Episode Reviews - "Tennis, Anyone?" - season 5

[stevea]

Wally's tennis date was with Eddie, who appears to be late. While waiting, Wally meets pretty Carole, who has just had an argument with her boyfriend, the tennis pro, Don.

Wally ends up playing with Carole because Eddie doesn't show. And he makes a date to play with her again. Eventually Don corners Wally and tells him to stay away from his girl.

Wally enlists Ward's counsel, who advises that she is too old for him, and that he doesn't want to see Wally get hurt. His advice is to not see Carole again.

Nevertheless, Wally shows for the next tennis game, and see Carole and Don in an embrace, kissing. He realizes Ward was right.

[cd637299]

I am going by a fuzzy memory here….but about 10 years ago when AntennaTV had Beaver (SANS color Universal tag at the end), I think it was diced up to where Wally indeed shows up on the tennis court after Ward advised him to stay away….

What was missing, was Wally telling Beaver that he is determined to go back, prior to going back to see Carole & Don obviously making up!

Does anybody remember AntTV’s sloppy version?

And personally BTW they actually played the stock music from the first one or two 1957 episodes, a version of the Beaver theme that just “sounded old” for 1962, while Wally & Carol were playing tennis where there’s no dialog. It might have been the last appearance of this music on the show.

Too bad Wally didn’t belt Don. Oh well.

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[stevea]

I don't remember the Antenna TV version, but they were probably using syndication episodes from the 80s or 90s.

As far as that old stock music goes, that sure was noticeable.

Yeah, when Don told Wally to stay away from his girl, Wally could have said, Who's gonna make me? Then the fists would have started flying.

[cd637299]

Don: Look kid, Carole is my girl. I would advise you to stsy away from her.
Wally: Who’s gonna make me?
Don: Me, you punk.
Wally: You and who else?

^ That would make Tennis Anyone? A Very Special Episode™️.

AntennaTV at the timeframe mentioned was still running full credits. I noticed one Season 1 ep having credits from a different season 1 episode! Sloppy indeed., i AM a credit hound.

And re that stock music—I’m sure I’m wrong here, but it seemed as if the music wasn’t used since season 2 or so, unless it was the first part that didn’t incorporate that Beaver theme. Hey! Maybe THAT was what drove the show’s PTB into looking to jazz things up for the next season.

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[stevea]

Originally Posted by cd637299

AntennaTV at the timeframe mentioned was still running full credits. I noticed one Season 1 ep having credits from a different season 1 episode! Sloppy indeed., i AM a credit hound.

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On MeTV, for the "Wally's Track Meet" episode, MeTV runs the credits from the previous episode ("Beaver's Secret Life").

The episode also looks like 16mm quality, so it could be an old syndication print.

On the Shout! DVD set, which includes the updated Universal logo, the credits are correct.

Maybe you could submit that to MeTV for correction. I tried a few years ago, obviously with no success.

[Sgt. Saunders]

That guy, Don, was such a creep, that he probably two-timed Carole with another of his tennis students, the always-available Marlene Holmes.

PS Maybe Don was young Jeffrey Epstein’s role model in life?

[stevea]

Originally Posted by Sgt. Saunders

That guy, Don, was such a creep, that he probably two-timed Carole with another of his tennis students, the always-available Marlene Holmes.

PS Maybe Don was young Jeffrey Epstein’s role model in life?

Remember, before one of Wally and Carole's games, Don showed up arm in arm with another hottie.

[biffbronson]

I liked the casting of Cynthia Chenault (Cindy Robbins) as Carole.
Age comparison: Cindy, Jan. 1937; Tony Dow Apr. 1945.
She turned 89 last month.

Here we see Cindy with Tony in a beautiful color photo:


Convincing casting of a tennis player: an "upstairs" that is
ample and pert. Note the different outfit as compared with
the pleated skirt & blouse in the above photo:


Very nice:


On a sad note, James Drake who played the boyfriend lived only to age 44
(1932-1976).

[Sgt. Saunders]

Originally Posted by stevea

Remember, before one of Wally and Carole's games, Don showed up arm in arm with another hottie.

Can you imagine what “Don-The Lothario” would like today in 2026? If Donny-boy was, say, 27-years-old in 1963, that would put him at around age 90 now, a veritable nonagenarian.

Yes, the formerly handsome, athletic, full-haired and potent young man would now likely be a wizened, arthritic, chrome-domed and incontinent old man, forced to use a walker, wear a “William Shatner Special,” take a nightly dose of Geritol and make daily use of a pair of Depends for Men and a soothing sitz bath for his oh-so-
troublesome (not to mention, oh-so-painful) case of hemorrhoids.

As Gus-the-Fireman was wont to say: “It’s no fun getting old.”

[cd637299]

Interesting color photo—-I forgot the actress’s name.

Hey, in the midst of all this anger about Don, we cannot forget, and it’s sad to say….in real life, we have quite a few Carole-esque types out there, just rolling with the punches. TV talk shows that were taken seriouly a la Dr Phil are pretty much history now, but they used to be full of Carole types.* She didn’t stand up to Don very long! And using Wally like she did….well….

[*But more than Carole-types, indeed Marlene-types graced the small screen!]

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