I’m 55, and all my friends & colleagues say I’m lost in the 70’s because of how I dress, and the terms I use from the 60s&70s, but to this day I wish I was back there always, my wife & kids accuse me of being overly nostalgic & romantic, but that’s exactly how my family was until my folks passed, I took care of my mother for 12 years, I would have never allowed her to be placed in a nursing home, dad as well, but I found myself in that show. It truly allowed me to keep my innocence & finish graduate school & raise 3 kids, 1 Phd & 2 lawyers, I was well grounded because of this show, and the beauty of living the American Dream back in the Most Wonderful Days. Thank you for your video, sir.
You're welcome, Jester Flight. And...I think it's great that your family accuses you of being overly nostalgic and romantic. You sound like a great guy!
Wow!, I think it's neat that that you still use those cool terms. I myself no longer use far out terms, nor do I use those bitchin', terms from the eighties but if you like it, hang with the groove you're in Dude. Keep on truckin'.
Bless your heart! As Mr. Sundstrom said, you sound like a good guy! Wishing there are still wholesome men like you in these troubled times we currently live in. More power!
The 70's were a great time Gas was cheap and you only had to 18 to legally drink. However,"That 70"s Show" was more realistic than "Leave it to Beaver". And
I love the one where Larry stole money from his mom's sewing basket and threw it out the window and told beaver a airplane dropped it out and then they went to the carnival I think that's one of the best ones Larry played in
Yes. He always seemed to have an exceedingly short memory. It was like he knew why HE should do it but he couldn't think of any reason why Beaver shouldn't do it.
I'm assuming you have never heard of Ron Howard, Jodi Foster, Christain Bale, Anne Hathaway, Leonard DiCaprio, Robert Downy jr., Jennifer Lawrence, or Lawrence Fishburne. All successful child actors. Most of them do go on to be very successful as adults. You just dont hear about it.
All of the child actors on the show had a happy ending....The actor, who played Whitey, had a rough patch, but came out of it and ultimately led a happy life. So, I don't know where you come up with this one (1) child actor, from the show, growing up to lead a normal, happy life. So not true.
I enjoyed the show when i was young...but watchinh it as grew up. I realized that The Bev was a follower, a liar and one who never admitted when he was wrong!....Larry and Whitey could talk him into doing just about anything deviou!...and the writers made sure he said "gee" at least 50 times and epidode!.....lol
@@zunajthomas1506 Gee zunaj, it sounds like you were watching a different version of Leave it to Beaver than I was. I think Miss Lander's would be really sore at you.
@@EBthere lol..ms. canfield would agree with me though! How many times did the fellows get the Bev to do wrong, and they backed out! Ward to the rescue! "Gee dad" lol!
Carol Carney he was the funniest by far of beaver's friends. I'M 60yrs.old AND I HAD A REAL LIFE LARRY MONDELLO TYPE FRIEND IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL..HIS NAME WAS MILTON, WE ALL CALLED HIM 'HAMP' I HOPE THAT THAT HE IS STILL ALIVE.BUT I ALWAYS THINK OF THAT CRAZY DUDE WHEN I WATCH THE EPISODES WITH LARRY.BECAUSE ALWAYS DID STUFF WHEN HIS DAD WAS AWAY AND HIS MOM WOULD ALWAYS TELL HIM JUST WAIT UNTIL YOUR DADDY GET HOME FROM WORK(LOL)TV AND REAL LIFE ARE SO SO DARN CLOSE WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO GROWING UP..... THANKS
I remember even as a little kid, I couldn’t believe how real Rusty seemed. I knew he was acting, but it was surprising to me how the writers and all the actors understood humor. It wasn’t slapstick. It was subtle and cut to the heart of what makes us laugh.
So, true. Got hooked up to, I think Comcast, but there was nothing on anywhere, including the several movie channels, too. 200 channels is how many we had.
What tremendous maturity in a young man. And what great parents to do what’s best for their son. It’s a wonderful story with nothing but happiness from beginning to end.
Thanks for this fun fact! I've been enjoying reruns of "Leave It To Beaver." Ah, those were the days -- simple yet filled with ethical scripts and humor that was G-rated. How refreshing!
Always loved the episodes that featured Larry Mondello and his mother. He was always encouraging Beaver to be disobedient, then when things went awry, he'd say, "You know, Beaver, you shouldn't have done that."
Here is full text of message from Rusty Stevens, As follows,,,,this is the true story of Rusty leaving the show from Rusty himself, Rusty Apologizes For The Length Of This Post (We Can Hardly Call It A "Tidbit") But The Story Is A Bit Too Complicated For A Quickie. Let Us Call This "Mayfield Confidential" From Rusty As Follows,,,"It seems we are approaching (at least for this cycle) the end of the LITB episodes that include the Larry Mondello character. I've noticed that this has produced a smattering of comments and questions about my "untimely" (and unexplained) exit. Over the years I've answered these questions with friends and family and others so many times that it got kind of old. But I think this group deserves to hear a "from the horse's mouth" explanation. I never dreamed at that time that my leaving the show would become the stuff of urban legend. But it pretty much did. Crazy stories about me hiding out, people posing as me...all kinds of nutty stuff. Let me start with a few of the stories that have been put out there. There is one that I only came across since I have been following this group. It showed a podcast of an interview with Jerry Mathers, in which he said that I left the show after I was in the movie, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" because me and my family thought I was going to become more successful in Theatrical films. I am sure Jerry only said this because he heard it somewhere else. However, it's just kind of ridiculous. I was a nine year old kid with a small part along with other kids, and although it was an honor to be in such an iconic film, we certainly didn't think I was going to become a movie star. Plus I was in the show for two more years after the movie. Another story that did have some truth to it was that my father was transferred out of state. He wasn't actually transferred and it didn't happen until a couple years after I left the show. But my parents had started thinking about moving back east which is where they came from. Please notice that I said "after I left the show." Many people refer to my exit as being "written out of the show," which is not accurate. I will address that shortly. The other story that has been widely reported apparently came from Barbara Billingsley. I know Barbara has a lot of fans here, and I in no way mean to speak ill of her. However, Barbara's contention that my mother was the worse kind of "stage mother" and was a "terror" (I believe that's the actual word she used) on the set was totally untrue. First of all, my younger brother was about four years old at the time and other than when he was in childcare, my mother didn't even come to the set. They paid a relative of ours to accompany me the studio and also the sister of a next door neighbor. And I seriously doubt that either of those two ladies was a terror on the set. A couple of months ago there was an episode in which June cleaver says to one of the boys, "If you can't say something nice about somebody, don't say anything at all." The irony of that statement by her did not escape me. I must add here that I absolutely do not believe that Barbara Billingsley just made this story up. I'm sure that somebody told her about this. But I got along great with her and she was always very nice to me and as far as I ever saw, also got along with my mother when she was there. It just kind of disappoints me that she would feel it necessary to put out such a story which whether true or not would be embarrassing to me and my family. As I've mentioned in other posts unrelated to this subject, my mother actually became friendly off the set with some of the other mothers. Jeri Weil's (Judy Hensler) mother and my mom became friendly and the same for Karen Sue Trent's (Penny) mother. We even went to their house for horseback riding. She also became friendly with the mother of Patty Ann Gerrity, who played one of the kids in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Not that it's unusual for the mothers of child actors to become friendly; I only bring this up to show that my mom was no more, or less, a stage mother than most mothers. Having said that, let me add that my mother was by no means a shy person. I was not privy to all the things that went down between my mother and my agent, and the producers. That sort of leads me into the next section of this (long-winded "memoir.") I have told you the things that were not true. Let me now address the real reasons I left the show. My early episodes on the show, were not always every week and my part would be very small. So I might only have to go in one day for shooting in a particular week. And although I had to attend 3 hours of school on the set, I obviously was not in class at my regular school. As the episodes I was in increased and my parts in those episodes got bigger, I was out of my regular school more and more. I was fortunate in that it did not have a negative effect in an academic sense. However, I believe there were other consequences that were beginning to occur. Namely, the social networks that naturally develop in school were beginning to not happen for me as a result of my going back and forth between the studio and regular school. I'm sure it was very subtle and not something that looked to be a major problem because I really enjoyed