We all know that Laura met Rob when she was working as a dancer in the U.S.O. But then in one episode, we find out that Laura lied about her age when she got married and it turns out she was only 17 at the time. If she was out working when she and Rob met and married, but was only 17, she had to have dropped out of high school, unless she was some child genius who skipped a couple grades. But I don't think that is the case because Laura never impressed me as being terribly bright. What's the consensus? Was Laura a high school dropout?

Lots of people graduate from high school at 17--maybe Laura got a job immediately upon graduation. It's also possible to graduate at 16 1/2 without skipping grades.
I doubt she was a high school dropout. Both she and her parents were too responsible to let that happen.

Originally posted by JanLady617
Lots of people graduate from high school at 17--maybe Laura got a job immediately upon graduation. It's also possible to graduate at 16 1/2 without skipping grades.
I doubt she was a high school dropout. Both she and her parents were too responsible to let that happen.

I know lots of people graduate when they're 17, but they still turn 18 within months. September or October is the normal cutoff for turning 6 to start school, so 12 years later, Laura would have to have turned 18 by then. Assuming she graduated in May (at the earliest), she would have turned 18 by October (at the latest). So we're talking about a period of 5 months, at the most, between graduating and turning 18 (if she wasn't already 18 upon graduation). And in Laura's case, she got married while she was still 17. It seems almost impossible for her to have graduated, joined the U.S.O., gotten posted with the U.S.O., met Rob, dated him, AND married him all at the age of 17. At most, she would have had to have done this all within 5 months. And if Laura and her parents were so responsible, why didn't she go to college?

You know Jane, I've wondered the same thing myself in times past. It was before I'd heard of this message board, and since then, I'd forgotten. Thanks for bringing it up!
Your points about Laura's activities before the marriage are all well taken; and let's not forget the fact that she'd also garnered the affections of Jim Darling and Father Joe Coogan before ever hearing of Rob Petrie.
The then "Mr. Coogan" said that Laura was someone he'd wrote sonnets to while he was in college. She, according to him, ran off and joined the USO show rather suddenly, with no response to him. Was she 16 or 17 when this college guy was writing sonnets to her? And how old was he? Well, we know Rob was 11 years older than she, and by her looks, I could see an older boy going for her at the age of 16, so let's go with it. Besides, we don't want to crowd that seventeenth year anymore, do we!
On the other hand, there's Mr. Darling. By my recollection, he never heard of Laura's stint in the USO or Joe Coogan. That, by my estimation, should put him in front of Coogan and Petrie, respectively. How old was she then? Still 16? Maybe 15? How old was Mr. Darling?
Where does all of this lead? If I had to guess, I'd have to say that Laura Meehan was a precocious young lady who'd always wanted to be a dancer since she was a little girl. She did everything she could to make sure that she could finish her high school education quickly to persue her dancing carreer as soon as possible; which she'd already begun practice in years before. being so bright and beautiful at an early age, she easily intmidated young boys while attracting older men to her. We all knew girls like that in scholl, didn't we? To her own amazement however, she found herself caught up in a whirlwind of love and romance, and was so completely swept off her feet that she was willing to give up her dreams, settle down, and create a loving home when she met and got to know a skinny, clumbsy Staff Sargeant named Robert S. Petrie. Works for me.

I like your theory, Steve. It makes sense to me, too. I didn't realize until I read your post that the Jim Darling Laura mentioned in last night's "Life and Loves of Joe Coogan" was the same Jim Darling as we saw in "It's a Shame She Married Me". You learn something new every day, I guess.

Kristen

Originally posted by JaneTVFan


And if Laura and her parents were so responsible, why didn't she go to college?
Not going to college does not mean Laura or her parents are irresponsible. Dropping out of high school does. I'm sure you can see the difference. She wanted to pursue a dancing career.
It's possible to graduate from high school at 16 1/2. I have friends that did just that.
BTW Steve--Good theory. Works for me.

