Freakin’ Inconsiderate Girls!

[OH Nuts!]

I swear to God, when I watch some LITB eps, the girls in it make my blood boil.
I think it’s outrageous how theyexpect Wally to spend extravagant amounts of money on them. Cases in point, the ep where Wally’s date wants him to buy her an orchid corsage for $7.50 (about $65 today) or to take them to an ultra-expensive restaurant, like The White Fox on MeTV today where the “special” is $6.25 (about $55 today). It really doesn’t say a lot about their values or how they were brought up. Your thoughts, or if you have them, more examples.

[Tankeryanker]

Who was it that came up with the idea that a wedding/engagement ring should cost 1/4 of a man's salary?

[OH Nuts!]

Originally Posted by Tankeryanker

Who was it that came up with the idea that a wedding/engagement ring should cost 1/4 of a man's salary?

Probably.....some freakin’ inconsiderate girl!

[Tankeryanker]

The idea was embedded in popular culture in the West by an advertising drive from the De Beers diamond cartel that started in the lean years of the 1930s.

If you really care about the girl...

[GentlemanJim]

Originally Posted by OH Nuts!

It really doesn’t say a lot about their values or how they were brought up. Your thoughts, .

I always felt that Wally was cast as being somewhat of a "trophy" boyfriend. Handsome, athletic, with principles.....the kind the girls would swoon over.

So, I felt that it was poetic justice in a way, that he was still having to run in the same dating treadmill as the rest of us guys,

That way when his first wife leaves him and has the stone from her wedding band reset into an ornamental ring, just to show off to her peers as "spoils of war", it won't come as such a crushing blow.

[Tankeryanker]

Originally Posted by GentlemanJim

... that he was still having to run in the same dating treadmill as the rest of us guys,

I am not sure what you mean? He was limited to the girls of the town, but he could choose those thought to be at the top of the list. So it wasn't the same dating treadmill. Many could never even get on the treadmill.

Everyone got to look at Julie Foster, but only a few had the privilege to even spend their money on her.

[GentlemanJim]

I think we might have differing perspectives TY

The "treadmill" that I was talking about was the need to provide the appropriate trinkets (orchid, etc) to win favor, JUST LIKE THE REST OF US BUMS have to.


You see, that's why years later when his soon to be ex wife takes the $8,500 center stone out of her wedding band, and has it mounted in a generic band that she flaunts to her friends as a trophy,Wally will have some basis to guage it by, and not think that the world is just cruel to him alone.

[Tankeryanker]

Originally Posted by GentlemanJim

The "treadmill" that I was talking about was the need to provide the appropriate trinkets (orchid, etc) to win favor, JUST LIKE THE REST OF US BUMS have to.

Oh, you thought Wally was going to get his *(&^ for free.
Heck no. All guys pay. Didn't Ward say the boys needed to learn that women were going to cost them money the rest of their lives?

[GentlemanJim]

Well, my thoughts stem from the way that Wally was often given almost celebrity status, such as when he gets tricked into delivering ice cream to the girls slumber party, and the girls were all giddy with that "OOOOOUhhh, WALLY CLEAVER!!" routine..

[Scrabjan1]

I think girls get a bad rap on LITB. They are depicted as frivolous, demanding, fake, conniving and some downright dreadful. The only girls with any substance are Jill Bartlett, Kitty, Gail Preston, Linda Dennison, Violet Rutherford and Judy Walker. Look at the girls who give Wally and Beaver a hard time.

Mary Tyler who likes Beaver but goes after his brother
Myra Barker (Parker) who expects Wally to get her an orchid and deserts him
MaryEllen Rogers who dupes Wally into taking her to a dance
Penny Jamison, learning early how to manipulate boys
Georgia Batson demanding Wally to get the train set
Julie Foster a.k.a Gloria Kusick expecting so much from Wally
and Julie can dish it out but can’t take it.
That Betsy who can’t wait to see Wally at a Barons party and thinks Rick Davis is dreamy. Dreamy that guy?
Evelyn Boothby who just wants someone to marry and get a darling apartment.
How about tennis ace, Carol Martin, who just uses Wally to make her boyfriend jealous.
Betsy Carter who gets back at Beaver by embarrassing him and Penny Woods who is super confident and obnoxious. I forgot Judy Hensler who is just plain obnoxious. Let’s not forget Shirley Fletcher who tells Wally how to drive and that girl from SC, Melinda, who threatens Beaver that he’ll wish he was never born. Marlene Holmes was just a party girl not out to insult Wally and Ginny Townsend just had the heartbreak of allergies.

