Occurred in the LAST season of "Leave it to Beaver"-1963's "Don Juan Beaver",had nearly everyone mad at Beaver.Another one was 1963's "The Silent Treatment".In the latter one,you'll understand why just by watching it.

2 sucky episodes out of 234 isnt too bad an average :wave:

Occurred in the LAST season of "Leave it to Beaver"-1963's "Don Juan Beaver",had nearly everyone mad at Beaver.Another one was 1963's "The Silent Treatment".In the latter one,you'll understand why just by watching it.



You must have took a hit in the head.


There is no such thing as a bad episode of Leave It To Beaver

You must have took a hit in the head.


There is no such thing as a bad episode of Leave It To Beaver

Agreed!!!!

All I know, is I'm discovering some hysterical episodes! The one with Beaver and Larry making Benjie think Beaver was transformed into a rock was hilarious.
(Beaver the Magician)

I can't think of one!! :cool:

All I know, is I'm discovering some hysterical episodes! The one with Beaver and Larry making Benjie think Beaver was transformed into a rock was hilarious.
(Beaver the Magician)

Yeah I'm discovering that we had missed alot of Ward and June scenes that TV Land deleted from their crappy version of editing. There are some cute, sweet and flirty scenes that I have seen so far. One of my favorites thus far is in "Wally's Glamour Girl" when they are doing dishes together and June thanks him for being a helpful husband and reminds him of the time when they were just dating and when he was over to her house for dinner. She said "You practically ordered my mother out of the kitchen to help me with the dishes and held my hand under the water." That is definately an "aww" moment.

Yes, there are some bad ones. I didn't like the one where Ward gave Beaver the pedometer and then Beaver bet Whitey his baseball glove that he could walk 20 miles a day.

Yes, there are some bad ones. I didn't like the one where Ward gave Beaver the pedometer and then Beaver bet Whitey his baseball glove that he could walk 20 miles a day.i dont care for that one or the one where eddie trys to get that job in alaska

I like those two but to each his own.

There is only one I consider bad , but that bad episode is still better than any of the current sitcoms I've seen recently.

The one that is my least favorite(though I still watch it) is the one where Beaver has to wear the bunny suit. It just seems forced all of the situations happening to make Beaver have to walk to school dressed as a Bunny. He has to wear the suit before he gets there(not change at school).

But I still get a chuckle out of it because Jerry Mathers looks so ridiculous, the episode feels like it was meant for the early seasons but not used until the later ones.

i dont care for that one or the one where eddie trys to get that job in alaska

I love the Alaska episode. A friend of mine did exactly that one summer during college. And hearing his stories about being on the fishing boat, I would have loved to seen Eddie actually get the job just to see him go through those things.

During the 6th season, the series had some subtle changes and a few weaker episodes slipped into the mix. A couple of those are "Beaver On TV" and "Box Office Attraction". Not saying these are bad episodes, they're just different. Box Office Attraction is unusual for a LITB episode in the fact it ends on a somber, dramatic note. Wally's dream girl ends up not being the type of girl he thought she was. Beaver On TV almost plays out like a spoof of the Twilight Zone, kind of a weird episode. I've noticed in the last season of LITB, other TV shows of the era sometimes get a mention in the episodes. McHale's Navy, The Untouchables, Twilight Zone, Jack Paar, Captain Kangaroo, all of these get a mention at one time or another. That's unusual. I think LITB ended at the right time, 6 seasons was enough. That last season took a bit of a different direction, a little more mature, a little more serious. The series had lost some of the innocence it previously had, but then again Beaver and Wally were getting older. Some scripts worked and other scripts didn't go over as well.

Wally graduated from high school in the 6th season, but he was said to have already been in high school in the 2nd season. That would have been 5 years in high school for Wally, that is wrong. There's a discrepancy in the continuity of Beaver's school years also. So I just figure that during the shows 6 season duration, Wally attended the 7th thru 12th grades, and Beaver attended 3rd thru 8th grade. Both moving up one grade per season. That would be correct.

Occurred in the LAST season of "Leave it to Beaver"-1963's "Don Juan Beaver",had nearly everyone mad at Beaver.Another one was 1963's "The Silent Treatment".In the latter one,you'll understand why just by watching it.

I disliked "The Silent Treatment" more than just about any Season 6 episode (although that season is my favorite overall) because it had Beaver acting so childishly and Ward & June acting so stupidly, unable to see Beaver's favoritism for Ward over June while Wally could see it clearly. "The Poor Loser" and "The Book Report" showed a lack of maturity on Beaver's part too, though Beaver's description of The Three Musketeers having watched a comedy movie was funny.

"Don Juan Beaver" has a funny ending to me, with Beaver dancing to that same generic rock tune which seemed to be heard in a lot of late LItB episodes but then pretending to be chastened by the punishment of having no date for the school dance when Ward went in to talk with him.

One episode that stands out is that "In The Soup" episode in which Theodore was on a billboard and fell into a teacup. Yes, I know it's popular among the fans, but I thought it was rather stupid. (Of course, any episode in which the main plot is something way out there like falling into a teacup is stupid. Give me reality TV any day!)