Here's my theory, disagree by all means: Since Laura made herself two years older to marry Rob, maybe her parents had done the same thing in order to get her into school...

Hmmmm.... Not a bad guess MTM1Fan, but let's look at it:
That would mean that little Laura's parents had to somehow convince the school that their 3 year-old was actually a 5 year-old in order to enroll her early! To what end? Could you do that successfully? I wouldn't even try.
Let's assume they did it though, and it was because of their love for educational acheivement (since we'd have to assign a motive). In that case I'd have to agree with the point raised by Jane; why didn't they also insist on at least two years of college instead of allowing their minor daughter to go off and dance for Servicemen? Parents who are that focused early on don't usually tend to drop the ball when the goal is in sight. Nah, it just doesn't add up!

Originally posted by JanLady617

Not going to college does not mean Laura or her parents are irresponsible. Dropping out of high school does. I'm sure you can see the difference. She wanted to pursue a dancing career.
It's possible to graduate from high school at 16 1/2. I have friends that did just that.
BTW Steve--Good theory. Works for me.

I would hardly consider pursuing dancing as a career, without an education to back it up, to be a responsible thing to do. And if Laura graduated high school at 16 1/2, she would have had to have been an extremely bright student. But Laura, at best, was of average intelligence. If you look at some of her antics in many episodes, you know she wasn't really all that bright. So I don't buy that she could have graduated from high school early.

Originally posted by SawgrassSteve
Hmmmm.... Not a bad guess MTM1Fan, but let's look at it:
That would mean that little Laura's parents had to somehow convince the school that their 3 year-old was actually a 5 year-old in order to enroll her early! To what end? Could you do that successfully? I wouldn't even try.
Let's assume they did it though, and it was because of their love for educational acheivement (since we'd have to assign a motive). In that case I'd have to agree with the point raised by Jane; why didn't they also insist on at least two years of college instead of allowing their minor daughter to go off and dance for Servicemen? Parents who are that focused early on don't usually tend to drop the ball when the goal is in sight. Nah, it just doesn't add up!

Well said, Steve. I agree with you. It just doesn't add up.

Originally posted by JaneTVFan


Laura, at best, was of average intelligence. If you look at some of her antics in many episodes, you know she wasn't really all that bright. So I don't buy that she could have graduated from high school early.

Yikes! Jan!? How could you?
First, let me confess my bias. As my signature line unabashedly indicates, I have a certain fondness bordering on idolatry for Laura. That being said, I still think I'd recognize whether or not she was a bright individual. After all, Lucy Ricardo wasn't, we all know it, but we still love her, don't we?
To cite a couple of examples; you may recall, it was Laura who negotiated the price for their home after Rob was willing to pay apparently much more ("Give Me Your Walls"). It was Laura who managed to keep food on the table on a slim household budget throughout the early years of their marriage while at the same time, in an attempt to buy Rob his dream car, squirreling away enough money to raise Rob's concern when he saw the size of the amount in her passbook account. ("Bankbook 6565696"). And to my knowledge Rob has never been able to pull the wool over her eyes on anything.
I know she's been involved in some funny antics and made some mistakes, but please let's not hold those up as examples to indicate her IQ! I certainly wouldn't want anyone to use how I conducted myself while jealous, afraid, nervous, curious, tipsy, or angry to show how well I could run my home, study for a test, or negotiate a contract.
Also remember, it was some of those antics that inspired Rob and his staff to write some of their best and funniest material for his boss, resulting in a magazine article praising Laura as her husband's Muse!
Jan, I don't say she was a Rhode's Scholar, but I think there's enough evidence to show that Laura Petrie was truely resourseful, and more than capable of holding her own in most situations.

Oops! I was responding to a quote by JaneTVFan, but accedentally wrote it to JanLady617. Sorry about the mixup, ladies.

