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Posted: |
May 22, 2020 - 10:47 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In 1953, Steve Forrest garnered a New Star of the Year award from the Golden Globes for his performance in the Warner Bros. film SO BIG, playing opposite Jane Wyman and Sterling Hayden. Set in the late 1890s, the film told of a young widowed woman, “Selina” (Wyman), who becomes a successful farmer and can send her son, nicknamed 'So Big', to college. After graduating, he finds a job as an architect, but forgoes his dream in favor of an immediate financial success.
Ken Osmond played “Young Eugene Hempel” in the film, the young brother of one of Selina’s friends, “Julie Hempel” (Elisabeth Fraser). Robert Wise directed this period drama. Thirteen minutes of Max Steiner’s score were released on a German LP from the Max Steiner Memorial Society. The LP has not been re-issued on CD.
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Posted: |
May 23, 2020 - 2:21 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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The chief writers of the television sitcom “Leave It To Beaver”, Bob Mosher and Joe Connelly, met while working in New York City for the J. Walter Thompson Agency. Once in Hollywood, the men became head writers for the radio show “Amos 'n' Andy” and continued to write the well-received show when it moved to CBS television in 1950. Although both men initially wrote all the scripts for earlier episodes of “Leave It to Beaver,” after becoming executive producers they began accepting scripts from other writers, refining them, if necessary.
With Mosher the father of two children and Connelly six, the two had enough source material and inspiration for the show's dialogue and plot lines. Connelly's eight-year-old son, Ricky, served as the model for “Beaver” (Jerry Mathers) and his fourteen-year-old son, “Jay,” for Wally (Tony Dow), while “Eddie Haskell” (Ken Osmond) and “Larry Mondello” (Rusty Stevens) were based on friends of the Connelly boys. Connelly often took the boys on outings while carrying a notebook to record their conversations and activities.
Tony Dow and Ken Osmond, in his first episode of “Leave It To Beaver”
The character of Eddie Haskell made his first appearance in the fifth episode of the series, “New Neighbors,” which aired on 1 November 1957. Originally the character was only to be on the show for a single episode, but he was so well-received that Eddie Haskell became a recurring character.
Ken Osmond and Jerry Mathers in “Leave It To Beaver”
Norman Tokar, a director with a talent for working with children, was hired to direct most of the episodes for the first three years and developed the characters of Eddie Haskell and Larry Mondello. Ken Osmond appeared in 97 of the series’ 235 episodes, over its six-season run. Osmond and Frank Bank, who played “Clarence ‘Lumpy’ Rutherford,” appeared only sporadically during the last two seasons of the show because both of them were serving in the Armed Forces.
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Posted: |
May 23, 2020 - 3:18 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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One source says that Osmond had an uncredited part in Doris Day’s last film, 1968’s WITH SIX YOU GET EGG ROLL. In 1968 Osmond left show business to become a Los Angeles police officer. He returned 15 years later to again play “Eddie Haskell” in the made-for-television reunion movie STILL THE BEAVER.
Except for Hugh Beaumont, who had died in 1982, and Stanley Fafara, who was replaced as “Whitey” by Ed Begley, Jr., the main cast appeared in the reunion telemovie. The film followed the adult Beaver's struggle to reconcile his recent divorce and single parenthood, while facing the possibility of his widowed mother selling their childhood home. June Cleaver is later elected to the Mayfield City Council.
In the film, Eddie Haskell also has a son, Eddie, Jr., who, of course, is his father all over again. Eddie’s son was played by Osmond’s real-life son, Eric. Steven Hilliard Stern directed the film, which aired on CBS on 19 March 1983. The love theme from the score by John Cacavas appeared on a composer promotional CD in 2000.
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Posted: |
May 24, 2020 - 12:49 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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The telemovie STILL THE BEAVER was well-received by fans and critics alike (it ranked 19th out of 66 programs airing that week). Its reception led to a new first-run, made-for-cable series, “The New Leave It to Beaver” (1984–1989), with “Beaver” (Jerry Mathers) and “Lumpy Rutherford” (Frank Bank) running Ward's old firm (where Lumpy's pompous, demanding father – played by Richard Deacon in the original series before his death in 1984 – had been the senior partner). “Wally” (Tony Dow), who married his high school girlfriend “Mary Ellen Rogers” (Janice Kent), is a practicing attorney and expectant father, and “June” (Barbara Billingsley) having sold the old house to Beaver himself, is still living with him as a doting grandmother to Beaver's two young sons.
“Eddie Haskell” (Ken Osmond) runs his own contracting business and has two sons: eldest son “Freddie” (played by Osmond's real-life son, Eric Osmond), who was every inch his father's son – right down to the dual-personality, and a younger son, “Eddie, Jr.,” aka "Bomber" (played by Osmond's younger real-life son, Christian Osmond), who was often away at military school, but would periodically come home to visit.
The first season of the new show aired on The Disney Channel under the title “Still the Beaver,” beginning in November 1984. The remaining three seasons aired under the title “The New Leave It To Beaver” on TBS (Turner Broadcasting System).
”The New Leave It to Beaver” cast photo.
(Top row; left to right) Ken Osmond, Jerry Mathers, Janice Kent, Tony Dow.
(Center row; left to right) Eric Osmond, Kipp Marcus, Barbara Billingsley, Kaleena Kiff.
(Bottom row; front) John Snee
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