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It's a Small World (Leave It to Beaver episode)
Encyclopedia
"It's a Small World" is the pilot episode
from the icon
ic American television series Leave It to Beaver
(1957–1963). The pilot (originally proposed as Wally and The Beaver) was first televised April 23, 1957 on a syndicated anthology series, Studio 57, without a laugh track nor the series' well known theme song, "The Toy Parade". It never aired as an episode within the series. It was televised again in October 2007 as part of TV Land's 50th anniversary celebration of Leave It to Beaver. It was released to DVD
, 2005. The series proper made its CBS
debut several months later on October 4, 1957 with the episode, "Beaver Gets 'Spelled"
.
. Frankie Bennett, a mischievous boy, tells them new bikes can be had a local dairy
in exchange for 1,000 bottle caps from the company's products. The boys collect the bottle caps, but, in attempting to redeem them, learn they've been duped. Ward takes pity on the boys and buys them a bicycle.
appear in the pilot as archetypal suburban couple, Ward
and June Cleaver
, with Paul Sullivan as Wally Cleaver
and Jerry Mathers
as Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver
.
Hugh Beaumont (rather than Adams) would appear in the series proper as Ward Cleaver while the role of Wally went to Tony Dow after Sullivan experienced a growth spurt on the eve of series' production. Diane Brewster
appears as Miss Simms, a secretary, with Richard Deacon
as Mr. Baxter, Miss Simms' boss. Brewster and Deacon would find roles in the series proper as Miss Canfield, Beaver's second grade teacher, and Fred Rutherford, Ward's co-worker. Joseph Kearns
appears as milk company executive, Fred Crowley, and would later appear as Mr. Wilson in the sitcom, Dennis the Menace. Harry Shearer
plays Frankie Bennett, a mischievous boy who leads Wally and Beaver astray while Tommy Randall plays Frankie's pal. Other cast members include Russ Thorson as Man with Milk Bottles, Leonard Bremen as Milk Bar Operator, Tim Graham as Doc, and Virginia Carroll as Nurse. Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher wrote the teleplay with Jerry Hopper directing the episode. Richard Lewis produced the episode.
The pilot was a single camera, black-and-white, full-screen, half-hour episode filmed at Republic Studios and the Universal Studios
backlot. With some modifications, the façade of the Cleaver house in the pilot became that of the Cleaver house in the first two seasons of the series. Some decorative elements (like the curtains in the boys' bedroom) would be retained for the series proper.
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
from the icon
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
ic American television series Leave It to Beaver
Leave It to Beaver
Leave It to Beaver is an American television situation comedy about an inquisitive but often naïve boy named Theodore "The Beaver" Cleaver and his adventures at home, in school, and around his suburban neighborhood...
(1957–1963). The pilot (originally proposed as Wally and The Beaver) was first televised April 23, 1957 on a syndicated anthology series, Studio 57, without a laugh track nor the series' well known theme song, "The Toy Parade". It never aired as an episode within the series. It was televised again in October 2007 as part of TV Land's 50th anniversary celebration of Leave It to Beaver. It was released to DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, 2005. The series proper made its CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
debut several months later on October 4, 1957 with the episode, "Beaver Gets 'Spelled"
Beaver Gets 'Spelled (Leave It to Beaver episode)
"Beaver Gets 'Spelled" is the premiere episode of the iconic American television series Leave It to Beaver . The episode aired on CBS on October 4, 1957. The episode is the first episode in the first season, and the first episode in the complete series...
.
Plot
Wally and Beaver want a new bicycleBicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
. Frankie Bennett, a mischievous boy, tells them new bikes can be had a local dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
in exchange for 1,000 bottle caps from the company's products. The boys collect the bottle caps, but, in attempting to redeem them, learn they've been duped. Ward takes pity on the boys and buys them a bicycle.
