We've all got dreams. And while we're children, those dreams are at their most vivid. Then, we grow up and become beloved sitcom stars. Our public images are inseparable from our most famous character, a young kid named Beaver whose "gee, shucks" antics delighted the world.  It's tough to be what we want to be when people only see us as the star of Leave It to Beaver.

Or, maybe that was just the case for Jerry Mathers.

One of the most fascinating aspects of Leave It to Beaver is the behind-the-scenes details the show left behind. Through newspaper profiles, memoirs, and documentaries, fans can now piece together some fun and interesting stories about what the people who made this show were really like.

One of the most revealing insights those historical documents illustrate is the fact that Jerry Mathers, forever The Beaver, was just a normal kid.

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Jerry MathersLeave It to Beaver

Jerry Mathers received over 1,000 fan letters a week

In a 1962 profile in The Sentinel, Jerry Mathers gave us a look at where he really wanted to be in life. It turns out, his aspirations resided mostly outside the confines of Hollywood.

At the time, his biggest ambition in life was to own a cool car. More importantly, 14-year-old Mathers was intent on putting the hypothetical hot rod together himself.

"I'm either going to be a hot car driver when I get older or a football player," said Mathers. "Maybe I'll do both."

For details about Jerry Mathers, football career be sure to read about the time he got absolutely destroyed by a future Oakland Raider.

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