Matt Buckler: Rumor of Tony Dow's death spread quickly

Jul. 27—When the story surfaced that Tony Dow had died, the news spread quicker than a bad rumor.

That's because it was a bad rumor.

The story was quickly corrected — Dow was alive. He was in tough shape, in a hospice after his cancer made a comeback, but Dow had not passed away.

There was a reason, however, that the mistaken word of his death lit up social media like a Rockefeller Christmas tree. For more than 60 years, Dow was considered to be the ultimate big brother. While he was involved in many TV shows as a guest star and as a director, he is best known for the six seasons — from 1958 to 1963 — he spent playing Wally Cleaver, the older brother to "The Beaver," Theodore Cleaver, on the iconic TV series, "Leave it to Beaver."

After the show left the air, it became even more popular thanks to syndication. The show is still on TV — 8 a.m. weekday mornings on MeTV. Because of its longevity, Dow touched more than 60 years' worth of viewers. Wally Cleaver did what older brothers are supposed to do — protect their younger sibling. And Dow played the role perfectly — that's why we remember him so well.

Perhaps we were lucky the series was made in 1958, because if it was made today, the two brothers would have spent most of their time insulting each other. Instead, we saw many warm moments of two Midwestern kids growing up together. The show didn't generate belly laughs. But it did make you smile.

The show even makes you smile during the closing credits. Wally and Beaver are seen walking home from school when Wally suddenly grabs Beaver as a car came cruising by. Even after the show was over, he was protecting his little brother.

Let's hope in the next few days, someone protects Tony Dow. He showed us all how a big brother is supposed to be.

'View' vacancy filled

Panel shows are boring if everyone agrees with each other. You need an opposing viewpoint in order to stir the pot.

According to Variety, ABC's "The View" is on the verge of doing that. "Variety" is reporting that Alyssa Farah Griffin, who worked in the Trump White House, is close to joining "The View" as a full-time panelist for the 2022-23 season.

"The View" is dominated by liberal points of view — thanks to the presence of Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar. Griffin will give the panel some balance, just the way Meghan McCain and Elisabeth Hasselbeck did in the past.

Griffin had served as director of strategic communications during the final months of the Trump presidency. She has also served as a correspondent for CNN.

Her new goal is simple — make "The View" great again.

Cuomo connects

Chris Cuomo as landed on his feet. Less than one year after being fired from CNN, Cuomo has found a new job in TV news. He will join the cable news network NewsNation in the fall.

The announcement was made during an interview Dan Abrams conducted with Cuomo Tuesday night. It was Cuomo's first TV interview since he was dismissed by CNN for using his job to help his brother, Andrew Cuomo, fight sexual misconduct allegations when he was New York governor.

NewsNation took over the cable TV location of WGN America in 2021 and is available to 80 million customers, including many in Connecticut. It still, however, is the new guy in town, when compared to the major cable news networks, CNN, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC.

So Cuomo will give the new network some star power. NewsNation will need every bit of it if it wants to be a major player in cable news.

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Matt Buckler is television and radio editor of the Journal Inquirer.

Follow Matt Buckler for more television, radio, and sports coverage on the JI's Twitter @journalinquirer, and see his articles on the Journal Inquirer Facebook page.