Miss Canfield is a

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

al character in the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

television

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

Leave It to Beaver ''Leave It to Beaver'' is an American television sitcom that follows the misadventures of a suburban boy, his family and his friends. It starred Barbara Billingsley, Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers. CBS first broadcast the show ...

''. She is portrayed by

Diane Brewster Diane Brewster (March 11, 1931 – November 12, 1991) was an American television actress most noted for playing three distinctively different roles in television series of the 1950s and 1960s: confidence trickster Samantha Crawford in the Weste ...

. The character appeared in four first season episodes. Brewster then left the series without explanation.

Sue Randall Marion Burnside Randall (October 8, 1935 – October 26, 1984), who acted under the name Sue Randall, was an American television actress whose entire 17-year career (1950 to 1967) was spent in episodes of TV series, and one film (1957). Her b ...

stepped in to play

Beaver Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

's teacher, Alice Landers, over the following seasons. In "Beaver’s Pigeons"(1959) the two pigeons are named Miss Canfield and Miss Landers. Miss Canfield's portrayer,

, also appeared in the show's pilot "It's a Small World" as Miss Simms, a secretary at the Franklin Milk Company.

Overview

Miss Canfield is a young and attractive, no-nonsense schoolteacher who is leading a second grade class for the first time at Grant Avenue Grammar School when the show debuts in 1957. She has a good relationship with her students and her colleague, Mrs. Rayburn. In the premiere episode, Miss Canfield sends a note home with Beaver, who believes he is going to be expelled. Beaver is relieved when he discovers that the note contains only a request to have him play Smokey Bear in a school pageant. In another episode, Beaver develops a crush on Miss Canfield, and, at the urging of his classmates, puts a spring snake in her desk to prove he's not a teacher's pet. In "Part-Time Genius", Miss Canfield tells the Cleavers that Beaver's IQ test results indicate he's a genius. It proves to be a false alarm, however. In her last appearance, Miss Canfield discovers a dog hidden inside Beaver's jacket. Miss Canfield was a warm and attractive character, a patient and understanding teacher. Her first name is never revealed on the show.

Episodes

*"It's a Small World" (pilot, 1957): Brewster appeared as a secretary, Miss Simms. *"Beaver Gets 'Spelled'" (1957, as Diana Brewster) *"Beaver's Crush" (1957) *"Part-Time Genius" (1958) *"Beaver and Poncho" (1958)

References

*Applebaum, Irwyn. ''The World According to Beaver.'' TV Books, 1984, 1998. (). *Bank, Frank. ''Call Me Lumpy: my Leave It To Beaver days and other wild Hollywood life ''. Addax, 2002. (), (). *Colella, Jennifer. ''The Leave It to Beaver Guide to Life: wholesome wisdom from the Cleavers!'' Running Press, 2006. (), (). *''Leave It to Beaver: the complete first season''. Universal Studios, 2005. *''Leave It to Beaver: the complete second season''. Universal Studios, 2006. () *Mathers, Jerry. ''...And Jerry Mathers as "The Beaver".'' Berkley Boulevard Books, 1998. () Television characters introduced in 1957 Fictional schoolteachers Leave It to Beaver characters American female characters in sitcoms {{comedy-tv-char-stub