Production no. 16156 - "Beaver's Autobiography"

Beaver needs more words for his autobiography, and Gilbert suggests he get new girl Betsy to help, since she likes him. He thinks that wouldn't work because he's been calling her names, but Gilbert says she's never been around when he does that. So Beaver sweet talks her into helping him.

Betsy's friend Virginia stops by her house, and as they chit chat, Virginia tells her that Beaver is calling her names. So Betsy doctors his essay with all kinds of wild, untrue stories and turns it in.

The teacher, Mr. Thompson, reads his autobiography aloud to the class (a side note--totally out of line, in my opinion) and after class, informs Beaver he has failed the assignment. When Beaver shows Ward the story, he has Beaver write his own essay. Mr. Thompson revises the grade to C and tells Beaver that Betsy confessed.

Production no. 16157 - "The Late Edition"

Beaver wants a newspaper delivery job, but another kid beats him to it. The deliveries deteriorate, and Ward wants to see the kid. Beaver sees the kid coming, and they get in a bit of a fight. He finds out she is a girl when her hat flies off. She comes back later to collect, and Ward complains to her about the deliveries, and she starts to cry; sobbing, she relates that she is subbing for her brother, who has the measles. Later, Beaver tells Wally he had to apologize to the girl, and tells Richard he's going to use her surfboard.

Production no. 16158 - "Eddie, the Businessman"

Wally and Eddie are having trouble getting weekend jobs, and Ward finds them work with his friend Ted Worden, who runs the Mayfield Dairy. Eventually Ward tells June there is trouble down there and dairy products are coming up missing.

Later, Worden sees Eddie loading ice cream into the foreman's trunk. Eddie explains that the foreman had him do it, which the foreman denies; Worden wants to see Eddie at his office. Wally follows, and later tells his parents that Mr. Worden figured out that the foreman was stealing.

Production no. 16159 - "Beaver's Football Award"

Just like in "Sweatshirt Monsters," Beaver is hesitant to go along with his friends, but they convince him to do the wrong thing. This time, they all want to wear casual clothes to the Football Award Banquet, where Beaver is up for most inspirational player.

Beaver makes this a big deal at home--he makes a stand with June, and later, even with Ward. Ward relents, to Wally's amazement.

So, they arrive at the banquet, and find all the boys dressed up. Beaver feigns illness, and he and Ward return to the car. Ward has stashed Beaver's jacket and tie in the trunk, solving the problem. Beaver confesses to being a dopey kid.

In production order, the placement of this episode would have made sense [it would have aired on Nov. 15, 1962], but it was broadcast on Oct. 4, 1962, when the football season would have just started.

I'm very familiar with all of these episodes; I'd have to say "The Late Edition" and "Eddie, the Businessman" are my favorites.

The Late Edition reminds me somewhat of the My Three Sons episode some years later, where we presume Ernie's new and somewhat destructive new friend is a boy. Of course the surprise loses its edge upon multiple viewings, but nonetheless it's welcome to have a new child enter the little world in an innocent role that's vital to the premise & plot. Unlike "Beaver's Autobiography," there's no sinister motivation to harm Beaver.

Beaver's Autobiography reminds me of a girl in my classes for a few years, who ratted me out to a degree in 6th grade for something I did on accident; after being gone for a year or so, to my surprise she began showing interest in me when she returned. The junior high romantic dynamics were something I wasn't up to understanding...!

In "Eddie, the Businessman," the actor playing the foreman is well-cast and to me his performance "makes" the episode. I once had a temp job where my co-worker complained a lot and was not invited back. I was asked to come back, though it was very short-lived. Anyway, there are several times in the series where Wally is held in higher regard due to his calmer demeanor; in some cases an authority figure prefers to hear his account of the events.

Yes, “Businessman” displays the more shady side of business (as some season 6 eps are more serious and down to earth), much more convincing than “Beaver’s Ice Skates.” And, well, Eddie being Eddie!

It wasn’t too many episodes later than Chrystie Jordan (the paper girl) reappeared as Donna Yeager, Beaver’s love interest, if only for the one ep “More Blessed to Give.” I was glad that “Late Edition” ended well enough that she didn’t have trauma!

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Beaver's Autobiography reminds me of a girl in my classes for a few years, who ratted me out to a degree in 6th grade for something I did on accident; after being gone for a year or so, to my surprise she began showing interest in me when she returned. The junior high romantic dynamics were something I wasn't up to understanding...!


Good ole Junior high.

I was out sick and on the day I returned I gave a note to my teacher. I thought it was the note my Amom gave me to excuse my absense, but that was still in my hand.

What wasn't in my hand was the love letter I had written for a certain Mr. Toschi. Yep, I gave the love letter to my teacher.

Good ole Junior high.

I was out sick and on the day I returned I gave a note to my teacher. I thought it was the note my Amom gave me to excuse my absense, but that was still in my hand.

What wasn't in my hand was the love letter I had written for a certain Mr. Toschi. Yep, I gave the love letter to my teacher.

Oh, my!

I've had modern situations where I've texted the wrong person, with no consequences. Once an acquaintance told me she thought she had texted a friend with a complaint about her husband, but she mistakenly sent the text to her husband. No clie where that led, but probably to a bit of an argument.

After Eddie really screwed up, working as a chauffeur at that wedding reception, I think that Wally was being way too nice and trusting to have asked his father Ward to help the two of them get weekend jobs at that dairy company.

And, sure enough, Eddie “did not let Wally down,” by getting involved with that shifty foreman (who bore an uncanny resemblance to SS Major Wolfgang Hochstetter on Hogan’s
Heroes”) and getting involved in that pilferage scam at the dairy.

Besides, after Wally’s past problem with Eddie and Lumpy regarding that phony ice cream delivery to Mary Ellen Rogers’s house, you’d think that Wally would want NO part of a job involving ice cream with Eddie as his fellow employee.

PS During this particular episode of LITB, I almost expected to hear that dishonest dairy company foreman to say in reaction to Eddie’s almost incessant brown-nosing:

“What is this teenager doing here?!?”