In Brother vs. Brother why would Beaver pour aftershave lotion into his hand and spread all over his arms? Wally never did that, he put it on his face. I can’t imagine why they would have him do that. How do you wash that stuff off? Did you notice at the breakfast table June just plays with her food. It must have been unappetizing.

It was Aunt Martha's beet casserole LOL!

Good point on the arms thing--I never saw anybody do that.

Reminds me of the time he had no shoelaces for his shoes before school and starts to dip white ones in some ink!! Before school? He hasn’t changed since he put polish on his shoe and it gets on his sock so he takes off the sock! Huh?

Yeah and those socks with holes when Ward comes up to talk to him. Would June allow those in the house? She probably had the boys' whole clothing inventory in her mind, or documented in the kitchen drawer.

Nah, he was just an average kid. Definitely not stupid but a verrry lonnnng way from genius. Beaver was somewhat Gullible, but that due more to a basically nice and trusting nature. Fortunately Wally was always helping him to “wise up “.

The mentally challenged award goes to Lumpy. Watching a 17 year old refer to, and call, his father “daddy” DOES NOT suggest mental adroitness!

That and being a fan of Captain Kangaroo!

That and being a fan of Captain Kangaroo!

Smokin cigarettes and watchin Captain Kangaroo

https://youtu.be/WvdHi0smyp8?t=43

That and being a fan of Captain Kangaroo!

I missed that about him. God what a doofus. MAD Magazine must have been high literature to him!

Wally was more on the ball than Beaver at the same ages. Beaver and June had to be scatterbrained to make scripts funny and work. Beaver at times appears mentally limited. Then he's made normal again.

June was a true scatterbrain in Beaver’s Accordion. The instrument bounces down the stairs and lands in front of Ward and Franklin. “Ward it’s an accordion!” Then looks like an airhead. In Beaver’s Long Night she asks Wally if the person who called the cops on Lumpy could be his brother, Beaver. Why did she say ‘your brother Beaver?’

Anyway Beaver certainly was gullible so I guess that also means not too bright. Yes Lumpy was certainly not a candidate for MIT.

I missed that about him. God what a doofus. MAD Magazine must have been high literature to him!

In one episode, I think the one where W&J wouldn't let Wally go up to Bill Scott's cabin, Lumpy pulls in the driveway, and says to Wally something like, What's going on? I'm up in my room watching Capt. Kangaroo, etc.

If it wasn't that episode it was one in season 6.

Smokin cigarettes and watchin Captain Kangaroo

https://youtu.be/WvdHi0smyp8?t=43

Flowers On The Wall ?

In Beaver’s Long Night she asks Wally if the person who called the cops on Lumpy could be his brother, Beaver. Why did she say ‘your brother Beaver?’



"Yeah, that was the brother I had in mind." He should have said, "No, it was some other Beaver."

Flowers On The Wall ?

Floral wallpaper was really big about that time.

In one episode, I think the one where W&J wouldn't let Wally go up to Bill Scott's cabin, Lumpy pulls in the driveway, and says to Wally something like, What's going on? I'm up in my room watching Capt. Kangaroo, etc.

If it wasn't that episode it was one in season 6.

Comment was in Bachelor at Large from season 6.

Wally and Beaver get their scatterbrained streaks from June's side. A dumb farmer wouldn't keep afloat long (Wards side).

Wally and Beaver get their scatterbrained streaks from June's side. A dumb farmer wouldn't keep afloat long (Wards side).

Connecting the dots as I watched series 1 through 5, I always had the vibe that June's side of the family had a batty tendencies. It was always fairly clear the they thought very highly of themselves...their pedigree. Proud, but irrationally proud.

The older Beaver got the more a ****** he acted. He was a pretty normal kid when he was young, once his voice changed he turned dummy.

The older Beaver got the more a ****** he acted. He was a pretty normal kid when he was young, once his voice changed he turned dummy.

SO MANY episodes Beaver is referred to as
You Dummy
You Big Dummy

actually some of my fav episodes are the girls that refer to Beav as the "DUMMY"

maybe too many to name
1- Beaver Babysits & plays house
2- ...

Beaver in "The School Picture". Beaver falling for Gilbert's trick doesn't create too much confidence in his intelligence. Beaver seems a step behind his classmates in street smarts.

