I was watching recently the S1 episode, "Lumpy Rutherford," which introduced the character. It was mentioned in the episode that Lumpy is "16 or 17" years old, so he should be in about the 11th grade. During this same season, as evident by the episode, "My Brother's Girl," Wally is in 8th grade. But by the last season, both Lumpy and Wally are about to graduate from high school together. Why didn't Lumpy graduate three years earlier? Did he fail three grades? And what's up with the college that accepted Lumpy? It seems highly unusual that a college would accept a student who failed in school three times.

I think they changed the Lumpy character. He was introduced in the season one ep. as an older boy and a bully. ( If I'm remembering correctly). Than I guess they decided to add him as a regular and he and Wally were the same age and were friends . And Lumpy became a nicer guy too. Kind of a big baby type. Remember he called his father Daddy! LOL!!

There are continuity errors all thru this series regarding what grades the boys attended at school. For example, in the 1st season, it's said that Wally is in the 8th grade, and Beaver is in the 2nd grade. But in the 6th and final season, Wally is a 12th grader, and Beaver is an 8th grader. So somewhere in between, Wally had to have repeated a grade, and Beaver got double promoted. :lol:

The writers of LITB weren't concerned with continuity, they were working for the moment. They didn't forsee the series airing on TV endlessly as reruns, nor did they forsee the future home video era of VHS and DVD, with fans analyzing and dissecting details of the episodes.

He had to repeat at least one grade somewhere along the line.

And I wouldn't put it past a university to give him a football scholarship no matter how bad his grades are!

I think they changed the Lumpy character. He was introduced in the season one ep. as an older boy and a bully. ( If I'm remembering correctly). Than I guess they decided to add him as a regular and he and Wally were the same age and were friends . And Lumpy became a nicer guy too. Kind of a big baby type. Remember he called his father Daddy! LOL!!

The only thing they seemed to change about Lumpy was his age (unless he failed a few grades :) ). Richard Deacon was already playing his father in that first episode, and Lumpy was already calling him Daddy (in the first episode) while acting like a tough bully in front of the kids.


There are continuity errors all thru this series regarding what grades the boys attended at school. For example, in the 1st season, it's said that Wally is in the 8th grade, and Beaver is in the 2nd grade. But in the 6th and final season, Wally is a 12th grader, and Beaver is an 8th grader. So somewhere in between, Wally had to have repeated a grade, and Beaver got double promoted. :lol:

But Wally was Mr. Perfect. I can see Beaver perhaps having to repeat a grade, but Wally, never.

He had to repeat at least one grade somewhere along the line.

And I wouldn't put it past a university to give him a football scholarship no matter how bad his grades are!

These days I would believe it; even some of the best universities are willing to stoop that low (see link below), but I can't imagine them doing it in 1963.
http://www.newsobserver.com/unc-scandal/?rh=1

I never considered Lumpy to be a Bully besides that first introduction of him in the first season!

That is totally just my opinion!!

But Wally was Mr. Perfect. I can see Beaver perhaps having to repeat a grade, but Wally, never.

True, Wally was Mr. Perfect. But if he was in 8th grade in the 1st season, then he should have been a high school senior in the 5th season, and a college freshman in the 6th season. Instead, he is a high school senior in the 6th season. And if Beaver was in 2nd grade in the 1st season, he should have been in 7th grade in the 6th season, not 8th grade. I think the writers of LITB just didn't pay attention to detail and continuity. I like how the series ended up, with Wally graduating high school and Beaver graduating grammar school in season 6. But in order for that to happen, Wally would have been in 7th grade in the 1st season, not 8th, and Beaver in 3rd grade, not 2nd.

It has been forever and a day since I seen this episode, but Wally was mad at Lumpy for whatever reason and decided to get him back and play a joke on him.

So what Wally did was take a chain and tie the frame of Lumpy's car to a tree. He was under the mistaken presumption that Lumpy's car just would not move, but when Lumpy pulled out, the whole frame dislocated from the car. Major damage. However, Ward paid for it, with Wally having to do the mechanical work himself to fix the car, because every 1950's boy knows how to repair one (my father could at Wally's age, and he was about 10 years older, but he was from the farm....but...)

To me, the real inconsistency was that Lumpy was on the football team; I never thought of him as an athlete.