what I did at the studio. Also, our neighborhood had a very tight-knit group of kids. Although I could still do things with them, things were changing a little. I doubt that at this point my parents noticed anything relating to this, because it was only starting to dawn on me and I kept things pretty close to the chest even in those days. At some point in 1958, I got the part of one of the "no necked monsters" (as Elizabeth Taylor's character called us) in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. In my opinion, this caused a lot of changes. Without bragging, I can say that my Larry Mondello character was getting more and more popular on the show and we were getting a surprising amount fan mail. Well, just prior to beginning production on "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," Liz Taylor's husband, Mike Todd, was tragically killed in an airplane crash. This naturally delayed production and since we as the kids were under contract for the movie, we had to be available. I don't remember the exact extent of it but it pretty much precluded doing any Beaver shows. Since as I said, Larry Mondello was getting more and more popular, the producers were not too crazy about having to write scripts without me. (Again, no conceit intended.) After I again became available for LITB the Producers wanted to make sure that they had more control and so they put me under contract. This was a great thing for all the reasons you can imagine: money, prestige, etc. As far as I know, at that time I was the only non-Cleaver under contract. I assume that Ken Osmond and possibly Frank Bank were put under contract as time went by and more Wally-centric episodes were written. Now keep in mind, up until this point I'm still going back and forth between Studio schools at MGM, for "Cat" and Universal for Beaver. So when I went under contract, now I'm going to be attending school on the set everyday. Plus I began to take part in the whole 5 day process of each episode: The "Reading" on Monday; rehearsals on Tuesday; and shooting on Wednesday Thursday and Friday, [I want to mention here that I especially enjoyed the Monday Readings. They were very laid back. We sat around a table and read our lines and got a feel for the episode for the first time. For characters that were not there, which was most of the non-principals, somebody else like the director or assistant director would say the lines. It was really neat when you said your line you got a laugh from the whole table] What I did not realize at the time was that I was becoming even more estranged from friends because I was at the studio all the time. I know that Jerry and Tony did that day in and day out for 6 years and it didn't seem to bother them. The same goes for other successful child actors. I can only say how I felt in that position. All my friends we're starting to get interested in girls and there were dances and parties that kids were going to. Yes, of course I could have gone do these different things but since I was not going to school with them I did not feel like I was part of the group. Ironically, if I had played up the Beaver thing more I probably could have been the most popular kid in town. LOL But again that's not who I was. Gradually, I started letting my parents know how I felt. And I guess they began to see some negative effects on me. Eventually, I was flat-out telling them that I didn't want to do the show anymore. And this is from a young boy who had loved acting in the series. So my parents had to do what they felt was necessary to get me out of the contract. Perhaps this is where Barbara Billingsley or someone else thought my mother was being a terrible stage mother. If being a stage mother means looking out for the best interests of your child, I'm sure my mother would have proudly worn that title. Over the next couple years I did do some other TV shows here and there but they did not consume my time like LITB had done. Eventually we did move to Philly in early 1963. I can't say I regret that because I would not have my wife and daughter if we didn't make the move. In watching the shows again over the last several months i'm glad to say it only brings back very good memories. But let me confess one thing: The first time I saw another kid at the desk behind Judy Hensler, it brought a tear to my eye and a lump to my throat".
Wow. Just wow. If this comment truly comes from Mr. Stevens then I am just thrilled to hear this. Mr. Stevens, it gave me a lump in my throat when you said you saw another kid sitting behind Judy Hensler and it brought a tear to your eye. I’m just a big fan of the show. You are/were a very very talented actor. You didn’t “act”. Even though you were acting. Every episode with you and Jerry Mathers is so full of truth. To this day it bugs me that Larry Mondello wouldn’t be on the show when that fourth season came around. Well no more of the best episodes of Leave It To Beaver. No one really ever filled Beaver’s best friend shoes after you. Okay so I’m not going to go on and on and take up anymore real estate here. Thank you for posting this comment. I really hope it’s true. The biggest Larry Mondello fan ever - Cari ☮️ PS Mr. Stevens at least at that young age you realized like Larry once said “ Why go where there’s trouble?” 😃
Rusty made a mark on TV that will last for generations. It would have been nice if there had been more episodes for his fans to enjoy. But child actors almost always have brief show biz careers. He has enjoyed life. That's better than any gold plated award.
@Kim Smith NO IAM NOT ADD -- LIFE IS NO LONGER TEXT BOOK --SOCIETY ISN'T SCREWED UP BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKED ME -- IT'S PEOPLE LIKE YOU WHO LIVE IN THE PAST -- GET OFF YOUR COMPUTER LOOK OUT THE WINDOW / WHO CARES IF YOU BRING THE TEACHER AN APPLE EVERY DAY AND GETS TO SIT ON THE FRONT ROW IN CLASS. NO IAM NOT ADD I COUNCIL YOUTH GROUPS / I TEACH OUT DOOR SURVIVAL CLASSES /VOLUNTEER AT 2 LOCAL FACILITIES FOR THE MENTAL HANDICAP / I PLAY PROFESSIONAL MUSIC AND DO FREE BENEFITS SHOWS 20 TO 30 TIMES A YEAR, IF YOU THINK IAM WHAT'S WRONG WITH SOCIETY? WELL THAT'S YOUR OPINION. I THINK. IF YOU KEEP ON LIVING BY THE BOOK AND BRING THE TEACHER AN APPLE EVERY DAY YOU WILL HAVE YOUR FAIR SHARE OF TIME ERASING THE CHALKBOARD -- IAM NOT TRYING TO MEAN -- I DON'T OCD ON ONE SUBJECT-- I DON'T ADD I RECOGNIZE THERE'S A SOCIETY. LOOK UP DEFINITION OF A.D.D YOUR COMMENT WAS OFF TRACK. LOOK UP O.C D THEN GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL COMMENT. KEEP BRINGING APPLES YOUR SURE TO GET AN A+ BYE THE WAY I DON'T SHOUT IAM LEGALLY BLIND.
I was ten years old in 1957. It was one of my favorite shows. There was one aspect of the show that was troubling for me. The show was so compelling that I often identified so strongly with the predicaments they (especially Beaver) were in that I just couldn't watch because it was too uncomfortable. I literally had to leave the room. The guys my age really wanted to be as "cool" as Walley. If only life were as simple now as it back then. Thanks!
@@jdsundstrom I'm sure re-doing all that took some time and I think I speak for a bunch in saying thank you! Honestly, I kind of expected an update. I figured that lovely video would draw the real story out.
I grew up watching the Leave it to Beaver show. My childhood was at the same pace as the characters. The shows were current when I was watching them. The friendship between Larry and the Beaver seemed so authentic to me. They all seemed like regular neighborhood friends to me. Always loved this show!
Larry and the Beaver were perfect as best friends in the show. I was sad when Larry left the show. Thank you you telling us what happened to him. I wonder if he kept in touch with any of the cast.
I love the way Larry Mondello would pretend to eat an apple, or the expression on his face when he would say Gee Beaver, or they would get in trouble and he would ditch Beaver. Priceless humor. Sad to say our culture has gone down the toilet and we now embrace thuggery and disrespect.
Daniel Howard. Hey, you are entitled to your opinion, but upi hsvr o poiny of reference stemming from real life experience. Back in the Leave it to Beaver days nobody felt compelled to lock their front doors whereas today everybody has dead bols and double dead bols, securityu syustems, and a pit bull. Embrace that concpet, err I mean reality.
I like the Larry character, he was always getting Beaver into trouble. I liked the episode when Larry stole the money from his mom's sewing bag, and took Beaver to the carnival. Another good episode is when he talked Beaver into playing catch with Ward's autographed baseball. Those 2 had some great adventures together.
Thanks for this Dave! ... "Larry Mondello" is truly amazing in this show. I was watching reruns and thought ... I got to look him up, he's so good, he must have been in many other shows. I am sad to find out he didn't do much else after Beaver in terms of acting.
@@jdsundstrom thanks for keeping everything positive! I got to meet Tony Dow at a charity lunch Eddie Mecca, Stanley Livingston and Cathy Garver. Dawn Wells was supposed to be there but someting
I went to Northeast High School in Philadelphia, Pa. Rusty was in my gym class. He would never talk about the show. Which is why the idea that he just wanted to be normal rings true. We graduated in 1966.
Hi Glenn, he's not listed as "Rusty Stevens", his name is Robert Stevens. page 229 in our yearbook. By the way my names not michele (it's a niece), I'm Craig on page 214.
Thanks for updating this vid and clarifying what had happened to Rusty. I watched an episode of LitB after your vid, and had almost forgotten what a wiseguy Larry was. He was such a character. Speaking of characters, you should do a vid on Eddie Haskell. HahA! Oh man, that guy was hilarious. Thanks for posting!
