I would always have a number of larger pieces I was proud of and then a number of smaller pieces. I got my first lesson in the art business. When the show ended in ’63, I got more involved in sculpting and made the rounds at the art festivals: Westwood Art Show, Del Mar Art Show, Catalina Art Festival, etc. It only needed a simple nudge to release it: “In my late teens, I was given a welding set-I don’t know why-but I started brazing copper into figures, houses, and what not. Self-expression through one’s hands was definitely lurking in young Tony’s DNA. Later in her life, she launched the Belmont Shore Art Center, which sold supplies and had art classes. She had a gourd business and made arrangements for New York City’s prestigious department store Bloomingdale’s. His mom was also an entrepreneur with an artistic bent.
Among the notables that Tony’s dad constructed homes for were legendary directors George Stevens and Billy Wilder. His father was a building designer and contractor who had built multiple homes for people who were part of the film industry. It’s an identity that he has seemingly been groomed for his entire life.ĭow grew up in a home where creativity surrounded and inspired him. His reputation is based upon his creation of wood, bronze, and mixed-media sculptures. He has carved out a standing for himself in the realm of fine arts as a first-rate sculptor. He even revived his most famous role of Wally Cleaver in a 1980s retooling of the show ( Still the Beaver, 1985 to 1989), but perhaps the best fit for Dow has been in a world that is separate from Hollywood and the demands of show business. He attained an admirable roster of credits behind the lens as a director, producer, teleplay writer, and visual-effects supervisor. In the case of Dow, the roles have not just been before the camera. However, playing a teenage son can only last so long, and other professions and other roles have to be pursued. As a member of the Beaver acting troupe, he has had fame and applause and to this day, he is recognized as a part of classic Americana. A Junior Olympics diving champion, he had the wholesome good looks and easy, graceful attitude to embody the big brother every child wished he or she could have. Tony Dow was a part of this cast and assumed the role of Wally during the show’s lifespan. It’s become emblematic of a time that has passed, or, perhaps, never really existed, but continues to be hoped for and aspired to.
WALLY ON LEAVE IT TO BEAVER TV
Leave It to Beaver has become more than just a title of a past TV program. The adventures and misadventures of this foursome entertained an audience during its nightly run and it has continued to teach good old-fashioned virtues to generation after generation via its syndication and constant reruns.
There was a wise, caring father, complete with cardigan and slippers an immaculately turned-out mom (she even wore pearls as she baked cookies) a mischievous but goodhearted little rascal of a young brother and an athletic, earnest, best-pal older brother, too. The parents, Ward and June, and their two sons, Wally and Theodore, the latter known as “Beaver,” personified the ideal nuclear family. Initially running for six years (1957 to 1963), the gentle comedy focused on the funny foibles and the easily relatable daily activities of the Cleaver family. That’s certainly the case with the late 1950s sitcom Leave It to Beaver.
Certain books, movies, TV shows rise beyond their production schedule and become one for the ages.