'Leave it to Beaver' Trivia That'll Change How You See the Show

20. Tony Dow Had No Prior Acting Experience

Tony Dow wasn’t an actor and had no prior acting experience when he started on Leave it to Beaver. Before the show, he worked as a Junior Olympics diver. He didn’t even audition for Leave it to Beaver originally, but a different show that was cancelled. The audition led to the producers for Leave it to Beaver discovering his talent and asking him to act as Wally Cleaver.

19. The Alice Cooper Rumor

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In the 1970s, a popular rumor circulated that Eddie Haskell, as played by Ken Osmond, was really Alice Cooper, the rock star. Fans got this idea when a college newspaper editor asked Cooper what kind of kid he was, to which he answered, “I was obnoxious, disgusting, a real Eddie Haskell.” However, the reporter misquoted him and reported that Cooper was the real Haskell. The rumor spread like wildfire. Oops?

18. Hugh Beaumont Used To Be A Pastor

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Hugh Beaumont’s character, Ward Cleaver, was the character who was always setting good moral examples for his kids to follow. In real life, the actor wasn’t much different. Before acting on Leave it to Beaver, Hugh Beaumont was a Methodist minister.