Thanks for filling us in on Whitey's story, Dave. From the number of views already and all the new commenters I can see I wasn't the only one wondering.

I grew up next door to Stan Fafara. We moved next door to the Fafara’s in 1959. We played with Stan and as we got older we went surfing together with my older brother. Although Stan got really messed up with drugs, he was a really great guy. He was very talented. He was an excellent drummer, and a extremely talented artist. I hope he will be remembered as a good guy. He just couldn’t break the hold that drugs had on him until it was too late. He was a peaceful human being, and very smart. God Bless you Stan. I hope the next life is really great for you.

The soup cup billboard, when Beaver fell inside, and Whitey was talking to him was my favorite memory of Beaver and Whitey. Thanks for making this, Dave. R.I.P, Stanley. You brought smiles and happiness to so many people.

My life may seem boring but the best hour of my day is watching 2 episodes of Leave it to Beaver. All excellent actors, RIP Whitey.

These kids were all "natural" and believable actors.The Whitey character was hysterical and he had a magical smile.Great job here Dave..... RIP Stanley 🖤

When you are able to crawl out from the darkness, the light seems even brighter. RIP, Stanley.

Wow, thanks for telling us about Stanley. He seemed to have the troubles so many child stars have. Hope he has found peace.

I went to Colfax Elementary School in North Hollywood with Stanley and were buds. He introduced me to Hollywood fakery when I asked what was in the previous night's episode's Christmas presents. He laughed and clued me in - they were just empty wrapped boxes. I couldn't get over why they would do that. There HAS to be presents in wrapped boxes, right? Anyway, Stanley didn't have a big head - he was just a great kid and friend during that time and I treasured knowing him.

Cyndie here💕 thanks for kindly sharing Stanley's whole story, a man who deserved God's grace ✝🙏

That was a model as to how to give a compassionate biography of an individual who had ups and downs in life. Well done!

One line I remember Whitey reciting that I will always remember was while reciting to Beaver that Whitey's father received his Sunday newspaper on Saturday night because he wanted to find out what was going to happen tomorrow today.

So tragically sad. Thanks for doing this tribute. I was not selected to appear on 'Romper Room' in 1965 (age 6) and always felt I missed some opportunity to become a child star. Perhaps I was better off. Now 60 and still alive!

So long Stanley. Thanks for the great memories you leave behind. You ultimately triumphed over the demons of addiction, so you went out a winner in my eyes.

Whatever his temptations, he did his best to overcome them. The entertainment industry has always had the reputation, even as far back as the silent picture days, to chew such talented entertainers up and spit them out. Very few can say they are victorious over their demons...glad to hear of his success. Thanx Dave, for highlighting Whitey's positive parts of his life. Well done.

Great story on Stanley kicking his demons and his life , here's to you Stanley you will always be in the family we grew up to love so much .

I can’t say enough how I just love the positive way you give us updates on these folks. I am still in my Leave it to Beaver season of my daily nostalgic TV and see Whitey daily. 😊🙏❤️

Really well done! I didn't know about Stanley's struggle with heroin addiction. I'm glad he kicked it and for the remainder of his life was clean. His character on "Leave It To Beaver" was great!

I'm so glad he recovered, way to go Stanley this proves it's never too late. The sad part to me about the story it seemed like when they had a beaver reunion nobody wanted to reach out to him, not even to kick in a few bucks for his headstone.

I love the way you reported on this. I wish more people would put an emphasis on the positive like you do.

I was in touch with him at the time of his death, about web design. I was doing some work in that area, and ran across a really nicely designed site he had done, and got in touch with him about the music he had used, in particular. He couldn't remember the name or the artist, but we had a nice back-and-forth; I think I let him know that I am a huge fan of the show, but we didn't correspond much about that. Mainly about work. Then, suddenly, he was gone...a very nice guy, like everyone I've encountered from the show. And he had talent for sure.

I got to get to know him as a senior citizen. He was a very kind man.

I liked him the best of Beaver’s friends! So happy he lived a better life later! Happy to learn of this! Better to live as he did in the end! And sweet that people pitched in to get him a gravestone. Sometimes...the hard times of one person, gives others the opportunity to step up & let them show their generosity! Great story! Glad he straightened out & im sure he felt the same, as well! Just look at that winning smile at the near end! Wonderful!