First prize goes to the girls (Shirley) who call Beaver sheepdog. “Sheepdog-sheepdog-sheepdog.” Huh what?

There are so many more girls who I’m sure we can add to the list.

[OH Nuts!]

Originally Posted by Scrabjan1

I think girls get a bad rap on LITB. They are depicted as frivolous, demanding, fake, conniving and some downright dreadful. The only girls with any substance are Jill Bartlett, Kitty, Gail Preston, Linda Dennison, Violet Rutherford and Judy Walker. Look at the girls who give Wally and Beaver a hard time.

Mary Tyler who likes Beaver but goes after his brother
Myra Barker (Parker) who expects Wally to get her an orchid and deserts him
MaryEllen Rogers who dupes Wally into taking her to a dance
Penny Jamison, learning early how to manipulate boys
Georgia Batson demanding Wally to get the train set
Julie Foster a.k.a Gloria Kusick expecting so much from Wally
and Julie can dish it out but can’t take it.
That Betsy who can’t wait to see Wally at a Barons party and thinks Rick Davis is dreamy. Dreamy that guy?
Evelyn Boothby who just wants someone to marry and get a darling apartment.
How about tennis ace, Carol Martin, who just uses Wally to make her boyfriend jealous.
Betsy Carter who gets back at Beaver by embarrassing him and Penny Woods who is super confident and obnoxious. I forgot Judy Hensler who is just plain obnoxious. Let’s not forget Shirley Fletcher who tells Wally how to drive and that girl from SC, Melinda, who threatens Beaver that he’ll wish he was never born. Marlene Holmes was just a party girl not out to insult Wally and Ginny Townsend just had the heartbreak of allergies.

First prize goes to the girls (Shirley) who call Beaver sheepdog. “Sheepdog-sheepdog-sheepdog.” Huh what?

There are so many more girls who I’m sure we can add to the list.

You make a good point, and man, your encyclopedic knowledge of the show is amazing.

I do think there is a lot of sexism in the ep writing, and it’s a shame, cause none of the girls or women I know behave like this.

[stevea]

Yes! Outstanding list!! I never saw it all put together like that, but when you see it, it's amazing.

Yes, Julie can dish it out (dating Wayne Gregory because he has a mustache) but can't take it (Wally goes over to Cindy Andrews' house--what business is that of hers?)

Mary Ellen befriended Beaver to dupe Wally, who at this point was as naive as Beaver was in the later seasons. Mary Ellen seemed to straighten out later. Her alter-ego Myra is pretty bad, as you say.

Others for the list: Alma Hanson--although I think her parents were worse, particularly the mother; Frances Hobbs, the sweater-stealing operator; Margie Manners, who uses Wally to get out of doing her maid work; Ginny Townsend, sun allergy, chicken allergy, wind blowing her hair aversion, etc.

A few girls who were comparatively nice (most you mentioned):

Linda Dennison

Donna Yeager (a little dramatic with her parents, though) and her alter ego, the paper girl

Kathy Gregory

Jill Bartlett

Kitty Bannerman

Gail Preston (wear flats, Gail)

Lori-Ann, the girl in Un-Togetherness

[stevea]

Wouldn't it have been funny if Georgia had pulled out a water pistol, and said: All right, you either get that train set for Jimmy, or you're gonna get soakee!

[Greenbeans]

It is a product of its time. Written by men, plenty of sexism. Not a black person to be found. I think Roseanne was the first show to depict women keeping the family together, financially and emotionally.

I love Beaver, but it is very dated.

[Torgo]

Originally Posted by Greenbeans

It is a product of its time. Written by men, plenty of sexism. Not a black person to be found. I think Roseanne was the first show to depict women keeping the family together, financially and emotionally.

I love Beaver, but it is very dated.

There was one black person found in The Parking Attendants.