Eddie Haskell goes to jail
The California State Prison, Los Angeles County (LAC) – located north of Los Angeles in Lancaster – is a 262-acre, Level 4, maximum-security facility responsible for the housing, clothing and feeding of more than 1,000 inmates.
For most visitors, entering this facility is like crossing the threshold into another world, but Ken Osmond is no stranger to these surroundings. “I spent over 18 years with LAPD, and I’ve been in lots of jails and escorted lots of prisoners,” he says.
But Osmond is no ordinary ex-cop. In fact, to millions who grew up watching him on television, he’s the last person you would ever expect to become a bastion of law and order.
Mention the name Eddie Haskell, and most people naturally think of the two-faced, conniving character from the classic TV show “Leave it to Beaver.” But his portrayer is actually a huge supporter of the military and served in uniform himself while on the show.
Osmond is here to visit with a particular group of inmates. “I heard about this special group of guys and the good work they were doing,“ he explains. “And I wanted to thank them as a fellow veteran and as a proud American.”
The inmates are members of Veterans Embracing Truth, aka V.E.T.S., one of the facility’s leisure-time activity groups. The group’s mission is to provide support to fellow veterans within the prison, and to do what it can for those still serving. Money raised by V.E.T.S. is donated to groups such as Blue Star Mothers of America, which uses it to send care packages overseas.
Osmond and his escort head to a classroom where they’ll meet the prisoners. There is excitement in the air, but also nervousness. It isn’t Osmond’s law enforcement past as much as his celebrity status that’s on prisoners’ minds.
Richard, a former Army sergeant and leader of the V.E.T.S. group, explains, “We watch Ken every morning on ‘Leave it to Beaver’ in our TV room, and to have him come here to visit us ... wow, we can’t believe it.”
Soon, other members of the group start to file in. At one end of the room, U.S. and POW/MIA flags are displayed. The veterans rise from their seats and begin their meeting as they always do, with the Pledge of Allegiance. After Osmond is introduced as the special guest of the day, the inmates introduce themselves.
For the next hour, they pepper Osmond with questions: What branch of the military was he in? The Army Reserve. What was his MOS? Small arms repair. Where did he do his basic training? Fort Ord, Calif.
And then, a question that’s puzzled some of the men: How was Osmond able to keep filming “Leave it to Beaver” while he was in the military?
“I had a master sergeant who was in charge of special services,” Osmond explains. “He cut a deal with me; if I did personal appearances for him, he would get me passes to go back to LA and film shows. It beat fixing M-1 Garands.”
Osmond reaches into a paper bag and removes a gift he has brought for the group: two copies of “Above And Beyond,” a book about unsung military heroes he recently wrote and published.
He explains that he’s a member of American Legion Post 520 in Sun Valley, where he took over the post newsletter for a short time.
“I started putting in stories about everyday heroes in uniform,” Osmond says. “Everyone loved them, so I turned them into a collection of stories, and I’d like you gentlemen to have some copies.”
Osmond takes a moment to sign the books and hands them to Richard.
“I want to donate these to your prison library,” he says. “You guys, in spite of your circumstances, are going above and beyond.”
Christopher J. Lynch is the author of “Eddie: The Life and Times of America’s Preeminent Bad Boy,” a biography of Ken Osmond.