When Did the Cleavers Seem Like Squares?

[Madame X]

A couple of thoughts on the episode "Wally's License." This episode emphasized how square the Cleavers really were.

Wally enrolled in driver's ed. at age 17, much to June's dismay. Wally was a terrible driver at first. Ward could have at least taken Wally out to a parking lot somewhere to let him get a feel of how a car works so he wouldn't be embarrassed. The only time he was behind the wheel was when he was allowed to back the car out of the garage.

Wally made a reference to June riding in the back seat. The Cleaver men treated June as a second-class citizen, except when she was doing something for them.

Beaver asked Wally if he liked the handkerchiefs he gave Wally for his birthday. Wally replied, "Sure, every guy likes handkerchiefs." Yeah, right! That's just what my brothers would have wanted!

[Lee G]

Originally Posted by Madame X

A couple of thoughts on the episode "Wally's License." This episode emphasized how square the Cleavers really were.

Wally enrolled in driver's ed. at age 17, much to June's dismay. Wally was a terrible driver at first. Ward could have at least taken Wally out to a parking lot somewhere to let him get a feel of how a car works so he wouldn't be embarrassed. The only time he was behind the wheel was when he was allowed to back the car out of the garage.

Wally made a reference to June riding in the back seat. The Cleaver men treated June as a second-class citizen, except when she was doing something for them.

Beaver asked Wally if he liked the handkerchiefs he gave Wally for his birthday. Wally replied, "Sure, every guy likes handkerchiefs." Yeah, right! That's just what my brothers would have wanted!

The Cleavers as a family weren't squares, but Beaver was sort of a square in his own goofy way. That's what gave the show it's charm.

You have to remember the era this show was made, late 50's & early 60's, way before the women's movement. Women were generally obedient to the men, but June was definitely respected by her family. She had her moments in the episodes, her character deserves more credit than it got, but Ward was clearly the boss of the household. The show was basically a reflection of it's time.

Wally was likely not being serious when he told Beaver he likes the handkerchiefs. He was probably trying to be a good brother and not hurt Beavers' feelings.

[Tap Dancer]

It was corny for them to dress up as often as they did. Wearing suits to a football game? Come on now...

[Torgo]

Originally Posted by Tap Dancer

It was corny for them to dress up as often as they did. Wearing suits to a football game? Come on now...

Then I guess all of my family, relatives, and their friends at that time were all corny as I look at pictures of them at different events and locations during that same time period all dressed as if they are going to church on Sunday.

It wasn't uncommon at all for people to dress up, even for something like a foot ball game.

[OH Nuts!]

Part of the "squareness" was a function of the era and part of it was strict TV censorship. And then there's the time warp, so of course some behaviors seemed odd when one looks backward in time half a century.

But LITB had some authentically warm moments--and some wonderful characters--like Wally and Ward. It took a lot of ingenuity to get around the strict rules set up for what could be presented on TV, and most writers and producers were not clever enough to finnagle around them.

[Janice]

If the Cleavers were squares, they were my kind of squares. I saw a loving, respectful and close family. Ward and June were devoted and wonderful parents, regardless of what they wore. I enjoyed watching them interact. They had a loving, even flirtatious way about them.

The boys were typical boys. They would get into scrapes here and there, but they were good kids. They each had terrific personalities too.

[Ireneparalegal]

Originally Posted by Tap Dancer

It was corny for them to dress up as often as they did. Wearing suits to a football game? Come on now...

I agree, a suit to a football game sounds a bit far-fetched, but I guess that was the era. Maybe not for all families, but a lot of families. I know looking at old family photographs, my brother would dress up pretty nice for family outings and so did my sister. She would wear a skirt or dress. I see my dad and mom in old pics too with my mom wearing a skirt or dress, my dad wearing a nice men's shirt with the buttons and slacks. I think the only time our family was "real casual" were the times we went camping, to the beach or some place where being casual would make things comfortable, like in the mountains.

