he had a good life, sad to see him go." (Paraphrasing).
 
Beaver falling in the billboard soupbowl was a classic
 
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RIP Eddie. I worked a bit on the back lot at Universal. When shooting on that street, with a co-worker, we snuck inside the Beaver house. It was more than an exterior. The staircase, etc were all intact. There was a real upstairs and we went in Wally and Beaver's room. All those years later it was a thrill. That show really made a mark.

I remember in he 70s 0r 80s hearing a rumor that Ken Osmond was killed in Vietnam. Not true of course. Hope he had a great ride.
 
Palatine said:
RIP Eddie. I worked a bit on the back lot at Universal. When shooting on that street, with a co-worker, we snuck inside the Beaver house. It was more than an exterior. The staircase, etc were all intact. There was a real upstairs and we went in Wally and Beaver's room. All those years later it was a thrill. That show really made a mark.

I remember in he 70s 0r 80s hearing a rumor that Ken Osmond was killed in Vietnam. Not true of course. Hope he had a great ride.
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That is AWESOME. That show was a huge part in my "get home from school, get a snack and sit Indian-style in front of the TV" youth.
 
Palatine said:
RIP Eddie. I worked a bit on the back lot at Universal. When shooting on that street, with a co-worker, we snuck inside the Beaver house. It was more than an exterior. The staircase, etc were all intact. There was a real upstairs and we went in Wally and Beaver's room. All those years later it was a thrill. That show really made a mark.

I remember in he 70s 0r 80s hearing a rumor that Ken Osmond was killed in Vietnam. Not true of course. Hope he had a great ride.
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The late Star John Holmes really claimed on his bio to be have been Eddie Haskill. Maybe he believed “the killed in Nam story “ and though he could get away with it , who knows.
Ken Osmond sued him and won ,I don’t think he got much money but Holmes had to make a public retraction. Tony Dow kidded his old friend that once he establishment he was the real Eddie Haskill he could easily prove he never did by dropping his pants.
 
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Leave it Beaver was a great show. My favorite scene was when Beavers teacher gave him a note to bring home. Which he needs to show his parents. Figuring he was in trouble he decides to write the note.
The note basically read as follows.

I have beat Beaver.
My husband has beat Beaver.
We have both beat Beaver.
He will not do it again.

Signed the Beave's mom.

Also everywhere he wrote Beaver and he crossed it out and wrote Theodore above it.

Classic
 
Everyone I knew growing up loved the character of Eddie Haskell. He was the perfect foil for the "perfect parents" of Wally and Beave. Rebelliousness is a natural process for kids growing up as they try to find their own way. I think a lot of kids could identify with the "dark side" of Eddie's manipulative behavior and epitomized the anti-hero which was to become a regular part of the culture at the time. Somehow he was so believable and that made him really funny. He seemed to relish his role. RIP Eddie. His life with the LAPD showed he was a stand up guy. Glad to hear he had a good life and family.
 
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