TOPANGA, Calif. (AP) — He is, and likely forever will be, best known as good old Wally Cleaver, the big brother who had to bail out a goofball sibling facing one dilemma after another on the classic TV series "Leave it to Beaver."

For the last dozen years, though, Tony Dow has been carving out a new career, as a sculptor with pieces that have shown at numerous venues, including what is arguably the world's premier art museum — the Louvre in Paris.

This weekend, more than 30 of Dow's pieces in bronze, steel and wood go on display closer to home at the Debilzan Gallery in Laguna Beach, and they could fetch several thousand dollars each from collectors. But despite his respected reputation as a sculptor, Dow acknowledges there could be as many people at Saturday's opening reception wanting to rub shoulders with the Beav's brother as see his art.

"I think it's hard, especially with the Wally image, to be taken seriously at pretty much anything other than that," he says with a chuckle and a shake of his head.

Wally Cleaver: Boy, Beaver, wait'll the guys find out you were hanging around with a girl. They'll really give you the business.

Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver: But gee, Wally, you hang around with girls and the guys don't give you the business.

Wally Cleaver: Well, that's because I'm in high school. You can do a lot of stuff in high school without getting the business.
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