"Here You Were in the First Grade" - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

stevea · 06-13-2017, 04:58 PM

"Family Scrapbook" is a good retrospective episode, but virtually every reference to what grade Beaver was in were wrong. Starting with that first one. When LITB started, Beaver was in the 2nd grade.

TVJoy · 06-13-2017, 06:36 PM

Ward said It was Beaver's 6th grade class picture with Miss Landers in it. That can't be right. She may have been his teacher for more than one year, but up to 6th grade? His first teacher on the show was Miss Canfield. I also remember Mr. Bloomgarden. I loved that name! Beaver was still little when Miss Landers was his teacher. Maybe 3rd grade or 3rd & 4th?

The show was on 6 years. Beaver went from 2nd grade to 8th in 6 years! It took Wally 5 years to get through high school! He started out in 8th grade the 1st season then started high school the 2nd and graduated the 6th season.

It struck me as funny that Beaver would ask his parents how he ended up with the nickname Beaver at the age of about 13? He never wondered before that!

stevea · 06-13-2017, 07:27 PM

Miss Landers was Beaver's teacher in grades 3-5. If they were showing the class picture where our pal Gilbert got him to make a face, that was 5th grade.

The school oddities occurred between the 5th and 6th season. Beaver was never in the 7th grade, and Wally was a senior in both of those seasons (they really didn't refer to that in the 5th season, but he was clearly a junior in the 4th season).

Ah, yes, Mr. Bloomgarden...played by William Schallert. A character actor who had tons of roles, and a title role in The Patty Duke Show.

Torgo · 06-13-2017, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevea

Miss Landers was Beaver's teacher in grades 3-5. If they were showing the class picture where our pal Gilbert got him to make a face, that was 5th grade.

The school oddities occurred between the 5th and 6th season. Beaver was never in the 7th grade, and Wally was a senior in both of those seasons (they really didn't refer to that in the 5th season, but he was clearly a junior in the 4th season).

Ah, yes, Mr. Bloomgarden...played by William Schallert. A character actor who had tons of roles, and a title role in The Patty Duke Show.

I've always been a fan of William Schallert. He played Nancy Drew's dad in the Hardy Boys Nancy Drew Mysteries. I think that was the first time I became aware of him back when the show originally aired.

stevea · 06-13-2017, 08:18 PM

William Schallert had a guest appearance on The Suite Life Of Zack and Cody, on Disney, around 2006. He used a cane and had snow white hair. Still a good performance. May have been his last role.

The late Tom Poston and still-with-us Bernie Kopell had late life guest roles on this show, as well...kudos to the casting people for hiring older actors.

MichaelMartinD · 06-16-2017, 11:43 AM

We assume that the seasons of LITB correspond exactly with years in real time. But that's not necessarily the case. You might say the show exists within its own concept of time.

Tony Dow was 12 when the show started, Jerry Mathers was 9. When it ended they were 18 and 15, respectively. But Jerry was clearly playing younger than 9 at the start of the series, and Tony was playing older. By the end of the series, Tony had grown up into his actual age and Jerry was still playing a year or two younger.

Scrabjan1 · 06-16-2017, 07:05 PM

So they let Tony grow up as his real age no wonder Jerry always seemed so immature he looked so much older.

I thought it was funny in Wally's Orchid when he's talking to Myra and says he doesn't have a license, he's only 14. Tony looked about 17.

stevea · 06-16-2017, 07:58 PM

Yet in the beginning, Wally looked too young for the eighth grade (based on post 6 above, a 12 year old would be a 7th grader). Especially when compared to the Beaver in the eighth grade.

In that quote from Family Scrapbook, when they mentioned Beaver's 6th grade picture, it probably should have been. If they hadn't played Beaver a year younger than he really was.

Scrabjan1 · 06-17-2017, 08:04 AM

In The Black Eye Fred was already showing his personality. "Was that your boy, Wally? He looks rather small for 15."

"Wally is 13."

Beaver has a good point. If Mr. Rutherford got 'gressive how come Ward didn't get 'gressive. Wish Ward put Fred in his place early. After all Fred's daughter did punch Beaver in the eye.

