Today we crown our new King, Jerry Mathers, on this, the second day of January, 2000. It has been a long road for Lord Mathers, beginning with his first show of Leave it to Beaver. This show brought him instant fame and fortune. His role on the show was as a dramatic youngster with a large vocabulary. Using his acting genius, he played his role as “Beaver” with a sophisticated debonair. He was pure genius on the small screen. People swore that he must have been a great Shakespearian actor.
Soon Mathers was known world wide as the king of kid comedy. It did change for him, however, when he grew out of childhood. He was not a lovable kid anymore, he was a lovable adult. Still he was revered around the world as “Beaver.” He soon wanted to get out of the limelight and start a family. He inverted for about twenty years before a public out crying led him back to Hollywood. He was persuaded to join some of his old castmates on a new show, The New Leave it to Beaver.
Mathers continued to be an excellent dramatic actor. In fact, he set the standard for all dramatic performances in the future. He was, in essence, a legend of his own acting generation. Next he appeared on Married...with Children as himself. Even his worse critics could not help but to love his heart-wrenching role in the Chicago-area supermarket. He was almost nominated for an Emmy for that, his most dramatic role to that date.
So now we crown Jerry Mathers King of the United States. His motto, “From a humble beginning through a humble middle part to a decent end,” will live in our hearts forever.