Figure 1.--Larry Mathers played the Beaver. When the began he was a second grader and often wore plaid shirts and blue jeans. |
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I have very little information on Jerry Mathers before he began the "Leave It to Beaver" series. The only early role I know was is that Jerry played a little boy in Hitchcock's "The Trouble with Harry". The boy was a pre-school boy and wore short pants. Jerry played the Beaver in "Leave It to Beaver"(1957-63). When Jerry tried out for the role as Beaver, he had to act as if he were crying for his audition. He was having trouble crying on cue, and Hugh Beaumont, yet to be cast as Ward, nicely suggested that he pretend to be laughing - the motions are apparently somewhat similar. It worked; Jerry was hired, and that night he prayed that Hugh Beaumont (who was a Methodist lay minister, and a genuinely good man), who'd been so kind to him, would be chosen to be his TV dad. The rest, as they say, is history. He began as a little chap about 6-7 or so and continued into his early teens. The clothing shown was a good representation of what American boys wore at the time. Boys in primary (elementary) school often wore stripped "T"-shirts or plaid shirts with blue jeans or slacks.--almost always long pants. Our school portrait section provudes a good idea of 1950s school styles. Short pants might be wirn in some southrn schools, but they were not common in the North. Clothing was not normally worked into the Beaver plot lines. There was one episode in particular where his aunt takes care of him for a while and makes him wear a shorts pants suit and the other children tease him. He grew into an adult that looked nothing like the boy on television. Jerry rather grew up on television as the program had such a long run. I don't knowof any other program he did. Nor do I know of any movies. Apparently once he outgrew his little boy cuteness he could no longer find roles. I'm not sure how hard he tried.
I have very little information on Jerry Mathers before he began the "Leave It to Beaver" series. The only early role I know was is that Jerry played a little boy in Hitchcock's "The Trouble with Harry". The boy was a pre-school boy and wore a short pants play outfit with saddle shoes. Shortly after he also appeared in 'That Certain Feeling' (1956), a film that starred Bob Hope . There are scenes in that movie with Jerry wearing a short pants suit.
Jerry played the Beaver in "Leave It to Beaver' (1957-63). When Jerry tried out for the role as Beaver, he had to act as if he were crying for his audition. He was having trouble crying on cue, and Hugh Beaumont, yet to be cast as Ward, nicely suggested that he pretend to be laughing - the motions are apparently somewhat similar. It worked; Jerry was hired, and that night he prayed that Hugh Beaumont (who was a Methodist lay minister, and a genuinely good man), who'd been so kind to him, would be chosen to be his TV dad. The rest, as they say, is history. He began as a little chap about 6-7 or so and continued into his early teens. The clothing shown was a good representation of what American boys wore at the time. Boys in primary (elementary) school often wore stripped "T"-shirts or plaid shirts with blue jeans or slacks.--almost always long pants. Our school portrait section provudes a good idea of 1950s school styles. Short pants might be wirn in some southrn schools, but they were not common in the North. Clothing was not normally worked into the Beaver plot lines. There was one episode in particular where his aunt takes care of him for a while and makes him wear a shorts pants suit and the other children tease him.
Jerry rather grew up on television as the program had such a long run. I don't knowof any other program he did. Nor do I know of any movies. Apparently once he outgrew his little boy cuteness he could no longer find roles. I'm not sure how hard he tried.
Jerry grew into an adult that looked nothing like the boy on television.
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