ISTR another episode in which Wally wanted to join the drama club and took home his costume, only to discover a dress. :eek: :faint:

With "In The Soup", Beaver was still young enough at the end of the 4th season to make the episode somewhat believable. Had this been the back half of the 5th season or the 6th season, it wouldn't have worked nearly as well. Still, Beaver was silly to climb that billboard and look inside the cup. Boys will be boys. :lol:

Another 6th season episode that doesn't work too well is "Beaver Joins A Record Club". The basic idea behind the episode is fine, but Beaver ignoring the invoices as the records are mailed doesn't ring true. He should have been old enough at that point to not be so irresponsible. Then he had to ask help from his father to clear up the mess. Not really a believable episode.

With "In The Soup", Beaver was still young enough at the end of the 4th season to make the episode somewhat believable. Had this been the back half of the 5th season or the 6th season, it wouldn't have worked nearly as well. Still, Beaver was silly to climb that billboard and look inside the cup. Boys will be boys. :lol:

Another 6th season episode that doesn't work too well is "Beaver Joins A Record Club". The basic idea behind the episode is fine, but Beaver ignoring the invoices as the records are mailed doesn't ring true. He should have been old enough at that point to not be so irresponsible. Then he had to ask help from his father to clear up the mess. Not really a believable episode.



I see your point about Beaver and the record club, but I can easily seeing him and someone else his age getting himself in a mess like that. I've seen adults do it.

How about "Beaver's Skates" ? This episode is a little far-fetched. Beaver gets scammed into buying skates too big for him, but is afraid to tell his parents. He tells them he's going skating every day, but goes to the Library instead.

I see your point about Beaver and the record club, but I can easily seeing him and someone else his age getting himself in a mess like that. I've seen adults do it.

The record club episode was probably topical for the time, those things were getting popular in the early 60's and Beaver was getting to the age where he began to appreciate music. With those record club deals, it was always advisable to understand all the terms and read the fine print, otherwise the consumer would likely end up getting more than they bargained for. Looks like Beaver just jumped into the deal without paying full attention to the terms.

It was the writers job to come up with stories for the episodes, most of the time they hit the mark, a few times they were a little off. Leave It To Beaver in the 6th season was a series in transition, it's a slightly darker season with subtle touches of occasional drama. It's different from the previous five seasons, to be sure. I like the theme music for season 6, IMO it's the best version.

Wally graduated from high school in the 6th season, but he was said to have already been in high school in the 2nd season. That would have been 5 years in high school for Wally, that is wrong.

Grade 8,9,10,11,12. 5 years. :crazy:

Grade 8,9,10,11,12. 5 years. :crazy:

I guess I will have to spell it out for you in detail. In the 2nd season Wally was said to have started high school, that would have been the 9th grade. I don't know of any five year high schools that go to the 13th grade. The only way Wally could have attended high school in seasons 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 is if he flunked a grade and had to repeat it over. That didn't happen. So following it logically, Wally should really have been in the 8th grade in the 2nd season, the last year of grammar school, not a 9th grader in high school.

It was the opposite thing with Beaver. He was always behind a grade. He was said to have been attending the 4th grade when he should have been in the 5th, said to have been attending the 5th grade when he should have been in the 6th, etc. Then all of a sudden in the 6th season, they finally get it right and Beaver is an 8th grader preparing to graduate from grammar school. But going by what was said in previous seasons, Beaver would have been a 7th grader in season 6. For example, I think there are couple times in the 1st season where Beaver is said to be a 2nd grader. And in the 4th season, he is said to be in the 5th grade. If that was the case, then in the 6th season he should have been in 7th grade, not 8th. Unless he got double promoted somewhere along the way, and that didn't happen either.

In season 6, if Wally graduated from high school and Beaver graduated from grammar school, in season 1 Wally would have been a 7th grader and Beaver a 3rd grader. Each boy moving up one grade per season. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 for Wally. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 for Beaver. That's the proper logic, but the series usually didn't follow this logical pattern.

During the 6th season, the series had some subtle changes and a few weaker episodes slipped into the mix. A couple of those are "Beaver On TV" and "Box Office Attraction". Not saying these are bad episodes, they're just different. Box Office Attraction is unusual for a LITB episode in the fact it ends on a somber, dramatic note. Wally's dream girl ends up not being the type of girl he thought she was.

"Box Office Attraction" really is unusual; with some exceptions in other episodes like Beaver letting the hobo in the house or befriending the two boys who are economically disadvantaged, we mostly see people who are sort of the "upper crust" associating with the Cleavers -- so it's interesting to see how others of differing socio-economic status are handled, this time with Dow's character as the center of attention.

The actress playing Wally's crush does a nice job. She certainly succeeds in portraying a more grown-up woman than Wally usually goes for. Her character and that of the tennis player combine to show that Wally is moving beyond typical schoolgirl attractions.