Hi Dave! Another great segment!! I always felt sorry for Larry Mondello in Leave it to Beaver. He had an overbearing mother who looked more like his grand mother than his mother( Marge Blake aka Aunt Harriett in Batman) and a father that was always out of town. The show even mentions an older sister on several episodes. Larry was a good friend to Beaver, but was often the person who got Beaver into trouble with his parents and at school. I think we all had a friend kind of like Larry when we were kids so we can relate to him in the show. Rusty did a great job portraying Larry and wish he could have remained an active character in the show. Could you do a future segment on Joseph Kearns who played Mr. Wilson on Dennis the Menace. Thanks!
I certainly had a friend like Larry. Lost track of him for a while but then after high school we worked together for a short period of time at a K-mart. And you know what, aside from getting a bit older, Brad really hadn't changed all that much!
I've always felt that for a childhood actor, Rusty played his part very naturally, in a very believable manner. And his character was a great addition to the show; Larry was to Beaver as Eddie was to Wally - the troublemaker friend.
I was surprised to see Rusty Stevens show up in an early 1962 episode of My Three Sons. Rusty appeared in the episode titled "Bub Gets A Job" playing a character very similar to his Leave It To Beaver role, only a little older.
"Wait 'til your father comes home." Loved Madge Blake (also a supporting character on the Joey Bishop Show, and the MC at the Hollywood fest in the opening of the movie "Singing In The Rain"). Larry Mondello appeared on the show when 'The Beve' was at that most impressionable stage of his development, and so was able quite easily to work his conniving ways to influence Beaver's actions, albeit the fact that even a very young Beaver was often quite suspicious of his best friends intentions. I loved how after talking Beaver into a jam Larry would always worm his way out of the resulting consequences, leaving Beaver to hold the proverbial bag knowing quite well just how he had been played. I think 'in a way' Eddie Haskell was an older version of what Larry Mondello might have become had his character played out. Besides Larry's father never being around, there was the unseen sister who often enough caused grief for Larry. With so many troubling things in his life Larry was bound to have some psychological flaws in his later years. Liking Larry as much as I did, I'm actually glad he left the show while he was at his most innocent -- although to me the show was never the same without him. I'm glad he is happy in his personal life and am curious as to what profession he wound up in (?). 5/2019
I was a bit of a fan of Eddie. He was overtly ingratiating, in a hypocritical sort of way. It was sometimes ambiguous whether Ward and June were fooled when he acted overly polite, or they saw right through him.
Yeah Gilbert you could tell he was a mama's boy now whitey He was always so cool a troublemaker at heart it could provoke beaver especially when it came to girls
Very time I saw Larry I said to myself "oh no.. here comes Larry" and it always meant trouble. This show was good, clean pure entertainment that families of today could learn from. It's sad that families are no longer like this.
Great vid. Answered what i always wondered about. I absolutely love the episodes that featured Larry. He was perfect in the show. I missed his absence very much.
@@jdsundstrom Sorry, but the truth has to lay somewhere between Billingsley's description and Stevens. It would be interesting to hear what Mathers and Dow have to say about it all.
Thanks for this! I grew up with Leave it to Beaver and your have brought back wonderful memories; not just of the show but also of a more gentle time in America.
Thanks for this video, Larry Mondello kept the show real. He was always pulling an apple out of his pocket and eating it. Also he would talk The Beaver into doing silly things, like getting money out of Mrs. Mondello's sewing basket to spend and then saying maybe an airplane had dropped it outside in the bushes. Of course, one mess Larry didn't get the blame for was getting Beaver stuck up on the Zesto Soup billboard!
singspiration12 I just saw the episode where Larry pulled bologna sandwiches out of his pockets he and The Beaver were to eat while skipping out on their Cotillion lessons. He was so funny.
Dave, thanks for updating. When I had trouble accessing your first upload, which I so vividly remembered just viewing, I thought I was experiencing the "Mondello" effect!
I once had a dream i met Larry Mondello. I was walking down the street when i met him. He was still a kid like in the show and he was in black and white.everything else was in color. He said Hi with that charismatic smile of his. I love that character!
i watched the reruns when I was a kid and then all the reunion shows. I just recently found it again on MeTV and have been reading a lot about it. Thanks for this video!!
I saw Rusty on Wagon Train (Sam Darland storey) w/ a very young Billy Mumi and Art Linkletter. Dave, gotta do something on Billy. He is a good child actor ending. Very interesting to see the actor/musician and musicians he was associated with. Also he has done a lot of movie/TV scores.
Wally's wayward friends are so iconic and well known, but Beaver hung out with the best oddities. Larry is a legend, but later I became fascinated by the diabolical Gilbert Bates. Like so many others Gilbert could really set Beaver up and then disappear when the going got tough.
@Stephen....guess you forgot Larry, The Rat, who borrowed $.75 cents from Beaver. And instead of repaying him like he promised. Went to movies & soda shop with Whitey & Gilbert. Was recently on METV.
@@stephenolaughlin6595 the time Larry stole his mom's money out of her sewing basket and had beaver look for it on the ground and made him believe it fell out of the airplane.. it was Larry's fault but Beaver still got in trouble for it LOL 😂😂
Thanks for the wonderful video--- and settling the mystery! Rusty was my first TV crush at age 7-- along with Gilligan. Such talent did I grow up with on TV!
I went to junior high school with Bob Stevens, aka, Larry Mondello. He was a grade ahead of me at David Starr Jordan Junior High School in Burbank, California. Then he just disappeared.
I think many of us had a Larry Mondello type of friend growing up.I certainly did.The Larry character was outrageously funny...Loved when the Beave would haul off and give Larry a shot to his stomach.Just classic.Too bad Larry didn't run with the show till the end.He was truly a perfect fit although if you watch the episodes closely enough, you can see by Rusty's facial expressions that he was a nervous kid.So your explanation for his leaving the show makes plenty of sense Dave.Yet another great job here👍👍
Sweet ..... Wow that’s so cool Dave how you got the extra info and got a update ‼️👋Thanks Dave for the extra time ❣️‼️ You and yours have a great one‼️Nicely done 👍
I like, many others, loved Leave It to Beaver when I was a little boy. Every day I would race to the tv to watch the show. I still watch the reruns. It makes me feel like a kid all over again. I remember the coffee cup episode.
Good for Rusty! I'm glad he and his parents saved him from the crazy life of most childhood actors.... Larry/Rusty was one of the best parts of the show indeed. Beaver always fell for his dares and went astray, Larry was the class clown that we all remember also. Sometimes I wonder why I still watch this show, seems like I should have grown up many many years ago...I relate to Lumpy, Eddy, and Larry, and always dreamt of having the Cleavers as parents....I remember one time foolishly voicing this to my mother, her obvious reply was that she wished she had Wally and Beaver as kids, instead of us four brats!
Grew up with and loved this show and still do to this day. Most every morning when I sit down to eat breakfast, I put on a rerun from tv of the Leave it to Beaver show. My husband gets a big kick out of me doing this, however he too sits in the background laughing at all the antics. Just gives me a warm comfy feeling in light of all we have going on in the world today.
Jerry was also a natural, and he started at 6 years old in films, in 1954, prior to that he was a child model in a department store ad. He is now 71 this past June 2 (2019), and so is Jeri Weil who played antagnoist "Judy Hensler." Robert Stevens will be 71 on Nov. 25.
Grew up loving The Beav, and actually went to a library as a kid growing up in Petaluma, CA that had a classic library featured in the episode "Beaver's Library Book". Really brought my 'Leave it to Beaver' childhood full circle! Thanks for the vid!
Dave, I ALWAYS enjoy your brief bios of these great and often forgotten actors. Just watched the one about Eddie Haskell's passing last week. If not for people like you, people like us who grew up in the 60s would get no more than a very short (if any) tiny mention of these actors. There is another actor on the TV show, "Land of the Giants", Don Marshall. I actually had to GOOGLE him to find out if he was still around, discovering he had passed just last year (If I recall correctly). Thanks very much for your informative and wonderful video documentaries!
Larry was perfect on the show, always finding ways to get him and Beaver in trouble. But I'm glad he wanted to live a normal life. Stardom can go to their heads and they can become obnoxious.
Lots if great episodes with Larry. Couple of favorites were the day they skipped school and wound up on TV. And the one where he ran away from home to hide out in Beaver n Wally's tub. Kid was a natural.
Thanks for this update about "Leave It To Beaver" one of my favorite tv shows. Btw, the fab Madge Blake was also in another classic show, "The Real McCoys", which starred the late actor, Walter Brennan. She played his "girlfriend". I forgot her name in the show. Good family show.
