[Post updated Oct. 2014]Whatever happened to Robert 'Rusty' Stevens (Larry Mondello) from Leave it to Beaver? That's a very good question. I've wondered it myself many times in the past. Stevens appeared in 67 episodes of Leave it to Beaver (or 68 if you count the very last Beaver episode in which he only appeared in "flashbacks"). He later appeared in the made-for-TV movie Still the Beaver (1983), and also in 3 episodes of the TV series, The New Leave It To Beaver (1984-1989). Leave it to Beaver originally aired 1957-1963, but Rusty's last appearance was in late 1960.
Earlier research led me to believe that the reason for Rusty's demise from the Leave It To Beaver cast was because his father took a job out of state, and so the family moved away from Burbank, California to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, therefore ending his career on the show. But, as one commenter on this blog pointed out, Barbara Billingsley provides a different reason. In an interview conducted in July 2000 with the Archive of American Television, Barbara said, "We all loved Rusty so much. He was so good in that role. And, unfortunately they had to let him go... Because his mother was such a pain." She went on to mention that Rusty's mother would go to the producer's office and "make demands." So, "Finally, they let him go."
From what info I can gather, since leaving the show Rusty has apparently worked in some or all of the following fields: advertising, insurance salesman and/or real estate. According to his very short bio on imdb.com, it shows "(2001) Insurance Salesman in New Jersey." A more current version of his Wikipedia page said, "He and his wife now live in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey." (A few years ago it read: "He and his wife now live in Sharpsburg, Georgia.")
Many years after Leave It To Beaver had ended, when they were trying to locate Rusty to reprise his role as Larry in Still the Beaver, a detective had to be employed to try to find him. The detective found the right house and knocked on the door. Rusty's wife answered and the detective asked her if it was the residence of the former child star. She replied that he had the wrong house. When she later told this to Rusty, he told her the man did have the right house. He did indeed play Larry Mondello, he just never told his wife about it before!
Apparently, in recent years, Rusty has been purposely staying out of the limelight and has declined offers for TV appearances.
Robert 'Rusty' Stevens was born 11/25/1948 and is currently 66 years old (as of Nov. 2014).
The photo seen here is from a clip of The New Leave It to Beaver (aka Still The Beaver) that used to be on YouTube (long since deleted). Rusty had reprised his role as Larry Mondello for a few episodes of the series that ran from 1983-1989. As far as I know, the series isn't available on DVD. It'd be great if it was.The New Leave It to Beaver/Still The Beaver also starred original Leave It To Beaver cast members; Jerry Mathers (Beaver), Tony Dow (Wally), Barbara Billingsley (June Cleaver), Frank Bank (Lumpy), and Ken Osmond (Eddie).
FYI. I ran in to Mr. Stevens today at the Metro NY Balloon & Music Festival (www.metronyballoonfest.com). He was carrying a camera for L.I. News and had a press pass. He appeared to be alive and in good shape. Just a little sweaty...its like 90 out today.
ReplyDeleteAnd I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus also!!!!
DeleteI think he now works at the Home Depot in Egg Harbor Township NJ. I know a couple of people who work there with him.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting, I hadn't heard that. Thanks for the comment.
ReplyDeleteI am currently representing Mr. Robert "Rusty" Stevens, aka Larry Mondello. I tracked him down and he agreed to signing items for his fans thru his official website.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.donet.com/~mbrendel/LarryMondello/larry.html
This is the only authorized Rusty Stevens Larry Mondello website, By Mr. Strevens.
Who is Mr. Strevins?
Deletea friend of mine mistaken him as an enployee at walmart the other day and he told her who he was , he gave her his card and signed it, but also gave her a demo tape which i listned to that was 6/9/08
ReplyDeleteAlthough Rusty stopped appearing in "Leave it To Beaver" sometime in 1960, he has some acting credits as late as 1963 (e.g. "The Rifleman, 1963) according to www.imdb.com. In fact I read in a book that he didn't move east until 1963. This suggests there was some other reason why he stopped appearing in "Leave it To Beaver". If you have an info. on this, please post it
ReplyDeleteHe got fired from the show
DeleteI believe Rusty's little brother Rory Stevens was in Leave it to Beaver the last few seasons as Chuckie Murdock. That would lead me to believe that the family had not moved east until after the show ended in 1963. I'd love to meet Rusty/aka, Larry!
ReplyDeleteI havent found anything confirming or even mentioning that Rory Stevens and Rusty Stevens were brothers or even related. Has anyone else heard this?
Delete@lindabro1 and Anonymous, Yes I guess that would make it look like Rusty and his family didn't move around late 1960 or soon after. I'm not sure of all exact facts, I was just going on what I had read from a few different places. It's confusing now, so I'm not sure of the real reason he left the show, if not because of a family move.
ReplyDeleteIf you listen to the archive interview of Barbara Billingsley,
ReplyDeleteshe said Larry Mondello was written out of the series to to his overzealous mother who put her 2 cents into everything. Eventually, the producers had enough and wrote him out of the Beaver series. I think his family moved after that.
FWIW the URL http://www.donet.com/~mbrendel/LarryMondello/larry.html
ReplyDeleteopens a "Page not found." Hardly seems to fit the description in the post.
the story of the overzealous mother is not true the reason why he stopped doing the show because He wanted to stop doing the show because he wants to be able to have a normal childhood to act like a normal child which is what he had before they signed him to a contract but after they signed him to a contract the studio pretty much owned him 24/7 which meant he couldn't be a normal kid, he didn't like it so that was the end of it that's the story. It wasn't because of his overzealous mother. The parents which I assume were good parents seen that he wasn't happy and moved back East which is what good parents do put the happiness of the child first not money
Delete@Anonymous The archive interview of Barbara Billingsley sounds interesting. Is it available online so I can check it out?