SaP81 · 07-06-2017, 12:35 PM

In the 1st season when Tony Dow was 13-14 and Wally was in 8th grade and in the one where Wally ad his friends join the Boy Scouts they state they are 12 years old (since they were joining the Boy Scouts) and in 8th grade. Most 12 year olds are in 6th or 7th grade. Grammar Schools were usually 1st to 8th grade. Was the age just so he would so much older then Beaver or was it so that it made since for him to be starting as a Boy Scout?

stevea · 07-06-2017, 07:20 PM

That's a good question! Tony Dow was born in 1945 (4/13/45), so in 1957 he would have been 12...he looked 12 at the start. He SHOULD have been in the 7th grade. If they had played it that way, his grades would have come out correctly...by the sixth season, he would have been a senior.

They had them both a year off, Jerry Mathers the other way (Jerry was 9 in 1957, playing an 8 year old). Beaver should have been in the third grade.

1960'sTVfan · 07-06-2017, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TVJoy

The show was on 6 years. Beaver went from 2nd grade to 8th in 6 years! It took Wally 5 years to get through high school! He started out in 8th grade the 1st season then started high school the 2nd and graduated the 6th season.

This is something that's often bothered me too. What happened there? Did Beaver get double promoted somewhere along the line in order to complete 7 grades in 6 years? And did Wally flunk a grade and have to repeat it? Is that why he was a 5 year high schooler? LOL, I don't believe that Wally Cleaver, perfect All American Boy would flunk a high school grade.

The producers of the show probably didn't consider this at the time, but when the series started, Beaver should have been a 3rd grader and Wally a 7th grader. Instead, they had Beaver a year younger and Wally a year older.

SaP81 · 07-06-2017, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retroTVfan4ever

This is something that's often bothered me too. What happened there? Did Beaver get double promoted somewhere along the line in order to complete 7 grades in 6 years? And did Wally flunk a grade and have to repeat it? Is that why he was a 5 year high schooler? LOL, I don't believe that Wally Cleaver, perfect All American Boy would flunk a high school grade.

The producers of the show probably didn't consider this at the time, but when the series started, Beaver should have been a 3rd grader and Wally a 7th grader. Instead, they had Beaver a year younger and Wally a year older.

Ken Osmond was 14 years old and Eddie Haskell was somehow the same grade and age as Wally. It seems to me that at the Ken Osmond was small for his age or Tony Dow was big for his.

Torgo · 07-06-2017, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevea

That's a good question! Tony Dow was born in 1945 (4/13/45), so in 1957 he would have been 12...he looked 12 at the start. He SHOULD have been in the 7th grade. If they had played it that way, his grades would have come out correctly...by the sixth season, he would have been a senior.

They had them both a year off, Jerry Mathers the other way (Jerry was 9 in 1957, playing an 8 year old). Beaver should have been in the third grade.

Beaver was 7 in the first season, or to quote him from Lonesome Beaver: "Seven and three quarters."

stevea · 07-06-2017, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retroTVfan4ever

This is something that's often bothered me too. What happened there? Did Beaver get double promoted somewhere along the line in order to complete 7 grades in 6 years? And did Wally flunk a grade and have to repeat it? Is that why he was a 5 year high schooler? LOL, I don't believe that Wally Cleaver, perfect All American Boy would flunk a high school grade.

The producers of the show probably didn't consider this at the time, but when the series started, Beaver should have been a 3rd grader and Wally a 7th grader. Instead, they had Beaver a year younger and Wally a year older.

Exactly. Beaver never was depicted as having been in the seventh grade. In a late fifth season episode, Wally mentioned that Beaver was going into the eighth grade, and all the references in the fifth season as to his grade, were sixth (of course, the bunny episode would have been even sillier if he were a seventh grader, which in real life, he probably was).
And in a late fourth season episode Wally made reference to a water fountain as being a gift from the class of '62, which was obviously to be his class (and was obviously a blunder, because this was never mentioned again).

06-13-2017, 04:58 PM	#1
stevea 22 Years On Sitcoms Moderator Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 13, 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 44,845	"Here You Were in the First Grade" "Family Scrapbook" is a good retrospective episode, but virtually every reference to what grade Beaver was in were wrong. Starting with that first one. When LITB started, Beaver was in the 2nd grade.