I guess I will have to spell it out for you in detail. In the 2nd season Wally was said to have started high school, that would have been the 9th grade. I don't know of any five year high schools that go to the 13th grade. The only way Wally could have attended high school in seasons 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 is if he flunked a grade and had to repeat it over. That didn't happen. So following it logically, Wally should really have been in the 8th grade in the 2nd season, the last year of grammar school, not a 9th grader in high school.

No need to be snarky. Actually visaman666 is correct. If you went where there was no Jr High. I went to elementary school from 1st to 7th grade. Started High School as a 7th grader. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 - 5 years! Don't be so quick to jump on people.

No need to be snarky. Actually visaman666 is correct. If you went where there was no Jr High. I went to elementary school from 1st to 7th grade. Started High School as a 7th grader. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 - 5 years! Don't be so quick to jump on people.

Junior high or no junior high, it doesn't matter it's still overall the same number of grades. In the 6th season of Leave It To Beaver, Wally graduated high school (12th grade) and Beaver graduated grammar school (8th grade). So in the 1st season of the show, Wally would have been a 7th grader and Beaver a 3rd grader. But there are discrepancies in episodes of the series that don't follow this pattern. For example, in a 3rd season episode Wally is said to be a sophomore in high school. If that were true, Wally would have graduated in the 5th season, not the 6th. So in the 3rd season, Wally would logically have been a high school freshman (9th grade), not sophomore (10th grade). That is the point I'm trying to make. During the course of the series, the grades Wally and Beaver are said to be attending don't corrolate with the grades they attended in the last season of the show.

And where did you learn your math? 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. That's 6 years, not 5. :crazy: :lol:

And for the record, I didn't jump on anyone, visaman was "snarky" with me which resulted in my response.

I disliked "The Silent Treatment" more than just about any Season 6 episode (although that season is my favorite overall) because it had Beaver acting so childishly and Ward & June acting so stupidly, unable to see Beaver's favoritism for Ward over June while Wally could see it clearly. "The Poor Loser" and "The Book Report" showed a lack of maturity on Beaver's part too, though Beaver's description of The Three Musketeers having watched a comedy movie was funny.

"Don Juan Beaver" has a funny ending to me, with Beaver dancing to that same generic rock tune which seemed to be heard in a lot of late LItB episodes but then pretending to be chastened by the punishment of having no date for the school dance when Ward went in to talk with him.

I've seen kids Beaver's age(and older) in The Silent Treatment act far more childish and immature than Beaver did in real life, so I never had a problem with the episode. There's some teens 16 and 17 that act that way.

There is an episode where Beaver & Wally buy stock in a company and even have a difference of opinion with Eddie about which one to purchase. This one doesn't have the same funny jolt as many of the others, but, at the same time, doing something like buying stocks is more believeable.

The only thing about Box Office Attractionis the scene where Marlene makes Wally pull over, and then pulls him in a kiss, and Wally is stunned. I think that was overdone. Keep in mind Wally was a straight 18 year old boy. I dont think most boys would push away a pretty girl making the first moves. Its usually the other way around with the boy making the first move, and the girl pushing him off.

The only thing about Box Office Attractionis the scene where Marlene makes Wally pull over, and then pulls him in a kiss, and Wally is stunned. I think that was overdone. Keep in mind Wally was a straight 18 year old boy. I dont think most boys would push away a pretty girl making the first moves. Its usually the other way around with the boy making the first move, and the girl pushing him off.

Wally in this show was a squeaky clean kid, had he been the one to make the moves on Marlene it probably would have been a shock to the viewers and ruin his reputation. :lol: Also, Marlene putting the moves on Wally made sense as she was the experienced older chick who'd been around the block already a few times.

The Silent Treatment, by far. I can't stand that episode...it was just no good.

I don't like several of the first episodes, but I don't like that early one with Beaver and Violet.

Wally in this show was a squeaky clean kid, had he been the one to make the moves on Marlene it probably would have been a shock to the viewers and ruin his reputation. :lol: Also, Marlene putting the moves on Wally made sense as she was the experienced older chick who'd been around the block already a few times.



Thats true, but most boys (even back in the early 60's) wouldnt' have objected to a girl making the first move.


I guess for the TV show, Wally had to be innocent.:cool:

It's not like I didn't like the episode "Silent Treatment", but I think they could have made it more believable in regards to Ward's reaction to Beaver's mean behavior toward June. First of all, Ward was smarter then what they made him, he would have caught on immmediately to what he was doing to June. Second of all, when he di find out the score, he still beat around the bush with the kid instead of flat out telling him to treat his mother with some respect. In many episodes we hear Ward saying something like, "You have upset your mother" or "You have worried your mother" or "Don't upset your mother." In other words, Ward has always been somewhat protective of June's feelings so it's unbelievable to me that he didn't even warn Beaver that if he didn't straighten up that he would take him to the shed. He had Beaver thinking that he had gotten away with hurting June's feelings until Wally said his father about clobbered him. I think this is one episode where Ward should have let the kid have it!

