Leave IT To Beaver Characters - Special Appearances

Special Appearances

• Lyle Talbot appeared in two episodes as Mr. Dennison, the father of Beaver's first girlfriend, Linda. In one early episode, Linda is sweet on Beaver and invites him to her all-girl birthday party. Beaver suffers miserably until he sneaks off to a den in the house where Mr. Dennison entertains him with his antique gun collection. Lyle Talbot was father of Stephen Talbot, who portrayed Beaver's friend Gilbert Bates. Talbot had no scenes with his son.
• John Hart, the star of the 50s television series The Lone Ranger (54 episodes from 1950 to 1953) and the syndicated Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans, appeared in one episode as a scoutmaster. He also appeared in a fifth-season episode as a forest ranger. Hart was father of Buddy Hart, the portrayer of Wally's friend Chester Anderson. Though his son appeared in the scouting episode, the two had no scenes together.
• Former baseball player Don Drysdale appeared as himself in the episode "Long Distance Call".
• Ryan O'Neal, star of the classic tearjerker Love Story and television series Peyton Place, appeared as Tom Henderson, a young married man, in the fifth season's "Wally Goes Steady".
• Barbara Parkins, Patty Duke and Sharon Tate's co-star in the film, Valley of the Dolls, played Judy Walker in "No Time for Babysitters".
• John Hoyt, veteran film and television actor best remembered perhaps for his role as a mad scientist in the sci-fi classic Attack of the Puppet People (1958), appeared as different characters in three episodes.
• Jason Robards, Sr. appeared in the third season episode "Kite Day".
• Kim Hamilton, the only black performer to appear on the show, played a maid at a wedding reception in "The Parking Attendants".
• Richard "Dick" Simmons, portrayer of the title character in Jack Wrather's Sgt. Preston of the Yukon, played Mr. Langley in both "Beaver the Caddy" and "The Parking Attendants".
• William Schallert, Patty Duke's father on The Patty Duke Show played Mr. Bloomgarten, a schoolteacher, in "Beaver's Short Pants".
• William Fawcett, venerable performer in countless early television westerns, played Grant Ave. Grammar School's night watchman Mr. Johnson in "Beaver's Crush".

Several Andy Griffith Show players appeared on Leave It to Beaver. Hal Smith, Mayberry's town sot Otis Campbell, appeared as a restaurant manager in the fourth-season episode "Beaver Won't Eat", while Dorothy Neumann, Otis Campbell's wife Rita on The Andy Griffith Show, appeared in "The Community Chest" as a Mayfield housewife. Howard McNear, Mayberry's barber Floyd Lawson, played a barber in a second-season Beaver episode. Burt Mustin (Mayfield's Gus, the fireman) had a long career as Jud Fletcher on The Andy Griffith Show and Will Wright (Mayfield's first season Pete, the fireman) appeared on The Andy Griffith Show as Ben Weaver, a sour, miserly Mayberry department store owner.

Phyllis Coates, who portrayed Lois Lane during the first season of The Adventures of Superman, played Mrs. Donaldson in "New Neighbors," while Superman heavy Herb Vigran appeared in the first-season episode "Brotherly Love".

Two actors playing veterinarians on the long-running CBS children's series Lassie appeared on Leave It to Beaver. Frank Ferguson (Dr. Peter Wilson in the early seasons of Lassie) played Jeff, the tramp, in "Beaver's Good Deed", and Arthur Space, who portrayed Doc Weaver through the Timmy years of Lassie, played Mr. Judson in "Wally's Present".

Veteran film and television character actresses appearing on the show included Maudie Prickett as Mrs. Bennett, the owner of a lost chihuahua in "Beaver and Poncho", Irene Tedrow as Mrs. Hathaway, Aunt Martha's traveling companion in "The Visiting Aunts", and Lurene Tuttle as Mrs. Evans, Eddie's landlady in "Bachelor-at-Large".

Actress Lee Meriwether, winner of the 1955 Miss America beauty pageant, appeared as an unnamed housewife in "Community Chest".