It makes me sad when I hear about these tragic stories of these child stars. It's just not fair that they were left behind to fall so far down. RIP Stanley, we will remember you and all the laughter and joy you brought to us.

Stan and I were buddies. RIP my old friend.

Two days ago I watched an episode of “M- Squad “, with Stanley Fafara, And thought he looked really familiar. Now it clicks. Great story. Thanks ❗️ 📻🙂

Very sad sometimes life deals us a hard hand we never know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow.

Thanks for telling the truth and setting the record straight! Stan was a personal friend of mine! I wrote a compliant to IMDB, criticizing the first false autobiography that was written and posted about Stan’s life (it was full of inaccuracies, claiming that Stan died in a skid row hotel, Alluding that he was strung out on drugs). The truth is that Stanly had been living in a clean and sober apartment complex for many years (named after a former Senator”The Mark Hatfield building”. I also alerted the writer that Stan died with over 8 years of sobriety surrounded in a hospital, surrounded by his closest friends (who are active members of 12 step programs). Stan was very helpful to other recovering addicts and spoke in public settings. The IMDB reporter immediately returned my email, apologizing and claiming “the first write up was well researched “. The IMDB reporter then wrote a 2nd IMDB autobiography based on the information that I shared. The 2nd write up acknowledge’s Stan’s recovery and achievements in sobriety. The only problem is that the first false IMDB report claiming that Stan died in a skid row apartment is still on IMDB. This write up has been proven false and should be deleted! It is disrespectful to Stan’s life. Therefore it needs to be removed! Replaced by the 2nd write up written by the reporter (which is underneath the first one) acknowledging Stan’s achievement and life in recovery. I attended both of Stan’s funerals which were packed full of friends and fans. Plus I have a picture of Stan that I took during the last year of his life. Stan is holding up a T-Shirt that I bought for him as a gift. It’s a concert shirt from his Nephew Desi’s band named “Coal Chamber”. Stan took me back stage to meet Desi when his band played in Portland, Oregon. Desi made a video where he sang a cover of the classic song “ shock the monkey“ with Ozzy Osbourne. Desi and Stan had a great conversation about his recovering and their family. I also was lucky enough to read the rough draft of Stan’s autobiography that unfortunately never got published. I must compliment the creator of this video for doing an excellent job! I know that Stan would have approved and been proud of it. Thanks

That was very kind and informative! How you did this was considerate and respectful to this man’s memory. Thank you.

Still watch Leave it to Beaver. Thanks for the info on Stanley. He was terrific on the show! Good that he got a gravestone finally. I guess his brother Tiger was not very close to him. I can't imagine not paying for my sibling's gravestone. RIP Stanley.

I still go back in time every morning and spend time with Beaver and friends. A better time. RIP Whitie

God Bless his soul. I hope he knows from above, that he character still makes people smile.

Makes me sad to know that heroin was the monkey on his back for awhile. I am glad to know that he changed his life around. God bless him and his memory! Thank you so much for this information! 😇💜

There were times when Gilbert upstaged Beaver, especially in the later episodes. Whitey always knew his role and did it well. Maybe since Stanley was never the star of the show, it led to his rebellion in life. Who knows? It's great to have someone who researches the forgotten players in TV history. I really enjoy these videos, thanks!

Who could forget the fella who talked Beaver into climbing a billboard to prove there was real soup in the billboard’s steaming soup bowl? He was so cute but he didn’t play “cute”. He played a really super confident smart kid on the show. Kids and show business. Till this day that career can lead to the wrong path. It’s so sad seeing bright young children get a short run in the fame spotlight and then grow older and become regular folks like the rest of us mere mortals. So very nice to hear his last years were spent in aiding others. Thank you for your positive non- tabloid spin on his story. ☮️

Well done. He had good taste in music and was a good person.

I always wondered what happened to little Whitey. Thought he was a very talented actor. Too bad he couldn't have more roles on other shows and maybe a movie or two. What saddens me is the part about his grave stone. I wonder how many others that have passed on that don't have head stones. This was done very well, thank you very much for sharing! PS: Leave It To Beaver is on MeTV every morning (Monday - Friday) and I still watch it!