I like the one when Larry through money out the window from his mom's sewing box then he told bever to look on the ground because an airplane had dropped it.bever and Larry went to the carnival.
Or the time Larry talked Beaver into letting the older kid take his new bike down the road for a quick test ride, and he never came back. And then there was the time they drilled holes through the side of the garage. And didn't they ditch school once to go watch some sort of live show so Larry could get free candy, and they ended up being seen on TV.
The one where he sleeps over and they get in a fight and Larry wants to go home because Beaver punched him where he almost had an operation and Ward goes to all the trouble to get a cab and the cab gets there and Beaver and Larry have forgotten about the fight and then Larry went on to eat candy bars during the night and got a stomach ache and then got rid of the stomach ache the good old fashioned way. Dang I love that episode. It’s so real. I punched my best friend in the stomach because we went on the Bozo tv show and she got picked to play a game on tv and I didn’t. Our moms were so upset and I was going to get in trouble but we forgot all about it very quickly to our mother’s surprise and continued on like nothing happened. I did have to apologize though. Then we played with the stupid coloring book she got from Bozo as a consolation prize for not winning the game she got picked for. So funny. The bow and arrow that busted that Beaver bought himself upon Larry’s nudging instead of the camera for Wally’s birthday. These slices of children’s lives rang true.
@@79goldmaster1 Obviously, Beaver and Larry had never been on a horse before, and didn't realize that when you ride one, you and your clothing end up smelling a bit "horsey" -- no way that will escape June's and Ward's noses!
Madge Blake was a gem. In addition to Beaver and Batman she also played Joey Bishop's mother in his original series, which included Marlo Thomas and Warren Berlinger. You have to catch Madge nervously singing "Paddlin' Madelyn Home" - she was a comic genius.
Oh wow! This is great to hear. I hope it’s true. I’ve forever wondered about Mr. Robert Rusty Stevens. He was just gone. No explanation or goodbye see ya later and one more apple for his pocket . Just *poof* gone. He was the only kid that really seemed like Beaver’s actual friend. They had that magical friendship chemistry together. Mr. Stevens was so masterful in his depiction of, well, a kid. They played their parts with such honesty. I was a girl even and I watched the show religiously in re-runs as a kid and still do. I watch it everyday. “Let’s just lets not go.” “Maybe an airplane flew upside down and the money fell out of the pilots pockets”. “ He punched me where I almost had my operation.” Hey Mr Stevens! Thank you for being the Beavers’ best pal for almost four years. Stop by the You Tube streets anytime and all your fans will be so happy to see you. You’ll be a star ⭐️ forever. Thank you for posting this video. ☮️ and may you have a bologna sandwich for each pocket always. 🍎🍎
![Leave it to Beaver House Tour: Main Floor, Upstairs and Backyard [CG Tour]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EL5CGpVZRsA/mqdefault.jpg)
I’m 55, and all my friends & colleagues say I’m lost in the 70’s because of how I dress, and the terms I use from the 60s&70s, but to this day I wish I was back there always, my wife & kids accuse me of being overly nostalgic & romantic, but that’s exactly how my family was until my folks passed, I took care of my mother for 12 years, I would have never allowed her to be placed in a nursing home, dad as well, but I found myself in that show. It truly allowed me to keep my innocence & finish graduate school & raise 3 kids, 1 Phd & 2 lawyers, I was well grounded because of this show, and the beauty of living the American Dream back in the Most Wonderful Days. Thank you for your video, sir.
You're welcome, Jester Flight. And...I think it's great that your family accuses you of being overly nostalgic and romantic. You sound like a great guy!
Wow!, I think it's neat that that you still use those cool terms. I myself no longer use far out terms, nor do I use those bitchin', terms from the eighties but if you like it, hang with the groove you're in Dude.
Keep on truckin'.
Bless your heart! As Mr. Sundstrom said, you sound like a good guy! Wishing there are still wholesome men like you in these troubled times we currently live in. More power!
Oh wow I concur!!!
The 70's were a great time
Gas was cheap and you only had to
18 to legally drink.
However,"That 70"s Show"
was more realistic than "Leave it to Beaver".
And
I love the one where Larry stole money from his mom's sewing basket and threw it out the window and told beaver a airplane dropped it out and then they went to the carnival I think that's one of the best ones Larry played in
I love that episode so much. Way to 😆
Yeah, it must have fell from a plane!!!😂😂😂😂
How much longer we gonna look larry? Just a little bit, we still have to find $1.10 cents... 🤣🤣
It's a bird it's a plane! No it's money for the carnival! Lol🤣🤣
I agree with you
I always loved when Larry would talk beaver in to things and then say maybe you shouldn’t have done it. Or jeeze beave i have to go.
That was Larry alright. He was a lovable instigator.
I hear you ! Now I gotta go do stuff and junk.
Funny you mentioned that was how Larry always helped out the Beaver when the shit hit the fan !
Yes. He always seemed to have an exceedingly short memory. It was like he knew why HE should do it but he couldn't think of any reason why Beaver shouldn't do it.
@@stankatic8182 yeah Larry what's providing the s*** and beaver what's on the other side of the fan taking it all in gullible little guy
He was such a good actor. Sooo funny. He really understood his part. Great show, great casting. Forever an American treasure
Totally agree. Rusty Stevens is/was so great!
I agree Larry was all natural far from Gilbert and Richard
@@wb3381I thought they were good too!
@orgafelaforeginatum I always thought Gilbert was saying his lines or script rather than acting with it
Nice to hear a happy ending for at least one child actor.
I'm assuming you have never heard of Ron Howard, Jodi Foster, Christain Bale, Anne Hathaway, Leonard DiCaprio, Robert Downy jr., Jennifer Lawrence, or Lawrence Fishburne. All successful child actors. Most of them do go on to be very successful as adults. You just dont hear about it.
All of the child actors on the show had a happy ending....The actor, who played Whitey, had a rough patch, but came out of it and ultimately led a happy life. So, I don't know where you come up with this one (1) child actor, from the show, growing up to lead a normal, happy life. So not true.
I watch it every morning on MeTV. All 6 seasons … over and over and over.
Thank heavens for MeTV!
Me too
OMG at what time !!!!!!!!!!!!!
🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
Me too! My DVR is set to record the episodes.😁
Lowkey Kin It airs on MeTV from 8:00 am to 9:00 am eastern standard time. Two half hour shows back to back.
Yep, loved Larry Mondello. He was the kid we all went to school with.
EBthere Yep, Carlos García was my Larry.
Larry would get Beaver into trouble, and then he'd split the scene. It was always "I gotta go home now" before it got serious. Hilarious.
I enjoyed the show when i was young...but watchinh it as grew up. I realized that The Bev was a follower, a liar and one who never admitted when he was wrong!....Larry and Whitey could talk him into doing just about anything deviou!...and the writers made sure he said "gee" at least 50 times and epidode!.....lol
@@zunajthomas1506 Gee zunaj, it sounds like you were watching a different version of Leave it to Beaver than I was.
I think Miss Lander's would be really sore at you.
@@EBthere lol..ms. canfield would agree with me though! How many times did the fellows get the Bev to do wrong, and they backed out! Ward to the rescue! "Gee dad" lol!
I still watch reruns today.
That show never gets old
Larry would pull food out of his pockets!!!! 😂😂😂😂😂 He was one of my favorite characters...
Oh yeah; and that endless supply of apples to chomp on. 5/2019
Carol Carney he was the funniest by far of beaver's friends. I'M 60yrs.old AND I HAD A REAL LIFE LARRY MONDELLO TYPE FRIEND IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL..HIS NAME WAS MILTON, WE ALL CALLED HIM 'HAMP' I HOPE THAT THAT HE IS STILL ALIVE.BUT I ALWAYS THINK OF THAT CRAZY DUDE WHEN I WATCH THE EPISODES WITH LARRY.BECAUSE ALWAYS DID STUFF WHEN HIS DAD WAS AWAY AND HIS MOM WOULD ALWAYS TELL HIM JUST WAIT UNTIL YOUR DADDY GET HOME FROM WORK(LOL)TV AND REAL LIFE ARE SO SO DARN CLOSE WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO GROWING UP..... THANKS
Larry was a good kid. His mother was annoying and we never saw his father. Still watch that show when it's on and I am 77 years old.
Yes, 9 times outta 10 it would be an apple.
