This should have been called Eddie Gives Beaver the Business!

Ward mentions how Beaver should open a bank account with his $5. Didn’t he already have a bank account in Beaver’s Big Contest? Ward deposited the $3500 after he sold the car. Also June says she’ll pick Beaver up at school and take him to the bank to cash check. Well doesn’t she need a car? We know she didn’t have a car because the next scene Ward has just come home in the car and June says the check bounced. Also don’t you need an account to cash a check?

I know June called a cab and took Beaver to bank for $6.50.

Wally got her Tooey's motor scooter. Now I'm picturing her riding that, with her pearls blowing in the wind, with Beaver hanging on for dear life.

Also the boys had accounts at the school, way back to the hunting jacket episode.

I like how every time Beaver gets his hands on a little dough Ward wants him to “put it in the bank.” The money for the sports car, the $5 for the grass cutting and his $22 for his birthday. Don’t get me started on Beaver’s Birthday, that was so stupid how he’s punished for spending birthday money on a race car. Now he can put his $22 in the bank since he got another $10.

Yeah, and Beaver always says, Dad, you made me put it in the bank. And Ward says, Beaver, I just suggested that would be best. Yeah, right. Like Beaver could have said, OK, I'll spend it. I'm sure Ward would have gone along...not!

In Beaver's Birthday didn't Ward make Beaver come up with his own punishment? If I were Beaver I would have said, I don't think I should be punished. Uncle Billy gave me the money--it was mine, and I spent it.

While I'm on a roll, in Substitute Father, when Beaver is being reamed by Miss Landers, if I were Beaver, I would have said, What about Arthur? Is he allowed to trip people on purpose in school, and get away with it? (I know we've talked about that one in another thread, a long time ago).

Yeah, and Beaver always says, Dad, you made me put it in the bank. And Ward says, Beaver, I just suggested that would be best. Yeah, right. Like Beaver could have said, OK, I'll spend it. I'm sure Ward would have gone along...not!

In Beaver's Birthday didn't Ward make Beaver come up with his own punishment? If I were Beaver I would have said, I don't think I should be punished. Uncle Billy gave me the money--it was mine, and I spent it.

As I remember it, though, the punishment wasn't for spending the money but for lying. Ward said that if Beaver had discussed it with him first he would have approved, and I believe him.

Good point. He did lie--when Ward confronted him in the hall, Beaver was really on a roll (lying). "Gilbert gave it to me."--that was the topper.

As I remember it, though, the punishment wasn't for spending the money but for lying. Ward said that if Beaver had discussed it with him first he would have approved, and I believe him.

Yep, it wasn't for spending the money, Ward said he wouldn't have minded, because Uncle Billy wanted Beaver to spend the money on himself.

Yeah I guess Beaver was once again being “ a dumb little kid.” Don’t know why he just didn’t say “Uncle Billy sent me $10 and I really wanted this car so I bought it. You didn’t get the hint I wanted this car and wanted something more than money.” Then there would be no real plot. I still think June was being a budinski once again snooping into Beaver’s business.

Back to another ep I didn’t like Substitute Father I also can’t understand why Beaver didn’t defend himself and say “Arthur tripped me and it just came out but what about Arthur.” Miss Landers would probably not get into a discussion with him.

That would have solved it (in Beaver's Birthday). You know, Uncle Billy's so full of hot air, I'm surprised he sent anything. Beaver could have said, You know, he still owes me a fishing rod.

As to Substitute Father, SOB or whatever Beaver said--probably everyday stuff in schools today. But back to 1961--I agree Miss Landers was probably too upset about the language (I'm surprised she didn't bring Mrs. Rayburn into it)--but if Beaver had brought Arthur up and she blew it off, maybe Wally should have mentioned it. Come to think of it, she probably should have stopped him in the hall, right after it happened. He and the others were leaving, but she could have stopped him, and brought both of them in her room.

This has nothing to do with Beaver but it does relate to this bit of not explaining yourself when accused. It's a pet peeve with me when I watch Gunsmoke, esp. the inferior color years, when either Matt or anyone else is accused of something and they're really innocent, they NEVER explain themselves or tell what happened. They just go away with their head down and their mouth shut. AHHHHH! This makes me crazy. All they have to do is simply tell their side of the story but NOOOO, just accept the blame and be walked off by the accusers.

Yeah like in Sheepdog when that Shirley starts crying incessantly when Beaver gives her both barrels. She’s been calling him all sorts of names and her friends too and Beaver has gone to great lengths by buying Glamor Spray and goops. He decides to fight back and then he’s accused of awful behavior when all he has to do is say “I’ve been the victim these girls have called me wretched names and treat me like a dog so I decided to give them a taste of their own medicine.” Mr. Bailey would probably still have looked at him with that open mouth vacant look.

Instead Beaver once again takes all the blame. Wonder if another note went home.

This has nothing to do with Beaver but it does relate to this bit of not explaining yourself when accused. It's a pet peeve with me when I watch Gunsmoke, esp. the inferior color years, when either Matt or anyone else is accused of something and they're really innocent, they NEVER explain themselves or tell what happened. They just go away with their head down and their mouth shut. AHHHHH! This makes me crazy. All they have to do is simply tell their side of the story but NOOOO, just accept the blame and be walked off by the accusers.

