The Borrowed Boat

[miss landers]

Which would you rather do: (1) take a trip out of town on a bus with the Mayfield High football players, tailgate picnic with your family, and watch the Mayfield High football game, or (2) sit in a lonely park eating sandwiches with Larry Mondello?

Do you think Beaver should have broken his promise to Larry about picnicking at the lake and gone to the football game with his family instead? Do you think Beaver should have explained the situation in the Cleaver home to Larry and asked Larry to release him from his promise to picnic with him? Do you think Larry would have released Beaver?

[desilu #1]

I personally think Beaver was a little weasel for not going to the football game especially since Wally went to all that trouble to allow him to go with the team! And as far as "explaining" anything to Larry, they are too young to worry about being so polite about keeping any promise as little as eating at the lake when they could do that anytime.

[miss landers]

Originally Posted by desilu #1

I personally think Beaver was a little weasel for not going to the football game especially since Wally went to all that trouble to allow him to go with the team! And as far as "explaining" anything to Larry, they are too young to worry about being so polite about keeping any promise as little as eating at the lake when they could do that anytime.

Beaver could have just called Larry, explained the family's plans, and made a new date for his picnic at the lake. But he had had all that unpleasantness with Wally in their bedroom and didn't want to be around Wally nor did Wally want to be around him. Ward and June should have taken a hand in this little sibling spat and insisted that Beaver cancel his promise with Larry and come along in the family car. I think the writers betrayed Beaver's character in this episode. It's not like Beaver to insist upon keeping so flimsy a promise. It's difficult for me to believe that Beaver would rather go to a lonely park to eat sandwiches with Larry than to take a 2 hour trip out of town, ride on the bus with the Mayfield High football team, have a tailgate picnic with his family, and to watch the Mayfield High football game. Knowing Beaver the way we do, we can believe Beaver would have done anything - ANYTHING! including breaking a promise to Larry Mondello - to hang out with the Mayfield High football players.

[desilu #1]

I agree with you, it was very unBeaver-like. And they could have made it where Beaver would ask if Larry could come along and they could get in trouble at the game.

[miss landers]

Originally Posted by desilu #1

I agree with you, it was very unBeaver-like. And they could have made it where Beaver would ask if Larry could come along and they could get in trouble at the game.

Yes, I agree. Beaver could have offered Larry a trip to the game. But that would probably have meant that the two boys would have had to ride with Ward and June rather than the team. So what? Maybe Beaver could ride to the game with the team another time. But at least Beaver and Larry would have been together (they'd have kept their date) and have been doing something more interesting than hanging out at a lonely park eating sandwiches. I do think it would have been very, very funny to have seen Beaver and Larry getting into some kind of trouble at a football game.