During the 6th season, the series had some subtle changes and a few weaker episodes slipped into the mix. A couple of those are "Beaver On TV" and "Box Office Attraction". Not saying these are bad episodes, they're just different. Box Office Attraction is unusual for a LITB episode in the fact it ends on a somber, dramatic note. Wally's dream girl ends up not being the type of girl he thought she was. Beaver On TV almost plays out like a spoof of the Twilight Zone, kind of a weird episode. I've noticed in the last season of LITB, other TV shows of the era sometimes get a mention in the episodes. McHale's Navy, The Untouchables, Twilight Zone, Jack Paar, Captain Kangaroo, all of these get a mention at one time or another. That's unusual. I think LITB ended at the right time, 6 seasons was enough. That last season took a bit of a different direction, a little more mature, a little more serious. The series had lost some of the innocence it previously had, but then again Beaver and Wally were getting older. Some scripts worked and other scripts didn't go over as well.

Wally graduated from high school in the 6th season, but he was said to have already been in high school in the 2nd season. That would have been 5 years in high school for Wally, that is wrong. There's a discrepancy in the continuity of Beaver's school years also. So I just figure that during the shows 6 season duration, Wally attended the 7th thru 12th grades, and Beaver attended 3rd thru 8th grade. Both moving up one grade per season. That would be correct.

Actually "Beaver on TV" is one of my favorites, with all its contemporary references. I especially took it as an inside joke when Gilbert was talking about Rod Serling, since Stephen Talbot himself made two TZ appearances around the same time he was playing Gilbert. "Box Office Attraction" did seem a bit sophisticated for LitB. From what I remember, Wally may have gotten his only serious kiss in that episode.

I also noticed that it took Wally 6 years to get through 5 grades. I think that the "repeated" grade must have happened around Season 4, since it was definitely stated that Wally, Eddie & Lumpy were in 10th grade when Eddie & Lumpy tried to cheat on their history test in Season 3.

Speaking of repeated grades, Lumpy did even worse, since I think he was supposed to be 16 years old and well into high school in Season 1. For him to be Eddie & Wally's age and in their grade, he had to go backward a few grades!

It was mentioned in season three that Lumpy had to repeat the 10th grade.


Also about Wally moving up in grades, I posted a seperate thread here about that.

I've always liked the "Box Office Attraction" episode. It shows how Wally is tempted by: smoking, drinking, and an agressive girl; yet he maintains his standards. Such circumstances have taken place in many of our lives.

Of interest, Diane Sayer, who played "Marlene" in that episode was actually seven years older than Tony Dow. Sadly, she passed away from cancer in 2001 at the age of 63.

"The Poor Loser" and "The Book Report" showed a lack of maturity on Beaver's part too, though Beaver's description of The Three Musketeers having watched a comedy movie was funny.



It was not unlike George Constanza watching the VHS of Breakfast at Tiffaniy's instead of reading the book. :lol:

Beaver On TV almost plays out like a spoof of the Twilight Zone, kind of a weird episode.

Many celebrities named in this episode! How many can you name?

Jack

It's not like I didn't like the episode "Silent Treatment", but I think they could have made it more believable in regards to Ward's reaction to Beaver's mean behavior toward June. First of all, Ward was smarter then what they made him, he would have caught on immmediately to what he was doing to June. Second of all, when he di find out the score, he still beat around the bush with the kid instead of flat out telling him to treat his mother with some respect. In many episodes we hear Ward saying something like, "You have upset your mother" or "You have worried your mother" or "Don't upset your mother." In other words, Ward has always been somewhat protective of June's feelings so it's unbelievable to me that he didn't even warn Beaver that if he didn't straighten up that he would take him to the shed. He had Beaver thinking that he had gotten away with hurting June's feelings until Wally said his father about clobbered him. I think this is one episode where Ward should have let the kid have it!

I agree about Ward, he seemed too slow on figuring out what Beaver was doing to June.

The only thing about Box Office Attractionis the scene where Marlene makes Wally pull over, and then pulls him in a kiss, and Wally is stunned. I think that was overdone. Keep in mind Wally was a straight 18 year old boy. I dont think most boys would push away a pretty girl making the first moves. Its usually the other way around with the boy making the first move, and the girl pushing him off.

His reaction was hilarious. "Golly!"

Many celebrities named in this episode! How many can you name?

Jack

It was definitely a pop culture episode, they even mention The Twilight Zone.

I've seen adults do it.

This exactly.

Although I usually like the "totally grounded in reality" shows, I have to admit that "In The Soup" made me laugh more than any other episode. Eddie's switch from "Some stupid kid got stuck" to "Some unfortunate young person is trapped" (when Ward was there) was priceless.

Beaver's Autobiography is not a favorite.

Agreed!!!!