Production
Casey Adams (aka Max Showalter) and Barbara BillingsleyBarbara Billingsley
Barbara Billingsley was an American film, television, voice and stage actress. She gained prominence in the 1950s movie The Careless Years, acting opposite Natalie Trundy, followed by her best–known role, that of June Cleaver on the television series Leave It to Beaver and its sequel Still...
appear in the pilot as archetypal suburban couple, Ward
Ward Cleaver
Ward Cleaver is a fictional character in the American television sitcom Leave It to Beaver. Ward and his wife, June, are often invoked as archetypal suburban parents of the babyboomer 1950s. The couple are the parents of Wally, a thirteen-year-old in the eighth grade, and seven-year-old ...
and June Cleaver
June Cleaver
June Evelyn Bronson Cleaver is a principal character in the American television sitcom Leave It to Beaver. June and her husband, Ward, are often invoked as the archetypal suburban parents of the 1950s. The couple are the parents of two sons, Wally and "Beaver"...
, with Paul Sullivan as Wally Cleaver
Wally Cleaver
Wallace "Wally" Cleaver is a fictional character in the iconic American television sitcom Leave It to Beaver. Wally is the thirteen-year-old son of archetypal 50s suburban parents, Ward and June Cleaver and the older brother of the seven-year-old title character, Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver...
and Jerry Mathers
Jerry Mathers
Gerald Patrick "Jerry" Mathers is an American television, film, and stage actor. Mathers is best known for his role in the television sitcom series Leave It to Beaver , in which he played Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver, the younger son of archetypal suburban couple June and Ward Cleaver , and the brother...
as Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver
Theodore Cleaver
Theodore "The Beaver" Cleaver is the fictional title character in the American television series Leave It to Beaver. Seven-year-old Beaver is son to June and Ward Cleaver and sibling to thirteen-year-old Wally Cleaver .Beaver prefers "messin' around" with his pals and reading comic books to...
.
Hugh Beaumont (rather than Adams) would appear in the series proper as Ward Cleaver while the role of Wally went to Tony Dow after Sullivan experienced a growth spurt on the eve of series' production. Diane Brewster
Diane Brewster
Diane Brewster was an American television actress most noted for playing three distinctively different roles in US TV series of the 1950s and 60s: confidence trickster Samantha Crawford in Maverick; pretty young second-grade teacher Miss Canfield in Leave It to Beaver; and doomed wife Helen...
appears as Miss Simms, a secretary, with Richard Deacon
Richard Deacon (actor)
Richard Deacon , born in Philadelphia, was an American television and motion picture actor.-Career:The bald and usually bespectacled character actor often portrayed pompous or imperious figures. He made appearances on The Jack Benny Show as a salesman and a barber, and on NBC's Happy as a hotel...
as Mr. Baxter, Miss Simms' boss. Brewster and Deacon would find roles in the series proper as Miss Canfield, Beaver's second grade teacher, and Fred Rutherford, Ward's co-worker. Joseph Kearns
Joseph Kearns
Joseph Sherrard Kearns was an American actor, who is best remembered for his role as George Wilson in the CBS television series Dennis the Menace from 1959 until his death in 1962.-Biography:...
appears as milk company executive, Fred Crowley, and would later appear as Mr. Wilson in the sitcom, Dennis the Menace. Harry Shearer
Harry Shearer
Harry Julius Shearer is an American actor, comedian, writer, voice artist, musician, author, radio host and director. He is known for his long-running role on The Simpsons, his work on Saturday Night Live, the comedy band Spinal Tap and his radio program Le Show...
plays Frankie Bennett, a mischievous boy who leads Wally and Beaver astray while Tommy Randall plays Frankie's pal. Other cast members include Russ Thorson as Man with Milk Bottles, Leonard Bremen as Milk Bar Operator, Tim Graham as Doc, and Virginia Carroll as Nurse. Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher wrote the teleplay with Jerry Hopper directing the episode. Richard Lewis produced the episode.
The pilot was a single camera, black-and-white, full-screen, half-hour episode filmed at Republic Studios and the Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
backlot. With some modifications, the façade of the Cleaver house in the pilot became that of the Cleaver house in the first two seasons of the series. Some decorative elements (like the curtains in the boys' bedroom) would be retained for the series proper.
Characters and cast
- June CleaverJune CleaverJune Evelyn Bronson Cleaver is a principal character in the American television sitcom Leave It to Beaver. June and her husband, Ward, are often invoked as the archetypal suburban parents of the 1950s. The couple are the parents of two sons, Wally and "Beaver"...