Even today, being a kid actor is difficult, but more than a half century ago it was much worse as kids often were physically abused while working as actors, had their parents end up spending the fortune they had accumulated and left them broke, and abruptly discovered themselves out of work when they were no longer the cute kid on a television show, and didn’t have the education to do anything else except be an actor. For every child actor success stories like Ron Howard, there are dozens more tragic child actor stories like Anissa Jones and Rusty Hamer. Sounds like Stanley Fafara was fortunate to turn his life around before he died, but it’s still a sad story.

Thank you for this video,wow,I never knew what happened to most of the stars,but you have filled in the gaps for us. You have a very pleasant happy voice for these videos!

I knew Stan when he was living in Oregon and was really nice guy and loved dogs ! He would walk by my house almost everyday and never knew he was sick until a month went by and I didn’t see Stan so I went around the block to the place Stan was staying and found out he was placed in a coma !! RIP

Hey Dave, Blaise here . I may enjoy these shows as much as you, By the way The new Leave it to Beaver show , was one of the few remakes that worked. Anyway lm almost 57 , Leave it to Beaver was one of my favorites, because I literally grew up in a household like this, my Dad was from WW2 worked 20 min. away, home every afternoon, Mom stay at home, we lived in the country. I think Hugh Beaumont may have been the best TV Dad. I liked Whitey, Larry, Gilbert,even Judy because I think pretty much every one has some friends in their youth that reminds us of these people. Even Eddy Haskell redeems himself sometimes, I had 2 older brothers that bullied me tremendously, that was even life changing, I enjoy seeing that simpler time Post War before Vietnam was in full swing, Gus at the Auxiliary fire station no. 7 where a kid could stop and air up his bycycle tire.No Hippies, no Damm Drugs A slice of Americana, The good old Days......Bye the way, Please Don’t forget about my favorite Mr. Ed ,

Got to be one of my all-time favorite shows growing up. I have the entire show on DVD and I've probably watched it three or four times over. I'm surprised you didn't mention that Stanley's older brother, "Tiger" Fafara, also played in "Leave It to Beaver" as one of Wally's friends, "Tooey Brown". He wore these real thick coke-bottle glasses and still couldn't see anything. LOL Thanks for the memories, Dave... I love your Channel!

He reminds me of Rusty from The Danny Thomas Show. Both were child stars, who never made it beyond that. They were both great, but really couldn't cope with ordinary life without being cast in other shows. Look at the guy who played Eddie Haskell. He had the same thing, but went on to live a regular life & work as a policeman..

I am surprised that there is no mention of his older brother who played Tooey on the show.

As usual, another great tribute video, Dave! I'm glad Stan was able to overcome his addictions and was at peace with himself. I'm from a background in graphic design and illustration, so I would lave liked to have seen Stan's work. Thanks for posting. RIP, Stan.

Glad he was able to get his life back. It is kind of sad that his fellow stars on Leave It To Beaver couldnt chip in for a headstone.

Typecasting was a huge problem for TV actors back in the day. It was a double-edged sword where the more successful your show was, and iconic your role was, the harder it was going to be to get another role once your show ended, as producers and casting directors could rarely see past the character that you used to play, and believed that no one else would either. So much worse when you're a child actor essentially being told that you're all washed up at puberty. Poor Stanley's lows were, sadly, not that uncommon an experience for a child star. Though I'm sure that as you say, it was made worse by the Leave it to Beaver renaissance going on in the '80s. But I'm happy to hear that ultimately, Stanley was able to pick himself up, get cleaned up and rebuild his life. Not a terrible ending. good video. Thank you.

Glad to hear he got his life together and 20 peaceful years.

This is so sad. He was so sweet on the show. May he RIP

Thanks I never knew what happened to him. I am sure most people did not. I'm so glad to hear we got his life together. I'm sad that he died the way he did. RIP

He may have had a rough life but at least he’s immortalized on an iconic American show comparable to I Love Lucy. Very few can say that.

God bless you Whitey in Jesus name

Not many people realize that "Tooey", Wallys school friend was Stanley's older brother Tiger Fafara. I always got a kick out of both of them. That show truly reminds me of how things were growing up back in the 50s and 60s. Very fond memories. The words they used were real-- crook, and my favorite, creepy.

