Visiting Aunts

[desilu #1]

I don't know if this was ever discussed before, but we need a new topic. This is one episode I felt that June was very wrong! First off, Stuck up Aunt Martha calls at the last minute expecting to bring a friend over that the boys have never even met and Ward and June hasn't seen since their wedding. Second, without checking with Ward and the boys, June assumes that they will all be home on Saturday. Presumptuous on her part! Finally, Ward told her that he promised to take the boys after the visit and she then told the boys that they wouldn't stay long, but then she insisted that they stay for lunch knowing the boys had plans and that for once they conformed to orders gracefully, or as gracefully as any two young boys could after getting screwed by their own mother. If you haven't noticed, June pissed me off in this episode. There was no reason for her to insist that they stay. The boys did their part and deserved to go when the visit was over and it should have been when they were ready to leave! I also think being the man of the house Ward could have stepped in at that time and either remind June of the plans or take a few minutes and take the boys and drop them off then June could have visited with the old bag as long as she desired.

[Waterston_Fan]

Yeah, I'm with you all the way..

Also, I mean these women who have never had children or one of them, assume they know what 'The Point' is...

This would have been funny:

Mrs. Hathaway: Where do you want to go?
Wally: Um, I don't know, where do you want to take me?

Of course Wally isn't thinking of college since he started High School. Give me a break!!

I do have to defend June on one point, the boys were making plans when June was on the phone, that being said, June should have stopped them before they made their call.

I would think Aunt Martha and Mrs. Hathaway have friends who have children who misbehave, I mean, Aunt Martha mentions Beaver crying and Beaver must have felt dumb when Aunt Martha hinted that high school boys don't do that...

I kinda understand why the episode is written to show that plans get ruined and you have to make yourself unhappy to make others happy. Think that's Ward exact words...

Yeah, Aunt Martha did hint that she would leave if the boys had other plans, and even if W/J said they should stay, I mean Wally and Beaver could have said, we are going somewhere... But then there would be no plot and stuff...

Mrs. Hathaway have a kid btw? I thought she did.. You would think she would understand.

EDIT: I have thought about writing a ff that Aunt Martha and a friend of hers comes over like in this episode but this time Beaver apologizes and leave making June MAD!! That story might not be written since it takes me awhile to write them..

[Waterston_Fan]

Something else I thought of...

Title is very, very misleading... Not yours Desilu, the one the show has..

I mean it's not the aunts it's the aunt and her friend. But maybe it's easier to say aunts.

[desilu #1]

Originally Posted by Waterston_Fan

Something else I thought of...

Title is very, very misleading... Not yours Desilu, the one the show has..

I mean it's not the aunts it's the aunt and her friend. But maybe it's easier to say aunts.

Yeah, I was going to point that out and forgot because I was ranting about June. LOL! This is the only time I can think of that she made me so mad! I can understand about it being the plot, but maybe they could have written at the end where Ward explians to June that she was wrong, maybe then I would have felt vindicated! LOL!

[BarneyFife]

I agree, the aunt visit not only ruined the boys day but it also ruined the boys friends day as well, as they were waiting for Wally and the Beaver. Ward and June could of let them visit with their aunt for a hour or so and then took them to their outing. no harm done in that.

[Waterston_Fan]

Barney, I think one of the boys said that one of their fathers could take him if Ward couldn't... I thought that it was said...

Does anyone have the second season DVD for this episode, was there anything cut out?

EDIT: The part about letting them stay for an hour... that was suggested when Aunt Martha suggested to go somewhere to eat but W/J would have none of it...

BEAVER and WALLY COULD HAVE SAID something.. They did say something about doggy burgers for 18 cents and that should ahve been a clue to the old bags that the boys have somewhere to go.

[kooky12]

In June's defense:

June DOES mention, why can't the boys take one day out of their busy lives to make her happy ?

After all that she does for them, can't the kids bite the bullet for one day to please her ? On top of that, Ward offers to take them later, only to get the cold treatment.

[Waterston_Fan]

Originally Posted by kooky12

In June's defense:

June DOES mention, why can't the boys take one day out of their busy lives to make her happy ?

After all that she does for them, can't the kids bite the bullet for one day to please her ? On top of that, Ward offers to take them later, only to get the cold treatment.

Yeah but you notice, the boys don't even know what to talk about... I think the adults were rude to Beaver and Wally since I bet the adults talked about other things and why should W/B be there when they could be with their friends..

I think the boys really wanted to go with their friends and not with Ward. They probably wanted to goof off without someone yelling at them.

But you know, there are other episodes where the boys making plans do get ruined like 'Yard Birds', I'm sure there are others though...

[tdr]

As Uncle Billy said in one of the last eps of the the last season, "It's the setup of the thing...." that can get somebody "hot under the collar." Sure Aunt Martha was impositional in calling that very morning to say she and her friend would be dropping by -- did she not know at least the day before that they planned to come? But then June expecting the boys to drop everything right after (coincidentally) they had just made their plans for the carnival-- especially when they had time for a short visit with the ladies (which should be all the ladies could expect), and Aunt Martha even mentioned they might "have some place to rush off to"... yes, that is demanding too much from them (the boys). Is June afraid Aunt Martha will disinherit her is she doesn't lick her bonnet? No, I think it's just supposed to be that June always had to had to show the deepest respect for her older family members, so it made her mad that her own kids may dare to think otherwise. Actually, my biggest beef with the whole thing is that this would include lying-- Wally saying they "were not going anywhere at all" because he knew he would get blasted for telling the truth!