ReplyDelete@Anonymous That URL is from a commenter. I didn't have anything to do with it. Apparently it's no longer valid, but it was at one time.
hi everyone, just some FYI on rusty stevens. i met him personally at riverhead raceway in riverhead, NY. he claims to be a talent scouter fo 20th century fox aka fox 5, fox etertainment. my coleagues and i are tryign to figure out if everything he says is true. he claims he was larry in leave it to beaver, played an EXTRA in jaws, was the gerber baby, and also claims he wass in 3 dog night. he also claims his daughter was in the bangels, if you have any info please let me no ASAP. thanks
ReplyDeleteWow he just came into my store in Riverhead today claiming the same thing he told us taylor swift was with him and they would stop in later I'm son confused shes in Australia
DeleteWow that funny he came into my store today in Riverhead saying all the same things claiming hes with taylor swift and he would bring her back to the store but shes in Australia
DeleteAccording to Barbara Billingsly, Larry was dropped from the show because of his mother. She apparently was the stage mother of all stage mothers and the producers wanted her gone and regrettably that meant Larry too. Go to Youtube for the American Television Archive interview with Ms. Billingsly.
ReplyDeleteThat’s true, they fired him
DeleteI met Rusty yesterday (8-7-2009)at the Westhampton NY Rotary Club annual flea market, where I had been peforming with my band The Boomers. Rusty gave me his card and told some stories about Three Dog Night. I asked him to come up and sing with us but he declined, claiming he had been smoking too much and his voice was not in shape for singing. He was taking pictures and had a press pass around his neck. Very personable guy, enjoyed meeting him.
ReplyDeleteGW, AKA The Natural
I am with you guys about the guy from Riverhead that claims to be Rusty Stevens who played Larry Mondello. A source from a local paper who did an interview with him very recently told me he claimed the show was originally taped in Hugh Beaumonts house in Queens. CLEARLY NOT TRUE. In fact, the only other thing he said was that there were lots of lights. He is the same guy you all are referrencing as he talked about 3dog night etc. In fact he had a 3 Dog Night shirt on with his name on it. So weird. Our research points to this fellow NOT being Mondello! He is very nice and personable but I think he is off his rocker. Anyone else?
ReplyDeleteHe is what you call a classic bullshit artist!!!!!!!!!!!
Deleteif that above picture is a picture of Rusty from Still the Beaver, than the guy from Riverhead is NOT him.
ReplyDeleteYeah. The guy from Riverhead is NOT mondello. My mother knows him because he goes into her store a lot to buy things and they were talking one day and he mentioned he had sung in 3 Dog Night. Never did he mention that he was in Leave it to Beaver.....But personally, I don't think he was lying because one of her associates confirmed that he was....But who knows???
ReplyDeleteI read recently that Rusty Stevens now lives in Sharpsburg, Ga. with his wife...perhaps retired ?
ReplyDeleteThere's one way to know for sure if it's him or not. Was he eating an apple?
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I just met Rusty Stevens who stopped in our real estate office in Oakdale, NY who was shopping for a home. We foud him to be gregarious,low keyed, and humorous plus some interesting acting stories to tell.
ReplyDeleteI met Rusty Stevens last week, he's still working at the Egg Harbor Home Depot in NJ.
ReplyDeleteHe wasn't very helpful, he sent me to the wrong aisle for door hinges but he told me a few Leave It To Beaver stories. He was really pissed off about how he was let go and said no one from the cast even said goodbye.
As ammusing as Mr. Stevens has found these posts, he would just like to clarify that 95% of them are infact false. He's sitting next to me at our place of work chuckling at the humor left by not only the author of the page, but the follow-ups as well. He's alive and well, in good health...comfortably enjoying anonymity and avoiding attention as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteThe whole premise of even visiting this site was in jest to break good old Rusty's balls, but upon reading the speculative comments and the website article...he wanted them discredited.
I went to Grade School with Robert at Robert Lewis Stevenson Elementary in Burbank, CA. before he was picked up by a talent scout. I always considered him a good friend.He went on to a private school for acting, and I lost contact with him after that.I do enjoy getting out my Old Grade School class room pictures and remembering the fun we had in our youth. I always wondered what happened to him after I moved out of Burbank in 1960.
ReplyDeleteTonight, my husband and I met Rusty Stevens at the Mattituck Strawberry Festival in Mattituck, NY. He walked over to my husband and I and introduced himself as Rusty Stevens from the Leave It to Beaver show. He also said he was in a serious car accident several years ago and was left a coma for 2years and now suffering with memory loss. He also said he lives locally and was volunteering for the festival this weekend. He also mentioned he was Beaver's best friend on the show. He also mentioned his granddaughter was on Americal Idol this past season and just signed on with Disney replacing Hanna Montanna's position.
ReplyDeleteYeah, and I know a bridge you could buy too !!!
DeleteI don't know about Larry Mondelo, but my name is Clarence Rutherford!!! Don't call me Lumpy!!!
ReplyDeleteHello Clarence. Sure would like to have the 40 Ford convertable you had when you played on the television episode.
DeleteRusty went to David Starr Jordan Junior High School in Burbank for a short time. I remember him showing up to school with green in his hair one day. Pretty radical for the early 60's. I always wondered what happended to him both professionally and personally. Funny that the family would move from what must have been a fairly lucrative child acting career. He and the show are still favorites of mine.
ReplyDeletePS...Karen Sue Trent (Penny) used to board her horse at a private stables behind our house in Burbank. Another cast member who just disappeared.
