Wally Cleaver

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Wallace "Wally" Cleaver is a fictional character, the older brother of Beaver Cleaver on the popular U.S. television show Leave It to Beaver. He was portrayed by Tony Dow in the show and by Erik von Detten in 1997 film.

Wally is a generally typical nice teenage boy whose friends Clarence "Lumpy" Rutherford and Eddie Haskell seemed to always cause trouble. Like any other older brother, he looks out for Beaver. For some time, he worked at a soda fountain place and he likes to play basketball. Wally is a typical older brother who usually has to make explanations for his naive and often bewildered younger brother's observations. Much of the character's humor comes from his speaking from a teenager's perspective, and occasionally making blunt or inappropriate comments that would typically be considered somewhat offensive or embarrassing to adults.

[edit] High School Wally

In the first season of Leave it to Beaver, Wally was in his final year of grade school (8th grade). In the second season Wally entered high school and for the shows last five seasons, that is where he remained, despite the fact that he should have graduated. This is either a plot error, or the show's writers just did not want Wally to go off to college.

[edit] Wally's Love Life

Through out the show Wally is romantically involved with Mary Ellen Rogers. Mary Ellen was first introduced in a season one episode in which she became friends with Beaver so she could get to Wally. Through Wally's high school years Mary Ellen was not seen very often. Even though Mary Ellen was Wally's main squeeze, Wally has also gone out with a variety of other girls; most notably Julie Foster, from season six, who was mentioned often but rarely seen.

Wally eventually wed Mary Ellen Rogers, since Mary Ellen was his wife in the 1983 made-for-TV reunion movie Still the Beaver, and the cable TV series The New Leave it to Beaver which ran from 1985 - 1989 and was created due to the positive response to the "Still the Beaver" movie.