Me, too!!! ;) A bad Beaver episode??? What??? omg: omg: omg:

Seriously, though, I do think there were a few weak ones after Larry Mondello "disappeared" :X) and the show's brass was trying to find a new best friend for Beaver (such as Gilbert or Whitey). If you watch these eps, it almost looks as though they're auditioning these kids onscreen to see if they could step into Rusty Stevens' shoes. Unfortunately, they couldn't :( because while these kids were good little actors, and funny, they were much better suited to being Beaver's school pals. Just being funny wasn't enough if you wanted to be Beaver's bff, you really had to be hilarious--and Larry Mondello, imo, fit that bill to a T :lol: :lol: :lol: (In fact, you could almost say that Larry was Beaver's Eddie Haskell ;)) And I don't think it was a coincidence that shortly after TPTB made several attempts to replace Larry as Beaver's best friend (without much success), they then shifted the focus for the remaining 3 years much more to Wally (and Eddie, of course:biglove:) and away from Beaver. (And, of course, Wally turning into such a heart-throb didn't hurt, either :D) I really wish that the producers had found a way to work things out with Rusty's mom (assuming that those stories are true), because, imo, Larry turned out to be irreplacable :thumbsup::nod: :clap:

Love your post! :)

Yes, nobody could replace Larry and his apple. I don't know the story of the actor's mother - did she not want him to continue on the series?

Sometimes Richard, Whitey, and Gilbert got on my nerves. But Larry never did.

I agree with you about Wally the heartthrob too! Dreamy! :happyface

Beaver's Autobiography is not a favorite.

I like that one! Beaver has some good lines! "After two pages, my life was all used up."

Beaver: "Betsy's real good at stretching stuff out She's gonna write that when I was born the rain was beating against the Window Pane, saying "Pitter-Patter, Pitter-Patter, Pitter-Patter."

Wally: "You can't have a whole page of nothing but pitter-patters!" LOL! I don't know about this, having a girl write a guy's autobiography."

Beaver: "She was head of her English class at Bellport. What's wrong with her helping me?"

Wally: "Look Beaver, suppose she forgets herself and starts writing about the first time she went to the beauty parlor. Or the first pair of stockings she ever bought!. Mr. Thompson might get up and read that to the whole class!"

Jack

Love your post! :)

Yes, nobody could replace Larry and his apple. I don't know the story of the actor's mother - did she not want him to continue on the series?

Sometimes Richard, Whitey, and Gilbert got on my nerves. But Larry never did.

I agree with you about Wally the heartthrob too! Dreamy! :happyface

There are a few accounts of the story. Most sources say Rusty moved away with his family. Barbara gave this account below:

Rusty's Mother was one of those over-domineering "stage mothers" trying to get into everybody's business as to how she wanted things done. She was very controlling.

In contrast, everyone LOVED Rusty and Rusty was great to everyone. They kept him on probably longer than they wanted because of Larry's chemistry to the show.

However, sometime after the end of season 3 and very early into season 4, the producers decided that Mrs. Stevens was causing too much tension on the set for the cast and crew with her domination and they had no choice but to let Larry off the show.

After this, they had one last episode in Season 4 with Larry "The Big Contest" when Beaver wins the sports car. But Larry is not referred to by name.

Rusty's brother Rory appeared also as a "Little Boy" in "Wally the Businessman" and also later as Chuckie Murdock. Rusty actually moved away to either Philadelphia or New Jersey. (sources say different things.) Barbara was the only one in an interview who went into detail about Rusty's Mother and the problems with her. Everyone thought Barbara was a saint. For her to say anything bad about anybody easily illustrates how problematic Mrs. Stevens must have been.

Jack

Love your post! :)

Yes, nobody could replace Larry and his apple. I don't know the story of the actor's mother - did she not want him to continue on the series?

Sometimes Richard, Whitey, and Gilbert got on my nerves. But Larry never did.

I agree with you about Wally the heartthrob too! Dreamy! :happyface

Thank you! :D :cool: :loveya: I am so psyched to have found this board (I knew I had to find a message board like this sooner or later ;) ) because now I can FINALLY talk about all these shows I'm getting to watch again on METV :yippee: pickle: :bouncers :clap

I agree with you about some of the other show kids. Richard didn't work for me at all, and Gilbert was very hit-or-miss. (I did like Whitey, but not as a bff for Beaver.) But Beaver and Larry just clicked together so well that they almost made you believe that they were real, rather than characters. They really seemed like best friends :cool:

Yes, Wally was DEFINITELY dreamy! :blush: (Be still, my :heart:)

About Rusty Stevens--apparently, his mom was a real stage mom and (according to Barbara Billingsley), drove the producers so crazy that they let Rusty go :( Big mistake, imo :thumbsdow

There are a few accounts of the story. Most sources say Rusty moved away with his family. Barbara gave this account below:

Rusty's Mother was one of those over-domineering "stage mothers" trying to get into everybody's business as to how she wanted things done. She was very controlling.

In contrast, everyone LOVED Rusty and Rusty was great to everyone. They kept him on probably longer than they wanted because of Larry's chemistry to the show.

However, sometime after the end of season 3 and very early into season 4, the producers decided that Mrs. Stevens was causing too much tension on the set for the cast and crew with her domination and they had no choice but to let Larry off the show.