ReplyDeletehe would kill me if he finds this out--he works at the home depot in egg harbor township new jersey, part time, in the phone center---he is a good friend of mine--one of my heros--he's doing fine---i worked there for 4 years and me and bob talked about everything--he doesn't like to talk about the show that much, but he loves to hear about my sexcapades-lol--he's such a perv--lmao--i love bob--he supports my acting and my boxing career--i live in egg harbor township---
ReplyDeleteClearly the person living in Egg Harbor Township and works at Home Depot and claims to have been in Three Dog Night and that Leave it to Beaver was filmed in Hugh Beaumont's house is a PATHETIC IMPOSTER. Just another loser who discovered he has the same generic name that an old child-actor does so he brags to anyone who will listen about his tall tales. Every town has one of these blowhard losers... Imagine how much of a loser you'd have to be to want to claim to be Larry Mondello!
ReplyDeletePeople will do anything for attention
DeleteThe one in Egg Harbor Township, NJ is indeed the real deal. All you have to do is look at him! Don't know anything about the kook in NY.
ReplyDeleteThe script writers were tired of Larry making Beaver do stupid things.Whitey, Richard and Gilbert were more presentable. Whiny,portly, ignorant Larry was forced out.With puberty and middle school coming to an end Larry wouldn't have fit in the scripts .Gilbert carried his own but a strange thing occurred on the show Beaver became the weak link in the entire cast which gave the show it's demise.
ReplyDeleteI was approached by the man from Long Island claiming to be Rusty Stevens and he offered me Hundreds of thousands of dollars to play a role in some movie he was filming at the local refuge. He told me he was in 3 dog night. That his daughter was in the Bangles. And that he was in the movie Gremlins. He had another girl with him that he said he was going to sign and he gave me his card which has Fox Entertainment on the title. I was very skeptical of him. We gave him a ride home and he lives in a tiny red shack and has no car which he says was stolen. And he said his wife divorced him for $15 million. Doesn't sound right to me... He also said Reba is his friend and that he knows Michael J Fox and Simon Cowell and that he discovered Kelly Clarkson... I think the more he talked the deeper he dug his hole. He also asked me if I was Chinese when he got out of the car and I'm clearly not even Asian.. too bad $125,000 would have come in really handy... LOL!
ReplyDeleteI know a bridge you could buy !!!!
DeleteOh and to continue from above, he said that he wrote "One it the Loneliest number" Which was clearly written by Harry Nilsson. Stay away from this guy!
ReplyDeleteI would like to hear from Robert, Rusty, or Larry Mondello. We loved seeing him as a boy and not asking him to act, but just allow us to stay in touch. If ,he would rather not act that's his business. Please don't keep us from the memory of that cute chubby kid. You were a positive part of the Leave it to Beaver Show. God Bless you in whatever you do.
ReplyDeleteI ran into Rusty the other day at the local 5 and dime. Elvis and Marilyn were there too.
ReplyDeleteBahahahah
DeleteYeah, and I saw Fred Flintstone and Barney rubble at Home Depot last night
Deleteas of this post , still the beaver is on youtube in 9 parts. larry is on briefly in part 3.
ReplyDeleteI would like to know if Rusty is anything like Larry Mondello? The reason I ask is when I was in school, there was a kid just like Larry. He was fat lier and thief only pretending to be a friend.
ReplyDeleteI liked leave it To Beaver..althought i was very small when it ran on TV...I thought it was sort of odd that June was always so dressed up complete with pearls just to do house work...and Wally was sort of juvenile acting even when he was a senior. I liked Larry..he didn't seem to have a happy home life..his Dad always hitting him..but seemed a true friend to Beaver. I thought Gilbert was sort of a two-timer..he'd get in trouble then run off and Whitey was sort of silly....Eddie ..i sort off felt sorry for, as he wanted everyone to like him and tried to wise-crack all the time..but i felt like Wally was his only true friend.....Lumpy i didn't like much.....But Ward was a awesome Father...he listened to the boys and tried to teach them something from wrong......too bad that does not still exist today in Parenting....I just watched LITB on Netflix and was a bit sad when watched the last episode...I only saw The New LITB when Disney was a pay channel a long time ago and it is not on DVD. It is sad when a Tv series or a series of movies ends...but nice when they keep up with doing reunions every few years..
ReplyDeleteI remember meeting Rusty as a student at Northeast High school in Phila in about 1966-67. He was very low keyed.
DeleteIt’s what you call a reality TV show hello!!!!!!!!!!!!
DeleteRusty Stevens real father name was Harry shiken he was married to my mother in1937 had two kids deserted my mother then moved to calif for a new life
ReplyDeleteNo, his real name was Fred Astaire, and he was married to my sister
DeleteYea, I met Rusty a few years back, at the Egg Harbor 7/11. He was working night shift and I went in for some munchies. I was a little short on cash, and Rusty was cool enough to lend me some money for a cream filled donut. He got a little ticked when I asked him to borrow a quarter for the pinball though. But anyway, I asked him why he was working in 7/11 and he told me being a child actor is brutal, and left him nearly penny less. He said Leave it to Beaver is Huge in India, and the Local 7/11 owners knew Rusy well and offered him a job as a favor. Sad story really.
ReplyDeleteHey everybody, instead of telling us lies, or truths about Rusty, why not take a picture of him today, and post the link to it so we can see for ourselves whether it's him or not.
ReplyDeleteMakes sense. I sure did miss Larry when they took him off the show. I wish they produced shows like this for our children. There is nothing but garbage for them to watch. No morals at all. Sure hope Larry is doing well and making enough money on the reruns that he never has to work.
ReplyDeleteI went to school with Rusty's younger brother Scott, first at Solis Cohen elementary in 7th grade,then at northeast high school in Philadelphia.
ReplyDeleteI was very good friends with Jimmie Greenspoon, the keyboard player for Three Dog Night, and he never heard of Rusty Stevens, nor was he ever the the band....
ReplyDeletedoes he really still work at home depot in egg harbor township to this day the year 2012? i personally never actually looked for him myself cause i never heard of the guy until a guy i went to school with who works at home depot told me that yes bob stevens does in fact work there so maybe next time i pay a visit to my mother who lives nearby in fact right down the road maybe i'll go have a looksy all the while avoiding the guy i went to school with he's such a creep
ReplyDeleteHe is what you call a L7
DeleteI have a photo of the guy claiming to be Rusty Stevens. I just don't know how to post the photo.
