Gee, Wally!! TV Land Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Leave It To Beaver With 24 Hour On-Air Salute Beginning Saturday, October 6th

Marathon Features Show's Rarely-Seen 1957 Pilot, 'It's A Small World'

TV Land.com Offers Full Streaming Episodes, Exclusive Photos and Sweepstakes

NEW YORK, Sept. 26 -- TV Land celebrates the 50th anniversary of one of television's beloved family sitcoms, Leave It To Beaver with a 24 hour marathon beginning on October 6th at 8:00PM ET/PT concluding on Sunday, October 7th at 8:00PM ET/PT. The marathon includes the rarely-seen 1957 pilot entitled "It's a Small World" that features Jerry Mathers as the Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver; Paul Sullivan as Wally and Barbara Billingsley and Max Showalter as the parents June and Ward Cleaver. Additionally, veteran comedic actor Harry Shearer is seen in one of his very first roles as Frankie, a neighborhood tough guy.

Leave It To Beaver is one of the first sitcoms to take a look at life from a seven-year old's point of view. Much to the dismay of his parents, Ward and June, "Beaver" got himself into and out of one childhood jam after another. In addition to the All-American Cleavers, audiences fondly remember the shenanigans of Eddie Haskell who tried hard to sweet talk the adults all the while bullying Beaver and his pals. The show premiered on October 4, 1957 and followed "Beaver" and his brother, Wally through their adolescent years, with the series ending September 12, 1963 with Wally going off to college and "Beaver" starting his teenage years.

"Leave It To Beaver is one of the most beloved sit-coms in television history and we are thrilled to air the rarely-seen Leave It To Beaver pilot, "It's A Small World" as part of our 24-hour celebration of the show's 50th anniversary," stated Larry W. Jones, President, TV Land. "Generations of people continue to be drawn to the stories of Wally and "The Beav" and over 6 million viewers continue to enjoy this wonderful comedy on TV Land weekly."

In the weeks leading up to the October 6th marathon, TV Land.com will be the home to all things Leave It To Beaver. The site will feature the best of Leave It To Beaver clips along with streaming the original 1957 pilot, "It's A Small World" as well as four bonus episodes chosen by TV Land.com users. In addition to the exclusive video content, tvland.com offers its users a chance to win the series on DVD. Finally, the site will be filled with a special photo gallery and a mind-bending Leave It To Beaver trivia game.

The schedule of episode descriptions for the Leave it to Beaver marathon can be found at http://www.tvlandpress.com.

Now seen in over 90 million U.S. homes, TV Land is dedicated to building the ultimate Baby Boomer entertainment brand on all platforms. Armed with a slate of new original programming, newly acquired Classic TV and movies, multiplatform content and Cause Change, a new pro-social initiative, the network is uniquely positioned to cater to America's 78 million Baby Boomers, the first generation of Americans who grew alongside television. TV Land's program mix features hit originals, popular dramas, sitcoms, and westerns. TV Land's roster includes hits like All in the Family, M*A*S*H, The Andy Griffith Show and several others. Furthering the network's commitment to develop original programming that complements its roster of acquisitions, the network regularly showcases original series and specials like I Pity The Fool, it Down Comedy with David Steinberg, TV Land Myths and Legends, Generation Boom, TV Land Confidential and the upcoming original series High School Reunion.

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SOURCE TV Land
http://www.tvlandpress.com