After this, they had one last episode in Season 4 with Larry "The Big Contest" when Beaver wins the sports car. But Larry is not referred to by name.

Larry's brother Rory appeared also as a "Little Boy" in "Wally the Businessman" and also later as Chuckie Murdock. Larry actually moved away to either Philadelphia or New Jersey. (sources say different things.) Barbara was the only one in an interview who went into detail about Rusty's Mother and the problems with her. Everyone thought Barbara was a saint. For her to say anything bad about anybody easily illustrates how problematic Mrs. Stevens must have been.

Jack

Thank you for giving a more detailed answer than I did :wave: (I also read that everybody loved Rusty :cool: But, apparently, his mother was creating too many problems :confused: ) Damn shame, if it's true.

There are a few accounts of the story. Most sources say Rusty moved away with his family. Barbara gave this account below:

Rusty's Mother was one of those over-domineering "stage mothers" trying to get into everybody's business as to how she wanted things done. She was very controlling.

In contrast, everyone LOVED Rusty and Rusty was great to everyone. They kept him on probably longer than they wanted because of Larry's chemistry to the show.

However, sometime after the end of season 3 and very early into season 4, the producers decided that Mrs. Stevens was causing too much tension on the set for the cast and crew with her domination and they had no choice but to let Larry off the show.

After this, they had one last episode in Season 4 with Larry "The Big Contest" when Beaver wins the sports car. But Larry is not referred to by name.

Rusty's brother Rory appeared also as a "Little Boy" in "Wally the Businessman" and also later as Chuckie Murdock. Rusty actually moved away to either Philadelphia or New Jersey. (sources say different things.) Barbara was the only one in an interview who went into detail about Rusty's Mother and the problems with her. Everyone thought Barbara was a saint. For her to say anything bad about anybody easily illustrates how problematic Mrs. Stevens must have been.

Jack

Corrections above: Post had originally referred to Rusty as "Larry" in discussion. It has been corrected.

Jack

Although I usually like the "totally grounded in reality" shows, I have to admit that "In The Soup" made me laugh more than any other episode. Eddie's switch from "Some stupid kid got stuck" to "Some unfortunate young person is trapped" (when Ward was there) was priceless.In The Soup is one of my favorites.

Rusty actually moved away to either Philadelphia or New Jersey. (sources say different things.) Barbara was the only one in an interview who went into detail about Rusty's Mother and the problems with her. Everyone thought Barbara was a saint. For her to say anything bad about anybody easily illustrates how problematic Mrs. Stevens must have been.

Jack

Very interesting back stage drama. I never knew that. I always wished that Larry could have stayed on the show longer.

Thank you! :D :cool: :loveya: I am so psyched to have found this board (I knew I had to find a message board like this sooner or later ;) ) because now I can FINALLY talk about all these shows I'm getting to watch again on METV :yippee: pickle: :bouncers :clap

I agree with you about some of the other show kids. Richard didn't work for me at all, and Gilbert was very hit-or-miss. (I did like Whitey, but not as a bff for Beaver.) But Beaver and Larry just clicked together so well that they almost made you believe that they were real, rather than characters. They really seemed like best friends :cool:

Yes, Wally was DEFINITELY dreamy! :blush: (Be still, my :heart:)

About Rusty Stevens--apparently, his mom was a real stage mom and (according to Barbara Billingsley), drove the producers so crazy that they let Rusty go :( Big mistake, imo :thumbsdow

I feel the same way about finding this forum. :)

Gilbert was kind of mean and got Beaver into trouble when they were a bit older.

Richard was okay I guess. Whitey was probably my 2nd fave friend after Larry.

Wally was a dreamboat!

In The Soup is one of my favorites.

In The Soup is a favorite of mine too. I got a little mad at Whitey for egging Beaver on, but I was also proud of Beaver for being so brave LOL.

There are a few accounts of the story. Most sources say Rusty moved away with his family. Barbara gave this account below:

Rusty's Mother was one of those over-domineering "stage mothers" trying to get into everybody's business as to how she wanted things done. She was very controlling.

In contrast, everyone LOVED Rusty and Rusty was great to everyone. They kept him on probably longer than they wanted because of Larry's chemistry to the show.

However, sometime after the end of season 3 and very early into season 4, the producers decided that Mrs. Stevens was causing too much tension on the set for the cast and crew with her domination and they had no choice but to let Larry off the show.

After this, they had one last episode in Season 4 with Larry "The Big Contest" when Beaver wins the sports car. But Larry is not referred to by name.

Rusty's brother Rory appeared also as a "Little Boy" in "Wally the Businessman" and also later as Chuckie Murdock. Rusty actually moved away to either Philadelphia or New Jersey. (sources say different things.) Barbara was the only one in an interview who went into detail about Rusty's Mother and the problems with her. Everyone thought Barbara was a saint. For her to say anything bad about anybody easily illustrates how problematic Mrs. Stevens must have been.