Well, as a little kid, Beaver is cute being fooled by others, it's his innocence and trusting in others that gets him in trouble. But after his voice changes he just seems like a moron, no longer is it cute, as you think how can he be that stupid. But, hey, for all my grousing here, it's still one of my all time favorite shows. And I still think Ward was the all time best father in the world. A real role model of what a father should be. If only my Dad was more like him and not the yelling and hitting kind.:o I guess he was more the Fred Rutherford type father.:confused:

I agree. Beaver really is off in his later years. He seems stuck being just as naive as he was as a little kid. Never really learning from his mistakes which of course was the writers inability to let him grow. Honestly rewatching the series since I was a kid I never realized how slow of a character he is. I mean he's likeable but it's frustrating watching episode to episode where he does the same mistakes over and over. My brother commented to me that I should look at it like he is emotionally immature or has some kind of disability. Not what the writers were going for but it does make him more sympathetic looking at him that way.

Wally is quite a bit more intelligent than Beaver. The writers let him grow intellectually as he matured. He still got in comical situations, had funny buddies, girl troubles. Even early teen moron Beaver episodes have their moments with good scripts. They really cut back on the females Beavers age after Penny (Karen Sue Trent) left up to where I'm at (beginning season 6). I think that was a mistake to have Beaver and his buddies still hating girls. Its not normal at 13-14.

In the football award episode (where Beaver should have learned his friends will let him down in the sweatshirt monster episode) Beaver tells Ward he's a dopey kid.

YES!

In S6 E5 Double Date we get a rare glimpse at Jerry Mathers playing Jerry Mathers. Normal mild apprehension about double dating with Wally. But a bright, confident early teen. And some quick witted cocky remarks. Instead of the gullible, dopey kid who doesnt know which side to butter his bread on. This edgy Beaver would have been great to star the last 2 seasons. Even Jerry Mathers acting is much smoother playing someone not a cartoon character.

And a few episodes after Double Date he's putting a Dippety-Doo like substance in his hair because a girl teased him (same script as the Freckles episode from season 4).

As far as girls go, they should have kept Penny and had him get friendly with her (I was going to say date, but June would be in the coronary unit over that). By the end of season 6 he and Gilbert are competing for the affections of Mary Margaret Matthews (Lori Martin) ("My baby!"). Stay tuned...

About quick-witted remarks: as this season goes on, note how he starts dishing it out with Eddie.

I know it would kill the whole show. But as nervous and hyper vigilant as June is. She nitpicks about everything. But, never does she question Beaver's mental acuity, with his continuous poor decision making. Be funny if she went in the den and told Ward, "There's something wrong with the Beaver's brain!"

I know it would kill the whole show. But as nervous and hyper vigilant as June is. She nitpicks about everything. But, never does she question Beaver's mental acuity, with his continuous poor decision making. Be funny if she went in the den and told Ward, "There's something wrong with the Beaver's brain!"

I wonder if it's because then they weren't really aware of metaphysics as such.

Putting themselves in their position, in their time ( assuming we could go back in time in a parallel universe in the manner of the movie 'Pleasantville' ) it must have been perplexing. Beaver does "alright" in school, grades wise ( yeah, he has his high and low points, but we all did ) but continued to display lapses of judgement incommensurate with his age. What do they do? How do they come to terms with somebody who, clinically speaking, has a decent IQ, but is all too often a jackass?

It'd be be hard to make the move to seek professional help. Kinda' like calling in a repairman for an appliance or whatever, and when he gets there and checks it out, it works just fine: right then.

The writers chose to still have Beaver be a gullible dope as he got older even into season 6. Long time since I watched Dennis the Menace. Another classic sitcom with a young male lead. Was he more on the ball?

The show "allowed" Dennis to grow up in the final season. They got him into normal clothes instead of the baggy overalls with the slingshot, and he didn't do any of the stupid stuff he had done in previous seasons.

I guess he was more the Fred Rutherford type father.:confused:

None of that new age crap for him. Just a _ to the mouth!

I just watched the 6th season episode"Beaver, The Hero" and Wally lays down some truth to Ward and June about Beaver. It's the episode where Beaver gets a big head after catching the winning game ball for a touchdown and bragging about it. Wally offers to step in for his dad telling him "You've lectured Beaver for 13 years and he's still pretty stupid." Wally finally said what we all were thinking. Lol

What 13 year old isn’t generally “stupid” and/or immature even to 17 or 18 year old who are them selfs are also immature in many ways but much more mature then a 13 year old. However, for particular reasons mainly for comedic purposes.

Today Beaver might be in "Special Ed" grouping at school. He gets decent grades. But, developmentally there's definitely something wrong upstairs how he functions in life.

What 13 year old isn’t generally “stupid” and/or immature even to 17 or 18 year old who are them selfs are also immature in many ways but much more mature then a 13 year old. However, for particular reasons mainly for comedic purposes.

That's true. A 13 year old is a "tween" who is torn between being a kid and showing some signs of adulthood and maturity.