june had no friends - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

frani · 03-15-2004, 06:03 PM

i think it's interesting that they didn't give june a friend. i mean, i know she had wife friends but she wasn't even close with them. I think Ward, Wally and Beav all have such dysfunctional friends, Fred, Eddie and Larry. They seem to thrive on being the normal one, but why didn't they give june a friend?

duluthduke · 03-15-2004, 06:30 PM

I never thought of that before but it is strange. We know she belonged to clubs and had luncheons, etc., but didn't seem to have any close friends. Mrs. Mondello and Beaver's teachers were the only adult women who were shown regularly.

hawaii five-o · 03-15-2004, 09:41 PM

Poor June. Too bad they didn't give her an Ethel Mertz for comedy relief. I notice too that June is very formal in her dealings with other women. She calls the mothers of Beaver and Wally's friends Mrs. Mondello or Mrs. Whitney, and they call her Mrs. Cleaver. Ward and Fred call each other by their first names.

duluthduke · 03-15-2004, 09:47 PM

Ward and Fred worked together, so they knew each other more. I have always felt that the Mondellos might not have been as well off as the Cleavers. Have you ever noticed Larry's house?

desilu #1 · 03-15-2004, 10:10 PM

I think it's sad that June didn't have anyone to confide in. I know she had Ward but no one else. As good friends as Beaver and Larry were it always made me wonder why her and Mrs. Mondello didn't become good friends as well, that is one thing about the show that didn't make any sense to me.

duluthduke · 03-15-2004, 10:16 PM

As I mentioned, I have always felt that the Cleavers were more "upscale" than the Mondellos. Also, Mrs. Mondello was much older than June, so they probably wouldn't have had too much in common.

frani · 03-15-2004, 10:30 PM

No, Mrs. Mondello (first name?) was too dowdy and just plain old (i'm Mrs. Mondello's age now, so i can say that) But why couldn't June have been friends with, say Mrs. Donaldson?

duluthduke · 03-15-2004, 10:36 PM

I just recently learned that her first name was Margaret, though the Cleavers were always so formal in saying "Mrs. Mondello."

desilu #1 · 03-15-2004, 10:38 PM

Yeah! Or even Mrs. Rutherford. God knows that poor woman needed some friends being married to that putz Fred.

GidgetCleaver · 03-15-2004, 11:08 PM

She was probably closest friends with Mrs. Rutherford because she did call her Gwen on the phone and they were always going to the Rutherfords to eat or play cards or something. They didn't explore their friendship on-screen much. I guess they wanted her to concentrate on her family with no one else involved.

CCRYDER1968 · 03-15-2004, 11:18 PM

Poor June! And she seemed so nice and Friendly...

Michael [hXc] · 03-16-2004, 09:25 AM

I feel sorry for June. She could have made many friends if she tried, as she was so nice.

1954Boomer · 03-16-2004, 10:44 AM

Well, she did belong to the "Mother's Club," didn't she? How about the time she had all of those ladies over in the episode titled, "Beaver's Monkey," where said animal runs amok in the house, and ends up climbing up on the chandelier in the dining room?

evermore · 03-16-2004, 10:54 AM

I am personally glad that June did not have annoying neighbors or friends bursting in. She stayed private and just did things with her husband Ward. She did have a pretty active social life, mostily centering the children's welfare and Wards' business parties. I don't think June having a friend like Millie (dvd show) would have been a good idea. This show was about Wally and Beaver.

tdr · 03-16-2004, 07:56 PM

I don't think June should have had a close friend like Ethel Mertz, to be a "partner in crime with," scheming against their husbands and such activities, because the show may have become titled more toward the adults than in keeping Wally and Beaver and their friends that way. It would probably have been called the "second-rate Ozzie and Harriet" for television.

As it was, we were reminded occasionally that June does have some social activities, though. Several times she got with a friend of hers and they arranged an outing for themselves and their husbands, but it was not usually done on camera; at the most, all we usually saw was June ending her phone conversation with whoever the friend was. Then, of course, the action shifts to what happens to the boys while the parents are away... which is the essence fo the show.

But while June should not have had an 'Ethel' without changing the show too much, maybe there should have been a female counterpart to Fred Rutherford. Like Fred, she could have appeared only occasionally, and could have been a woman who had Fred's sort of unrealistic self-image and know-it-all hot air. Mrs. Mondello somewhat fits this image in her times on the show, but there was never a true friendship established with June and all her appearances are dependent of what is happening with Larry; unlike Fred R. whose appearances do not always depend of Lumpy's (or Violet's) activities.

03-15-2004, 06:03 PM	#1
frani Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 09, 2002 Location: New York City Posts: 445	june had no friends i think it's interesting that they didn't give june a friend. i mean, i know she had wife friends but she wasn't even close with them. I think Ward, Wally and Beav all have such dysfunctional friends, Fred, Eddie and Larry. They seem to thrive on being the normal one, but why didn't they give june a friend?

03-15-2004, 06:30 PM	#2
duluthduke Banned Banned!! Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 27, 2003 Location: MN Posts: 209	I never thought of that before but it is strange. We know she belonged to clubs and had luncheons, etc., but didn't seem to have any close friends. Mrs. Mondello and Beaver's teachers were the only adult women who were shown regularly.