ReplyDeleteSome of the best episodes were the ones featuring "Larry"...I missed the character when he left. "Gilbert" was a back stabber and "Whitey" was goofy. "Larry" was the most 'real' character among several of "Beaver's" pals. Hope Rusty is well and happy.
ReplyDeleteAh, Rusty Stephens. A good ol' friend of mine. I met him at Wal-Mart about, 5 months ago. Local friend. Going to go for dinner with him at the 7/11 where he works..
ReplyDeleteI want to clear up some misinformation here about Robert Stevens. He never worked at a Home Depot.
ReplyDeleteAfter leaving the cast of "Leave It To Beaver" over a controversial pro-segregation script (never filmed, due to his vigilance), he was in the Jimi Hendrix Experience as a trombone player- that's his solo on the LP version of "Foxy Lady". Later, he was in "The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown", also on trombone.
He was originally cast opposite Sidney Poitier in "In The Heat Of The Night", but had to drop out due to his struggle with apple addiction- a battle he faced throughout the sixties. Rod Steiger was subsequently cast, and began getting many of the roles originally intended for Stevens.
In the 1970s he was married to Loni Anderson, and (during a brief transgendered phase) became the mother of singer Christina Aguilera (he even coined the name "Xtina" for her).
He was injured in Iraq in 1994 when his Black Hawk helicopter was downed by friendly fire over Northern Iraq. (A subsequent film on this incident portrayed him under another name due to his ongoing relationship with the C.I.A.). He is also the grandfather of several of the Wiggles- he's not sure which ones.
He told me all this last night at the Orange Julius here in Gulfport, Mississippi, where he currently works the late shift. I also got him to autograph an apple.
Hope this clears up all the Rusty Stevens controversy.
BS you know what, you’re as gullible as the moon !!!!!! Do you want to buy a bridge????
DeleteI just got off the phone with Rusty.
ReplyDeleteWe had a good laugh talking about the old days and I read to him the comments on this page.
One story that no one would ever believe is that Tony Dow routinely smoked "jazz cigarettes" with Hugh Beaumont and a large colored fellow named "Hambone" on the set of 'Leave It To Beaver'.
It's true, though.
When Rusty and I get together I am going to snap a picture and see about posting it here to keep his legend alive.
This is fantastic stuff.
What a load of crap. The guy in Home Depot is an imposter. There was no Three Dog Night membership by Rusty. All baloney about knowing all those modern celebrities. Also crap about the guy who didn't tell his wife he was Larry on the show. None of those characters are Rusty. Rusty just prefers to remain relatively anonymous and have a normal person's life.
ReplyDeleteAlso crap about the smoking of "jazz" cigarettes by the athletic Tony Dow and Minister Hugh Beaumont and the non-existent Hambone. It is true that Karen Sue Trent rode horses.
What Barbara Billingly states in her interview is the truth, and Larry was written out due to his mother from hell. The show ended because both Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers were older and it was no longer a show about US life in general from the viewpoint of 2 kids, plus ratings were weaker.
I know this because I worked at Universal where they filmed the show.
Actually the Stevens family moved to DC after ""Beaver." Rusty's father worked for the government in the state department and traveled back and forth while LITB was being filmed. Once Rusty left the show, the family moved to DC. That's where Rusty and I went to high school together. We were the best of pals. We spent so much time together everyone started calling me Beaver. Rusty was best man at my wedding. Later he went to Yale and received a Phd. in chemistry. However, before he could begin his career in that field he was appointed US ambassador to Costa Rica by fellow Califorian and actor Ronald Regan. If you are not aware, Costa Rica is where Coke grows the vanilla beans it uses. Once there Rusty was able to use his background to decode the Coke formula. After leaving Costa Rica he was hired by Coke, with the underlying intention of finding out if he really did know the formula. He lived in Sharpsburg, GA during this time and I made many trips down to visit him. Sadly, Coke was finally convinced Rusty did indeed know the recipe, so they put him in their witness protection program--you don't reveal our recipe and we set you up for life. He is one of less than a dozen individuals in this program. So there is no way to locate him now. What a great freind he was!
ReplyDeleteI don’t know who you are, but you’re full of shit. These are the following people that Ronald Reagan appointed ambassador to Costa Rica. 1. Deane Roesch Hinton 2. Lewis Arthur Tambs 3. Curtain winsor Jr.
Delete“A H”
You had me believing the story about going to high school with Rusty, him being best man at your wedding, being the US ambassador to Costa Rica and learning the Coke formula until your final sentence where you misspelled "friend".
ReplyDeleteThat's something Rusty always did, it's like his fingerprint. Glad to see you post on here with some great lies, Rusty.
But gee....it could'a happened!
ReplyDeleteActually I knew Rusty from Cal Poly. We went through the mechanical engineering school together. I graduated and got a job with a local firm (now retired) but Rusty stayed on and went through graduate school. He was interested in working with the internal combustion engine, and actually became obsessed with improving or even perfecting it. He made some great strides in his work and by the time he graduated had a prototype engine that would power a car and get 150 mpg. He got a company to make a few of the cars, which he called Rusty. They sold like hot cakes in California. Later he decided to go national with the car and he and Beaver went into partnership. A lot of car were manufactured over a period of about 3 years, but in the end nobody was interested in a car called Rusty. The company went out of business and I have not heard from Rusty since. I think he did win a Nobel prize or something once, and was maybe even elected president of some small country, but I'm not sure.