He was always talking Beaver into some kind of trouble...lol
I remember even as a little kid, I couldn’t believe how real Rusty seemed. I knew he was acting, but it was surprising to me how the writers and all the actors understood humor. It wasn’t slapstick. It was subtle and cut to the heart of what makes us laugh.
Back when you got 3 channels and TV was entertaining, now we get 500 channels and there's nuthin on.
Now ain't that's the truth!!
There is always something on.
@@Michelle-pn9xt On that note, you're correct! MeTv
@Christine Woodruff.
I agree. Lots of channels but nothing worth watching. I'll take black and white TV anytime .📺
So, true. Got hooked up to, I think Comcast, but there was nothing on anywhere, including the several movie channels, too. 200 channels is how many we had.
What tremendous maturity in a young man. And what great parents to do what’s best for their son. It’s a wonderful story with nothing but happiness from beginning to end.
Thanks for the update, glad to hear he is happy and healthy. The Hollywood life is not for everyone.
You're welcome, Edward. I am a sucker for a happy ending and this one seems to be truly that!
jerry mathers sends out a private investigator to find rusty stevens: rewindback.blogspot.com/2007/01/whatever-happened-to-robert-rusty.html
Edward Catiller only for Pedos
@@thereisnopandemic yep
Thanks for this fun fact! I've been enjoying reruns of "Leave It To Beaver." Ah, those were the days -- simple yet filled with ethical scripts and humor that was G-rated. How refreshing!
I agree with you, Pat. I prefer the ethical shows as well.
GOD BLESS YOU, INFINITELY! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!
Always loved the episodes that featured Larry Mondello and his mother. He was always encouraging Beaver to be disobedient, then when things went awry, he'd say, "You know, Beaver, you shouldn't have done that."
beavers lucky day, loved that episode, lol
Here is full text of message from Rusty Stevens, As follows,,,,this is the true story of Rusty leaving the show from Rusty himself, Rusty Apologizes For The Length Of This Post (We Can Hardly Call It A "Tidbit") But The Story Is A Bit Too Complicated For A Quickie. Let Us Call This "Mayfield Confidential"
From Rusty As Follows,,,"It seems we are approaching (at least for this cycle) the end of the LITB episodes that include the Larry Mondello character. I've noticed that this has produced a smattering of comments and questions about my "untimely" (and unexplained) exit. Over the years I've answered these questions with friends and family and others so many times that it got kind of old. But I think this group deserves to hear a "from the horse's mouth" explanation. I never dreamed at that time that my leaving the show would become the stuff of urban legend. But it pretty much did. Crazy stories about me hiding out, people posing as me...all kinds of nutty stuff.
Let me start with a few of the stories that have been put out there. There is one that I only came across since I have been following this group. It showed a podcast of an interview with Jerry Mathers, in which he said that I left the show after I was in the movie, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" because me and my family thought I was going to become more successful in Theatrical films. I am sure Jerry only said this because he heard it somewhere else. However, it's just kind of ridiculous. I was a nine year old kid with a small part along with other kids, and although it was an honor to be in such an iconic film, we certainly didn't think I was going to become a movie star. Plus I was in the show for two more years after the movie.
Another story that did have some truth to it was that my father was transferred out of state. He wasn't actually transferred and it didn't happen until a couple years after I left the show. But my parents had started thinking about moving back east which is where they came from. Please notice that I said "after I left the show." Many people refer to my exit as being "written out of the show," which is not accurate. I will address that shortly.
The other story that has been widely reported apparently came from Barbara Billingsley. I know Barbara has a lot of fans here, and I in no way mean to speak ill of her. However, Barbara's contention that my mother was the worse kind of "stage mother" and was a "terror" (I believe that's the actual word she used) on the set was totally untrue. First of all, my younger brother was about four years old at the time and other than when he was in childcare, my mother didn't even come to the set. They paid a relative of ours to accompany me the studio and also the sister of a next door neighbor. And I seriously doubt that either of those two ladies was a terror on the set. A couple of months ago there was an episode in which June cleaver says to one of the boys, "If you can't say something nice about somebody, don't say anything at all." The irony of that statement by her did not escape me. I must add here that I absolutely do not believe that Barbara Billingsley just made this story up. I'm sure that somebody told her about this. But I got along great with her and she was always very nice to me and as far as I ever saw, also got along with my mother when she was there. It just kind of disappoints me that she would feel it necessary to put out such a story which whether true or not would be embarrassing to me and my family.
As I've mentioned in other posts unrelated to this subject, my mother actually became friendly off the set with some of the other mothers. Jeri Weil's (Judy Hensler) mother and my mom became friendly and the same for Karen Sue Trent's (Penny) mother. We even went to their house for horseback riding. She also became friendly with the mother of Patty Ann Gerrity, who played one of the kids in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Not that it's unusual for the mothers of child actors to become friendly; I only bring this up to show that my mom was no more, or less, a stage mother than most mothers.
Having said that, let me add that my mother was by no means a shy person. I was not privy to all the things that went down between my mother and my agent, and the producers. That sort of leads me into the next section of this (long-winded "memoir.") I have told you the things that were not true. Let me now address the real reasons I left the show.
My early episodes on the show, were not always every week and my part would be very small. So I might only have to go in one day for shooting in a particular week. And although I had to attend 3 hours of school on the set, I obviously was not in class at my regular school. As the episodes I was in increased and my parts in those episodes got bigger, I was out of my regular school more and more. I was fortunate in that it did not have a negative effect in an academic sense. However, I believe there were other consequences that were beginning to occur. Namely, the social networks that naturally develop in school were beginning to not happen for me as a result of my going back and forth between the studio and regular school. I'm sure it was very subtle and not something that looked to be a major problem because I really enjoyed what I did at the studio. Also, our neighborhood had a very tight-knit group of kids. Although I could still do things with them, things were changing a little. I doubt that at this point my parents noticed anything relating to this, because it was only starting to dawn on me and I kept things pretty close to the chest even in those days.
At some point in 1958, I got the part of one of the "no necked monsters" (as Elizabeth Taylor's character called us) in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. In my opinion, this caused a lot of changes. Without bragging, I can say that my Larry Mondello character was getting more and more popular on the show and we were getting a surprising amount fan mail. Well, just prior to beginning production on "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," Liz Taylor's husband, Mike Todd, was tragically killed in an airplane crash. This naturally delayed production and since we as the kids were under contract for the movie, we had to be available. I don't remember the exact extent of it but it pretty much precluded doing any Beaver shows. Since as I said, Larry Mondello was getting more and more popular, the producers were not too crazy about having to write scripts without me. (Again, no conceit intended.)
After I again became available for LITB the Producers wanted to make sure that they had more control and so they put me under contract. This was a great thing for all the reasons you can imagine: money, prestige, etc. As far as I know, at that time I was the only non-Cleaver under contract. I assume that Ken Osmond and possibly Frank Bank were put under contract as time went by and more Wally-centric episodes were written.
Now keep in mind, up until this point I'm still going back and forth between Studio schools at MGM, for "Cat" and Universal for Beaver. So when I went under contract, now I'm going to be attending school on the set everyday. Plus I began to take part in the whole 5 day process of each episode: The "Reading" on Monday; rehearsals on Tuesday; and shooting on Wednesday Thursday and Friday, [I want to mention here that I especially enjoyed the Monday Readings. They were very laid back. We sat around a table and read our lines and got a feel for the episode for the first time. For characters that were not there, which was most of the non-principals, somebody else like the director or assistant director would say the lines. It was really neat when you said your line you got a laugh from the whole table]
What I did not realize at the time was that I was becoming even more estranged from friends because I was at the studio all the time. I know that Jerry and Tony did that day in and day out for 6 years and it didn't seem to bother them. The same goes for other successful child actors. I can only say how I felt in that position. All my friends we're starting to get interested in girls and there were dances and parties that kids were going to. Yes, of course I could have gone do these different things but since I was not going to school with them I did not feel like I was part of the group. Ironically, if I had played up the Beaver thing more I probably could have been the most popular kid in town. LOL But again that's not who I was.
Gradually, I started letting my parents know how I felt. And I guess they began to see some negative effects on me. Eventually, I was flat-out telling them that I didn't want to do the show anymore. And this is from a young boy who had loved acting in the series. So my parents had to do what they felt was necessary to get me out of the contract. Perhaps this is where Barbara Billingsley or someone else thought my mother was being a terrible stage mother. If being a stage mother means looking out for the best interests of your child, I'm sure my mother would have proudly worn that title.
