Fred Rutherford

Infobox character
name = Fred Rutherford


caption = Richard Deacon as Fred Rutherford.
real_name =
portrayer = Richard Deacon
creator =
species =
gender = Male
first = "The Black Eye" (October 18 1957)
last = "Wally's Practical Joke" (May 23 1963)
cause =
age =
occupation =
title =
alias =
family =
spouse = Gwendolyn (Geraldine, first season) Rutherford (wife)
children = Clarence "Lumpy" Rutherford (son)
"Unknown" (son)
Violet Rutherford (daughter)
relatives =
footnotes =

Frederick Rutherford is a fictional character in the television sitcom "Leave It to Beaver". The show aired October 4, 1957 to June 20, 1963. Fred is portrayed by Richard Deacon. Alan Rachins played the character in the 1997 film adaptation of the series, "Leave It to Beaver".

Overview

Fred is the head of the "Rancho Rutherford" household and is married to Geraldine/Gwendolyn. He is the father of a son named Clarence "Lumpy" Rutherford and a daughter, Violet. Fred thinks Clarence is a model son and defends him when he is blamed for troublesome activities. He is shocked if "his boy" misbehaves. Privately, however, Fred calls his son a "big boob." Clarence initially bullies both Wally and Beaver but eventually becomes one of Wally's pals. In the show's third episode, "The Black Eye", Fred is the father of two sons, both nominated for football scholarships.

Fred is Ward's suit-wearing office co-worker. He often gets on Ward's nerves, but Ward usually takes it well. Fred and Ward work for a "big company" with offices in New York City. Fred drops over to the Cleaver house occasionally on work matters or social calls. In one episode, the Cleavers have the Rutherfords in for cards. Fred plays golf at a local country club.

In the pilot episode "It's a Small World", Richard Deacon plays a character named "Mr. Baxter", an employee for the "Franklin Milk Co."

Deacon's participation in the show lessened as the season's progressed, attributed, perhaps, to the fact that he was appearing in "The Dick Van Dyke Show" during the same years. He reprised the role in the 1983 reunion television movie, "Still the Beaver", but Deacon died before the spinoff television series "The New Leave it to Beaver" was launched in 1985.

References

*Applebaum, Irwyn. "The World According to Beaver." TV Books, 1984, 1998. (ISBN 1575000520).
*Bank, Frank. "Call Me Lumpy: my Leave It To Beaver days and other wild Hollywood life ". Addax, 2002. (ISBN-10: 1886110298), (ISBN-13: 978-1886110298).
*Colella, Jennifer. "The Leave It to Beaver Guide to Life: wholesome wisdom from the Cleavers!" Running Press, 2006. (ISBN-10: 0762427736), (ISBN-13: 9780762427734).
*"Leave It to Beaver: the complete first season". Universal Studios, 2005.
*"Leave It to Beaver: the complete second season". Universal Studios, 2006. (ISBN 1417074876)
*Mathers, Jerry. "...And Jerry Mather as "The Beaver"." Berkley Boulevard Books, 1998. (ISBN 0425163709)

External links

* [http://www.tvland.com/shows/litbeaver/character6.jhtml Character profile at TVLand.com]