The actress had no regrets and loved her career, but it was secondary to raising her children.
“Leave It to June” would’ve been the perfect name for a spin-off of Leave It to Beaver centered around June Cleaver.
She was the mom everyone wished they had, even though she was a fictional character. Played by Barbara Billingsley, the role became a classic. It was also heavily influential, and many couldn’t see Billingsley as anyone else.
So, instead of being just a credit, it became a legacy for the actress. “I didn’t know that June would be a lifelong career,” she said in a 1989 interview with The Tampa Tribune. “But people are always coming up to me and telling me that they wished their mom was like me or that I remind them of their mothers.”
She added, “No one seems to understand that we had writers. I was a working mother who was only acting. I had two sons at home.”
Not only did Billingsley portray the character perfectly, but her attire made the part come alive even more. It was something viewers would point out a lot.
“People always ask me why June wore pearls and high heels in the kitchen,” she revealed. “It was just something the writers started. We were a well-dressed family. Ward always wore a tie to dinner, too.”
Billingsley often spoke positively about Leave It to Beaver and her role, though Wally and Beaver took a backseat to her real-life sons.
“I have no regrets. I loved my career. I loved being a mother and a wife, too. Really, my career was secondary to raising my children.” Billingsley’s sons, Glenn and Drew, visited the set occasionally and knew everyone on the show. Yet, their classmates were more impressed about their mom being on television than they were.
Since so many viewers claimed they learned a lot from Mrs. Cleaver, people wondered if Billingsley’s real children did too. She responded,” I don’t know if they learned anything from June, except maybe how to chop vegetables. That’s about all she ever did on camera.”
While we won’t see what a June spin-off would’ve been like, there’s no doubt that June Cleaver left a lifelong impression on classic TV fans.
