Happy 100th Birthday, Hugh Beaumont

Today, February 16, 2009 would have been the 100^th birthday of Hugh Beaumont, the actor who gave life to Ward Cleaver on Leave It to Beaver.  The show debuted in 1957, the same year that I did.  I watched reruns of Leave It to Beaver as I was growing up and I still watch them today.  The first show to be written from a kid’s point of view, I identified with Wally and Lumpy and Whitey and the Beave.  Since I have become a father, I identify with the show even more as I watch Hugh Beaumont as Ward do his best to set a good example for his sons and try to teach them the lessons they will need to succeed in life.  Ward showed that father didn’t always know best and reminded us that fatherhood is an inexact science to say the least.  I take comfort in Ward’s struggles.

I’ve heard people say that Leave It to Beaver had no basis in reality, but that is certainly not true.  My life growing up in suburban Baltimore was very similar to the Beaver’s at least in terms of innocence.  All the kids and dogs roamed the neighborhood at will and all were subject to discipline from everybody’s mom.  When we walked to the general store, we took the direct route; right across two farms and one creek.  In 6^th grade, I would sometimes walk the four miles home on Fridays (no weekend homework and hence no books to carry!) during the spring just because it was nice out and I could.  No one worried.

I certainly learned many of the same lessons that The Beaver learned.  Don’t cheat, don’t lie, mind your manners, don’t do something just because everyone else does it.

There has been a great deal of change and very little progress since those days, and I can’t watch Leave It to Beaver anymore without a tinge of sadness.  There is so much more to do now, but we are more bored than ever.  We have many more means of communication now, but nothing much to say to one another.  We accumulate more and more stuff and are less and less satisfied.  We are self-actualized, self-impressed, and self-centered.  We are sick of ourselves.

Ward was always telling Beaver that he should think for himself and act for himself, but not exist for himself.  We would be a happier people if we embraced that lesson today.

Here's to Ward Cleaver and thanks, Hugh Beaumont for bringing him to life.  Happy Birthday.

Comments

[Melissa Dodge]

Ahhh, those were the days--when kids were expected to endure the consequences of their choices. Forget about the 'me' generation what we face now is the "let me do that for you" generation where we have machines, parents, counselors, and self-help gurus make all the bad and hard stuff go away. A world where all of the Bad News Bears get a trophy for playing because we wouldn't want anyone to feel the sting or incentive of disappointment, now would we?

[Dan Kauffman]

"A world where all of the Bad News Bears get a trophy for playing because we wouldn't want anyone to feel the sting or incentive of disappointment, now would we?"

Even a trophy isn't enough. If the kids don't get their name in the newspaper, it's an outrage. And I mean every kid. Even the one who struck out five times.