Уорд Кливер: Образ идеального американского отца 1950-х

Fictional character in an American television series

Ward Cleaver Jr. is a fictional character in the American television sitcom Leave It to Beaver. Ward and his wife, June, are often invoked as archetypal suburban parents of the 1950s baby boomers. At the start of the show, the couple are the parents of Wally, a 13 year old in the eighth grade, and seven year old ("almost eight") second grader Theodore, nicknamed "The Beaver". A typical episode from Leave It to Beaver follows a misadventure committed by one or both of the boys, and ends with the culprits receiving a moral lecture from their father and a hot meal from their mother. Hugh Beaumont portrays Ward in the series and directed several episodes in the later seasons of the show. Max Showalter (appearing as Casey Adams) plays Ward in the series' pilot, "It's a Small World", which aired in April 1957. Many of the Leave It to Beaver players were featured in their original roles in a reunion movie televised in 1983 (Still the Beaver) and a sequel series called The New Leave It to Beaver that aired from 1985 to 1989. Hugh Beaumont had died in 1982, and in the 1983 reunion movie, the character of Ward Cleaver was portrayed as having died in 1977, at the age of 67. Christopher McDonald plays Ward in the 1997 spin off film adaptation Leave It to Beaver. Ward's principal dramatic function in the series is to end each episode with moral instruction for one or both of his errant sons. Ward's relationships with his wife and his co worker Fred Rutherford are asides that flesh out his character.

Ward is a farmer's son and hails from Shaker Heights, an actual location in Ohio, which also has a suburb called Mayfield. Ward attended a preparatory school, is a veteran of World War II (having served as a surveyor in the Seabees), a state college graduate (majoring in philosophy), and member of a fraternity (Alpha Kappa), a responsible white collar professional, and an upstanding citizen. Ward met his future wife, June Evelyn Bronson, when they were teens. The two dated and went to state college together. They married and became the parents of two sons, Wally and Theodore (the Beaver).

Ward is an archetypical white collar, briefcase toting professional of the 1950s. He wears a business suit, works in an office with a view of a metropolitan area, has a secretary named Grace, and leaves home early in the morning and returns in the early evening. He works for a "big company" with main offices in New York City. He drives to work in his Plymouth unless June needs the car during the day for an errand. He is home on weekends for golfing at a local country club. Occasionally, Ward is required to do some office work at home. In one early episode, for example, he works at home on a women's marketing survey. His co worker and friend is Fred Rutherford, a smug, pompous man who refers to the workplace as "the salt mine".

Ward has a bachelor uncle named Billy who was a world traveler, played in the series by Edgar Buchanan. June finds Billy somewhat untrustworthy, as he tends to fill the boys' heads with thoughts of irresponsible behavior and lifestyles. June sometimes places Ward in a position where he is forced to "explain" or apologize for his Uncle Billy. No other relatives of Ward's appear on the show. Ward mentions his parents (usually his father, a strict disciplinarian who believed in corporal punishment) when recalling incidents from his boyhood. Ward had a brother, Tom Cleaver, and as boys, they entered a hog in a 4 H competition. In one episode, Ward also mentioned having a sister. In the episode “Ward’s Baseball,” Ward has a display pedestal made for an old autographed baseball given to him by his Uncle Frank. In the same episode, we learn that Ward has both an older and a younger brother. Ward's grandfather was a hero of the American Civil War.