When Ken Osmond returned to play Eddie Haskell

Osmond came back to resurrect Eddie Haskell in the '80s!

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A favorite moment of Eddie Haskell on ’Leave It to Beaver’
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Like all good things, Leave It to Beaver eventually came to an end, concluding after six seasons. Throughout the show's 234 episodes, it's hard to argue that anybody stole more scenes than Eddie Haskell. As portrayed by Ken Osmond, Haskell was television's most lovable jerk, someone viewers really liked to dislike. He was so believable in turning on the charm to cover up his misdeeds. As the series lived on in re-runs, "Eddie Haskell" became a descriptor for a certain type of person we all grew up with. Every neighborhood had the troublemaker who'd shmooze the moms, Ken Osmond just gave them a name. 

Eddie Haskell outgrew the man who played him on TV. After contributing such a monumental character to the culture, Ken Osmond struggled to find additional acting work. It seemed people wanted him to be Eddie Haskell or nothing at all. And so, a few years after Leave It to Beaver came to its end, Osmond stepped away from acting entirely. He was a new father and now had a family to provide for. That kind of pressure is what motivated him to pursue a career in the Los Angeles Police Department in 1970. For a while, it seemed like Osmond's time in the limelight had come to a permanent end. Maybe Eddie Haskell was gone for good.

"I knew everything has to come to an end someday," Osmond told the Knight-Ridder News Service in 1983. "I realized it was time to do something else." Unfortunately for Osmond, that something else came with a heavy dose of danger. His time with the LAPD could have ended tragically had it not been for a lucky belt buckle. In 1980, Osmond, in pursuit of a stolen vehicle, was shot and struck by three bullets. Two hit his bullet-proof vest, while the third was stopped by his belt buckle. 

It was in the aftermath of this scary incident that Osmond was approached once again by TV producers to play his most famous character. Haskell was due for a return to the fictional Mayfield in Still the Beaver, a reunion movie set decades after the conclusion of the Beaver series. Whether due to the shooting or not, Osmond was happy to return to acting, bringing Haskell back in all his toady glory. 

Just how pleased was Ken Osmond with returning to Eddie Haskell? Well, if it's any indication, he made the reunion a family affair. If Eddie Haskell's son in the show seems like his old man's spitting image, that's because he is! Little Freddie Haskell of Still the Beaver was played by Ken Osmond's real-life son Eric.  The father-son duo was also joined by Osmond's son Christian, who played Bomber in the reunion movie.

Not only did Ken Osmond return to play Eddie Haskell, but he also packed up the whole family to bring them along for the ride! 

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14 Comments

mea6fan 16 months ago
I thought I have read that Ken osmond passed away ?
CLLewis mea6fan 16 months ago
He did.
mea6fan CLLewis 16 months ago
I know,, been 2 years now since he passed om
Syvie12 mea6fan 16 months ago
Sadly true.
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16 months ago
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Colwood56 16 months ago
All the characters were great on this show. Unfortunately I can not watch METV anymore as Dish Network has a dispute with them of some sorts?
MrsPhilHarris 16 months ago
Love the Eddie Haskell character.
MrsPhilHarris 16 months ago
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MrsPhilHarris 16 months ago
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Andybandit 16 months ago
I am glad Ken didn't get injured when he was shot, because he was wearing a bulletproof belt and his belt. Good for him for joining the LA police department.
SalIanni Andybandit 16 months ago
I still find it extremely funny that the man we all loved to hate as Eddie Haskell became a policeman in real life. I can imagine the reactions he must have received from people after seeing him in uniform for the first time and the replies he would have given them, something like "That's a very lovely dress you're wearing, Miss, but I still have to give you a speeding ticket because you were driving too fast and breaking the law. Sorry!"
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Moody 16 months ago
KJExpress 16 months ago
You might want to do a little proofreading before posting. 🤔
Runeshaper 16 months ago
Super lucky guy. Glad he wasn't hurt and that is all went well in the end.
Bapa1 16 months ago
I don't think his sons were in the reunion movie, they were on the TV series. Eddie Haskell was a great tv character.
LoveMETV22 Bapa1 16 months ago
One son in the reunion movie, both sons in " The New Leave It to Beaver."
Bapa1 LoveMETV22 16 months ago
Thanks.
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