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You Look Great, Mrs. Cleaver: Leave It To Beaver's Eddie Haskell Dies
Another part of your childhood is gone and the 2020 parade of misery continues with the news that Ken Osmond has passed away. If that name isn't familiar, you certainly know the classic character he played on 60s TV: Eddie Haskell, the obnoxious, obsequious suck-up "friend" of Wally Cleaver, who was constantly getting the brothers in trouble.
He was so good in the role and the character became so infamous that just saying the name "Eddie Haskell" was enough to conjure up a certain kind of odious person for an entire generation of kids and parents.
Osmond repeated the role in several remakes but eventually left acting to become a motorcycle cop. (Imagine being stopped by Eddie Haskell for speeding. What a nightmare!)
No cause of death was given but the actor was only 76.
Ken Osmond, Eddie Haskell on 'Leave It to Beaver,' dies
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Re: You Look Great, Mrs. Cleaver: Leave It To Beaver's Eddie Haskell Dies
Two great factoids about Eddie Haskell I'd heard before but long forgotten about. These are from Deadline.com.
"In the 1970s, Osmond become the subject of a widely-circulated urban legend: That he had taken on a new persona as the rock star Alice Cooper. (Cooper, whose birth name is Vincent Furnier, would later be photographed wearing a t-shirt reading “No, I’m Not Eddie Haskell.”)
"In Leave It To Beaver’s original 1957 pilot, which resurfaced three decades later, the Haskell-type character was named Frankie and was played by future SNL, The Simpsons and This Is Spinal Tap actor Harry Shearer."
Now if only Jerry Mathers hadn't been killed in Vietnam...
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Thread Starter- mace
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Re: You Look Great, Mrs. Cleaver: Leave It To Beaver's Eddie Haskell Dies
In its six year run, Leave It To Beaver never cracked the top 30 in the Neilsen ratings. Probably because of the stiff competition it faced. CBS cancelled it after one season against Disneyland and Wagon Train. On ABC it faced I Love Lucy reruns, Wanted Dead Or Alive and The Defenders. In the series final season, it struggled against Perry Mason and Dr. Kildaire
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Re: You Look Great, Mrs. Cleaver: Leave It To Beaver's Eddie Haskell Dies
It didn't really become iconic until it went into reruns. And while I'll admit it was never a favourite of mine, it's now solidified into a cultural touchstone. As one obit pointed out, for a time if you called someone an "Eddie Haskell," everyone knew the kind of person you were describing. That's an impact!
Of course, it's not the only series that flopped during its run and only became a smash hit after it went into syndication. Another one comes to mind. It ran only 3 seasons (and only because viewer outcry convinced NBC to give it a third season despite not great ratings) and lasted just 79 episodes before seemingly being left on the trash bin of TV history. It didn't stay there, though. Its name? Star Trek.
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Thread Starter- markow202
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Re: You Look Great, Mrs. Cleaver: Leave It To Beaver's Eddie Haskell Dies
RIP Eddie. I remember it....12 Noon on CKVR Barrie.
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Re: You Look Great, Mrs. Cleaver: Leave It To Beaver's Eddie Haskell Dies
markow202 wrote:
RIP Eddie. I remember it....12 Noon on CKVR Barrie.
CHCH has taken up the mantle of where the old independent CKVR left off. 
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Thread Starter- paterson1
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Re: You Look Great, Mrs. Cleaver: Leave It To Beaver's Eddie Haskell Dies
What made the Eddie Haskell character so great was the fact that everyone knew someone just like him growing up. Even today, there is always an Eddie Haskell slacker in any group of teenagers. The overly polite "brown noser" around adults, teachers and parents, that would turn into a mouthy smart ass know-it-all as soon as the grown ups left the room.
I always thought it was very funny when Eddie would call Beaver by his real name, Theodore around Ward and June, but would call him "squirt" when they weren't around.
Most actors say that being the bad guy, smart ass or the rougher characters are the most fun to play. You get to say and do things you wouldn't do in real life, and can really exaggerate character flaws in the person you are playing. Ken Osmond did a great job with his comical and timeless teenage portrayal of Eddie Haskell.
Last edited by paterson1 (May 19, 2020 12:24 pm)
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Re: You Look Great, Mrs. Cleaver: Leave It To Beaver's Eddie Haskell Dies
Most actors say that being the bad guy, smart ass or the rougher characters are the most fun to play. You get to say and do things you wouldn't do in real life, and can really exaggerate character flaws in the person you are playing. Ken Osmond did a great job with his comical and timeless teenage portrayal of Eddie Haskell.
Osmond made that character real and believable. Smooth operator, both of them!
Last edited by Saul (May 19, 2020 12:26 pm)
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RIP Eddie. I remember it....12 Noon on CKVR Barrie.
CHCH has taken up the mantle of where the old independent CKVR left off.
Awesome picture! CHCH somewhat has yes with the classic shows but not fully. If they could add Knight Rider id be really happy.