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Ken Osmond might've played Eddie Haskell, but he was more like Ward in real life
''My life is much closer to Ward Cleaver's,'' the actor said.
What would Leave It to Beaver be like without Wally's best bud, Eddie Haskell? It's a good thing we'll never know because Ken Osmond took the recurring role and made it one of television's most witty characters. Sometimes actors share similarities with their characters, and other times they portray a completely different person.
For Ken Osmond, he was far from Eddie Haskell in real life, but he did share similar traits with one of the leading cast roles: Ward Cleaver. The man of the Cleaver house, Ward, was played by Hugh Beaumont and was a loving father who wanted the best for his family. Yet, he also didn't mind being strict with his sons if needed.
In an interview with The Kansas City Star in 1987, Osmond gave a little insight into his life and why he didn't mind playing a role that some people hated. "My life is much closer to Ward Cleaver's," the actor began. "I'm very domestic, and I'm still in my first marriage. Sandi and I are going on 18 years now."
It's uncertain if or why some critics thought Osmond would grow up and be exactly like his character, but that wasn't the case. Despite some people not liking the role, the actor always spoke fondly of the fast-talking fictional teen.
"The character developed over a period of six years," he said. "If people don't hate me, then I'm not doing my job. Everybody knows an Eddie. There was one on your block."
Viewers got a chance to see the fatherly side of Eddie Haskell on The New Leave It to Beaver, which shows the once young boy all grown up and as a parent. On the show, Osmond's real son played the role of Haskell's son Freddie. To prepare the young boy for the role, Osmond taught him everything he knew - even the Haskell laugh.
"We have a lot of tapes of the old Beaver shows, and we watched them," he added. "I coached him. I taught him the Haskell cackle and all, and after he survived six or seven more interviews, he got the part."
On set, Osmond viewed his son as just another actor for good reasons. "On the set, I totally divorced him as my son," the actor revealed. "That makes it easier for both of us to handle, professionally and emotionally."
It sounds like something Ward Cleaver would've done.
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IMO, the were worried the worst about Eddie's influence when he moved out from home and into the Boarding House. Pretty bad too, when Eddie boasted he had a job on the Fishing Boat for a Summer.
"What did I tell you about saying, 'flip' and 'ape'? --hilarious line by June Cleaver to Wally. One of the funniest, best-remembered lines in the LITB episodes! So many good lines by the actors at various times.
"I don't want my sister seeing me 'get it' " [hit] --Larry Mondello, played by the marvelous Robert 'Rusty' Stevens (1957-60). LITB lost a lot of fun when he left the series, as he got lonely and missed being a regular kid when he was placed under contract; the producers loved him so much they did that for him. Now 74, a little bit younger (Nov. 25, 1948) by almost 6 months than Jerry Mathers (June 1, '48; "Beaver").
