Girls Were Shown as Foolish and Shallow - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Scrabjan1 · 10-24-2017, 09:26 AM

Every time I see an episode with a girl I wonder why the writers showed them as so dumb and selfish. There are very few girls who were caring and nice. Jill Bartlett, Peggy Macintosh, Gail Preston and Violet Rutherford were the only nice people. Most like Carol, the tennis player, Carolyn Schuster, Eddie’s double cross and even Bessie who was enamored by the Barons were so selfish. Julie Foster, Myra Parker demanded an orchid, Judy Hensler, Penny Woods, those creepy girls who called Beaver Sheepdog, Mary Tyler who treated Beaver terribly were some more. Let’s not forgot that Kathy girl who shook Lumpy down for the number of fish in the contest. I’m sure there were tons of others.

stevea · 10-24-2017, 10:04 AM

A couple of other examples:
The nasty little girls who teased Beaver when he was pushing the doll carriage. The similarly mean girls who razzed Wally when he came to the grammar school, in Substitute Father.

Torgo · 10-24-2017, 10:25 AM

And some people can't understand why Beaver hated girls so much.

Tankeryanker · 10-24-2017, 12:29 PM

Women did not stand a chance against the men's brains of that era.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCbs3VBi81E

stevea · 10-24-2017, 04:18 PM

You might say Beaver was just as mean to the girls, but Beaver, the Sheep Dog proves otherwise. That Shirley is one nasty girl.

Betsy in Beaver's Autobio. is another one. Name-calling is one thing, but turning in a fake report is way over the line.

Scrabjan1 · 10-25-2017, 08:31 AM

I thought of Betsy too and how she really liked Beaver until she found out Beaver called her a zombie then took revenge as only a Mayfield girl could. I guess Ginny Townsend was a nice enough girl she just suffered from allergies. Julie Foster was so fickle. Wally takes her to an elegant restaurant and then laughs at him when he grows a mustache. She just said he was sophisticated and then says naive and immature. Actually three girls stand there making fun of him right in public. So rude. I know how he must have felt once my sister won an award at school and when she went on stage a “friend” said loudly how skinny she was. Never forgot that. Imagine saying “Wow your sister is so fat.”

tdr · 10-28-2017, 09:42 PM

Kitty Bannerman may be an example of the opposite. Wally thought she was a rich girl who had invited him to a cotillion, and Wally had already misrepresented himself to her, and built himself up more. I don't remember, though, how all that was supposed to have started. But it tuned out she was actually frightened of Wally's claimed status and came out and said so just before Wally was going to confess his own prevrications.

stevea · 10-30-2017, 08:43 PM

I forgot until today's episode about that expert driver, Shirley. She got her just desserts when she flunked the driving test.

Hazel Anyday · 10-30-2017, 09:05 PM

There were a couple nice babes, how about the one who rode a horse like a cowboy and Beaver and her rode around instead of him going to dance school. But off hand I can't think of any other nice chicks in Beaver land.

stevea · 10-31-2017, 06:15 PM

Yeah, that was Penny's debut. She let Larry and Beaver ride her horse.

As far as nice chicks in Beaver land, there was Mary Margaret Matthews (played by Lori Martin), the eighth grade siren who had her clutches into Beaver, Gilbert, and then Whitey. Once June found out about her, Ward arranged for Beaver (and Gilbert) to go on a bus tour of America after school was out.

Hazel Anyday · 11-01-2017, 12:12 AM

You know I don't even remember that Mary Margaret episode and I really don't remember Ward arranging a Summer time trip for the boys. Is that real or are you fantasizing? Thinking about this, was this the very last episode of Beaver?

Scrabjan1 · 11-01-2017, 08:36 AM

Oh Mary Margaret was real. She was a real operator and had three guys on the string. I wonder if Whitey got caught in her web since he didn’t get to go on the summer trip. That wasn’t the last episode, it was the one when they looked through the photo album and reminisced. Although I think the Clothing Drive episode was one of the last.

TV Guy · 11-12-2017, 11:13 PM

Why do so many sitcoms show men as stupid (King of Queens, The Simpsons, Family Guy, Three’s Company, All in the Family, Home Improvement)?

HumanGerm · 11-16-2017, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tankeryanker

Women did not stand a chance against the men's brains of that era.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCbs3VBi81E

Indeed.

stevea · 11-16-2017, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TV Guy

Why do so many sitcoms show men as stupid (King of Queens, The Simpsons, Family Guy, Three’s Company, All in the Family, Home Improvement)?

Everybody Loves Raymond.