Yep. I always liked Whitey. Kind of a tragic story though. Not uncommon for child actors I suppose. Anyway. That last picture of him made me think of a line from a Wallflowers song called The Only Difference which goes.. They say that children now they come in all ages and maybe sometimes old men die with little boy faces.

Lovely job reporting on a flawed life ultimately lived well. This is something his family and friends would be proud to share.

Well done video. Thank you for concentrating on Stanlys' inspiring, positive impact on the world and thank you Stanley. LITB was a large part of my childhood lunch time tv and I always enjoyed Stanlys' portrayal of Whity. RIP Stanley. We are never truely gone, until we are no longer remembered.

Thank you for the positivity!

Loved little Whitey on Leave It To Beaver. Such a cutie pie!!! R. I. P. and know you were loved, Stanley 🙏💕

I grew up in the early seventies watch and Leave it to Beaver like reruns I was born in 1966 but I started watching Leave it to Beaver reruns in 1972-73 and I appreciate for what they are good wholesome shows and I wish I was living in a house like that when I was there when I was growing up

Remember watching Leave it to Beaver in early sixties as a very young kid. Now my husband and I watch them on METV. He’s 10 years my junior. We watch them every morning and have probably watched each episode about a dozen times. Different times then than they are today, but I’m happy for progress.🙂

Dave- Even though you posted this 3 yrs ago, it just popped up for the 1st time on my KZfaq recommendations. WOW! My friend, what an honest and life-affirming way to tell Stanley’s story. If only we all can reach for the positives and look for the best in people as you have done with Stanley, then our world will be expanding with love and respect for ALL of God’s creatures! Thank you friend; I love your posts. ❤

Thanks for the video. Good to hear he eventually found some peace in his life and was able and available to help others with their addiction. That's a pretty good legacy indeed.

same story for so many child stars in hollywood. very sad

I grew up watching 'Leave it to Beaver' and I always liked Whitey. You should do a video about Gilbert, he was Beaver's Eddie Haskill. Whenever trouble came around, he would always disappear. Next to Eddie, Gilbert was my most hated character in the show.

I also remember him on an episode of the Twilight Zone. Leave It To Beaver one of my all time favourite shows. Stan R.I.P.

Aw Thanks for the information and sharing it’s easy to make mistakes it’s hard to correct them I’m glad he got it together before he was gone ‼️❣️‼️Nicely done very compassionate tribute for a life worthy of remembrance 👍

This was sooooooo facinating. Thanks, Dave! ❤️

stanley and i have a lot in common. we both got our families back b4 we came to the end of our earthly life.alcohol tried ,but we beat it. god bless you stanley

I really like your approach reporting the facts. Very well done.

I was watching DS9 and I thought this guest star looked like him but it turned out it was another actor. No idea he died so young. I was shocked how he had to live on SSI and I assume what he made with the graphic design work. for the last years of his life he had some happiness though. The episode is called Crossfire.

awe how sad never knew that how sad but thank you for the post.. RIP Stanley Fafara

I love your videos. I watch Leave it to Beaver almost everyday. Thank you.

One of my all time favorites! Whitey was so cute. He probably was the shortest of the crew. But I gotta admit, Larry was my favorite!! Just subbed...good channel!! Thanks!

Excellent tribute. RIP stanley.

Good on ol’ Whitey! I’am sure he would consider his recovery as his #1 achievement. RIP.

Great video. In the end he probably had a more imprtant life than the many considering the people he helped. Glad to know he turned around. Inspirational.

That was truly fantastic! Thank you!

So glad he fought his demons and won. May he rest in peace. I love watching him on the show.

I wish Prime or Netflix would have Leave it to Beaver.. I don't do commercial tv anymore and won't watch it on ME tv or anywhere with ads.

Great story Dave! And great focus! Love it!

Rest in peace Stanley it was great watching you on leave it to Beaver may peace be with you

What a shame for such a talented child actor. He was one of the very few I enjoyed on LITB! Rest in peace Whitey!

Well done. Thanks for these great mini-doc.s. Celebrating the positive. 👏👏👏

Stanley really became a blessing to those in need! May he be blessed!!!