ReplyDeleteB.S. what a liar you are. A H
DeleteWell I can top all of you because I knew Rusty even before LITB. We grew up together. While it is true that his family did leaave California for a while, he didn't like New Jersy and they came back. Rusty was pretty bored after leaaving LITB so spent all his time in his garage tinkering with things. He built electronic gadgits and finally came up with somethihng, which wouldn't be too impressive today, was actually a computer. I was over at his house one day and he introduced me to two guys he had met who were interested in what he had made. I don't remember their names, but I do remember that they both had the same first name and that one of them was always correcting the way his name was pronounced and the other one's last name was almost unpronouncable. They kept coming by Rusty's garage all the time and getting him to show them how the thing worked. They were pretty clueless, but Rusty was patient with them and explained things over and over until they got it. The three of them eventually started a little company and named it after Rusty's (Larry's) favorite food. The company must have done pretty well, but Rusty became more and more frustrated having to carry the other two guys along so eventually they bought him out. He no doubt ended up with quite a bit of money because he just loafed through life from that time on. He got really creative though and became the first man to sail alone around the world blindfolded, the first man to complete the entire Applachain trail on camel back, and the first man to hop-scoth across the entire state of Rhode Island (still a world's record). Those were his wilder days though and I understand that now he has settled down and has gone back to tinkering again. This time he has developed a interest in health and disease treatments. Will he be coming out with a cure for cancer soon? Wouldn't supprise me!
ReplyDeleteThat's the best "sighting" yet!
DeleteWell I can top all of you because I knew Rusty even before LITB. We grew up together. While it is true that his family did leaave California for a while, he didn't like New Jersy and they came back. Rusty was pretty bored after leaaving LITB so spent all his time in his garage tinkering with things. He built electronic gadgits and finally came up with somethihng, which wouldn't be too impressive today, was actually a computer. I was over at his house one day and he introduced me to two guys he had met who were interested in what he had made. I don't remember their names, but I do remember that they both had the same first name and that one of them was always correcting the way his name was pronounced and the other one's last name was almost unpronouncable. They kept coming by Rusty's garage all the time and getting him to show them how the thing worked. They were pretty clueless, but Rusty was patient with them and explained things over and over until they got it. The three of them eventually started a little company and named it after Rusty's (Larry's) favorite food. The company must have done pretty well, but Rusty became more and more frustrated having to carry the other two guys along so eventually they bought him out. He no doubt ended up with quite a bit of money because he just loafed through life from that time on. He got really creative though and became the first man to sail alone around the world blindfolded, the first man to complete the entire Applachain trail on camel back, and the first man to hop-scoth across the entire state of Rhode Island (still a world's record). Those were his wilder days though and I understand that now he has settled down and has gone back to tinkering again. This time he has developed a interest in health and disease treatments. Will he be coming out with a cure for cancer soon? Wouldn't supprise me!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite person on that TV show and my fav episode is when Beaver and Larry take the Go Kart and drive it across town and get ticketed! Larry and Beav made that show and Tony Dow and his pal were close..But Larry and Beav always showed what life was like for 6 - 10 year olds
ReplyDeleteOne time "Larry" and I were planning on going to the local carnival. We didn't have any money, but for some reason he convinced me to start looking around his front lawn. We started finding all kinds of change - enough to go to the carnival - where I won a pearl necklace for my mom. I found out years later that the money we "found" actually came from Eddie and Lumpy. He had come across them kissing behind some billboard that had a big steaming coffee cup on it and he was blackmailing them!
ReplyDeleteI lost contact with Larry and was sad to learn years later that he was killed in the Vietnam war.
I was on the LITB show but didn't have any speaking lines, so never got credited. Rusty and I became good pals and once we went to one of the studios set where HG Wells' "Time Machine" was being filmed. We started messing around with the machine,a and Rusty, being the super intellect he is, figured out how to make the thing work! We could only travel back in time a week or two at first, so we just went back and watched ourselves making LITB episodes. Then Rusty got better at operating it and we went back and saw him being born. That was pretty gross, actually. He told me his father always talked about world war 2 so we finally got good enough to go back that far. We went to an airfield and stowed away on a troop flight and went to England. We were walking down the street and ran into Eisenhower. Rusty asked him if he was going to invade France soon, and he said no. He said he had decided to call it off. So Rusty convinced Eisenhower to go ahead and invade France. We hid away on a landing craft and went ashore with the troops. We got really muddy and were in big trouble when we got back home. Rusty mother said, "just wait 'til your father gets home!" I don't guess she knew at the time that Rusty had saved the world from Natzism!
ReplyDeleteAll you liars need to get off of this blog. What really happened to Rusty is he got really fed up with New Jersey and when he finished high school he got a job and worked all summer and saved up his money. His plan was to buy a car at the end of the summer and go back to California. As it turns out the only car he could afford was an old NYC yellow cab, so he bought it and loaded up all his belongings and drove to California. That is where we reconnected. He started looking for work, but wasn't finding anything. One day he was leaving a job interview when someone hailed him as a taxi. He took the person to the airport and when he let him off another person wanted a ride somewhere. Before long Rusty was in the taxi business. That went along for a couple of weeks until one day he picked up a fare and the passenger said, "didn't you play on LITB when you were a kid?" Rusty said, "yes, I was Larry." The guy asked him if he could take him by Jerry's house, which he did. Then he wanted to go by and see Tony's house and then Ken's. The next day the same guy called and had Rusty take his whole family on the same "tour." Then he started getting calls all the time. He bought up a lot of old taxis and started a business. He made about a zillion dollars or so and then sold the company and moved to Buenos Aires. He married a local girl and had about 18 kids, all whose name were derived from Larry somehow, Larito, Larretta, etc. He bankrolled a tv show called Dejarlo Castor and even had Jerry come down and play an American who gets insulted by Castor (Edwardo put him up to it) when he said he had a face like a pig, or something. The show didn't catch on, but that's was ok. I understand that Rusty sits around all day and is waited on hand and foot by his 18 kids...truly the life he deserves.