10-24-2017, 09:26 AM	#1
Scrabjan1 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 27, 2013 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 3,521	Girls Were Shown as Foolish and Shallow Every time I see an episode with a girl I wonder why the writers showed them as so dumb and selfish. There are very few girls who were caring and nice. Jill Bartlett, Peggy Macintosh, Gail Preston and Violet Rutherford were the only nice people. Most like Carol, the tennis player, Carolyn Schuster, Eddie’s double cross and even Bessie who was enamored by the Barons were so selfish. Julie Foster, Myra Parker demanded an orchid, Judy Hensler, Penny Woods, those creepy girls who called Beaver Sheepdog, Mary Tyler who treated Beaver terribly were some more. Let’s not forgot that Kathy girl who shook Lumpy down for the number of fish in the contest. I’m sure there were tons of others.

10-24-2017, 10:25 AM	#3
Torgo Omaha & Fritz Forum Star Join Date: Mar 06, 2004 Location: Oregon Posts: 19,037	And some people can't understand why Beaver hated girls so much.
	__________________ "I'm going to go do something productive. I'm gonna go watch television." - Ray Peterson, The 'burbs "I am the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and Fries." - Stephen King "There's nothing wrong with G-rated movies, as long as there's lots of sex and violence." - Elvira

10-30-2017, 09:05 PM	#9
Hazel Anyday Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 12, 2002 Posts: 2,135	An Exception to the Rule There were a couple nice babes, how about the one who rode a horse like a cowboy and Beaver and her rode around instead of him going to dance school. But off hand I can't think of any other nice chicks in Beaver land.
	__________________ Haaazeelll!!

11-01-2017, 12:12 AM	#11
Hazel Anyday Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 12, 2002 Posts: 2,135	Ward did what, Mary Had what clutches?? You know I don't even remember that Mary Margaret episode and I really don't remember Ward arranging a Summer time trip for the boys. Is that real or are you fantasizing? Thinking about this, was this the very last episode of Beaver?

10-24-2017, 10:04 AM	#2
stevea 22 Years On Sitcoms Moderator Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 13, 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 44,824	A couple of other examples: The nasty little girls who teased Beaver when he was pushing the doll carriage. The similarly mean girls who razzed Wally when he came to the grammar school, in Substitute Father.

10-24-2017, 12:29 PM	#4
Tankeryanker Do you like my monkey picture? Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 22, 2014 Posts: 3,051	Women did not stand a chance against the men's brains of that era. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCbs3VBi81E

10-24-2017, 04:18 PM	#5
stevea 22 Years On Sitcoms Moderator Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 13, 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 44,824	You might say Beaver was just as mean to the girls, but Beaver, the Sheep Dog proves otherwise. That Shirley is one nasty girl. Betsy in Beaver's Autobio. is another one. Name-calling is one thing, but turning in a fake report is way over the line.

10-25-2017, 08:31 AM	#6
Scrabjan1 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 27, 2013 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 3,521	I thought of Betsy too and how she really liked Beaver until she found out Beaver called her a zombie then took revenge as only a Mayfield girl could. I guess Ginny Townsend was a nice enough girl she just suffered from allergies. Julie Foster was so fickle. Wally takes her to an elegant restaurant and then laughs at him when he grows a mustache. She just said he was sophisticated and then says naive and immature. Actually three girls stand there making fun of him right in public. So rude. I know how he must have felt once my sister won an award at school and when she went on stage a “friend” said loudly how skinny she was. Never forgot that. Imagine saying “Wow your sister is so fat.”

10-28-2017, 09:42 PM	#7
tdr Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 23, 2001 Posts: 1,454	Kitty Bannerman may be an example of the opposite. Wally thought she was a rich girl who had invited him to a cotillion, and Wally had already misrepresented himself to her, and built himself up more. I don't remember, though, how all that was supposed to have started. But it tuned out she was actually frightened of Wally's claimed status and came out and said so just before Wally was going to confess his own prevrications.

10-30-2017, 08:43 PM	#8
stevea 22 Years On Sitcoms Moderator Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 13, 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 44,824	I forgot until today's episode about that expert driver, Shirley. She got her just desserts when she flunked the driving test.

10-31-2017, 06:15 PM	#10
stevea 22 Years On Sitcoms Moderator Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 13, 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 44,824	Yeah, that was Penny's debut. She let Larry and Beaver ride her horse. As far as nice chicks in Beaver land, there was Mary Margaret Matthews (played by Lori Martin), the eighth grade siren who had her clutches into Beaver, Gilbert, and then Whitey. Once June found out about her, Ward arranged for Beaver (and Gilbert) to go on a bus tour of America after school was out.

11-01-2017, 08:36 AM	#12
Scrabjan1 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 27, 2013 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 3,521	Oh Mary Margaret was real. She was a real operator and had three guys on the string. I wonder if Whitey got caught in her web since he didn’t get to go on the summer trip. That wasn’t the last episode, it was the one when they looked through the photo album and reminisced. Although I think the Clothing Drive episode was one of the last.

11-12-2017, 11:13 PM	#13
TV Guy Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 25, 2001 Location: Boston, MA, USA Posts: 3,419	Why do so many sitcoms show men as stupid (King of Queens, The Simpsons, Family Guy, Three’s Company, All in the Family, Home Improvement)?