I am sorry but june was way off base asking aunt Martha and her friend to stay for lunch when she knew full well that the boys wanted to go to the carnival and then throwing a hissy fit when the boys asked what time it was and other things does anyone else agree?

I agree with you on this one. I've seen several people here list this as one of their favorite episodes. It's definitely not one of mine.

I am sorry but june was way off base asking aunt Martha and her friend to stay for lunch when she knew full well that the boys wanted to go to the carnival and then throwing a hissy fit when the boys asked what time it was and other things does anyone else agree?

Oh I agree 100%

Martha Bronson is not one of my favorite people. But her friend Claudia Hathaway is much worse! Such an arrogant snob! The way she talks, acts, everything about her. I could understand that Beaver and Wally over asking about what time it was taken as a form of disrespect.

I think a compromise could have been reached after Martha and her friend had been there for a half hour or so before June offered to make lunch if the boys could have politely said, " We would love to stay and visit longer Aunt Martha, but our friends got tickets to the carnival and they are waiting for us to go, cuz it's the last day." In fact Martha even asks, "Do you boys have someplace to rush off to?" But Ward and June would have clobbered them if they had said "yes."

However, times were different in those days. In fact, every episode of Leave it to Beaver was draw from some personal experience of Joe Connelly's or Bob Mosher's family. And in those days, when relatives came to visit, you literally had to postpone your own funeral to spend time with them. In many families it was not only expected, it was demanded.

Wally "freezing" the coffee had a bit of Eddie Haskell deviousness! I still think Ward's speech about "Making yourself a little unhappy in order to make other people happy" is very moving.

Jack

I also love Ward's words of wisdom about making yourself a little unhappy. I think Wally and Beaver were very nice to apologize to June. They had a pretty crumby Saturday and June was still miffed at them.

I know June wanted Aunt Martha to see her boys and that they were being brought up right but I think they could have visited and then Ward could drive them all to the carnival and June could have a nice lunch with the girls. Like you said.

I gotta disagree here. June hadnt seen Martha in a while, and she had indicated that Martha helped raise her, so she was very close to her aunt Martha, and loved to spend anytime she could get with her. She also knew that Martha was very fond of the boys and wanted to spend time with them. I thought Wally and Beaver were being really selfish. I understand them wanted to go to the carinval with their friends, but as June stated, she didnt ask much of them, and after all she is their mother.

I gotta disagree here. June hadnt seen Martha in a while, and she had indicated that Martha helped raise her, so she was very close to her aunt Martha, and loved to spend anytime she could get with her. She also knew that Martha was very fond of the boys and wanted to spend time with them. I thought Wally and Beaver were being really selfish. I understand them wanted to go to the carinval with their friends, but as June stated, she didnt ask much of them, and after all she is their mother.

I disagree, too.

This episode is one of my favorites in fact.

The lesson here is that family comes first, before doing things with your friends, and I totally agree.

Think of all the times parents put themselves out for their kids, being somewhere for their kids when they'd rather be elsewhere. I remember Mom and Dad watching me in some silly play in grammar school the night there was some huge sports event and the men in the audience were whispering among each other about updates.

I agree with 70s show watcher. I mean the boys had plans and lets face it, even the boys werent there would Aunt Martha care. I think June makes a mountain out of a molehill in this episode. I think a compromise could've been made. I mean I dont think its the end of the world if the boys had somewhere to go.

This episode has been discussed many times, and this is not the first thread of its own. For the most part, I agree with the OP, that it was overly imposing for June to expect the boys to stay at the house as long as the 2 ladies wanted to stay, or would stay at June's insistence. It was probably worse, though, that Aunt Martha called only a hour or so before they were expected to arrive to say they would be stopping by for an indefinite time. It's mostly just implied in the series, but it's plain that Aunt Martha knows she has 'power' over June to get what she wants from her without even asking. So it's my opinion that when Aunt Martha said "...but we really must be on our way," that that had the force of a royal command for June to offer them lunch.

Nevertheless, there would have been nothing wrong when Martha said she would like to have more time with the boys, "...unless you have some place to rush off to-- have you?" for Wally and Beaver to admit they have plans to go to a carnival, not just for themselves, but for some other friends who assume they are all leaving at noon. That way, Aunt Martha would have seen them for the first time in a year (as Ward mentioned), have 'shown them off' to her friend, and then the 3 ladies get to have long lunch together-- something they probably would have enjoyed more than the way it was done. And neither Ward nor June seemed concerned that Chester, Tooey, and Lumpy were all set to ride to the carnival with Ward and his sons, and nothing was done to let them know there even might be a deterrent with that. Not only should another call have been made to prevent this disappointment, but they should have known those boys would show up and make noises like they did. And if Aunt Martha didn't comprehend she was interfering with plans when she heard them saying "Come on, Cleaver!" and"Let's go man-- go, go, go!"... well, I think she did understand that, but again her power over June compelled her to keep up the lie-- "Oh, it's just some of Wally's friends saying hello" to hopefully put an end to it, abetted by snooty Mrs. Hathaway's remark about junior officers (the less important) getting in good with "the general," as she continually reminded them who her husband had been.