ReplyDelete"Larry" was indeed an insurance salesman in southern NJ and I believe he is retired now due to health issues. I worked w/ his wife for a few years and Robert WAS my insurance agent. He did not like to talk about his past or LITB. I naasume he is still in the Egg Harbor area, his office was in Mamora, NJ back in the 90's.
ReplyDeleteGreat show and great acting by all, especially Rusty Stevens.
ReplyDeleteI find all the accounts given here a bit amusing.
Good news: Oliver Stone has optioned "Apple To The Core: The Rusty Stevens Story" and has pledged to tell the uncensored truth for the first time about America's most enigmatic child actor, even if the CIA kills him for it. Justin Bieber is currently bulking up to play the young Rusty; The Olsen twins, Crispin Glover, and Martin Landau will portray Stevens at different ages. Mathers has signed on to play himself at all ages, and Stevens has put in for time off from Orange Julius to consult.
ReplyDeleteI just got done watching an old LITB episode in which Beaver and Larry get sick smoking a pipe.
ReplyDeleteRusty Stevens was one of the best actors on the show and he really came across as a "real kid."
Whenever he got Beaver into trouble, it was because he wanted to try a new adventure, unlike the Gilbert character, who intentionally tried to get Beaver into trouble.
Great show, great memories.
Rusty is my favorite actor of all the LITB cast. Madge Blake as his mom was genius. "I wish Larry would do these things when his father is home...."
ReplyDeleteI really did spend quality good times with Bob at Penn State in 68-69. Great guy! Tener Hall. Will Never forget the hoagie eating challenge. Beatle White Album. Pinochle. A little foggy, but good memories. hope you're doing well.
ReplyDeleteThe real "Russ" Stevens lives in Egg Harbor, NJ. I live on the same block as he and his wife, Teresa.
ReplyDeleteThats all I can say but its true.
I have Leave it to Beaver on as much as I can find it even tho I've seen most episodes. I don't really concentrate on it, but having it in my background as I do things makes me feel like I'm in a really nice environment.
ReplyDeleteLarry is adorable. He has a special way of pronouncing many words that I've not heard anywhere else until lately. There is a really long commercial playing many times a day just now. Wish I could think of what the heck they really are advertising. I rarely know these days. Anyway, the guy rambling on about this product has a low vibrating voice but he pronounces many words the way Larry did. What's the odds it might be him? Even tho the product escapes me and is I think something disgusting, I like listening to it imagining it might be Larry. I wish Rusty wonderful things. gramawphyl
Regardless of where Larry (RUSTY) is now, I loved his character on "leave it to Beaver". He was very funny and he played his part well.Wherever you are Larry, you still have fans out there.
ReplyDeleteI just returned from the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. Rusty was at the final table of the Senior event. Not sure how he finished because I had to fly back to Indiana. Anyone out there who knows how he finished?
ReplyDeleteI saw Rusty at the World Series of Poker, too. Right before he was declared the winner, he was accused of card counting and subsequently forbidden to enter the casino. He was escorted out in shame by two huge guards who were really rough with him. They must have snagged his sport coat or something, because all of a sudden, there was a scuffle, and then those two guards hit the ground.
ReplyDeleteI was in the back of the room, but I heard Mr. Stevens exclaim that he was a 9th degree senior grandmaster in the International Taekwon-Do Federation, and those white devils better keep their hands to themselves if they knew what was good for them.
The crowd around him parted, and he walked out of the casino into the dark night, like a milkman going out on his route.
I started watching Leave It to Beaver reruns because The Beaver reminded me of my grandson.
ReplyDeleteMust say I enjoyed his side kick Larry just as much as I did The Beaver, and was sorely disappointed when his character was discontinued. Leave it to Beaver is just not the same without Larry. He was so natural he added realism to the show.
I'm now in the process of trying to order all the episodes he is in on DVD.
I heard Rusty Stevens kicked Chuck Norris' ass at Studio 54 in the late 1970s
ReplyDeleteDid Mr. Stevens come out in the farmers only commercial.
ReplyDeleteI recently saw Rusty working at Fuddruckers. He single-handedly created the best burger I have ever eaten. People keep asking him if he hung out with Beav in real life. Apparently, Stevens response was that Jerry Mathers broke all of his toys, and never wanted to reimburse Rusty for them. Ken Oswald (Eddie) got Jerry and Rusty in trouble at Toys are Us, and the Lego store, accusing them of pocketing parts from existing display sets. Could all be a rumor though....
ReplyDeleteI saw Bob working at Home Depot in the flooring department. He was excited about a new vinyl floor he had invented and was going to call "Rustoleum". I had to give him the bad news that the name was already taken.
ReplyDeleteWe went out for a few drinks and he told me about other failed ventures, like his idea for a new caffeinated beverage called "Rust never Sleeps". He really is a swell guy, and can really put away the appletinis.
He would be fun to meet ��
ReplyDeleteyou're all sick
ReplyDeleteWell here is the latest. I am a RV salesman in Knoxville Tennessee, yesterday I ran into the guy who claims to be Rusty Stevens. He wanted to buy an RV for under $100,000 and of course was going to do a "wire transfer". He spun the same stories he seems to tell everywhere about he was on LTB and in the band Three Dog Night. He also claimed to own a bunch of strip clubs in the North Carolina and was currently dating Miss February 2015 from Playboy magazine. Told me about have a 1919 Pace Arrow serial # 1 and a bunch of other unbelievable crap. I have to admit he was entertaining but pegged my bullshit meter in the first 5 minutes. Of course he was driving a POS 2010 Mazda 3 series with the back bumper ripped half way off of it. Sad to be his age and have to pretend to be someone you are not. As we say in the South... "Bless his heart."