Jack

I never knew that Rory Stevens was Rusty Stevens' brother. I never thought of the 2 of them being related before. Rusty did continue working on tv in the early '60s on shows like Perry Mason & The Rifleman. Rory, in addition to his LitB appearances, after Rusty had left, appeared regularly on tv & movies through the 70s, including appearances on The Munsters (w/ LitB's producers), The Brady Bunch, Room 222, and Carrie.

I feel the same way about finding this forum. :)

Gilbert was kind of mean and got Beaver into trouble when they were a bit older.

Richard was okay I guess. Whitey was probably my 2nd fave friend after Larry.

Wally was a dreamboat!

Gilbert really was kind of mean, wasn't he? ohno: :nod: (Although, there was one ep with Gilbert that I liked. It was the one where he and Beaver were sitting in Ward's car, pretending to be driving and they were also pretending that they were parents and were yelling at their imaginary kids in the back seat :lol: That was hysterical!!! :D )

Whitey was my second favorite, too :D I liked the way he would call Beaver and always say something like, " Hi, I'd like to talk to Beaver, if his father isn't yelling at him." :rofl: But Larry is definitely my fave :nod:

Wally DEFINITELY was a dreamboat! :biglove: (But, and you probably will think that I'm crazy :crazy: :dizzy: :crazy:, but I always thought that Eddie was kind of hot, too omg:)

I never knew that Rory Stevens was Rusty Stevens' brother. I never thought of the 2 of them being related before. Rusty did continue working on tv in the early '60s on shows like Perry Mason & The Rifleman. Rory, in addition to his LitB appearances, after Rusty had left, appeared regularly on tv & movies through the 70s, including appearances on The Munsters (w/ LitB's producers), The Brady Bunch, Room 222, and Carrie.

I actually saw Rusty on Perry Mason sometime in the last week or two! :) It was The Case of the Dodging Domino (I think :) ). He played a kid in a Halloween costume :cool: (I didn't even recognize him, until I saw his name in the credits :confused: )

Gilbert really was kind of mean, wasn't he? ohno: :nod: (Although, there was one ep with Gilbert that I liked. It was the one where he and Beaver were sitting in Ward's car, pretending to be driving and they were also pretending that they were parents and were yelling at their imaginary kids in the back seat :lol: That was hysterical!!! :D )

Whitey was my second favorite, too :D I liked the way he would call Beaver and always say something like, " Hi, I'd like to talk to Beaver, if his father isn't yelling at him." :rofl: But Larry is definitely my fave :nod:

Wally DEFINITELY was a dreamboat! :biglove: (But, and you probably will think that I'm crazy :crazy: :dizzy: :crazy:, but I always thought that Eddie was kind of hot, too omg:)

OMG, LOL! I agree with EVERYTHING you said.

I remember that one ep with Gilbert and it WAS funny! I kind of didn't like Gilbert's voice. It grated on my nerves.

Wally had a smooooooooooooooooth voice. :D

OMG, LOL! I agree with EVERYTHING you said.

I remember that one ep with Gilbert and it WAS funny! I kind of didn't like Gilbert's voice. It grated on my nerves.

Wally had a smooooooooooooooooth voice. :D


Wally's voice definitely improved as he got older :nod: :D :rainbow: (as did Wally himself :faint: ;) :lol:) During the first season or 2, his voice sounded kind of scratchy, almost like he had a sore throat all the time :(

Gilbert had a very distinctive voice, for sure :) You would recognize it anywhere (as I did recently while watching Perry Mason. The actor who played Gilbert was on this particular episode and I recognized his voice before I recognized him! :lol: )

Wally's voice definitely improved as he got older :nod: :D :rainbow: (as did Wally himself :faint: ;) :lol:) During the first season or 2, his voice sounded kind of scratchy, almost like he had a sore throat all the time :(

Gilbert had a very distinctive voice, for sure :) You would recognize it anywhere (as I did recently while watching Perry Mason. The actor who played Gilbert was on this particular episode and I recognized his voice before I recognized him! :lol: )

I know what you mean about Wally's voice when he was younger. It was kind of scratchy. But as he got older, it smoothed out.

I think I have to vote for Beaver the Bunny. I can't even watch that one. I also didn't care for Silent Treatment. I'm also not a fan of In the Soup even though it's very popular. I really like Box Office Attraction because you see another side of life in Mayfield. "Hey Hank put another dime in the machine, huh?"

Also that scene between Eddie and Captain Drake at the fishing office about how Eddie will fare on the open seas is hilarious. "What happens if someone gets a fishhook in their hand?" "Don't worry we just cut off your hand and use it for bait."

I love all the Leave it to Beaver episodes. How bad is that you have to turn to antenna tv even though you are paying Directv for service!? ;)

Also that scene between Eddie and Captain Drake at the fishing office about how Eddie will fare on the open seas is hilarious. "What happens if someone gets a fishhook in their hand?" "Don't worry we just cut off your hand and use it for bait."

Agree 100% ! One of my favorite scenes!