(Barbara BillingsleyBarbara BillingsleyBarbara Billingsley was an American film, television, voice and stage actress. She gained prominence in the 1950s movie The Careless Years, acting opposite Natalie Trundy, followed by her best–known role, that of June Cleaver on the television series Leave It to Beaver and its sequel Still...
) is the wife of Ward Cleaver and the mother of Wally and Beaver. - Ward CleaverWard CleaverWard Cleaver is a fictional character in the American television sitcom Leave It to Beaver. Ward and his wife, June, are often invoked as archetypal suburban parents of the babyboomer 1950s. The couple are the parents of Wally, a thirteen-year-old in the eighth grade, and seven-year-old ...
(Max ShowalterMax ShowalterMax Showalter was an American film, television, and stage actor, as well as a composer, pianist, and singer. One of Showalter's most memorable roles was as Jean Peters' character's husband in the 1953 film Niagara...
as Casey Adams) is the husband of June Cleaver and the father of Wally and Beaver. - Wally CleaverWally CleaverWallace "Wally" Cleaver is a fictional character in the iconic American television sitcom Leave It to Beaver. Wally is the thirteen-year-old son of archetypal 50s suburban parents, Ward and June Cleaver and the older brother of the seven-year-old title character, Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver...
(Paul Sullivan) is the oldest son of Ward and June and the brother of Beaver. - Theodore "Beaver" CleaverTheodore CleaverTheodore "The Beaver" Cleaver is the fictional title character in the American television series Leave It to Beaver. Seven-year-old Beaver is son to June and Ward Cleaver and sibling to thirteen-year-old Wally Cleaver .Beaver prefers "messin' around" with his pals and reading comic books to...
(Jerry MathersJerry MathersGerald Patrick "Jerry" Mathers is an American television, film, and stage actor. Mathers is best known for his role in the television sitcom series Leave It to Beaver , in which he played Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver, the younger son of archetypal suburban couple June and Ward Cleaver , and the brother...
) is the youngest son of Ward and June and the brother of Wally. - Miss Simms (Diane BrewsterDiane BrewsterDiane Brewster was an American television actress most noted for playing three distinctively different roles in US TV series of the 1950s and 60s: confidence trickster Samantha Crawford in Maverick; pretty young second-grade teacher Miss Canfield in Leave It to Beaver; and doomed wife Helen...
) is a secretary/receptionist at the Franklin Milk Company. - Mr. Baxter (Richard DeaconRichard Deacon (actor)Richard Deacon , born in Philadelphia, was an American television and motion picture actor.-Career:The bald and usually bespectacled character actor often portrayed pompous or imperious figures. He made appearances on The Jack Benny Show as a salesman and a barber, and on NBC's Happy as a hotel...
) is an executive at the Franklin Milk Company and Miss Simms' boss. - Mr. Crowley (Joseph KearnsJoseph KearnsJoseph Sherrard Kearns was an American actor, who is best remembered for his role as George Wilson in the CBS television series Dennis the Menace from 1959 until his death in 1962.-Biography:...
) is the CEO of the Franklin Milk Company. - Frankie Bennett (Harry ShearerHarry ShearerHarry Julius Shearer is an American actor, comedian, writer, voice artist, musician, author, radio host and director. He is known for his long-running role on The Simpsons, his work on Saturday Night Live, the comedy band Spinal Tap and his radio program Le Show...
) is a mischievous boy and an acquaintance of Wally and Beaver.
Sources
- Applebaum, Irwyn. The World According to Beaver. TV Books, 1984, 1998. (ISBN 1575000520).
- Bank, Frank. Call Me Lumpy: my Leave It To Beaver days and other wild Hollywood life . Addax, 2002. (ISBN 1886110298), (ISBN 978-1886110298).
- Leave It to Beaver: the complete first season. Universal Studios, 2005.
- Leave It to Beaver: the complete second season. Universal Studios, 2006. (ISBN 1417074876)
- Mathers, Jerry. ...And Jerry Mather as "The Beaver". Berkley Boulevard Books, 1998. (ISBN 0425163709)