Leave it to Beaver Filming

What was filming schedule for the Sept/Oct-May/June for the show? Did the filming end before first airing of the season?

 

You could follow Jerry Mathers on Facebook and ask him - he would probably tell you...He answers all kinds of LITB questions and still makes appearances at fan conventions and other events (with Wally too!)

 

Generally TV shows did not end filming before airing the first show of the season, but would be about 7 episodes in, completed, while show #1 or 2 is airing.

 

Does that mean that there was 32 weeks filming? The show premiered on Oct 4 so the filming would be fun Aug 16 of in that week so somewhere between the 11th to 16th while the last show filmed before Oct 4th. I would think that would mean they would have finished filming in mid to late March 1958 and that last show aired July 2, 1958. What would Tony Dow’s and Jerry Mathers’ ages during each filming period vs character ages?

My estimations are follows:
Jerry Mathers’ / Theadore ‘Beaver’ Cleaver ages
Abt 9.20 yrs- 10 yrs 2wks /7 .75 yrs-8.50 yrs
Abt 10.20 yrs- 11 yrs 2wks / 8.75 yrs-9.50 yrs
Abt 11.20 yrs- 12 yrs 2wks /9.75yrs-10.50 yrs
Abt 12.20yrs- 13 yrs 2wks /10.75yrs-11.50 yrs
Abt 13.20yrs- 14 yrs 2wks /11.75yrs-12.50 yrs
Abt 14.20yrs- 15 yrs 2wks/12.75yrs-13.50 yrs
Tony Dow’s /Wally Cleaver’s age
Abt 12yrs 4mths- 13yrs 1mth/12yrs- 13.20yrs
Abt 13yrs 4mths- 14yrs 1mth/13yrs- 14.20yrs
Abt 14yrs 4mths- 15yrs 1mth/14yrs- 15.20yrs
Abt 15yrs 4mths- 16yrs 1mth/15yrs- 16.20yrs
Abt 16yrs 4mths- 17yrs 1mth/16yrs- 17.20yrs
Abt 17yrs 4mths- 18yrs 1mth/17yrs- 18.20yrs
It seems to me Jerry Mathers was always playing younger then his age. I would that begin to be wearing by the time your a teen. Do there ages look right? Tony Dow was always playing his age but often seemed fairly mature for his age when he was younger and generally as he got to about 16 on to the end of the show at least as the character was written.

 

Was Lumpy when showed up as bully supposed to about in 10th grade or 11th grade which would 3 year older then Wally? Wally was in 8 the grade in first season but 12 years old and Beaver was 7 and 3/4 in 2nd grade.

 

I always had the feeling Lumpy may have been held back in school at least year or two. I’m sure Mr. Rutherford would have been very peeved about it too. If Lumpy was held back, this would make him a year or so older than Wally and Eddie. IIRC Lumpy was the first of the group to get a drivers license later on in the show.

If the above were not true then why is Lumpy hanging around with two younger guys?

 

I always thought he played dumber than his age. I never met a kid a stupid as the Beaver. Gullible as heck. No wonder he was a target for Eddie. He gave us kids a bad name. Him and that Dennis kid. Little wonder our parents thought we would walk into traffic.