03-15-2004, 09:41 PM	#3
hawaii five-o Book 'Em, Dano Senior Member Join Date: Jun 27, 2003 Location: At home, eating cereal straight out of the box Posts: 1,406	Poor June. Too bad they didn't give her an Ethel Mertz for comedy relief. I notice too that June is very formal in her dealings with other women. She calls the mothers of Beaver and Wally's friends Mrs. Mondello or Mrs. Whitney, and they call her Mrs. Cleaver. Ward and Fred call each other by their first names.

03-15-2004, 09:47 PM	#4
duluthduke Banned Banned!! Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 27, 2003 Location: MN Posts: 209	Ward and Fred worked together, so they knew each other more. I have always felt that the Mondellos might not have been as well off as the Cleavers. Have you ever noticed Larry's house?

03-15-2004, 10:10 PM	#5
desilu #1 Lucy/Desi 4-EVER Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 23, 2000 Location: Battle Creek, Michigan USA Posts: 724	I think it's sad that June didn't have anyone to confide in. I know she had Ward but no one else. As good friends as Beaver and Larry were it always made me wonder why her and Mrs. Mondello didn't become good friends as well, that is one thing about the show that didn't make any sense to me.

03-15-2004, 10:16 PM	#6
duluthduke Banned Banned!! Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 27, 2003 Location: MN Posts: 209	As I mentioned, I have always felt that the Cleavers were more "upscale" than the Mondellos. Also, Mrs. Mondello was much older than June, so they probably wouldn't have had too much in common.

03-15-2004, 10:30 PM	#7
frani Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 09, 2002 Location: New York City Posts: 445	No, Mrs. Mondello (first name?) was too dowdy and just plain old (i'm Mrs. Mondello's age now, so i can say that) But why couldn't June have been friends with, say Mrs. Donaldson?

03-15-2004, 10:36 PM	#8
duluthduke Banned Banned!! Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 27, 2003 Location: MN Posts: 209	I just recently learned that her first name was Margaret, though the Cleavers were always so formal in saying "Mrs. Mondello."

03-15-2004, 10:38 PM	#9
desilu #1 Lucy/Desi 4-EVER Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 23, 2000 Location: Battle Creek, Michigan USA Posts: 724	Yeah! Or even Mrs. Rutherford. God knows that poor woman needed some friends being married to that putz Fred.

03-15-2004, 11:08 PM	#10
GidgetCleaver Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jul 07, 2002 Posts: 85	She was probably closest friends with Mrs. Rutherford because she did call her Gwen on the phone and they were always going to the Rutherfords to eat or play cards or something. They didn't explore their friendship on-screen much. I guess they wanted her to concentrate on her family with no one else involved.

03-15-2004, 11:18 PM	#11
CCRYDER1968 #1 Sitcom Fan Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 15, 2000 Location: Chicago Posts: 438	Poor June! And she seemed so nice and Friendly...

03-16-2004, 09:25 AM	#12
Michael [hXc] dying. Forum Fanatic Join Date: Feb 29, 2004 Posts: 8,532	I feel sorry for June. She could have made many friends if she tried, as she was so nice.

03-16-2004, 10:44 AM	#13
1954Boomer Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 18, 2003 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 482	Well, she did belong to the "Mother's Club," didn't she? How about the time she had all of those ladies over in the episode titled, "Beaver's Monkey," where said animal runs amok in the house, and ends up climbing up on the chandelier in the dining room?

03-16-2004, 10:54 AM	#14
evermore Member Forum Regular Join Date: Aug 16, 2003 Location: New York City Posts: 906	I am personally glad that June did not have annoying neighbors or friends bursting in. She stayed private and just did things with her husband Ward. She did have a pretty active social life, mostily centering the children's welfare and Wards' business parties. I don't think June having a friend like Millie (dvd show) would have been a good idea. This show was about Wally and Beaver.

03-16-2004, 07:56 PM	#15
tdr Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 23, 2001 Posts: 1,454	I don't think June should have had a close friend like Ethel Mertz, to be a "partner in crime with," scheming against their husbands and such activities, because the show may have become titled more toward the adults than in keeping Wally and Beaver and their friends that way. It would probably have been called the "second-rate Ozzie and Harriet" for television. As it was, we were reminded occasionally that June does have some social activities, though. Several times she got with a friend of hers and they arranged an outing for themselves and their husbands, but it was not usually done on camera; at the most, all we usually saw was June ending her phone conversation with whoever the friend was. Then, of course, the action shifts to what happens to the boys while the parents are away... which is the essence fo the show. But while June should not have had an 'Ethel' without changing the show too much, maybe there should have been a female counterpart to Fred Rutherford. Like Fred, she could have appeared only occasionally, and could have been a woman who had Fred's sort of unrealistic self-image and know-it-all hot air. Mrs. Mondello somewhat fits this image in her times on the show, but there was never a true friendship established with June and all her appearances are dependent of what is happening with Larry; unlike Fred R. whose appearances do not always depend of Lumpy's (or Violet's) activities.