In the late 1950s and early 60s, it seemed that any Baby Boomer grew up with and knew the story of the Cleavers, the perfect family in the mythical town of Mayfield. Father Ward, Mother June, sons Wally and Theodore (the Beav) came into our homes each week and taught us something important about family dynamics with each script.
Although just characters created by Joe Connelly, Bob Mosher, and Dick Conway, writers you never saw or met, the Cleaver family represented the best of what normal family life could be with father, mother, two-story home, white picket fence, occasional dog, buddies from school, and various folks in town who had lessons to impart to the young ones, consistently, within 234 scripts.[Photo: IMDB]
Of all their characters though, Tony Dow brought some special to brother Wally that showed firsthand what kindness to a little brother can bring. It wasn’t always offered at first thought or without a tad of resentment at times (little brothers can be pests), but Wally’s perfect hair and blue eyes as he aged from 12 to 17 during the show’s run kept young girls watching, if only it was to see him comb his hair, which he did each episode. [Photo: Trakt.TV]
It's safe to say that this show might have caused permanent typecasting for all four actors, but Tony worked steadily in television series from 1963, when “Beaver” ended, all the way through 2016. He had roles on “Diagnosis Murder,” “Murder She Wrote,” “The New Mike Hammer,” “Dr. Kildare,” “Mod Squad,” “Knight Rider,” “The Hardy Boys,” and everyone’s favorite, “The Love Boat.” He also reprised his role as Wally in several “Leave it to Beaver” TV movies and series.
Forever, though, the ensemble would be the Cleavers to us. Tony, went on to have a normal teen life and graduated from Van Nuys High School, and then went on to study at the Defense Information School, in the U.S. Department of Defense. Many journalists and professional communicators as well as popular DJs and news anchors attended this school as well.
As a talented sculptor and artist, his work garnered much attention and interest. His work is currently featured at the Bilotta Gallery and consists of bronze sculptures that average $4,000 each. An example is his 22-inch “Hand balancer.”
His passing was not entirely unanticipated. In May this year, he and his wife, Lauren Shulkind posted a message on his Facebook page:
“Dear Friends & Fans of Tony Dow, I have some very sad news to share with you. Unfortunately, Tony has once again been diagnosed with cancer. He is approaching this reality so bravely, but it is truly heartbreaking.”
NBC affiliate WLBT noted, as of that afternoon, his Facebook post marked over 14,000 comments and 2,000+ shares.
Even if anticipated, today is important because we all lost a family member. Whether or not you agree, he was a permanent part of Americana, of a generation of teens and young adults who would be on the edge of technology, and who would face new challenges brought about by decisions made by those in charge, and would have to respond accordingly. [Photo: Pinterest]
It's poignant that two of America's favorite towns are not real, created by talented writers who inspired generations of children growing up across the country. For Wally and the Beav, it was Mayfield. For Andy, Barney, and the gang, it was Mayberry. Right about now this generation could use another bring-us-all-together sitcom, without wisecracks, double entendres, disrespect, or dumbed-down intelligence. A new town "may" need to come soon.
