Beaver got all upset when June went to the Mother’s Tea not wearing his birthday present which was tacky. She was dignified and sociable.

It would have been much worse if June showed up half in the bag and was singing and staggering around wearing the blouse. Beaver would have had a reason to be upset. Sort of like in The Effect of Gamma Rays when Joanne Woodward comes to her daughter’s science fair drunk and embarrasses her.

Beaver got all upset when June went to the Mother’s Tea not wearing his birthday present which was tacky. She was dignified and sociable.

It would have been much worse if June showed up half in the bag and was singing and staggering around wearing the blouse. Beaver would have had a reason to be upset. Sort of like in The Effect of Gamma Rays when Joanne Woodward comes to her daughter’s science fair drunk and embarrasses her.



But it was sad for poor Beaver! He felt his Mom didn't like the present he bought her and he was correct, she didn't like it! Made him feel bad and it's not good for a child's self esteem! :(

Mathers' showed he was still a really good little actor in this one.

I'm picturing June coming into the tea in the blouse, bottle in hand, and singing Yo ho ho and a bottle o' rum.

Self esteem? No one cared about self esteem in the day. If you weren’t good enough to play baseball you weren’t on the team. I sat on the bench in the 4th grade because Mrs. Alves didn’t think I was good enough to play volleyball. I got over it because I wasn’t any good. My first grade teacher was as sensitive as a boa constrictor. I had to live with it.

I don’t think it was terrible that June didn’t wear her blouse. It was nice of her to say she liked it with a kiss. It would have been worse if she said “What the heck is this tawdry piece of cloth? Why Beaver who the heck sold you this it’s awful! Worse that Ward called him a boob.

I bought my mother a blouse for Christmas and her face said it wasn’t good. It was a maternity blouse. I understood why she didn’t like it. Get over it.

I think June did everything right in this episode, except her hesitation to go up and talk to Beaver. Wally had to talk her into it. But she faced the music and handled it well.

As far as June not wearing the blouse, she didn't expect those kids were coming to the tea--stuff happens. And she was actually going to wear it--even had it on--and Ward was the one who talked her out of it.

But it was sad for poor Beaver! He felt his Mom didn't like the present he bought her and he was correct, she didn't like it! Made him feel bad and it's not good for a child's self esteem! :(

It would have been lying if she said she did like it. Then she would have had to wear it more and lie more.

It probably would have been better if June didn't say that she would only wear it on special occasions. Maybe she could wear it while doing chores, and if someone were to knock or ring the doorbell, she could put a sweater on over it.

Right! Wonder what happened to the blouse? Maybe like the Eskimo sweater going to a little Eskimo girl, the French blouse with ‘oil wells’ went to a little Belgian girl that Wally was writing to. Maybe Fred knew a French girl since he traveled extensively like Germany, England, Peru and Ecuador. I know, Wally joined the Crusaders and after almost playing a saloon girl he caved and played the lead in the next play, Le Souffle au Cœur.

I want to go back to what I kind of glossed over in post 5. As Wile E. Coyote said in his first toon with Bugs Bunny (Operation: Rabbit), I like the way that rolls out.

The whole mess was Ward's fault! June was all dressed in the blouse, and Ward had her model it, told her it was too much for the ladies group, Beaver will never know if you change it, etc. So she acquiesced to Ward and changed it.

What if Ward had never gone through that spiel? SHE WOULD HAVE WORN THE BLOUSE and Beaver would have been elated. And she would have been embarrassed but could have explained it to the biddies at the tea.

Or maybe Mrs. Rayburn could be there and could have sent her home to change, like she did
with Beaver and his gruesome sweatshirt.

Mrs. Raybeans: “June Bronson I mean June Cleaver that is not appropriate apparel for a mothers’ tea kindly go home and change. You can be back in time for lunch.”

That is so true, Ward did tell her to change and when she got home put the blouse back on. He should have been the one to make things right with Beaver. Who knows if she had worn the blouse she would have been as entertaining as the woman who had the same dress on as another woman but she had it on backwards. (Beaver’s Monkey) It certainly wasn’t June’s sort of fashion. Wally thought it was a table cloth.

Beaver's Monkey--June has all the ladies over and opens the dining room doors, and there's Stanley swinging on the chandelier. I'm surprised June didn't faint! Or, "Not my clean tablecloth and napkins!"

Instead she keeps looking behind at the ladies or up in the air and back at Stanley. The monkey left quite a mess with those small sandwiches. Wonder if June salvaged the luncheon and sent out for pizza.

The solution to the dilemma was very simple: all June needed to do was wear the blouse and put a nice jacket on over it. Of course, then there would not have been an episode.

Yeah, we've said that in many situations--of course, then no episode. Situation comedy, no situation.

What should June have done? She should probably have leveled with Beaver later the same day she got the present, one-on-one. She might have even said she and Beaver could go to the store and pick out another one together. His feelings would still have been hurt, but not as badly as they were by the way the situation played out.

Could that scenario have worked in a script? It might have, but we'll never know.

Beaver hated the short pants suit that Aunt Martha bought him but wore it anyway to make his mother happy making Aunt Martha happy. June should have worn the blouse just once to make Beaver happy.

Older Beaver was "smarter" than that. He slipped off his shirt in the garage and had his monster sweatshirt on, and went on to school.

But right, back to the blouse--bottom line. She should have said to Ward, "I told Beaver I would wear it, and I'm not going to lie and not wear it. We stress to the boys all the time, the importance of telling the truth. So I am wearing the blouse and that's that."

If June had an ounce of sense, she would’ve worn the blouse, & added a button down sweater, or satin jacket to cover or remove quickly.

Trouble was, no one had a clue the kids were going to be there. In the real world, those ladies would have found out somehow.

Then they would have had to include that scene that you think has always been edited out.

LOL...you're right, but notice at least I've quit complaining about it!

Yup but I see what you mean. Miss Landers talks about taking a bus to the Mothers’ tea like it was discussed the day before. Whitey asks if their mothers can take them home or do they get back on the bus.

Beaver knew about the tea at Mrs. Harrison’s the day before but could have clued June in “and our class is coming to sing a lame song at her house and you can wear the blouse.”

The point is June said she would wear the blouse. The easiest way for her to keep her word (as they always emphasized to the boys) would have been to wear it either under another garment, I mean what were the ladies at the social tea gonna do? Hold her down & rip off her sweater? Or even as an alternative she could have just shown up with it on, & explained that it was a gift from her son, & that she promised to wear it. I’m positive all of the other ladies at the social tea had children of their own & would understand. As for Ward telling her not to wear it, June put her foot down on less important things (brussel sprouts, Aunt Martha visit) so why should she cower in this instance?

Good point, RV. June should have told Ward she's wearing the blouse and that's that.

ScrsbJan: Beaver knew about the tea the day before but I don't think the kids knew they were going over there til the actual day. I think the missing dialog would clarify that. She probably said something like, Class, I have a surprise for you, etc. Probably a sentence or two missing.

I think the real problem was that Mrs. Mondello had another migraine because her daughter was a 17 year old girl. She never made it to the tea. Mrs. M was probably home wondering what her husband was up to in Cincinnati and how she could get her homely daughter hitched.

She was also checking her sewing basket to make sure no more money was missing.