Originally posted by JaneTVFan


I would hardly consider pursuing dancing as a career, without an education to back it up, to be a responsible thing to do. And if Laura graduated high school at 16 1/2, she would have had to have been an extremely bright student. But Laura, at best, was of average intelligence. If you look at some of her antics in many episodes, you know she wasn't really all that bright. So I don't buy that she could have graduated from high school early.
I have friends that graduated at 16 1/2 and did not skip grades. Also, I would consider professional dancing a career, and I'm sure there are lots of professional dancers who would agree.
As for Laura not being "really all that bright", I disagree. I think she possessed a quick mind, and I always thought she was smart.
Even if her early years don't add up or fit the timeline leading up to meeting Rob, I think it's more of a continuity issue. In the world of sitcoms, the pieces don't always fit like a puzzle.
To answer the original question--No, I don't think Laura was a high school dropout. I think she decided against college to pursue a dancing career after high school graduation, and her plans changed when she met Rob.

Originally posted by JanLady617

I have friends that graduated at 16 1/2 and did not skip grades. Also, I would consider professional dancing a career, and I'm sure there are lots of professional dancers who would agree.
As for Laura not being "really all that bright", I disagree. I think she possessed a quick mind, and I always thought she was smart.
Even if her early years don't add up or fit the timeline leading up to meeting Rob, I think it's more of a continuity issue. In the world of sitcoms, the pieces don't always fit like a puzzle.
To answer the original question--No, I don't think Laura was a high school dropout. I think she decided against college to pursue a dancing career after high school graduation, and her plans changed when she met Rob.

Well put!! As smart as Carl Reiner was/is, he could never have predicted that the show would be subjected to this kind of analysis 30-40 years later! LOL

Kristen

It's never been discussed on the show, but I do think she was a high school drop out. When she dropped out she joined the USO and met Rob and married at 17. It wasn't all that uncommon in the late 50's. She probably lied about her age to get into the USO and then Rob. Look at all the teenage guys who lied about there age to get into the military. She just wanted to pursue her dream, and by golly, this is the wrong MTM show, but as Lou Grant would say, "She has spunk!!"

<inappropriate post removed>

Originally posted by SawgrassSteve


Yikes! Jan!? How could you?
First, let me confess my bias. As my signature line unabashedly indicates, I have a certain fondness bordering on idolatry for Laura. That being said, I still think I'd recognize whether or not she was a bright individual. After all, Lucy Ricardo wasn't, we all know it, but we still love her, don't we?

Lucy Ricardo was very bright. She was very shrewd and was constantly concocting clever schemes. Her problem was either bad luck causing her schemes to unravel, or that she was too daring in the things she did, increasing her chances that things would go wrong. Occasionally things worked out as planned. Whenever any of the gang were in a pickle and needed a way out (including Ricky) they would always turn to Lucy because they knew she had the mind for finding a way out.

Originally posted by buddy love
It's never been discussed on the show, but I do think she was a high school drop out. When she dropped out she joined the USO and met Rob and married at 17. It wasn't all that uncommon in the late 50's. She probably lied about her age to get into the USO and then Rob. Look at all the teenage guys who lied about there age to get into the military. She just wanted to pursue her dream, and by golly, this is the wrong MTM show, but as Lou Grant would say, "She has spunk!!"

Well if you want to take the plotlines the least bit seriously, I think you give the most plausible explanation.

Originally posted by t2shaww0
Laura was actually a crack whore that danced for crack from the age of 13 to 15. She was then sent to the USO in order to dry out. Her prayer were answered when she met ROB.

I'm pretty sure crack didn't exist until the 1980's.

