Mathers didn’t like to see Beaver taking his frustrations sitting down.
Even if you’re great at your job, there are probably more than a few projects of yours that you’re less than proud of. It doesn’t necessarily speak to your lack of talent or care; it just means that looking back at your career, you’re willing to acknowledge your shortcomings.
Even Jerry Mathers, well known for playing the quirky character of your childhood memories, the Beav, doesn’t look back fondly at every one of his projects as an adult. According to an interview with the Hickory Daily Record, Mathers revealed that there was one Beaver iteration that he wasn’t thrilled about: The CBS movie, Still the Beaver.
Mathers was able to explain his issue with the series, insinuating that the film didn’t feel true to the personality and character that he believed Beaver to have. “The writing was weak, and Beaver was giving up as the world fell apart around him.”
There was one good thing about the film; it led to a spinoff series starring Mathers and many of the original Leave it to Beaver cast members. The series shared the same name as the film, but Mathers was clear that was where the similarities ended, and seemed to prefer the direction the spinoff had taken with the characters.
He said, “On the new shows, Beaver still has the same old problems, but he’s a lot stronger.”
For Mathers, the appeal of his character was grounded in the authenticity of Theodore Cleaver, which he felt had been a priority since the original series aired all those years ago. He stated, “The things that happened to Beaver stemmed from real life; they could — and did — happen to any kid. Our writers had nine children between them, so they made Beaver suffer from the same problems their kids suffered from.” Speaking of the popularity of Leave it to Beaver, Mathers observed, “It’s like a cult.”
So while Mathers wasn’t particularly proud of Still the Beaver, that doesn’t mean we’d be better off without it. Our failures allow us to solidify our determination and work twice as hard when offered the next opportunity in order to ensure it’ll be a good one.