Yeah, I always looked forward to the episodes where Eddie was featured because he always had the best lines. I love when he's talking to June and Ward about working for the fishing fleet in Alaska and saying how he wants to write about his experiences on the boat like Charles Dana who had a point named after him. Entering college with a book on the best seller list would really give me an in with my English prof. The look on Ward's face is priceless.:crazy: "Well remember Starboard right and port left." Oh yes Mr. Cleaver I forgot you worked for such a nautical outfit."

I never knew that Rory Stevens was Rusty Stevens' brother. I never thought of the 2 of them being related before. Rusty did continue working on tv in the early '60s on shows like Perry Mason & The Rifleman. Rory, in addition to his LitB appearances, after Rusty had left, appeared regularly on tv & movies through the 70s, including appearances on The Munsters (w/ LitB's producers), The Brady Bunch, Room 222, and Carrie.

I'm surprised that Rory continued to act on LITB episodes if Rusty was no longer there since they both had the same "stage" mother. I wish Rusty would have written about his life as Larry but since he tried to forget all about it I guess that will never happen. Either way he was my third favorite character after Ward and Eddie.

Beaver's Autobiography is not a favorite.
yeah, was that season 6 too?
I find myself not liking the last 2 seasons as well. esp the 6th.
It was just cuter when Beaver was little.

Here's a thread where Torgo hits Beaver the Bunny in 2010 (right on!) (post 11), and a moderator insists there is no bad episodes of LITB!

I also agree with your post 12...I really think Captain Drake (I called him captain Bligh in another thread) made that episode. Eddie: "What do I do if I get seasick?" Drake: "Don't worry...you'll do it."

I'd say there's a larger selection of favorite episodes for me than least favorite. I certainly like them all, especially compared to many current shows. However, I'd probably name either "Chuckie's New Shoes" or "Beaver's Rat" among my least watched.

I'd say there's a larger selection of favorite episodes for me than least favorite. I certainly like them all, especially compared to many current shows. However, I'd probably name either "Chuckie's New Shoes" or "Beaver's Rat" among my least watched.i dont like the beavers rat ep ether one of the least funny eps of the series

i dont like the beavers rat ep ether one of the least funny eps of the series

Been ages since I've watched it. I'll probably pop it in again sometime. I tend to watch the 2nd, 5th and 6th seasons the most.

Here's a thread where Torgo hits Beaver the Bunny in 2010 (right on!) (post 11), and a moderator insists there is no bad episodes of LITB!

I also agree with your post 12...I really think Captain Drake (I called him captain Bligh in another thread) made that episode. Eddie: "What do I do if I get seasick?" Drake: "Don't worry...you'll do it."

I was so young and innocent back then.

Evidently if you don't like a LITB episode, you should seek medical attention, you might have brain damage.

Another episode I'm not a fan of is Chuckie's New Shoes. Mainly because of how Wally is treated, he gets the brunt of the blame, when it was Chuckie's mom who didn't even ask Wally, just dumped her kid off on him, expecting him to take on full responsibility for buying her kid shoes, making it sound like her brat couldn't go to school on Monday if he didn't get shoes.

Another episode I'm not a fan of is Chuckie's New Shoes. Mainly because of how Wally is treated, he gets the brunt of the blame, when it was Chuckie's mom who didn't even ask Wally, just dumped her kid off on him, expecting him to take on full responsibility for buying her kid shoes, making it sound like her brat couldn't go to school on Monday if he didn't get shoes.

I think June should have had Wally's back and told off Chuckie's obnoxious mom they way she was going to tell off Alma's mother that one time.

I have to agree that Beaver the Bunny and Chuckie's New Shoes should never have been put on celluloid. Did they use celluloid in those days?

I'm surprised that no one has even mentioned "The Pipe" episode from Season 2. I truly think that "The Pipe" is the worst Leave It To Beaver episode of all time simply because smoking is the worst thing that a kid can do.

Started watching from the 1st episode. Up to middle 3rd season. I have quite a few rated 4*, but my only 3* episode so far is S2 E36 "Forgotten Party". Poorly written. Makes no sense. Zero logic. Party giver mother, and her loopy son are horrendously bad.

Started watching from the 1st episode. Up to middle 3rd season. I have quite a few rated 4*, but my only 3* episode so far is S2 E36 "Forgotten Party". Poorly written. Makes no sense. Zero logic. Party giver mother, and her loopy son are horrendously bad.

In the real world if a kid had come in looking like Beaver looked and had forgotten a party (I could see both happening with a kid like Beaver), a normal parent probably would have apologized and said Beaver couldn't make it to the party.

I've always said no Beaver episode is unwatchable but the episode with Puddin/Mary Jane comes closest for me--no parent in their right mind would leave those two in charge of a smaller kid. Beaver the Bunny is second, but as I've said in another thread, Lumpy's one-liners when Beaver comes down the stairs in his bunny suit save the episode.

As far as the Pipe goes I agree a kid shouldn't smoke, but they do try it. Maybe not as young as Beaver and Larry, though.

Edit: I just looked back and Scrabjan mentioned Chuckie's New Shoes. That one's pretty bad, too.