Over the next couple years I did do some other TV shows here and there but they did not consume my time like LITB had done. Eventually we did move to Philly in early 1963. I can't say I regret that because I would not have my wife and daughter if we didn't make the move. In watching the shows again over the last several months i'm glad to say it only brings back very good memories. But let me confess one thing: The first time I saw another kid at the desk behind Judy Hensler, it brought a tear to my eye and a lump to my throat".
Wow. Just wow. If this comment truly comes from Mr. Stevens then I am just thrilled to hear this. Mr. Stevens, it gave me a lump in my throat when you said you saw another kid sitting behind Judy Hensler and it brought a tear to your eye. I’m just a big fan of the show. You are/were a very very talented actor. You didn’t “act”. Even though you were acting. Every episode with you and Jerry Mathers is so full of truth. To this day it bugs me that Larry Mondello wouldn’t be on the show when that fourth season came around. Well no more of the best episodes of Leave It To Beaver. No one really ever filled Beaver’s best friend shoes after you. Okay so I’m not going to go on and on and take up anymore real estate here. Thank you for posting this comment. I really hope it’s true. The biggest Larry Mondello fan ever - Cari ☮️ PS Mr. Stevens at least at that young age you realized like Larry once said “ Why go where there’s trouble?” 😃
Rusty made a mark on TV that will last for generations. It would have been nice if there had been more episodes for his fans to enjoy. But child actors almost always have brief show biz careers. He has enjoyed life. That's better than any gold plated award.
ARE YOU OCD ? OR WRITING A BOOK --GIVE ME ANXIETY TRYING TO SCROLL PAST YOUR COMMENT.
LONGEST COMMENT ON YOU TUBE WHAT'S YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE EVOLUTION OF TIME ?
@Kim Smith NO IAM NOT ADD -- LIFE IS NO LONGER TEXT BOOK --SOCIETY ISN'T SCREWED UP BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKED ME -- IT'S PEOPLE LIKE YOU WHO LIVE IN THE PAST -- GET OFF YOUR COMPUTER LOOK OUT THE WINDOW / WHO CARES IF YOU BRING THE TEACHER AN APPLE EVERY DAY AND GETS TO SIT ON THE FRONT ROW IN CLASS. NO IAM NOT ADD I COUNCIL YOUTH GROUPS / I TEACH OUT DOOR SURVIVAL CLASSES /VOLUNTEER AT 2 LOCAL FACILITIES FOR THE MENTAL HANDICAP / I PLAY PROFESSIONAL MUSIC AND DO FREE BENEFITS SHOWS 20 TO 30 TIMES A YEAR, IF YOU THINK IAM WHAT'S WRONG WITH SOCIETY? WELL THAT'S YOUR OPINION. I THINK. IF YOU KEEP ON LIVING BY THE BOOK AND BRING THE TEACHER AN APPLE EVERY DAY YOU WILL HAVE YOUR FAIR SHARE OF TIME ERASING THE CHALKBOARD -- IAM NOT TRYING TO MEAN -- I DON'T OCD ON ONE SUBJECT-- I DON'T ADD I RECOGNIZE THERE'S A SOCIETY. LOOK UP DEFINITION OF A.D.D YOUR COMMENT WAS OFF TRACK. LOOK UP O.C D THEN GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL COMMENT. KEEP BRINGING APPLES YOUR SURE TO GET AN A+ BYE THE WAY I DON'T SHOUT IAM LEGALLY BLIND.
I was ten years old in 1957. It was one of my favorite shows.
There was one aspect of the show that was troubling for me. The show was so compelling that I often identified so strongly with the predicaments they (especially Beaver) were in that I just couldn't watch because it was too uncomfortable. I literally had to leave the room.
The guys my age really wanted to be as "cool" as Walley. If only life were as simple now as it back then.
Thanks!
Well said (written)
“He punched me where I almost had my operation”. Larry was the BEST!
I Love Beaver and Larry I watch Leave it to Beaver every morning
Lol
I saw Rusty again and KNEW it was updated so I couldn't click fast enough! I am so glad you got the real story! Made my day!
Yep, as much as it was a pain to revise the video...the real story definitely made it all worthwhile! 🙂
@@jdsundstrom I'm sure re-doing all that took some time and I think I speak for a bunch in saying thank you! Honestly, I kind of expected an update. I figured that lovely video would draw the real story out.
With the sad passing of Tony Dow, nice to hear he is still with us and doing quite well.
Yep. We've still got the actors who played Beaver, Larry and Judy with us.
@@jdsundstrom I agree with you 100% Percent!
@@jdsundstrom Gilbert (Steven Talbot) is still with us, too.❤
I liked Larry he was a trip
I watch 2 episodes of Leave it to Beaver every morning. My day doesn't seem right without it.
I grew up watching the Leave it to Beaver show. My childhood was at the same pace as the characters. The shows were current when I was watching them. The friendship between Larry and the Beaver seemed so authentic to me. They all seemed like regular neighborhood friends to me. Always loved this show!
Great post euroak77! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Larry and the Beaver were perfect as best friends in the show. I was sad when Larry left the show. Thank you you telling us what happened to him. I wonder if he kept in touch with any of the cast.
You're welcome, Melody! I can't say for certain...but it doesn't sound like he stayed close to any of the cast members.
I love the way Larry Mondello would pretend to eat an apple, or the expression on his face when he would say Gee Beaver, or they would get in trouble and he would ditch Beaver. Priceless humor. Sad to say our culture has gone down the toilet and we now embrace thuggery and disrespect.
AMEN!
Well said 🙏
Hey, your post was great until you ruined it with that last weird sentence. (Which is untrue of course, no one embraces what you mentioned).
Daniel Howard. Hey, you are entitled to your opinion, but upi hsvr o poiny of reference stemming from real life experience. Back in the Leave it to Beaver days nobody felt compelled to lock their front doors whereas today everybody has dead bols and double dead bols, securityu syustems, and a pit bull. Embrace that concpet, err I mean reality.
Larry was always getting Beaver in trouble.
😈
I like the Larry character, he was always getting Beaver into trouble. I liked the episode when Larry stole the money from his mom's sewing bag, and took Beaver to the carnival. Another good episode is when he talked Beaver into playing catch with Ward's autographed baseball. Those 2 had some great adventures together.
Yep...amazing adventures that Beaver never would have had with him!
With Babe Ruth's autograph, worth a million or more today
I remember those episodes too...😁😁😁😁😁
"Oh Larry,......when your father gets home from Cincinnati..........."
his Dad was never home b/c he had another whole family in Cincinnati.
His mother was perfect, too!
Like the video states, his TV mom appears so much older...almost could've played his grandmother, since in 1957 he was 9 and his mother was 58!
Hahahaha...I would always think Old Man Mondelo was cheating on those "business trips"
* There was also his never seen but always mentioned older sister & an older married brother also mentioned but never seen. ♣
A great actor loved His facial expressions.
Thanks for this Dave! ... "Larry Mondello" is truly amazing in this show. I was watching reruns and thought ... I got to look him up, he's so good, he must have been in many other shows. I am sad to find out he didn't do much else after Beaver in terms of acting.
Larry was a riot! i loved the way he always convinced Beaver to do something , and then left him holding the bag.
Gilbert, Whitey, and Richard also led the gullible beaver into trouble.
I always felt that was wrong.
My 10 year old son's favorite show. Gives me hope that classic tv won't die.
I am glad the real reason he left is such a positive one. Thanks for updating us.
You’re welcome, Leah!
@@jdsundstrom thanks for keeping everything positive! I got to meet Tony Dow at a charity lunch Eddie Mecca, Stanley Livingston and Cathy Garver. Dawn Wells was supposed to be there but someting
larry was the funniest of beavers friends
Your right about that.
@Judy G if larry wasn't in an episode i was so disappointed.
He was great. He always warmed my heart. I agree, he just seemed so natural. It never seemed like he was acting. Thank you for the video. :-)
You're welcome, johnsgirl62!
I have wondered for YEARS what happened to Rusty! Thank you for sharing the recent pics and the information! 👍
His roles on the show are priceless!
I went to Northeast High School in Philadelphia, Pa. Rusty was in my gym class. He would never talk about the show. Which is why the idea that he just wanted to be normal rings true. We graduated in 1966.
I graduated NEHS in 1969 and don't see him listed on the 66 graduation list.
@michele scull Thanks for sharing, Michele!
Hi Glenn, he's not listed as "Rusty Stevens", his name is Robert Stevens. page 229 in our yearbook. By the way my names not michele (it's a niece), I'm Craig on page 214.