I remember that episode was on once when I was about Wally's age in the ep, and my dad was watching too, and I mentioned that about being expected to lie, and he said, "Oh, now....that's just what they need to say there..." Yeah, my parents were also of the mindset that since they were expected-- forced, if necessary-- to give unquestioned respect to their older relatives, or even family acquaintenances, that that should trump anything else at the time. But it was a big mistake on their part to not only expect that from us, but to think we should gladly clean up the house, help with dinner and dishes, et al, with the explanation that "when I was growing up, I was made to do it!" That didn't impress us at the time... but I regret that we were so difficult and disrespectful in a lot of ways.

But simply put... the boys were there for a brief visit with Aunt Martha and her friend, Aunt Martha said they may have somewhere to rush off to, so it would have been alright for them to go ahead with their plans for the carnival. June having lunch with them while Ward and the boys were gone would probably have been a more meaningful time for the 3 women, anyway.

[Waterston_Fan]

But I like that in Aunt Martha's last episode, she has uh... chilled out, would you say?

Even though, she didn't seem to have a problem with Ward calling Theodore Beaver in that last episode she was in...

I think she has softened up some but sure wish she was in more episodes and maybe would learn that things have changed kind of thing...

[Jack1000]

Aunt Martha always got under my skin! I couldn't stand her!!! However, back in the 30's. 40's, and 50's, respect to the elders was taken to such an extreme that in many cases, you didn't say no to them. My grandparents themselves, and their relatives were very much like Aunt Martha. The axiom in those days was, "What will they think, if I tell them they can't come?" In those days, people would sacrifice their own needs to please their elderly relatives, even if some of the relatives were a pain in the a$$.

Saying "no" to Aunt Martha would make Martha show resentment to June, and June couldn't handle that. I wonder why June liked her so much, remember her quote, "When she was a little girl, she was practically the only mother I had and I loved her very much." I wonder if she really LOVED her Aunt Martha, or was it a social obligation where she might have been raised to put up with Martha's trite and trying was? In those days, elder relatives expected everything to be prim and proper.

That's the lesson of this episode, kids being forced to make themselves a little unhappy, as Ward put it, in order to make other people happy. Today's relatives who are much younger would be more understanding and empathetic to other people's feelings, putting those issues first over what "Bronson traditions" in June's case, were expected in her family.

Considering the time period, this episode is very realistic. In those days, overkill to please elderly people, while sacrificing ones' own needs was a common (and sometimes) tradition for many families.

Jack

[desilu #1]

Originally Posted by Jack1000

Aunt Martha always got under my skin! I couldn't stand her!!! However, back in the 30's. 40's, and 50's, respect to the elders was taken to such an extreme that in many cases, you didn't say no to them. My grandparents themselves, and their relatives were very much like Aunt Martha. The axiom in those days was, "What will they think, if I tell them they can't come?" In those days, people would sacrifice their own needs to please their elderly relatives, even if some of the relatives were a pain in the a$$.

Saying "no" to Aunt Martha would make Martha show resentment to June, and June couldn't handle that. I wonder why June liked her so much, remember her quote, "When she was a little girl, she was practically the only mother I had and I loved her very much." I wonder if she really LOVED her Aunt Martha, or was it a social obligation where she might have been raised to put up with Martha's trite and trying was? In those days, elder relatives expected everything to be prim and proper.

That's the lesson of this episode, kids being forced to make themselves a little unhappy, as Ward put it, in order to make other people happy. Today's relatives who are much younger would be more understanding and empathetic to other people's feelings, putting those issues first over what "Bronson traditions" in June's case, were expected in her family.

Considering the time period, this episode is very realistic. In those days, overkill to please elderly people, while sacrificing ones' own needs was a common (and sometimes) tradition for many families.

Jack

I get what you are saying Jack and I must say I didn't think about all that at the time. I know it sounds as though I don't respect my elders because of me calling Aunt Martha an old bag, but I have alot of respect for my older relatives, as a matter of fact, I lived with one of my ill grandma's and took care of her for several years, but even she was wise enough and unselfish enough to make sure I had my own time when I needed it. Make no mistake, I WANTED to take care of grandma. I was very close to her and I recall all the things that she had done for me. It was NEVER expected of me in fact, my dad tried to discourage me because I was in my early 20's and he felt that i should be doing something besides caring for his mother. I told him it was unacceptable for anyone but family to care for her. Anyway, I'm sorry I'm getting off the subject. I think my point was that I feel that June expected too much out of two young boys. Teaching them to respect her older family is a must, but I think on some level she expected the boys to kiss Aunt Martha's a$$ and that's the problem I have. I also agree that lying was wrong. How is that really respecting the person? Also, it would not have hurt to teach Aunt Martha boundries. I know, it wasn't realistic back then and I think again I'm just reacting to the charater of Aunt Martha. And with June, it seemed she "needed" Aunt Martha's approval to the point where it made Ward and the boys suffer. Geez, I think June could have used a head doctor where Martha was concerned. LOL!