Hollywood was in shock today as beloved Big Brother, Wally Cleaver passed away at the age of 77. He is survived by his perfect parents, little brother Theodore “The Beaver” Cleaver, and best friend, the smooth-talking charmer, Eddie Haskell.
Their show, “Leave it to Beaver,” broke new ground in television as the first network sitcom to deal with transgender issues in a positive light. Ward and June Cleaver were the a-sexual perfect parents none of us ever had. But the real story was the shows subtext, implied but only known to only a few insiders. Little Theodore, “The Beaver” was born a man in a female body. The world’s two most supportive parents secretly sent him to Sweden for Gender-Reassignment surgery and allowed their daughter Theodora to become Theodore; calling him “Beaver” as secret homage to his gender of birth. It remains a ground-breaking series that inspires still today! They don’t make great television like that anymore.
Rest-In-Peace Wally.