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Jeebo

(2,026 posts)
Thu May 5, 2016, 12:01 PM May 2016

Why do Wally and the Beaver have to share a bedroom?

In the opening-credits sequence on "Leave It To Beaver" there is a shot of the Cleaver house from the front. That is a BIG house with only four people living in it. There must be at least four or five bedrooms in that house. So, I always wonder, WHY do Wally and the Beaver have to share a bedroom? I would've been really pissed about not having my own room. -- Ron

27 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Why do Wally and the Beaver have to share a bedroom? (Original Post) Jeebo May 2016 OP
Because the producers of the show didn't want to create another set? malthaussen May 2016 #1
Sharing a room allows for a lot of dialogue,especially sarcastic Eddie Haskell remarks to "the Beav" virtualobserver May 2016 #2
Boys of that era shared a bedroom The Second Stone May 2016 #3
Indeed Dyedinthewoolliberal May 2016 #17
Because houses in the late 1950s and early 1960s were absurdly small by today's standards Recursion May 2016 #4
I live in one now. n/t Iris May 2016 #19
I couldn't have said it better myself. nt raccoon May 2016 #23
I lived in one about 5 years ago. Miles Archer May 2016 #27
Well, Ward had to have his "study" hamsterjill May 2016 #5
It's most every teenage boy's dream Kaleva May 2016 #6
There were hundreds of scenes of Wally and Beaver talking in their room lunatica May 2016 #7
Why does June Cleaver say this to Ward? hibbing May 2016 #8
The first case of sex abuse ever shown on television! lastlib May 2016 #16
Same reason the six Brady kids had to share one bathroom. DawgHouse May 2016 #9
The Bradys had three kids per bedroom. Until Greg turned 'hippie' and moved to the attic. Special Prosciuto May 2016 #12
Well, let's see now jmowreader May 2016 #10
I remember Ward's den being on the 1st floor, off the main entrance. Gidney N Cloyd May 2016 #18
They had their own bathroom upstairs. murielm99 May 2016 #11
"Leave It To Beaver" broke new ground by showing a toilet on screen. Coventina May 2016 #13
Now and then I watch reruns on Antenna TV. murielm99 May 2016 #14
Ward! Ward! Those noises are coming from the boys' room again! KamaAina May 2016 #15
Because June wanted a nice guest room. n/t Iris May 2016 #20
Ward and June had separate bedrooms. Also, June needed a room for her vast collection... greendog May 2016 #21
Back in those difficult times, MOST kids had a share a bedroom with one or more sibs. raccoon May 2016 #22
Spare room was for when Eddie Haskel stayed over. kairos12 May 2016 #24
A similar question can be asked of the Brady house. Orrex May 2016 #25
They never showed Wards man cave liberal N proud May 2016 #26

malthaussen

(17,216 posts)
1. Because the producers of the show didn't want to create another set?
Thu May 5, 2016, 12:10 PM
May 2016

Well, they reasonably could have re-dressed the same set for scenes if they wanted to, I suppose, but maybe having the two share a bedroom provided for more dramatic possibilities. After all, it was a TV show, not real life.

Re-dressing the set would have taken some production time, though, and that might have been a consideration. Perhaps it wasn't seen as cost-effective.

-- Mal

 

virtualobserver

(8,760 posts)
2. Sharing a room allows for a lot of dialogue,especially sarcastic Eddie Haskell remarks to "the Beav"
Thu May 5, 2016, 12:15 PM
May 2016

They would have to talk to themselves in the separate bedroom scenario.

Recursion

(56,582 posts)
4. Because houses in the late 1950s and early 1960s were absurdly small by today's standards
Thu May 5, 2016, 12:20 PM
May 2016

Like, would probably be illegal to live in today.

Miles Archer

(18,837 posts)
27. I lived in one about 5 years ago.
Thu May 12, 2016, 10:38 AM
May 2016

Garage barely fit my car. Tiny bathroom. Three bedrooms. Tiny. The third one legally could not be called a bedroom because it had a sliding glass door but no closet (has to have a closet to be classified as a "bedroom&quot . "Master" bedroom had just enough room for my king size bed and a couple of dressers. Walking room around the bed of about a foot or two but that was the total available floor space. Living room was about the size you'd see in a one bedroom apartment. Kitchen was tiny. Built in 1956.

hamsterjill

(15,224 posts)
5. Well, Ward had to have his "study"
Thu May 5, 2016, 12:38 PM
May 2016

Probably had a den, etc. Children were, in some ways, an after thought back then. As the youngest of four siblings from that era, heck, I was happy to have a bed!!! LOL

But we DID have dinner every evening with everyone around the table. There was, like just about anything, both good and bad.

jmowreader

(50,562 posts)
10. Well, let's see now
Fri May 6, 2016, 04:19 AM
May 2016

Assume the house has four bedrooms.

Ward and June have one.

One is being used as Ward's den.

In the 1950s, EVERYONE had a guest bedroom.

This leaves one bedroom.

Unless the Beav is going to sleep on the couch in the living room, he has to live in the same room as Wally.

Gidney N Cloyd

(19,847 posts)
18. I remember Ward's den being on the 1st floor, off the main entrance.
Sun May 8, 2016, 10:56 PM
May 2016

You come in and turn left, you're in his den, turn right and you're in the living room.
Cool house. I think Marcus Welby used the same exterior.

murielm99

(30,761 posts)
11. They had their own bathroom upstairs.
Fri May 6, 2016, 06:20 AM
May 2016

There are a few scenes where they are cleaning up and talking together in the bathroom.

There was one episode where Beaver went through elaborate deceptions to avoid taking a bath. He put water in the tub, spread dirt around to create a ring, got towels wet, etc.

Coventina

(27,172 posts)
13. "Leave It To Beaver" broke new ground by showing a toilet on screen.
Fri May 6, 2016, 04:59 PM
May 2016

First TV show to do so.


People make fun of it, but it was actually a really progressive show for its time.

It tackled issues like divorce, animal rights, and child abuse. Not subjects of "polite society" of the time.....

murielm99

(30,761 posts)
14. Now and then I watch reruns on Antenna TV.
Fri May 6, 2016, 05:26 PM
May 2016

Eddie Haskell will be forever iconic.

But on "All in the Family," we actually hear the "terlet" being flushed!

greendog

(3,127 posts)
21. Ward and June had separate bedrooms. Also, June needed a room for her vast collection...
Mon May 9, 2016, 10:10 PM
May 2016

...of poisonous spiders.

raccoon

(31,119 posts)
22. Back in those difficult times, MOST kids had a share a bedroom with one or more sibs.
Wed May 11, 2016, 04:08 PM
May 2016

A room of our own is something most of us--including me--didn't have.

Nowadays people seem to take it for granted.

Orrex

(63,224 posts)
25. A similar question can be asked of the Brady house.
Thu May 12, 2016, 07:23 AM
May 2016

Six kids crammed into two rooms. Way to architect, Mike Brady.

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