3hrs plane ride away from Mayfield which direction? If it was on the west coast like Washington or Oregon it would in the Great Plains or they were in the Midwest like St Paul/Minneapolis would get you somewhere near Boston. Did live they in Midwest?
shareExactly where the Cleavers lived has been the subject of much speculation and discussion over the years. Actually, it was kept as an open-ended question by the producers. In the episode The Credit Card we are able to see Eddie Haskell's full address upon his newly obtained credit card. The city reads Mayfield while the state is not listed at all. It is never actually mentioned.
If we catch different clues from the episodes we do know that the Cleavers do live near the ocean. In The Boat Builders ep June or Ward makes mention of the ocean being twenty miles away. We hear the boys talk about getting surf boards a few times in other eps. Eddie and Lumpy reference being at the beach the other night and everyone making fun of Lumpy's car as Moby Dick. In one episode Wally was going with Lumpy and his father to look at the mudslide on Crest Highway. All of this coupled with the seeimingly mild weather we can likely deduce they are likely in California, although that state is at times depicted as some far away place.
Some people felt Ohio would have been a setting with the mention of Shaker Heights or even Wisconisn since the Packers are mentioned. There is also the W pennant that hangs in the boys room at times. It could have referred to Washington state as well, which is on the ocean.
I'm a native Californian. It seems the show is supposed to be very "Middle America" which would be MidWest. California had a more Hollywood image. Plus we have palm trees galore. I really don't think they intended such a mainstream family to live in California.
According to this, Skokie Illinois was used for scenery. That sounds closer to what I believe they were trying to portray. I'm just not sure if fools surf on Lake Michigan.
Mayfieldshare
Although Leave it to Beaver takes place in “Mayfield,” set in an undetermined state, I show in a prior post how Skokie, Illinois stood in for Mayfield during a scene from “Beaver's Fortune” (Season 3: Episode 10; first broadcast December 5, 1959).
https://silentlocations.com/2013/08/17/leave-it-to-santa-monica-beaver-and-harold-lloyd/
Well according to the link you posted, while Skokie was used at some point in the series, it seems that later seasons clearly show a California backdrop.
shareDamn, I should've read the whole thing. I'm guessing since it was filmed in LA it was just easier to place it here. I think you answered the question.
shareInteresting post. Thanks.
I haven't seen an episode of Leave It To Beaver in probably 30 years, but just from what I can remember, it seemed to be a show that would naturally be placed right in middle America. My recollection is it very much having a Midwest vibe.
Great post. You have a good working memory of this old show.
shareSome nice thoughts here everyone. I think the producers simply just wanted it to be Mayfield, USA. In my opinion they were all in California. But they never come out and directly say that.
In the episode of Lumpy's Scholarship they make mention of State University (also in the Fraternity ep as well). Is there a California State University? I never heard that one. Maybe they mean Cal at Berkley? The boys do make mention of the possibility of Lumpy playing in the Rose Bowl which of course means he would either be in the PAC-10 or Big Ten (or whatever they called them back then).
In the episode about Summer in Alaska when Eddie wants to go on the fishing boat up to Alaska we have to think that they are on the West Coast when they go see the Captain of the boat at the harbor. I would say if they are not in California then they are likely in the state of Washington or even Oregon. But we no reference to that whatsoever. California is the smart bet all the way.
CSU's main campus is in Long Beach.
shareInteresting! I live in Pennsylvania and had a neighborhood buddy who lived in Long Beach until his passing several years ago.
I think the producers likely just used the term State University as a generic label. Probably just a reference to schools like Penn State, Ohio State, Washington State, Michigan State, Florida State, Oregon State, Arizona State, etc
"Is there a California State University".
In 1960, there were eighteen California State Universities and six Universities of California. There are currently twenty-three California State Universities and ten Universities of California.
Beaver once called Dodger Stadium (Don Drysdale). It was a long dis. call which caused problems. Like if he was calling LA from Columbus,Oh. I think it was $8.
While the writers were not stuck to any particular location they were stating some obvious truths when saying that Fallbrook was about 2 hours east by plane. Which would be similar from say Akron, Oh to Hartford, Ct.