Where To Watch
Here’s how Jerry Mathers and Tony Dow inspired many Beaver storylines
The writers knew exactly where to go for inspiration.
"Where do you get your ideas?"
That’s one of the questions writers get asked most often. Whether it’s fantasy, sci-fi or a realistic situation comedy, fans want to know where that spark of creativity comes from.
As producers of Leave It to Beaver, Joseph Connelly and Robert Mosher were tasked with creating believable situations that grounded the show and its characters. At their core, Beaver and Wally were supposed to be relatable above all else.
Sure, they were funny, clever and likable. But more than anything, Wally and Beaver were every kid watching at home. They were real enough that viewers could see themselves, or their own children, in the sitcom’s stories.
So, where did Connelly and Mosher get their ideas? As it turned out, the inspiration was right there on set.
"I guess it’s pretty sneaky," Connelly said in a 1961 Boston Globe article. "When we want a good story line we call Jerry or Tony over and ask, 'What’s new, fellows?' Usually, there is plenty and they take it from there."
"The kids jump from one subject to another like mountain goats in the Alps," Mosher added. "Finally, one or the other tells us some incident that only could happen to a teenager. No adult, I don’t care how talented a writer, could dream up the idea. Result: we have our next episode."
Connelly remembered one instance when a young Jerry Mathers was upset that his parents were sending him to dancing school. The young Beaver was grumbling about the possibility of being surrounded by girls.
"The way he said girls gave you the impression he was on his way to the guillotine," Connelly said.
When Mathers returned from dance school, however, he blushed and admitted there was a girl who "wasn’t too bad."
When Connelly asked what had changed his mind, Jerry replied, "Why, her father’s a fireman."
That real-life exchange would become the basis for a Leave It to Beaver episode. Sometimes, the writers didn’t have to look very far for their next story.
Related