Wow. I didn't know he went to northeast high. I graduated from there in 77. I hope he stayed away from Howard Eskin. Ty for sharing this. Go Vikings
I love ...Leave it to Beaver...watch it every morning..still as good as 55 to 60 yrs ago
Michael W Dukes same here, coffee and LITB doesn't get any better.
How the hell did Trump come into this.....
Yep. Watch it as I'm getting ready to work.
@Agent Orange . . . . and?
@@michaelwdukes2377 comment from agent orange .
I wasn't born until 1967 but I love this show which I watch on Metv Mon through Friday every morning.
Thanks for updating this vid and clarifying what had happened to Rusty. I watched an episode of LitB after your vid, and had almost forgotten what a wiseguy Larry was. He was such a character. Speaking of characters, you should do a vid on Eddie Haskell. HahA! Oh man, that guy was hilarious. Thanks for posting!
Rometiklan oh yeah Larry Haskell, 0 boy what a used car sales man in the making, you tell me what is. That was one funny character🤣🤣
We still Love you Larry even now!
Hi Dave! Another great segment!! I always felt sorry for Larry Mondello in Leave it to Beaver. He had an overbearing mother who looked more like his grand mother than his mother( Marge Blake aka Aunt Harriett in Batman) and a father that was always out of town. The show even mentions an older sister on several episodes. Larry was a good friend to Beaver, but was often the person who got Beaver into trouble with his parents and at school. I think we all had a friend kind of like Larry when we were kids so we can relate to him in the show. Rusty did a great job portraying Larry and wish he could have remained an active character in the show. Could you do a future segment on Joseph Kearns who played Mr. Wilson on Dennis the Menace. Thanks!
I certainly had a friend like Larry. Lost track of him for a while but then after high school we worked together for a short period of time at a K-mart. And you know what, aside from getting a bit older, Brad really hadn't changed all that much!
I've always felt that for a childhood actor, Rusty played his part very naturally, in a very believable manner. And his character was a great addition to the show; Larry was to Beaver as Eddie was to Wally - the troublemaker friend.
Thank you for uploading 🙂 one of my all time favorite shows. I watch it every single day!
I watched the show as a kid, identified with Beaver. As an adult with 2 boys, I came to identify with Ward. His humor was hilarious!
I was surprised to see Rusty Stevens show up in an early 1962 episode of My Three Sons. Rusty appeared in the episode titled "Bub Gets A Job" playing a character very similar to his Leave It To Beaver role, only a little older.
Thank Jesus this guy became a normal dude. I am sure he is better off.
What did jesus have to do with it?
He's worth 18 million in 2020
@Fred Forbes Somebody has gotta burn.
GOD BLESS YOU, INFINITELY! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!
@@jhonyermo EVERTHING!
Best quote: "I was sick that day so I don't have to know nuthing."
"Wait 'til your father comes home." Loved Madge Blake (also a supporting character on the Joey Bishop Show, and the MC at the Hollywood fest in the opening of the movie "Singing In The Rain"). Larry Mondello appeared on the show when 'The Beve' was at that most impressionable stage of his development, and so was able quite easily to work his conniving ways to influence Beaver's actions, albeit the fact that even a very young Beaver was often quite suspicious of his best friends intentions. I loved how after talking Beaver into a jam Larry would always worm his way out of the resulting consequences, leaving Beaver to hold the proverbial bag knowing quite well just how he had been played. I think 'in a way' Eddie Haskell was an older version of what Larry Mondello might have become had his character played out. Besides Larry's father never being around, there was the unseen sister who often enough caused grief for Larry. With so many troubling things in his life Larry was bound to have some psychological flaws in his later years. Liking Larry as much as I did, I'm actually glad he left the show while he was at his most innocent -- although to me the show was never the same without him. I'm glad he is happy in his personal life and am curious as to what profession he wound up in (?). 5/2019
I really enjoy these shorts . You do a great job with them. Thanks.
Thank you very much, Chad!
Always liked Larry. Never cared for Gilbert.
I was a bit of a fan of Eddie. He was overtly ingratiating, in a hypocritical sort of way. It was sometimes ambiguous whether Ward and June were fooled when he acted overly polite, or they saw right through him.
Yeah Gilbert you could tell he was a mama's boy now whitey
He was always so cool a troublemaker at heart it could provoke beaver especially when it came to girls
I loved Larry. He was the best compliment to old Beav. He was always eating a apple😂
How about whitey ?
I didn’t care for Gilbert either
Thanks always wondered what happened to Larry on Leave it to Beaver.
Very time I saw Larry I said to myself "oh no.. here comes Larry" and it always meant trouble. This show was good, clean pure entertainment that families of today could learn from. It's sad that families are no longer like this.
Great job! Many thanks never missed an episode! Unreal how they mirrored many kids lives of that day!
I know, right?
Great vid. Answered what i always wondered about. I absolutely love the episodes that featured Larry. He was perfect in the show. I missed his absence very much.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video, Leopold!
@@jdsundstrom Sorry, but the truth has to lay somewhere between Billingsley's description and Stevens. It would be interesting to hear what Mathers and Dow have to say about it all.
Larry was awesome, made the show, really good actor. Missed him a lot, his episodes are my favorites. 💖
@@DDumbrille fifa
@@joannoriol6444 I
Thanks for this! I grew up with Leave it to Beaver and your have brought back wonderful memories; not just of the show but also of a more gentle time in America.
Larry was a real instigator from whom Beaver needed protection. Great little actor.
Larry was a instigator, but I think Whitey was worse. Larry was more innocent. I love LITB.
Always enjoyed Larry's character. I grew up on 60/70s TV shows. I'm a subscriber also. You're doing great job.
Thanks for the kind words, MGPB!
Thanks for this video, Larry Mondello kept the show real. He was always pulling an apple out of his pocket and eating it. Also he would talk The Beaver into doing silly things, like getting money out of Mrs. Mondello's sewing basket to spend and then saying maybe an airplane had dropped it outside in the bushes. Of course, one mess Larry didn't get the blame for was getting Beaver stuck up on the Zesto Soup billboard!
singspiration12 I just saw the episode where Larry pulled bologna sandwiches out of his pockets he and The Beaver were to eat while skipping out on their Cotillion lessons. He was so funny.
Dave, thanks for updating.
When I had trouble accessing your first upload, which I so vividly remembered just viewing, I thought I was experiencing the "Mondello" effect!
Ha! Now that's funny!
I remember this show and watched it every week while I was growing up. Thanks for sharing.
I saw an episode of Wagon Train recently which had a group of boys. The eldest boy was none other than Rusty about 13 years old.
"Gee Beaver, do you think we ought to?"
LMAO!!!!!!!
Larry Mondello character seemed so genuinely real. It's hard to believe that Rusty was actually acting, his character was so true to form.
I once had a dream i met Larry Mondello. I was walking down the street when i met him. He was still a kid like in the show and he was in black and white.everything else was in color. He said Hi with that charismatic smile of his. I love that character!
Thats quite a dream. B and w, and color.
i watched the reruns when I was a kid and then all the reunion shows. I just recently found it again on MeTV and have been reading a lot about it. Thanks for this video!!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video, Lisa!
Rusty appeared in an episode of My Three Sons, playing a spoiled kid buying a suit from Bub. He was a little older.
I saw Rusty on Wagon Train (Sam Darland storey) w/ a very young Billy Mumi and Art Linkletter. Dave, gotta do something on Billy. He is a good child actor ending. Very interesting to see the actor/musician and musicians he was associated with. Also he has done a lot of movie/TV scores.
"I was getting holler'd at long distance"
Thanks for the update on Larry. My family and I always sat down together and watched the Beave.
Wally's wayward friends are so iconic and well known, but Beaver hung out with the best oddities. Larry is a legend, but later I became fascinated by the diabolical Gilbert Bates. Like so many others Gilbert could really set Beaver up and then disappear when the going got tough.
I liked Larry more than all of beavers future friends
I remember Whitey & Gilbert doing Beaver wrong but not Larry. Am I forgetting a time? It just seemed like he & Beaver got in trouble by being kids.
@Stephen....guess you forgot Larry, The Rat, who borrowed $.75 cents from Beaver. And instead of repaying him like he promised. Went to movies & soda shop with Whitey & Gilbert. Was recently on METV.
@@stephenolaughlin6595 Larry was always getting beaver into trouble ......