ReplyDeleteA previous poster is completely correct about Rusty Stevens being a martial arts expert. I saw him shopping in the grocery section of WalMart here in Chattanooga and we struck up a conversation...juvenile topic, really, "young women and their ripe melons," that sort of thing. Almost as if on cue, a young punk ran past the both of us, through the produce section, grabbed a bag of apples, and tore off toward the exit. Mr. Stevens scissor kicked the punk to the floor and gut punched him until he died. I don't know what "Leave It To Beaver" is. What's that all about? Is it some old TV show?
ReplyDeleteI just finished watching an episode on REELZ about Marilyn Monroe. I was convinced one of the commentators had to be Larry Mondello. I spent so much time researching I missed the ending credits. I was on this site reading at the time. Anyone agree?
ReplyDeleteHe did work at the Home Depot in Egg Harbor. I live in Egg Harbor and he lived across the street and over a few houses from me. He moved in 2011 to a retirement community in Egg Harbor Twp. Hes happily married to a retired RN that worked for Atlanticare. If you dont believe this then call the store --Ive been in there many times and people who work there know its the real
ReplyDeleteBob Stevens. In fact one of the employees showed me texts they wrote to each other--Bob is on disabiity and probably wont be coming back. He worked in the back in the phone department. Call the store and ask around. His wife's name is Theresa.
It is not hard to find someone if you know where to look. If "Larry's" name is Robert Stevens, and he was born November 25, 1948, then the person in New Jersey is definitely not him (wrong birthdate). He does not live in NJ or NY nor GA but somewhere between. For his privacy, I will not say where. But, if Mr. Stevens "Rusty" is really monitoring this blog, then please contact me directly through a private message. I will be willing to do an interview to help set the record straight for your fans.
ReplyDeleteEric Huffstutler
Richmond, VA
Jerry Mathers and Richard Correll (who played Beaver's friend Richard Rickover on "Leave it to Beaver") were in the band "Three Dog Night" back in the '60s and early '70s. Jerry was a vocalist who also played guitar and bass, and Richard played drums. If my memory serves me correctly "Tiger" Fafara, the boy who played Wally's friend Tooey, was a vocalist in the psychedelic band "Strawberry Alarm Clcok."
ReplyDeleteNot true. Hes in NJ.
ReplyDeleteHe lives in a 55 plus community.
His wife's name is Theresa. Thats a hint.
Hes not that hard to find.
See above post I just wrote. Look up on Facebook and you will see his
ReplyDeletepics.
he WAS in one episode of the rifleman
ReplyDeleteThe real reason that Rusty has been out of the limelight all these years is because of his work as a practicing alchemist in the Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross (the real Rosicrucians). Rusty is committed to the "Great Work" which necessitates retirement from affairs of the world. He is known to frequent Swan Point Cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island and Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is well known in certain occult circles of higher adepts. I saw him this past summer at Trinity Anglican Church in Evansville, Indiana where he was visiting the Rector, a fellow alchemist and Rosicrucian.
ReplyDeleteOH BROTHER , NOW I'VE HEARD IT ALL !!!!!!
ReplyDeleteC'mon! Nobody is dumb enough to retire in New Jersey-not even Larry Mondello1
ReplyDeleteWill the real Rusty Stevens, (who played Larry) please stand up. Let us know.
ReplyDeleteI think you went into hiding as a young man because you didn't want to be known as the goofball kid.
But those times are looong gone.
Rusty, (the real Rusty), let us old fans know.
His wife theresa has a facebook. They live in egg harbor township,new jersey. Thats him standing next to his wife
DeleteJust check his pockets for half-eaten bologna sandwiches. If it's got mustard on it ...then,...yeah, that's him.
ReplyDeleteI think I saw Rusty Stevens on an episode of the Andy Griffith show Titled: One Punch Opie.....
ReplyDeleteI bumped into Rusty 6 months ago while visiting my niece in Southern California. He works at a marijuana dispensary. They were selling a strain called "Larry Mondello" which is how we got around to the subject.
ReplyDeleteHere's the real scoop. After high school his tv money was gone and at the age of 18, he began acting in adult films. Apparently, he is very well endowed, although I have no proof of that. He starred in 3 films. "Tough on the Beaver" Parts 1,2 and 3. He was NEVER in 3 Dog Night, but he did audition for Journey in 1982. His daughter was never in the Bangles. She was in the Go Go's. He said people confuse the two all the time. He never worked at Home Depot in New Jersey. He said he wouldn't know a screwdriver from a hammer and thought it was hilarious that people believed that rumor.
Other Rusty Stevens Facts:
In 1966 he served in Vietnam for 3 years as a cook.
In the early 70's he was interviewed by the LAPD as a "person of interest" in a string of serial killings, where the murder weapon was a Cleaver. He was released due to lack of evidence. Upon his release, he signed autographs for all the officers and detectives involved in the case. He never held a grudge.
He and Jeri Weil (Judy Hennsler) were briefly married in 1976. The couple had one child. A boy, they named Theodore.
He held several odd jobs over the years. He was a carnival ride operator, a bus driver, a mailman, a preacher and a TV weatherman in North Carolina.
Facts Rusty claims are true about his Leave it to Beaver days:
Hugh Beaumont never spoke to the other actors, except when he was doing a scene. If you approached Beaumont with a question, one of his people would come over and tell you to get lost.
Barbara Billingsly was responsible for getting Rusty a non speaking role, as a passenger, in the 1980 movie, Airplane. (Sure enough he is in the movie. I checked)
He claims to have dated Barbara Eden, (I Dream of Jeannie), for three years. (He had no proof or photos of them together, though)
He claims Frank Bank (Lumpy) owed him $20 he had once borrowed and never paid back.
He and Tony Dow once stole a car in Los Angeles. They abandoned it and were never caught.
If Rusty screwed up, or forgot his lines during a scene, Jerry Mathers (Beaver Cleaver) would spit in his face. "I hated that little creep," Rusty told me.
