Ken Osmond
passed away today. He was 76.
You probably
don’t know who Ken Osmond was. Neither
did I. As a big fan of the TV show “Leave
it to Beaver” I did know who Eddie Haskell was.
Eddie was polite
talking to grown-ups, but behind the grown-up’s back he was the pain in the ass
kid who was Wally Cleaver’s friend. If
you have had teenage children, you probably knew an Eddie Haskell.
Turns out
Ken (Eddie) was an interesting person.
It seems like most child actor stars turn out to be drug addicted
ass-hats; not Ken. Come to think of it, none of the child actors
on the show turned out bad. Perhaps it
was because the Cleaver father, Ward, was a Pastor in his real life.
Anyway.
Ken had a
few roles after “Beaver,” but he was type cast because of Eddie Haskell and had
trouble finding work.
Ken was
married with two children and became a police officer in Los Angeles, a motorcycle cop.
In 1980 during a chase, he was hit by five
bullets. Four hit his bullet-proof vest, one his belt
buckle. He retired in 1988.
Unlike many in Hollywood, his marriage
lasted, and by all accounts Ken was an excellent father and a stand-up guy.
I can’t say
I will miss Ken, I only know him as Eddie Haskell and Eddie will live forever
along with the re-runs of the show.
I kind of
wish I had known the real Eddie Haskell, Ken Osmond.
I loved him! When I was recovering from my total knees I watched alot of old TV..and the Beav was my favorite! RIP Mr. Osmond..Mr & Mr. Cleaver are already there waiting for you so don't forget to compliment Mrs. Cleaver on her angel wings.
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy that show, Osmond played a necessary foil to the good kids. I did not know about his being shot as a police man, wow, quite a change of pace to playing Edie Haskell.
ReplyDeleteI did not like Eddie Haskell.
ReplyDeleteHe was way too smarmy.
He sounds like the kind of person anyone would be happy to know in real life. I barely remember Leave it to Beaver, we only got a few episodes of the show way back when I was very young.
DeleteRIP to him. Seemed like he lived a good life and didn't let success get to him. Bet he will he missed by many and looks like he left a wonderful legacy behind.
ReplyDeleteBetty
Sorry Uncle Skip, my comment landed in the wrong box.
ReplyDeleteHow the conniving, manipulative character of Eddie Haskell endeared the portraying artist to the whole country was a nebulous phenomenon. I suspect we all had some mischief in us that needed acting out, and he made it look easy and wickedly fun to watch. We further learned from episodic cautionary conclusions. I suspect Mr. Osmond's later profession had a similar effect.
ReplyDeleteThat's so interesting! There's a bit of irony that he became a cop. Or maybe not? And I didn't know about Ward's other career, either.
ReplyDeleteI loved Leave it to Beaver. Watching it today, it would probably be thought as corny and dated. It was and is. There was no screaming, calling people stupid, or disrespect for others. Just kids and parents and the small things in life and a funny neighborhood kid with no deep problems.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this, Joe! The world is a poorer place without Ken Osmond in it. . .
ReplyDeleteOne of our kids had a friend who was always super-polite when he came to our house, but was somehow always involved when our kid got into trouble. My wife and I took to calling him Eddie. . .
I'm glad to see the tribute to Ken Osmond, saw this sad news tucked away in a little corner of the internet yesterday. FYI, Eddie Haskell was only supposed to be a SINGLE guest appearance!! But that show had some smart producers, they made him a recurring character right after his appearance. Loved the show, loved Eddie, admired the man greatly. RIP Ken.
ReplyDeleteI remember Leave it to Beaver. Hilarious show. RIP Ken Osmond.
ReplyDeleteI discovered Beaver as an adult and really enjoyed the wholesomeness of the show. Thought Wally was kind of cute. Eddie was hard to like but from all I have heard about Ken, he was just a stand up person. Jerry Mathers called him his livelong friend. Thanks for the tip of the hat to Ken and a reminder of a kinder time.
ReplyDeleteI loved that show and loved him. RIP Ken.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day, Joe. 😎
His autobiography - "Eddie" - is good stuff. I knew before reading it that he had been a cop but I didn't know the story of his being hit while on a chase. Very funy actor and a very decent human.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the story of someone good and upstanding. May he rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteWow! I never knew that about Ken. Thank you for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteR
it was great to know him through your words dear Joe
ReplyDeletei respect and adore the reason for you felt likening for him
What a cool guy. Sad he's gone but like you say, Eddie Haskell lives on forever.
ReplyDelete