Eddie Haskall gets more press, but "Lumpy" helped comprise the group of Wally's friends that really, together, gave "the Beav" a hard time and made the show fun. Eddie and Lumpy always represented, to me, any brother's friends that could really be annoying.. but really a part of life.
Frank Bank, who played "Lumpy," was typecast and later left acting altogether to become a stock broker, with Jerry Mathers ("Beaver") and Barbara Billingsley ("June Cleaver") as clients. They say he was a nice guy off set, and obviously very intelligent.
He passed away this weekend. Another icon of the "'50s Prime Time" era gone.
The show has always had its critics for being too white-bread, but despite its limitations (and the limitations of the time), I thought it never talked down to kids, and it tried to teach simple lessons in a fun and entertaining way, with characters (like "Lumpy" and Eddie) whom you recognized in your own life. It was also often directed by Norman Tokar, who had many Disney credits as well.
More info at: http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-frank-bank-20130416,0,7712585.story and http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity...o-beavers-lumpy-rutherford-dies-at-71-2013164
Photo (l. to r.): Ken Osmond ("Eddie"), Tony Dow ("Wally"), Frank Bank ("Lumpy") from Leave it to Beaver.
Frank Bank, who played "Lumpy," was typecast and later left acting altogether to become a stock broker, with Jerry Mathers ("Beaver") and Barbara Billingsley ("June Cleaver") as clients. They say he was a nice guy off set, and obviously very intelligent.
He passed away this weekend. Another icon of the "'50s Prime Time" era gone.
The show has always had its critics for being too white-bread, but despite its limitations (and the limitations of the time), I thought it never talked down to kids, and it tried to teach simple lessons in a fun and entertaining way, with characters (like "Lumpy" and Eddie) whom you recognized in your own life. It was also often directed by Norman Tokar, who had many Disney credits as well.
More info at: http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-frank-bank-20130416,0,7712585.story and http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity...o-beavers-lumpy-rutherford-dies-at-71-2013164
Photo (l. to r.): Ken Osmond ("Eddie"), Tony Dow ("Wally"), Frank Bank ("Lumpy") from Leave it to Beaver.
I liked Leave it to Beaver. 