I have memories of my mother wearing a dress most of the time, at home and not at home. Very rarely did she wear pants. For camping she sometimes wore a dress, but she also wore shorts at times.

Seeing shows like LITB, is like going back in time for me. Although my mother was not snoopy like June, she was smothering, in a loving way.

[kooky12]

Originally Posted by Madame X

A couple of thoughts on the episode "Wally's License." This episode emphasized how square the Cleavers really were.

Wally enrolled in driver's ed. at age 17, much to June's dismay. Wally was a terrible driver at first. Ward could have at least taken Wally out to a parking lot somewhere to let him get a feel of how a car works so he wouldn't be embarrassed. The only time he was behind the wheel was when he was allowed to back the car out of the garage.

Now that you mention it, Beaver actually drove more that Wally - he backed the car into the street in one episode, and drove around in the little car they built in another episode !

[Tweety]

Originally Posted by Ireneparalegal

I agree, a suit to a football game sounds a bit far-fetched, but I guess that was the era. Maybe not for all families, but a lot of families. I know looking at old family photographs, my brother would dress up pretty nice for family outings and so did my sister. She would wear a skirt or dress. I see my dad and mom in old pics too with my mom wearing a skirt or dress, my dad wearing a nice men's shirt with the buttons and slacks. I think the only time our family was "real casual" were the times we went camping, to the beach or some place where being casual would make things comfortable, like in the mountains.

I have memories of my mother wearing a dress most of the time, at home and not at home. Very rarely did she wear pants. For camping she sometimes wore a dress, but she also wore shorts at times.

Seeing shows like LITB, is like going back in time for me. Although my mother was not snoopy like June, she was smothering, in a loving way.

Yes, that's very true, excellent points!

I grew up in the 60s and 70s (born in 59), and it was true with us as kids too (3 of us)... getting one's picture taken was a big deal in those days, and when there were occasions where we were going to have our pictures taken, my Mom and Dad would make sure we were all dressed nicely.

At first we probably didn't realize that we were "dressing up", and I know that, once we were old enough to know that we were, we thought that it was a pain to do that... but today, I'm very glad that my folks had us do that... over the years, there were a few pictures that snuck in there in which I (or my brother or sister) was dressed like a slob... those are the only pictures that I don't like seeing today, especially since I now understand why our Mom and Dad "made us dress up"... and in our case, dressing up wasn't always about wearing suits... but my sister would have a nice dress or skirt on, and my brother and I would have nice pants, shoes and shirts...

I think that the parents of our generation had it in mind that photo albums were going to be made from the pictures being taken, and they wanted the albums to look nice... and even today, those albums do look great. But now, with most people, if they want to look at family pictures, they have to fire up the computer and sit in front of a monitor. It's either that, or they hold the camera in their hands while they scroll through the family "album" on a 3 inch screen.

As for getting dressed in suits to go to a football game, I never thought that was a big deal when that episode was on... and actually, I always kind of attributed the suits more so to the very nice restaurant that they went to rather than the football game itself.

But all of those old shows from the 50s and early 60s have one thing in common...when the characters were just at home, sitting around the house, they ALWAYS looked NICE. And as I've asked many times, what's wrong with that, right?

[Ireneparalegal]

^^^^^ Yep so true.

Looking back at these shows, it is fun to remember how it was when we were younger and so forth, but it is fun being in THIS CURRENT ERA to nitpick and make fun of that time. June mopping while wearing pearls??? Geez.

We can see it both ways. I do know that era was all abt "dressing up" as you say Tweety, going to restaurants, having photos taken, etc. On Sundays we dressed to impress because it was church day, we then went to eat and then most likely visited relatives or spent the day out somewhere. So, if you wore a dress or slacks in the morning, you remained dressed that way ALL DAY LONG.

We have lots of family photographs where we are dressed up and looking back, it seemed normal.