‘The Beaver’ got drenched when he visited Niagara Falls for Comic Con

You’d think you’d have to be a certain age to remember the TV show Leave It To Beaver, which ran from 1957 to 1963.

However, with reruns and reboots, it seems everyone still remembers Theodore “The Beaver” Cleaver, and his booth was continually crowded when he popped into Niagara Falls Comic Con from June 7 to 9.

Not only that, he actually ventured outside the hotel and the Niagara Falls Convention Centre, heading to the Falls with his wife, Teresa, where the pair got absolutely soaked.

Remembering the weekend on his Facebook page, Mathers confessed, “I had so much fun at the Niagara Falls Comic Con recently! So great seeing dear friends and meeting so many nice Leave It To Beaver fans!”

At age 75, Mathers is the last remaining main member of the show’s cast. TV father Ward, Hugh Beaumont, died in 1982 while beloved TV mother June, Barbara Billingsley, passed in 2010.

His TV brother Wally, equally beloved as played by Tony Dow, died in 2022 while that neighbourhood rascal Eddie Haskell, a.k.a. Ken Osmond, passed in 2020.

During the show’s six-year, 234-episode run – of which Mathers starred in every episode – the show finally explained in the final episode how he came about the nickname “Beaver,” saying when he was young, brother Wally couldn’t pronounce Theodore and kept calling him “Tweeter.” That evolved to “Beaver.”

The real story? Mathers said the series creator Joe Connelly had a shipmate in the U.S. Merchant Marine named Beaver and simply liked the name. Besides, Leave It To Theodore doesn’t have the same ring, does it?

As for how he got the part initially? Mathers said he told the show’s producers he would rather be at his Cub Scout meeting than do an audition for the part. The producers found his candor appealing and perfect for the role.

He was the first child actor in television history to have had a deal made on his behalf to get a percentage of the merchandising revenue from a television show. Leave It to Beaver still generates revenue more than 60 years after its original production run.

Jerry Mathers, left, shares a laugh with a fan at the Niagara Falls Comic Con, held June 7 to 9 at the Convention Centre. (Photo: Jerry Mathers Facebook)