06-16-2017, 11:43 AM	#6
MichaelMartinD Member Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 23, 2013 Posts: 576	We assume that the seasons of LITB correspond exactly with years in real time. But that's not necessarily the case. You might say the show exists within its own concept of time. Tony Dow was 12 when the show started, Jerry Mathers was 9. When it ended they were 18 and 15, respectively. But Jerry was clearly playing younger than 9 at the start of the series, and Tony was playing older. By the end of the series, Tony had grown up into his actual age and Jerry was still playing a year or two younger.
	Last edited by MichaelMartinD; 06-16-2017 at 07:10 PM.

06-13-2017, 06:36 PM	#2
TVJoy Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jun 08, 2017 Posts: 29	Ward said It was Beaver's 6th grade class picture with Miss Landers in it. That can't be right. She may have been his teacher for more than one year, but up to 6th grade? His first teacher on the show was Miss Canfield. I also remember Mr. Bloomgarden. I loved that name! Beaver was still little when Miss Landers was his teacher. Maybe 3rd grade or 3rd & 4th? The show was on 6 years. Beaver went from 2nd grade to 8th in 6 years! It took Wally 5 years to get through high school! He started out in 8th grade the 1st season then started high school the 2nd and graduated the 6th season. It struck me as funny that Beaver would ask his parents how he ended up with the nickname Beaver at the age of about 13? He never wondered before that!

06-13-2017, 07:27 PM	#3
stevea 22 Years On Sitcoms Moderator Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 13, 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 44,845	Miss Landers was Beaver's teacher in grades 3-5. If they were showing the class picture where our pal Gilbert got him to make a face, that was 5th grade. The school oddities occurred between the 5th and 6th season. Beaver was never in the 7th grade, and Wally was a senior in both of those seasons (they really didn't refer to that in the 5th season, but he was clearly a junior in the 4th season). Ah, yes, Mr. Bloomgarden...played by William Schallert. A character actor who had tons of roles, and a title role in The Patty Duke Show.

06-13-2017, 08:18 PM	#5
stevea 22 Years On Sitcoms Moderator Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 13, 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 44,845	William Schallert had a guest appearance on The Suite Life Of Zack and Cody, on Disney, around 2006. He used a cane and had snow white hair. Still a good performance. May have been his last role. The late Tom Poston and still-with-us Bernie Kopell had late life guest roles on this show, as well...kudos to the casting people for hiring older actors.

06-16-2017, 07:05 PM	#7
Scrabjan1 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 27, 2013 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 3,521	So they let Tony grow up as his real age no wonder Jerry always seemed so immature he looked so much older. I thought it was funny in Wally's Orchid when he's talking to Myra and says he doesn't have a license, he's only 14. Tony looked about 17.

06-16-2017, 07:58 PM	#8
stevea 22 Years On Sitcoms Moderator Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 13, 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 44,845	Yet in the beginning, Wally looked too young for the eighth grade (based on post 6 above, a 12 year old would be a 7th grader). Especially when compared to the Beaver in the eighth grade. In that quote from Family Scrapbook, when they mentioned Beaver's 6th grade picture, it probably should have been. If they hadn't played Beaver a year younger than he really was.

06-17-2017, 08:04 AM	#9
Scrabjan1 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 27, 2013 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 3,521	In The Black Eye Fred was already showing his personality. "Was that your boy, Wally? He looks rather small for 15." "Wally is 13." Beaver has a good point. If Mr. Rutherford got 'gressive how come Ward didn't get 'gressive. Wish Ward put Fred in his place early. After all Fred's daughter did punch Beaver in the eye.

07-06-2017, 12:35 PM	#10
SaP81 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jul 06, 2017 Location: Arcadia, CA Posts: 21	In the 1st season when Tony Dow was 13-14 and Wally was in 8th grade and in the one where Wally ad his friends join the Boy Scouts they state they are 12 years old (since they were joining the Boy Scouts) and in 8th grade. Most 12 year olds are in 6th or 7th grade. Grammar Schools were usually 1st to 8th grade. Was the age just so he would so much older then Beaver or was it so that it made since for him to be starting as a Boy Scout?

07-06-2017, 07:20 PM	#11
stevea 22 Years On Sitcoms Moderator Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 13, 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 44,845	That's a good question! Tony Dow was born in 1945 (4/13/45), so in 1957 he would have been 12...he looked 12 at the start. He SHOULD have been in the 7th grade. If they had played it that way, his grades would have come out correctly...by the sixth season, he would have been a senior. They had them both a year off, Jerry Mathers the other way (Jerry was 9 in 1957, playing an 8 year old). Beaver should have been in the third grade.