So, what I dislike in this ep is primarily the lying; and second, acquiescing to snobbishness like that. But, of course, I do have to agree with Ward and June, after it was over, that they should have been willing to 'salvage' the day at the carnival with the other guys, as there was still plenty of time left, and the blunder would have been forgotten with some time on the rides and games.

It's mostly just implied in the series, but it's plain that Aunt Martha knows she has 'power' over June to get what she wants from her without even asking. So it's my opinion that when Aunt Martha said "...but we really must be on our way," that that had the force of a royal command for June to offer them lunch.


Aunt Martha is very controlling and domineering. I sense Mrs. Hathaway even worse than she. I think June knew how Martha could control, and saying "no" to her in a family situation when Martha was wrong about something, probably was severely frowned upon by her other relatives during June's upbringing. Martha would likely give anyone that look of disdained disapproval without even saying anything. You know the kind of look, where a domineering person, when caught in disapproval by someone else, makes the person who did the criticizing VERY uncomfortable.

Ward said it best in the episode where June has to leave to help her Aunt Peggy with a new baby. They have a discussion about Martha's trite, traditional, and controlling ways, and Ward says, "Every time I'm in the room with her, I feel like I should be apologizing for something." I don't think Martha was crazy about Ward either. She probably wanted June to marry someone with more wealth or social prominence. Maybe a former Seebee with a strong accounting background wasn't good enough for her.

Jack

Two excellent opinions about the Visiting Aunts and I so agree. I also think Martha's "place to rush off to" was another way of her controlling the situation. She had no reason to not approve of Ward. He was perfect in my book. I think poor Ward was stuck in the middle but managed to see things through the eyes of both June and the boys and give them some advice. I've changed my mind and find this episode one of the best.

Aunt Martha is very controlling and domineering. I sense Mrs. Hathaway even worse than she. I think June knew how Martha could control, and saying "no" to her in a family situation when Martha was wrong about something, probably was severely frowned upon by her other relatives during June's upbringing. Martha would likely give anyone that look of disdained disapproval without even saying anything. You know the kind of look, where a domineering person, when caught in disapproval by someone else, makes the person who did the criticizing VERY uncomfortable.

Ward said it best in the episode where June has to leave to help her Aunt Peggy with a new baby. They have a discussion about Martha's trite, traditional, and controlling ways, and Ward says, "Every time I'm in the room with her, I feel like I should be apologizing for something." I don't think Martha was crazy about Ward either. She probably wanted June to marry someone with more wealth or social prominence. Maybe a former Seebee with a strong accounting background wasn't good enough for her.

Jack

I liked Aunt Martha. I in fact had a grandaunt similar to her (my mother's aunt), the family matriarch whom everyone tried to please. Aunt Martha was wonderful to June when she was younger, and for that they seem to all owe a debt of gratitude.

Aunt Martha had her ideas and was "set in her ways" like my aunt was, but they all respected her for it. You can see that in how happy Beaver is to go visit her.

Ward was a little uncomfortable around Aunt Martha; but at the same time June wasn't totally confident in Ward's Uncle Billy; she was a little uncomfortable with him staying with Beaver and Wally when Ward and June were away.

To a certain extent, I agree. You should respect your family. No doubt about it. You mention about how they should appease her and owning her a debt of gratitude. I understand that as well but when is enough of enough. How much appeasing should you do to one person? How much gratitude is enough?

To a certain extent, I agree. You should respect your family. No doubt about it. You mention about how they should appease her and owning her a debt of gratitude. I understand that as well but when is enough of enough. How much appeasing should you do to one person? How much gratitude is enough?

First of all, where it's a question of commitment to the family versus something else, other things being equal family should come first (as I said in the earlier post).

That's one of the things about living as a member of a family; sometimes it's not about you but about someone else. There'll be plenty of chances to go to the carnival; there aren't many times a relative who isn't local comes through town. I think about that a lot especially now that my own "Aunt Martha" isn't still around; I wish I could have spent some more time with her.

Second, where you can resolve the situation without hurting someone's feelings, you can do that. In the other episode Aunt Martha dressed Beaver in traditional British schoolboy clothes and the other boys teased him. Ward was sympathetic but he resolved the situation peacefully.

Oh, yes, you definitely didn't let my aunt know she was wrong about something (like with her refusal to buy these new-fangled things like instant coffee and frozen food).