That's about all he told me, as other customers were waiting at the dispensary. I went back before I flew back home, but another employee told me Rusty was off that day.
There you have it. Straight from the horse's mouth.
I was watching LITB this morning, the episode where a kid takes Beaver's bike, and Larry and Beaver are playing tic tac toe on the pavement. Rusty used his left hand. There's a tell right there. Ask whoever claims to be Rusty these days, to sign an autograph and watch which hand he uses. ☺ If he is right handed, good chance he's a phony.
ReplyDeleteI posted this before--Bob lives in Egg Harbor Twp. I said who his wife is..now just look at her facebook and see its him. I talked to someone he worked with at Home Depot and he verified its him and even showed me some texts he sent him. They call him Bob..and he now has some degenerative disease and cant work. When I went to Home Depot that one guy was friends with him..if you go in there ask around in the rug/flooring department..they dont know he was on LITB because he didnt want everyone to know but he did tell them he did voiceovers. I got the real scoop from the guy in the paint dept. Also like I posted about 5 posts above go on his wife's facebook and you will see pics of him. His family moved to Philly and you can see who his family is--they live in Philly. Also on IMBD it gives his wife's name, but thats probably because I posted it here. She lives in Egg Harbor Twp NJ. Its a fact. He doesnt live in Calif.
ReplyDeleteRusty Stevens is actually D.B. Cooper
ReplyDeleteRusty Stevens lives in Little Egg Harbor,N.J. And works at the Home Depot there as they mentioned.
ReplyDeleteThis is all speculation, of course, but I have it on mediocre authority that "Rusty" actually had his front tooth fixed, because he is the REAL "Alfred E. Neuman". The implant was needed so Mr. Stevens would not be sued by the publishers of MAD Magazine. In the Marine Corp he was a decorated pastry chef, who excelled in whipped cream desserts, such as his famous invention "the Bismark" He is now a food broker specializing in Macaroni and other types of noodles.
ReplyDeleteRusty Stevens Currently posts comments on the Leave It To Beaver fan club page on Facebook.https://www.facebook.com/groups/42742177731/?ref=group_header
ReplyDeletePlus, He is no relation to Rory Stevens, and he left the show due it's demanding scheduel, he basically just wanted to be a regular kid. All this info direct from Rusty can be found on The Leave It To Beaver Fan Club Group on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteHere's the real deal...
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/VvAU9zhKQEY
Therefore, websites like lovedignity could possibly be just what people will want to add some flavor to their love lives. You are curious to know more about mature dating, click here.
ReplyDeleteThe members at WellHello are extremely active and always eager to satisfy new folks to play with. All our members are down to fuck and are searching for a neighborhood hookup. Author is an expert of free online dating site, go here for more interesting information.
ReplyDeleteIt is important that you also know about the particular aspects of the christian dating cape town sites so that you do not fall victim to frauds.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAnd you'll be able to do it in a way that doesn't involve trying to get your guy to be dependent on you and depend on you to get him out of bed. Find more interesting information about professional matchmaker here.
ReplyDeleteHello! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any trouble with hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing several weeks of hard work due to no backup. Do you have any solutions to stop hackers?
ReplyDeleteTraits of a cheating women are traits that women want in a partner. One of the most important characteristics of a cheater, or for that matter all women for that fact, is a personality with an innate tendency for rule-breaking. To get more info about dating guide, visit here.
ReplyDeleteOkay, for credence purposes, perhaps I should have posted this years ago from so much speculation going on. In April 1979, I met Richard Deacon (Fred Rutherford) at The Blue Parrot on Beverly Boulevard, Beverly Hills. As he was awaiting the arrival of two others, (Nancy Walker was one of them) I asked him if he knew why Rusty Steven's left the program. He told me that Rusty's mother gave Bob Mosher such a terrible time of giving Rusty more air time and up to credit on the opening credits and theme song as well. She harped on him chronically to the point Mosher told her "It's been a pleasure and we've enjoyed having Rusty, but we're parting ways after this season." Richard told me "if you want the real good dirt, you'll have to ask Barbara Billingsley, she was always earshot when his mother came around." I then excused myself as Nancy Walker approached.
ReplyDeleteIt has received positive reviews from past customers and is backed by a 60-day money back guarantee. If you're unsure of whether Text Chemistry is right for you, read our Text Mechanics review. We've found it to be helpful in improving relationships.
ReplyDeleteLarry WAS Not in Three Dog Night. He was in Blue Oyster Cult. As a matter of fact he wrote the lyrics for Don't Fear The Reaper except his version was called,"Don't Fear Ward Cleaver." With his permission here it is!
ReplyDeleteAll of times have come
T.V. Land is on
Wally didn't fear Ward Cleaver
Nor did his friends, and his mum were the same
Don't be a baby, come on Beaver
Don't fear Ward Cleaver, Ha ha ha, ha ha
Then the steam was drifting when this cup appeared
He climbed up higher til the cup got near
He put his foot on her thumb and then disappeared
Come on Beaver
And he had no fear
And Ward yelled at him
But he didn't cry
He had become like they are, Ha ha ha, ha ha
Come on Beaver
Larry WAS Not in Three Dog Night. He was in Blue Oyster Cult. As a matter of fact he wrote the lyrics for Don't Fear The Reaper except his version was called,"Don't Fear Ward Cleaver." With his permission here it is!
ReplyDeleteAll of times have come
T.V. Land is on
Wally didn't fear Ward Cleaver
Nor did his friends, and his mum were the same
Don't be a baby, come on Beaver
Don't fear Ward Cleaver, Ha ha ha, ha ha
Then the steam was drifting when this cup appeared
He climbed up higher til the cup got near
He put his foot on her thumb and then disappeared
Come on Beaver
And he had no fear
And Ward yelled at him
But he didn't cry
He had become like they are, Ha ha ha, ha ha
You are all so full of shit.
ReplyDelete