Leave it to Beaver (1957-1963) Blu-ray Review

In the 1950s there were many great sitcoms. Many of which are considered classics. I am talking about shows like The Jack Benny Program, The Honeymooners, Make Room for Daddy, I Love Lucy, Father Knows Best, The Real McCoys and The Donna Reed Show, just to name some of them.

Well, in 1957 a sitcom about the American family took the air. It featured a mother and father and their two boys. The show was entitled Leave it to Beaver. Now the good folks at Universal Pictures Home Entertainment are releasing the complete series of this classic on Blu-ray!

Leave it to Beaver follows the comic adventures of Ward, June, Wally, and young Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver. From neighborhood mischief to misunderstandings at school and at home, Beaver and his family bring hilarious laughs, wholesome life lessons, and endless entertainment that have become as much a part of Americana as baseball and apple pie.

Along with the Cleavers, we saw such unforgettable characters as Eddie Haskell, Lumpy Rutherford, Larry Mondello, Whitey Whitney, and Judy Hensler just to name a few. As a young kid I grew up on old reruns of Leave it to Beaver and I literally grew up with Wally and the Bev and the rest of the kids. That is why this show holds such a special place in my heart.

Leave it to Beaver ran for a great 6 seasons and a stunning 234. Now some in this generation would say how so many episodes in just 6 seasons. It's simple, in the 50s seasons ran around 39 episodes. Now a days TV fans are lucky if they get 25 episodes a season.

When you watch Leave it to Beaver you literally watch Wally and the Beaver grow up. When you make it to the final episode, it is bittersweet. Now they are young men, yet you long for them to stay young so they adventures can continue. Well, that is what is so cool about this Blu-ray set you can relive the adventures anytime you want.

All Six seasons receive their own Blu-ray case with unique season artwork. Each season contains 5 Blu-ray discs. 4 of the five discs have 8 episodes and the final disc of each season has 7 episodes.

All of these episodes have been transferred to Blu-ray in 1080p they are in the original full screen format on 1.33:1 aspect ratio and the audio is a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono. There are also English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. 

I am thoroughly impressed with the quality of these episodes on Blu-ray. When watching these in comparison to the DVD releases, I already own. No comparison. These episodes are crisp and clean and sharp. Leave it to Beaver looks amazing in HD! There is also the bonus of the unaired pilot episode entitled "It's A Small World". 

It would be easy to let these old TV show languish on DVD. But I am so thankful for companies like Universal Home Entertainment that are giving shows like Leave it to Beaver not only a chance to survive but thrive on Blu-ray. Now physical media fans like me can relive these shows over and over again, and even introduce a new generation to the simpler and fun time that was the 50s.

If you love classic sitcoms of the 1950s and 60s Leave it to Beaver is a must own. And this new Blu-ray set of the complete series is the perfect way to own it. Head over to MovieZyng and order your copy today!


Out of 4 TV Sets (4 Being the Best) Leave it to Beaver the complete series recieves.....