Barbara Billingsley, mother on 'Leave It to Beaver,' dies at 94

LA Times ^ | 17 Oct 2010 | Dennis McLellan

[ICE-FLYER]

Barbara Billingsley, who played June Cleaver, the quintessential 1950s sitcom mom on "Leave It to Beaver," and later did a memorable send-up of her white-bread image playing the "jive-talking" passenger in the hit comedy "Airplane!," has died. She was 94.

[blackie]

I never watched ‘Leave It to Beaver.’ *sigh*

[RoseofTexas]

Yes and I loved that to the very end she dressed up. I refuse as a woman in my early 50’s...I REFUSE to let queers of fashion tell me what to wear when to wear it and when to bare it all!! Of course at my age I’d be crazy to bare it all ..lol! BUT, I love the the fashion I grew up with...mom in her dresses and heels. I wear less jeans now and more dresses and skirts with my jewelery. I don’t give a rats butt if it’s out of fashion...I don’t give a BLEEP, BLEEP anymore! I shop at thrifty stores for past fashions because what is in the stores is literally Monstrosity and cater to teenyboppers! This is my way of revolting against the fashion industry and the multimillion bucks those designers continue to bag. Yes I do sometimes dress like Barbara Billingsley and I LOVE IT! Makes me feel feminine and beautiful!! I love the Audrey Hepburn look along with the rest of the 5O’s look. Those dresses and jewlery are harder to come by now a day...:( I will continue the hunt but I have finally realize THIS IS ME!

[The Great RJ]

Leave it to Beaver certainly depicted a time of greater innocence. I remember seeing a rerun of an episode at an airline frequent flyer's club where Ward told June he “...was going to go right downtown and look for Beaver” The whole place erupted in laughter.

[Slyfox]

Barbara (as June Cleaver) wore the pearls to cover up what she called "a hollow in my neck." As for the heels, she said she wore them because the boys were growing so fast, she felt she needed to maintain a little bit of height over them.

I did see her (as June Cleaver) sporting a sweatshirt and jeans, while she was doing some heavy-duty cleaning outside.

[Nam Vet]

“Ward, don’t you think you were a little hard on The Beaver last night?”

That is an alltime classic !

It was in my early high school years, as I recall, when that episode ran. If a kid didn't see that episode, he sure heard about it within 24 hours! A hilarious event that could be shared (a little bit.....very carefully) between young and old.

STILL one of the best known T.V. script lines of all time, I'd say.

Nam Vet

[Nam Vet]

May God bless and keep you Barbara Billingsley. I grew up with Wally and 'The Beav'.

Nam Vet

[beaversmom]

Thanks for the ping. I saw that headline on FB last night. Wow, she really made it to quite an age! RIP

[Perdogg]

ping

[POWERSBOOTHEFAN]

“Excuse me,I speak jive”. How funny was that?