I really love and enjoy your videos. Thank you!

Hi, Thank you so much for this inside story Stanley Fafara, I remember the news Article on his death, I don't remember it saying that he was clean and sober just that he was a drug user

He will always be “Whitey” to me. What a cute kid he was. So sad his life went downhill after “Beaver.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if life was really as simple as it was on that show? That’s why I love to watch the back-to-back episodes every day on MeTV; it’s like escaping reality for that hour and going back to much simpler and happier days. God Bless “Whitey” and the entire cast of “Leave it to Beaver.” And thank you for the wonderful memories that will live forever.

I agree with 100% we need to remember good things about people and stop concentrating on the negative! We would have a better world if we did Rest In Peace Stanley 🙏🏻 P.S You just got another sub 👌🏻

Beaver casting hit home runs with all the kids and especially Stanley Fafara. His character had that twinkle in his eye when he knew he was leading Beaver into a mess, like the soup episode. Gilbert Bates was great too and god knows if Larry Mondello had gone past season 3 along with Crazy Judy Hensler.

Sorry for Whitey's Los rest in peace

Like so many Hollywood kids. But anybody that kicks that lifestyle and puts it behind them deserves applause.

thank you for this. it means a lot. i greatly appreciate it. yes, stanley was triumphant the last several years over his addiction. i read an interview with him once and he said when he turned 18 he went to the bank and he had something like 19,000 dollars left over in his account from his years on LITB. he went and bought a new car and was talking around with like 17,000 dollars in his front pocket! larry mondello and whitey whitney are my favorite of the beave's friends. whitey was one of the more 'safe' friends for the beaver. unlike larry, gilbert and richard, whitey only got the beave into trouble ONCE ever! whitey was the kid who talked the beave into climbing up onto the billboard. stanley fafara was the real life brother of tiger/luke/lucas fafara who played tooey brown on LITB, an early friend of wally's. tiger/luke/lucas fafara is the father of rock star dez fafara; not my kind of rock and roll, just a tidbit of trivia. i always thought famous 50's character actor whit bissell would have been perfect casting as whitey whitney's father. thanks again.

This is a wonderful doc. Thanks so much.

Stanley and Whitey just fit that little boys personality and disposition, perfectly. Smile on, Whitey. Smile on, Stanley.

I grew up watching Leave It To Beaver. Good family value show.❤😂

I always watched Leave It To Beaver. I remember The Show was on Saturday Night"s in the 1960"s.And growing up, it was always being show in reruns in the late afternoon or early in the Morning. I loved the show! I will be going on 66 this month. And i still watch it from time to time.

So sad...unfortunately it is a story that is repeated way to often. AND... You are welcome! (that was in response to your ‘thanks so much for watching’. I don’t think I’ve ever caught that before ...🥴! ) AND... Thank you for all the time & effort you put into these videos...I know it takes a lot to research & then recording, etc. Just wanted you to know you are appreciated Dave!

Thank you Stanley you will always be remembered

Jamaica.... what were they thinking MON.... that is what really did him in .. RIP.....

For those of you saying that his cast members should have paid for his headstone (public shaming), stop it. Do you keep track of your former co-workers from 40 years ago and feel it is your responsibility to care for them if they've gone down the wrong path? People said the same thing when Erin Moran from Happy Days died and was living a substandard lifestyle ("Gee, why didn't Fonzie, Potsie, Jenny Piccilo, and Ralph Malph help her out?"). It was a TV show from a long ago, they were actors, that was their job, and they all had lives outside of the TV show, many of them went their separate ways afterwards, and they may or may not have been close when the series was being made. Additionally, I believe that none of these actors got much in the way of residuals off of this show. But who knows, perhaps some of them made private or anonymous contributions.

I watched 'Leave it to Beaver', quite a lot when I was a kid. I also lived a childhood similar to his.(in the show). I grew up in a middle class family in a suburb (Brookpark) of Cleveland, Ohio until 1965, when I was 11. We moved into Cleveland, I had a falling out with my 6th grade teacher in a new school that was totally different than the school I was in before. I digress. The one Beaver show I remember the most is when he or one of his friends fell into a coffee cup up on a billboard.