I think they changed the Lumpy character. He was introduced in the season one ep. as an older boy and a bully. ( If I'm remembering correctly). Than I guess they decided to add him as a regular and he and Wally were the same age and were friends . And Lumpy became a nicer guy too. Kind of a big baby type. Remember he called his father Daddy! LOL!!

Frank Bank recalled in an interview that it was his idea to have the character "toned down" (i.e., a good guy instead of a bully).

He had to repeat at least one grade somewhere along the line.

This was mentioned in an episode. I think as they were starting the history test he mentioned it was the same test as last year and the teacher confirmed that he and Lumpy had worked through the material before.

And I wouldn't put it past a university to give him a football scholarship no matter how bad his grades are!

I wouldn't be surprised at all, back then. In fact it wasn't that unusual to hold back football players for an extra year to get them ready for college ball.

I never considered Lumpy to be a Bully besides that first introduction of him in the first season!

That is totally just my opinion!!

One other early episode where he was a bully is when Beaver was the "stuff-minder" for the older boys playing ball and Lumpy accused him of losing his watch.

So what Wally did was take a chain and tie the frame of Lumpy's car to a tree. He was under the mistaken presumption that Lumpy's car just would not move, but when Lumpy pulled out, the whole frame dislocated from the car. Major damage. However, Ward paid for it, with Wally having to do the mechanical work himself to fix the car, because every 1950's boy knows how to repair one (my father could at Wally's age, and he was about 10 years older, but he was from the farm....but...)

Reminds me of Wally's comment to Beaver that when a guy gets to be a certain age he automatically knows all about cars.

Lumpy wasn't the sharpest pencil in the box. It's funny how Lumpy's dad brags about him to Ward, saying how wonderful and brilliant he is, then Lumpy does something stupid, and his dad loses his temper. :lol:

I never considered Lumpy to be a Bully besides that first introduction of him in the first season!

That is totally just my opinion!!

Perhaps you're forgetting "The Lost Watch," which is the first episode of season 2 in which Lumpy appears. Lumpy plays baseball with Wally and his friends, and they let Beaver hold their things, and after it's over Lumpy accuses Beaver of either stealing or losing his watch, and he threatens Beaver into giving him 15 dollars. Beaver asks Wally if he can beat Lumpy up, in case Beaver needed protection, and Wally says, "Well, I might could beat him up, but I'd hate to get into a fight with him and then fight out that I can't." So he was still a bully then, and less overtly in a few other eps, warning Beaver and his buds "Don't call me Lumpy!" before he became more big baby than big bully. In Jerry Mathers' book, he says Lumpy was "our version of the Cowardly Lion."

Too bad frank died at such a young age.

In Wally's Test Eddie tells June how Clarence was left back. He could be very embarrassing. So I think in that episode Lumpy should have been a junior. In Wally's Pug Nose Tooey also mentions how Lumpy was left back.

Lumpy was also a meany when he scared Beaver about having a filling and how they have to make a big hole to charge more money. Beaver was terrified.

hewasa bullyim at least one episode they episode wear hewanted Beaver to buy a new whatchafter Beaver lost his thatwas not nice

Although Lumpy certainly wasn't bright, I think the impression of him being stupid really comes from being so socially inept. Also when a guy in their mid teens still calls their father daddy, it can suggest a certain childishness.

Lumpy was an overgrown baby. It wouldn't surprise me if he had to repeat 3 or 4 grades.

Lumpy was an overgrown baby. It wouldn't surprise me if he had to repeat 3 or 4 grades.

This is true; Daddy's little (BIG?) boy was no Einstein!

Although Lumpy certainly wasn't bright, I think the impression of him being stupid really comes from being so socially inept. Also when a guy in their mid teens still calls their father daddy, it can suggest a certain childishness.

Well, that and he loved Captain Kangaroo and trading comics with Beaver.;)

I tend to agree with whoever mentioned that the writers were living in the moment - and they would have never thought about fans zeroing in on their inconsistencies. Considering the show is still liked quite well today I presume none of it matters, though I understand some frustrations in some of the inconsistencies, as I tend to think back to some with a roll of my eyes. :)

I have to add in regards to Lumpy being "stupid", I think there is a level of cruelty on Fred's part in how he treats him, and most likely attributed to Lumpy's overall self image, etc. Let's face it, though we laughed, Fred was a real cruel father mentally, and it sounds like he was physically too. I cannot imagine having to live up to the standards he expected Lumpy to live up to, and he would never live up to himself. I know it was just a show, but Fred was a real piece of work.