@@stephenolaughlin6595 the time Larry stole his mom's money out of her sewing basket and had beaver look for it on the ground and made him believe it fell out of the airplane.. it was Larry's fault but Beaver still got in trouble for it LOL 😂😂
@@agator7388 3
I never ever missed an episode of Leave it to Beaver.
His brother Ken, was one of my high school football coaches and a middle school teacher.
Thanks for the wonderful video--- and settling the mystery! Rusty was my first TV crush at age 7-- along with Gilligan. Such talent did I grow up with on TV!
Rusty, thank you for your service. As a matter of fact, I'm watching the rerun of the show as I type this.
I went to junior high school with Bob Stevens, aka, Larry Mondello. He was a grade ahead of me at David Starr Jordan Junior High School in Burbank, California. Then he just disappeared.
I think many of us had a Larry Mondello type of friend growing up.I certainly did.The Larry character was outrageously funny...Loved when the Beave would haul off and give Larry a shot to his stomach.Just classic.Too bad Larry didn't run with the show till the end.He was truly a perfect fit although if you watch the episodes closely enough, you can see by Rusty's facial expressions that he was a nervous kid.So your explanation for his leaving the show makes plenty of sense Dave.Yet another great job here👍👍
Just discovered this guys program here on you tube. His narration is simply amazing and I'm for sure addicted
Thanks for the kind words, John! They are truly appreciated. 🙂
Sweet ..... Wow that’s so cool Dave how you got the extra info and got a update ‼️👋Thanks Dave for the extra time ❣️‼️ You and yours have a great one‼️Nicely done 👍
Thanks Thelma! I think the newly-revised version has a much happier ending. 🙂
Dave Sundstrom Yes it gives closer no longer wondering what if.
I love how Larry would pull a candy bar out of his sock and smell the wrapper before he opened it, I love that face he made!!
Remember when he'll be at Beavers front door and always peeks in his mailbox
He had great facial expressions.
I like, many others, loved Leave It to Beaver when I was a little boy. Every day I would race to the tv to watch the show. I still watch the reruns. It makes me feel like a kid all over again. I remember the coffee cup episode.
Good for Rusty! I'm glad he and his parents saved him from the crazy life of most childhood actors.... Larry/Rusty was one of the best parts of the show indeed. Beaver always fell for his dares and went astray, Larry was the class clown that we all remember also. Sometimes I wonder why I still watch this show, seems like I should have grown up many many years ago...I relate to Lumpy, Eddy, and Larry, and always dreamt of having the Cleavers as parents....I remember one time foolishly voicing this to my mother, her obvious reply was that she wished she had Wally and Beaver as kids, instead of us four brats!
Your mother has a pretty quick wit!
Good point
I Love leave it to Beaver
Still watch it every morning lol
josef bailey I just love beaver...
+Greenid Guy I saw what you just did there. LOL!
crapple009 🤣🤣🤣🤣 👍🏻
Grew up with and loved this show and still do to this day. Most every morning when I sit down to eat breakfast, I put on a rerun from tv of the Leave it to Beaver show. My husband gets a big kick out of me doing this, however he too sits in the background laughing at all the antics. Just gives me a warm comfy feeling in light of all we have going on in the world today.
I was also one of those children that grew up watching the show on rerun and I loved it.
if there was ever a more natural kid actor then i havn't seen them.
Opie
Jerry was also a natural, and he started at 6 years old in films, in 1954, prior to that he was a child model in a department store ad. He is now 71 this past June 2 (2019), and so is Jeri Weil who played antagnoist "Judy Hensler." Robert Stevens will be 71 on Nov. 25.
Grew up loving The Beav, and actually went to a library as a kid growing up in Petaluma, CA that had a classic library featured in the episode "Beaver's Library Book". Really brought my 'Leave it to Beaver' childhood full circle! Thanks for the vid!
That's really cool, Kai! Thanks for sharing.
Dave, I ALWAYS enjoy your brief bios of these great and often forgotten actors. Just watched the one about Eddie Haskell's passing last week. If not for people like you, people like us who grew up in the 60s would get no more than a very short (if any) tiny mention of these actors. There is another actor on the TV show, "Land of the Giants", Don Marshall. I actually had to GOOGLE him to find out if he was still around, discovering he had passed just last year (If I recall correctly). Thanks very much for your informative and wonderful video documentaries!
Thanks for the kind words, cakebaker B! One of these days, I'll get around to doing a video or two about Land of the Giants. :)
@@jdsundstrom Awesome!I would LOVE to see it!
It is nice to see a you re-editing the video upon coming across new information.
It felt like the right thing to do. 🙂
Bring back memories when I was a child, better days love those old shows, today shows there are no comparison.
Larry was perfect on the show, always finding ways to get him and Beaver in trouble. But I'm glad he wanted to live a normal life. Stardom can go to their heads and they can become obnoxious.
Lots if great episodes with Larry. Couple of favorites were the day they skipped school and wound up on TV. And the one where he ran away from home to hide out in Beaver n Wally's tub. Kid was a natural.
Thanks for this update about "Leave It To Beaver" one of my favorite tv shows. Btw, the fab Madge Blake was also in another classic show, "The Real McCoys", which starred the late actor, Walter Brennan. She played his "girlfriend". I forgot her name in the show. Good family show.
I loved Larry. No one could ever replace Larry. He and Eddie Haskell. I always loved episodes with Larry were my favorite.
I LOVED LARRY...AND EDDIE HASKELL
Same
Thanks for the info on Larry, I am a big fan of Leave it to Beaver. 👍👍
You're welcome, Treasure_Hunters! I'm a big fan as well. 🙂
I like the one when Larry through money out the window from his mom's sewing box then he told bever to look on the ground because an airplane had dropped it.bever and Larry went to the carnival.
The dancing lesson episode was hilarious. They "ditched" the lessons and rode a horse.
Or the time Larry talked Beaver into letting the older kid take his new bike down the road for a quick test ride, and he never came back.
And then there was the time they drilled holes through the side of the garage.
And didn't they ditch school once to go watch some sort of live show so Larry could get free candy, and they ended up being seen on TV.
That was on this past week!
The one where he sleeps over and they get in a fight and Larry wants to go home because Beaver punched him where he almost had an operation and Ward goes to all the trouble to get a cab and the cab gets there and Beaver and Larry have forgotten about the fight and then Larry went on to eat candy bars during the night and got a stomach ache and then got rid of the stomach ache the good old fashioned way. Dang I love that episode. It’s so real. I punched my best friend in the stomach because we went on the Bozo tv show and she got picked to play a game on tv and I didn’t. Our moms were so upset and I was going to get in trouble but we forgot all about it very quickly to our mother’s surprise and continued on like nothing happened. I did have to apologize though. Then we played with the stupid coloring book she got from Bozo as a consolation prize for not winning the game she got picked for. So funny. The bow and arrow that busted that Beaver bought himself upon Larry’s nudging instead of the camera for Wally’s birthday. These slices of children’s lives rang true.
@@79goldmaster1 Obviously, Beaver and Larry had never been on a horse before, and didn't realize that when you ride one, you and your clothing end up smelling a bit "horsey" -- no way that will escape June's and Ward's noses!
Madge Blake was a gem. In addition to Beaver and Batman she also played Joey Bishop's mother in his original series, which included Marlo Thomas and Warren Berlinger. You have to catch Madge nervously singing "Paddlin' Madelyn Home" - she was a comic genius.
I loved her as sweet Flora McMichael on The Real McCoys.
I still watch this and record it... my husband doesn’t get it .. but there is nothing better than these old sitcoms!
Yah, no one else in my home gets it either. That said, I love watching these old sit-coms with their kind and gentle pace
Oh wow! This is great to hear. I hope it’s true. I’ve forever wondered about Mr. Robert Rusty Stevens. He was just gone. No explanation or goodbye see ya later and one more apple for his pocket . Just *poof* gone. He was the only kid that really seemed like Beaver’s actual friend. They had that magical friendship chemistry together. Mr. Stevens was so masterful in his depiction of, well, a kid. They played their parts with such honesty. I was a girl even and I watched the show religiously in re-runs as a kid and still do. I watch it everyday. “Let’s just lets not go.” “Maybe an airplane flew upside down and the money fell out of the pilots pockets”. “ He punched me where I almost had my operation.” Hey Mr Stevens! Thank you for being the Beavers’ best pal for almost four years. Stop by the You Tube streets anytime and all your fans will be so happy to see you. You’ll be a star ⭐️ forever. Thank you for posting this video. ☮️ and may you have a bologna sandwich for each pocket always. 🍎🍎