‘Leave It to Beaver’ Tried to Replace Larry Mondello With Harry Harrison — It Didn’t Work

If you grew up watching reruns of Leave It to Beaver, then it’s pretty darn likely that you remember Larry Mondello, who was played by Robert “Rusty” Stevens. You know, Beaver’s (Jerry Mathers) best friend, the one who was always eating an apple and getting him into some trouble.

Larry wasn’t just another friend in the neighborhood. While Beaver was always trying to do the right thing, Larry, instead, seemed to be acting wholly on impulse. He was a master at coming up with plans that were guaranteed to go wrong.