Tony Dow said that Wally Cleaver would have become more outspoken as he got older

"I think probably Wally Cleaver would have gotten involved in all that stuff."

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Everyone loves a bad boy. Why do you think there were so many girls fawning over The Fonz in Happy Days? A decent bad boy is tough to come across these days, but no less appreciated. While they may seem a bit rough around the edges, the best part of a bad boy is that heart of gold they're hiding beneath their sharp exterior.

While Wally Cleaver isn't taking top billing on any "bad boy" list, Tony Dow would implore you not to count the character out.

At first glance, it can be difficult to imagine a single character in Leave It to Beaver that could be defined as "rebellious." Sure, there are characters like Lumpy or Eddie. But those boys are more annoyances than anything more serious.

However, Tony Dow was afforded a luxury that few actors are in their career; the opportunity to revisit a character he had played years ago. In 1983, most of the Leave It to Beaver cast reunited for a television special. This program was so popular that it was developed into a Leave It to Beaver spinoff, in which audiences were invited to revisit the Cleaver family in the series Still the Beaver.

During an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Tony Dow discussed returning to the role of Wally Cleaver. Dow revealed that in his opinion, Wally would become quite outspoken.

"I think probably Wally Cleaver would have gotten involved in all that stuff, but I don't feel like getting up on a soap box and telling anybody else how to do it," said Dow. "Of course, we're talking about the Vietnam War, so it doesn't take a great amount of brains to get up and say, 'This is bogus.'"

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1 Comments

Runeshaper 12 days ago
I always find it interesting to hear how actors and actresses would think their characters would evolve over time. I usually find it fun and entertaining to think about the progression of these characters too.
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