I agree that the color years (seasons 12-20) of Gunsmoke are not its best, but what are the top 3 or 4 eps in which this is done? I can think of some where the 'main cast' did not really defend themselves, but I question that "All they have to do is simply tell their side of the story." Consider in the classic ep "The Jailer," with a near all-star cast . Matt Dillon does explain that he didn't kill Old Man Stone, but does that make any difference to Mrs. Stone [Davis]? Nope. Nor does it make any difference to Tom Butler that Doc had a duty to aid the shooting victim in town, even though he was a criminal, and he was late getting to Butler's wife, whose baby was set up for a difficult birth.

Beaver, however, is a different case-- a kid both overly gullible and over-sensitive. And it's really hard to imagine he wouldn't have 'squealed' about Arthur or Shirley when all the blame was put on him and he was ratted out himself. Besides this, it often seems nobody in Mayfield has any sense of honor about them except the Cleavers. Whitey doesn't deny climbing the soup billboard is his idea, but he tells his dad, "Gee, dad, why would [B]I tell a kid to climb a billboard?" The one-appearance little thief, Kenneth, denies he stole those items and his father believes him.

Is honesty really the best policy? In the end it still is, either in Mayfield or Dodge City. But stories do need a plot.

He was better at standing up for himself when he was younger. When Larry, Gilbert, and Whitey went to the movies and Larry stood him up, Beaver let him have it (verbally). When Ward yelled at him because Larry drilled a hole in the garage, he stood up to Ward, but ended up running away.

Right Beaver was pretty feisty in the early seasons.

As for Beaver getting in trouble, Ward said in Beaver’s Bus “Charles Fredericks hit him on the head but wasn’t caught. Our kids will always get in trouble because they look guilty when they do something wrong.” Not verbatim

Beaver always wrote funny compositions, letters, or newspaper columns. "I am sorry I hit Charles Fredericks on the head on the bus." (By Theodore Cleaver, Fourth Grade)

I think that line was "I'm sorry I hit Charles Fredericks on the bus on the head." :lol:

And Ward was quoting Beaver to June when she asked "Ward, why do other peoples' children get away with things, but ours always get caught?" So Ward answered, "Because when ours do something wrong, they look like they've done something wrong-- or that's Beaver's explanation, anyway."

Ah, yes...thanks for that! Then he goes on to butter up Mr. Crawford, and gets back on the bus.

Later he told Judy to change around the words, which I would think she did.

That's something that used to happen to me when I was a kid (getting caught) while the others went scott free. I even remember my Mom saying "My kids are the only ones that get caught the others get away with it." Guess this is just one other thing about Beaver (this and the fact I had a brother too with same age difference) that reminds me of my own kidhood and we grew up in the '60's too (though Beaver was in the '50's but by the time I saw it it was in repeats in the '60's).;) I was Wally my kid brother was Beaver.

Yeah like in Sheepdog when that Shirley starts crying incessantly when Beaver gives her both barrels. She’s been calling him all sorts of names and her friends too and Beaver has gone to great lengths by buying Glamor Spray and goops. He decides to fight back and then he’s accused of awful behavior when all he has to do is say “I’ve been the victim these girls have called me wretched names and treat me like a dog so I decided to give them a taste of their own medicine.” Mr. Bailey would probably still have looked at him with that open mouth vacant look.

Instead Beaver once again takes all the blame. Wonder if another note went home.

The old double standard.

The girl insults the boy; he's supposed to be able to take it.

The boy insults the girl; she gets to play the victim card.

I used to resent it myself, in grammar school, in situations like that where I thought the girls were getting special privileges.

Like sexual harassment. Now a guy can claim sexual harassment in the work place. I knew a guy who was uncomfortable with the girls talking provocatively and they were made to stop. Wow have times changed.

Interesting that Jack Riley has a speaking part in this and has NO credits either in the ending credits nor the IMDB listing (?)

Interesting that Jack Riley has a speaking part in this and has NO credits either in the ending credits nor the IMDB listing (?)
Where in the episode is he?

Where in the episode is he?

Beaver & Gilbert cut his front lawn without permission and he came home upset to see the lawn gone from nicely cut by his landscaper to having streaks all over it ...

https://cdnph.upi.com/topic/ph/8475/upi/3e6566534ba7ee319fe9f1a7ca45b982/Jack_Riley_0.jpg

The 2 lawn men are both credited. I don't think the streaky lawn guy was Jack Riley. The jaws are different.

I thought the guy in the credits was named Stevens. I wondered if it was Rusty's father.

wow you must be right
when I heard his voice and similar face I though for sure !

he had quite a career as a set director and much more

https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/184526%7C156470/William-Stevens#filmography

Did you notice after Beaver and Gilbert sit on the stairs to wait Beaver says ‘Hey here comes somebody.’ It was just a car going by it hadn’t even stopped. Why did he think it was the owner of the house? (Scripted)

After the guy says look what you’ve done to my lawn, they show the same pic after Beaver cut it. Didn’t Gilbert have his turn to cut it? It would have looked a lot different. Either way they really screwed up his lawn. If Beaver was so bad at lawn cutting how did he do a good job on the lady’s lawn?