Originally posted by t2shaww0
Laura was actually a crack whore...
Tsk, tsk, t2shaww0. The benevolent side of me wants to give you the benefit of the doubt and say that maybe that was your poor, but best attempt at humor. If so, stop now; you're no comedy writer. The other side of me says that maybe you're one of those people who likes to laugh at people in wheelchairs, snatch old ladies' purses, key the paint job on cars you can't afford, and generally make a nuisance of yourself to detract from your own, shall we say, shortcomings? You want to be noticed, but in that cowardly way that vandals do who strike and run off into the darkness. You didn't even give a full profile, so you remain as anonymous as possible.
In a world that's gone mad with people who, like you, show little or no love for anything of true goodness, beauty or value, I find relaxing to the gentle entertainment found on TV Land a wonderful opportunity to mentally go back to an era when people were much more mindful of the affect we had on others around us. It was, for the most part, a way of life. So people, at least publicly, didn't engage in demeaning, tawdry, insulting, and offensive activity with abandon. And I was very glad to learn of this message board where I could share my appreciation for some of the of the best, groundbreaking, and truly entertaining sitcoms from my youth with others who were like-minded. Why it is that people like you do what you do, say what you say, act as you act, and post what you post is a mystery to me.
That's says a lot t2shaww0, since for the past 20 years I have worked with mental patients. They still occasionally surprise me when they lash out for no apparent reason. You see, there was no antecedent for you. You were unprovoked, yet you had to ugly up something and someone so beautiful with your emotinal graffiti.
I hope you got it out of your system, my friend. I hope that whatever drove you to expose your own inner ugliness has been appeased, and that at least for the next few years it can lie dormant within you again.
My suggestion to you is to try really hard to look at the world through different eyes while you're still in it. There's so much that is wonderful, beautiful, and still innocent about this place. True, you must seek it out, but it is there. I'll guarantee that when you start to see it, you'll feel so much better about it, and yourself, that you'll wonder why you ever were the type of person you apparently are now.
Good luck, but in the meantime, knock it off.

Originally posted by SawgrassSteve
Hmmmm.... Not a bad guess MTM1Fan, but let's look at it:
That would mean that little Laura's parents had to somehow convince the school that their 3 year-old was actually a 5 year-old in order to enroll her early! To what end? Could you do that successfully? I wouldn't even try.
Let's assume they did it though, and it was because of their love for educational acheivement (since we'd have to assign a motive). In that case I'd have to agree with the point raised by Jane; why didn't they also insist on at least two years of college instead of allowing their minor daughter to go off and dance for Servicemen? Parents who are that focused early on don't usually tend to drop the ball when the goal is in sight. Nah, it just doesn't add up!







Maybe it had nothing to do with their daughter's educational acheivement. For instance, Sandra Dee (yes, 'Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee' Sandra Dee) was put in the 3rd grade when she was only 4 because her mother needed someone to watch her during the day. She lied about her age.

Although I know a lot of theories have been offered, I thought I'd throw my two cents in. I don't think Laura was a drop out. I think she was too smart to have been a drop out.

My favorite teacher in high school graduated from HS at 16 years old. She was already pretty old (too me) when I had her, so I'd say she is around MTM's age, or even a little older. She was my history teacher, and she loved to talk about the past and how things were different.

I still remember her saying that before the space age, it was a lot easier to graduate from high school. There was no such thing as credits and very few required courses. She did start school when she was 4, although she had a Christmas birthday. She said that when she was in high school, she took extra classes because she liked school, and they thought she'd learned enough after three years, so she graduated.

She didn't go on to college at that point since she married her high school sweetheart and started having kids. It wasn't until after her kids were grown that she went to college and became a teacher.

So although it is possible to graduate from high school at 16, personally I don't think that was what the writers had in mind. I just think that they didn't pay attention to the details when they changed her age. Shows weren't gone over for errors back then like they are today. I'm sure they didn't think we'd be sitting here 40 years later talking about this. I remember someone, I think Dick, saying something along the lines of, "We all knew it was a good show, but I don't think any of us imagined we'd be sitting around talking about it 40 years later."

Personally I'm glad that they did the episode "Laura's Little Lie". It is one of my favorite episodes, and I don't care that it doesn't completely line up with everything else we know.

Christina