The Unusual Circumstances That Made ‘Leave It To Beaver’ A TV Classic

Tony Dow Was A Diving Champion

In addition to never acting before Leave it to Beaver, and working as a lifeguard, Tony Dow was also a talented diver. Not only was he talented, he was among the best in the world for his age. During his youth, he was a champion in the Junior Olympics. Talent comes in all forms — especially for Dow apparently.

How convenient would it be if a junior Olympic champion was there to save you if you were to ever get caught drowning in the pool? Swimmers definitely had a reason to feel safer. And it makes sense that he never acted before, he was most likely too busy training for the Olympics. Diving looks like a tough event that also involves tons of talent. He most likely transferred his work ethic over to acting so that he could do well in it.

The Crew Kept Their Egos In Check

The writers/producers of Leave it to Beaver asked Mathers and Dow not to watch the show, for fear that the two young actors would get too full of themselves. “The producers, who were the writers, asked us not to watch it. They didn’t want us to get a big head,” Dow said. And so they didn’t watch it! A fabulous idea at the core of things.

Keeping them level headed and humble proved to be a great way to keep them on track, as they were already performing well. Like the saying goes, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. At the other end of the spectrum, it eliminated the chance for them to critique themselves and figure how they could make their acting better. It is a well-known fact if you watch yourself on film, you can point out things that could have done better and fix them on your own.

What was Barbara Billingsly’s secret to playing such a good mother on the show? Click “Next” to find out.