For those who watched Leave it to Beaver will remember Ken as the smart mouthed Eddie Haskell. He eventually became an LAPD officer and sometimes in the late 60s early 70’s was shot 3 times by a criminal he was on a foot chase with but survived the incident.
I heard from him now and then on interviews and special appearances on a couple of talk shows.
RIP Ken.
[:(]
That’s right, he did go to LAPD. I’m sorry to hear of his passing…
Small world related story. Jerry Mathers, “The Beaver”, had a brother Shaun Mathers, who became a Deputy Sheriff and moved up the ranks ver time. I worked with him for awhile when we (LASD) took on Compton as a contract city.
Cool story stik, thanks for sharing. As a side note, the Beav served in the Air Force for a while.
Even though Jerry Mathers is the reason for my nickname, Ken Osmund as Eddie Haskell was my favorite character.
Just how old was Ken and what did Jerry do in the A.F.?
I think I remember Ken telling of a incident where he was chasing someone on foot with his motorcycle and at one point the suspect stopped at a fence or something and Ken stopped short close to him. When the suspect started to pull a weapon Ken hit him with his cycle. Did anybody else hear this one?
Ken was 76 and suffered from COPD and PAD. No idea what Jerry did in the Air Force.
How about the episode where Beaver was selling raffle tickets for a $3,500 sports car. Eddie told the Beaver that if he won the car that Beaver’s dad would take the car away from him. Eddie made Beaver feel really bad. Beaver said no way would his father do that. Sure enough, Beaver won the car and Ward sold the car and put the money into Beaver’s college fund. Beaver made Ward feel really bad for selling the car. That was a really dumb episode, as all Beaver episodes were dumb.
When I was a kid in the 1950’s we, as a family, watched Leave It To Beaver and The Donna Reed Show every week. We thought that those those shows were really cool. I really liked Eddie.
He was the kid every kid wanted to punch. Lumpy was just a bully, but Eddie was worse.
It is a shame, but to be honest, I was surprised to hear he was still around until his passing. It seemed so long ago.
Jerry Mathers said he was the best actor on the set because his TV show persona was completely opposite how he was in real life. They stayed friends for 60+ years.
This bothers me about as much as Martin Milner’s passing a few years back.
Ironically, guess what just popped up on MeTV as I started this paragraph? Yep, the Leave it to Beaver intro.
I’ll bet the logistics of how many lives have been touched by the old TV classics would be astounding.
Greg, Adam 12 motivated me to become a cop as I watched it as a teenager in the 60’s and early 70s. Marty was a great actor, RIP.
Some of these shows are considered corny by today’s standards but to me they are part of my past as I grew up in happier times. Other shows I love watching even today are My Three Sons, The Adams Family and The Munsters.
According to interviews with Martin Milner I’ve read over the years, he couldn’t keep track of how many cops told him that he was the reason they became one.
I was glued to the show as well, and was no doubt the reason for my time on the Country PD too.
I have been watching some Route 66 episodes, started just to see Milner’s earlier work, but it’s quite good. Probably ahead of it’s time.
Shame that the wild popularity of Adam-12 pretty much nuked his career due to typecasting. From what I’ve read, he was as nice a guy in real life as he was onscreen.
Back to Osmond, it troubles me that he is the first of the series major child actors to pass. At least the ones I considered major. (The Beav, Wally, and Eddie)
Greg I think Marty’s first break was in The Sands of Iwo Jima with The Duke. That was 1949 or 50.
I might have to check that out, thanks, Ernie.
Martin Milner was in Judgement at Nuremberg- the Playhouse 90 TV version.
That is a great one.
Very important figure in the Jewish community in Hollywood.
Bill
Didn’t know any of that. Thanks, Bill.
For those Adam-12 fans who haven’t heard it, retired LAPD dispatcher Shaaron Claridge – who also served as the oh-so-familiar but mostly unseen dispatcher voice for most of the show’s run – returned to the LAPD to record an ‘End of Watch’ radio call broadcast to the department commemorating Mr. Milner at the time of his passing. It’s easy to find online, for those interested.
The show was one of my all-time favorites, growing up. And I have to admit…when, at the end, she advised all units that “1-Adam-12 is no longer taking radio calls”…I really choked up.
RIP to both Mr. Milner and Mr. Osmond.
I had no idea about Shaaron Claridge, that she was actually a dispatcher, nor of the EOW broadcast. Thank you very much, Greg. Choked me up too.
And it led to many other related videos.
I’m sorry for derailing your thread in honor of Ken Osmond, PJ. I didn’t mean it that way.
It’s fine Greg. Marty got more interest here than when I posted back when he passed. It’s all related, both actors and both part of LAPD.
Shaaron was an actual LAPD dispstcher and had a couple of spots in the show. Made me sad to hear the EOW transmission as it reminded me of the many I heard over the air while on duty for 30 years.