A Show of Change... - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Barrett Reynolds · 09-24-2001, 08:52 PM

I think it's amazing how much transformation this show went through during just six years of its initial run!
Wally and the Beav both went from being silly little kids to becoming mischievous teenagers. And as the show went on, the two began to look less and less like eachother! Wally became a stocky, tanned, and broad-shouldered athlete, while Beaver became a tall, lanky, fair-skinned freckle-face! He's still my hero, even when he's going through his geeky adolescent days. What started as a show about two dopey kids getting into trouble changed into a show about two REALLY dopey teenagers who are now on the thresh-hold of being men! The most subtle parts of the show reflect this change, even the theme song, which begins in the first season as a whimsical and youthful instrumentation, and ends up as a jazzy little number with blaring trumpets conveying innocent teen angst. Even Barbara Billingsley went from wearing a modest Fabulous Fifties hairstyle, to sporting a pre-Mary Tyler Moore sixties retro-doo! I don't know about y'all, but I think this show just gets better as the boys get older. Bigger Beaver means bigger Brouhaha! Any thoughts?

Richard · 09-26-2001, 04:36 PM

The show did change-and that is because the kids were growing older...and kids do change as they grow older.There were two shows which definitely cenbtered around Beaver realizing that he was no longer a child.The writers knew that Beave couldn't be a cute kid in a baseball cap forever,and had the character go through more teenage problems when he was in 7th and 8th grade during the last years.(Not like some.Writers for shows like Family Affair still wrote 8-year-old stories for 12-year-old kids.)

The final season of the show was when Beaver was in 8th grade and about to graduate...just as Wally was about to graduate High School.Those in charge did know when to end the series!

------------------
Richard Ranke

DarleneIllyria · 09-26-2001, 06:45 PM

Yeah- I agree it was a good time to end the series. Usually, people want to milk the show until everybody gets really sick of it. Glad to see they didn't milk Leave it to Beaver.

------------------
Hottest Men alive:
Dale Midkiff
Anthony Starke
Tim McGraw
Jonathan Crombie

Lumpy: Did you go out for anything, Dud?

Dudley: Well, I went out for football, but I got my finger stepped on, so my mother made me quit.

Eddie: Well listen-- I went out for basketball and I got my hair pulled, and my mother made ME quit.

Dudley: It's not that I was afraid of getting hurt or anything; it's just that-- well, it's kind o' hard to play the flute with a busted finger.

[Eddie and Lumpy suppress laughter]

lukes42 · 09-27-2001, 11:59 AM

Yeah, I agree that the show ended on a good note and not milked to death like "My Three Sons." It is rather difficult at times to watch the Beav grow into his awkward period, most notably in the final season. But hey, what can you expect with a kid that age? They are going to be different than the little boy's you remember. I think it would be very difficult to do a seventh season of the show. What would they have done when Wally went to college? Maybe they could make a college exist in Mayfield, and then Wally could still live at home. Well, it's enough to speculate, and I am glad it ended when it did.

MsLulu · 09-29-2001, 11:17 PM

I agree they ended the show at the right time. I'm glad they had the boys act their ages and not try to keep them little forever. Alot of other shows could take a lesson from LITB.

TV Guy · 10-05-2001, 12:09 AM

And you know, the November after the show ended, JFK was asassinated, and the country really changed. The era of 50s innocence was over, so LITB didn't end a moment too soon.

BUNDYBOY · 11-06-2001, 05:52 PM

There were alot of changes I agree! like the first 4 seasons Wally wasnt big into Dating intill the last 2 seasons! Also Beaver got Taller and his voice changed towards the end of the 4th season! Also the plots started changing dramatically like instead of kids plots they started becoming Teenage mature plots like dating and driving Ect. Thats how the shoe changed over time in my eyes!

09-24-2001, 08:52 PM	#1
Barrett Reynolds Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jun 22, 2001 Location: Matthews, NC, USA Posts: 15	A Show of Change... I think it's amazing how much transformation this show went through during just six years of its initial run! Wally and the Beav both went from being silly little kids to becoming mischievous teenagers. And as the show went on, the two began to look less and less like eachother! Wally became a stocky, tanned, and broad-shouldered athlete, while Beaver became a tall, lanky, fair-skinned freckle-face! He's still my hero, even when he's going through his geeky adolescent days. What started as a show about two dopey kids getting into trouble changed into a show about two REALLY dopey teenagers who are now on the thresh-hold of being men! The most subtle parts of the show reflect this change, even the theme song, which begins in the first season as a whimsical and youthful instrumentation, and ends up as a jazzy little number with blaring trumpets conveying innocent teen angst. Even Barbara Billingsley went from wearing a modest Fabulous Fifties hairstyle, to sporting a pre-Mary Tyler Moore sixties retro-doo! I don't know about y'all, but I think this show just gets better as the boys get older. Bigger Beaver means bigger Brouhaha! Any thoughts?

09-26-2001, 04:36 PM	#2
Richard Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 01, 2000 Location: Cleveland,Ohio-USA Posts: 352	The show did change-and that is because the kids were growing older...and kids do change as they grow older.There were two shows which definitely cenbtered around Beaver realizing that he was no longer a child.The writers knew that Beave couldn't be a cute kid in a baseball cap forever,and had the character go through more teenage problems when he was in 7th and 8th grade during the last years.(Not like some.Writers for shows like Family Affair still wrote 8-year-old stories for 12-year-old kids.) The final season of the show was when Beaver was in 8th grade and about to graduate...just as Wally was about to graduate High School.Those in charge did know when to end the series! ------------------ Richard Ranke

09-26-2001, 06:45 PM	#3
DarleneIllyria Gone Forum Star Join Date: Oct 15, 2000 Posts: 19,086	Yeah- I agree it was a good time to end the series. Usually, people want to milk the show until everybody gets really sick of it. Glad to see they didn't milk Leave it to Beaver. ------------------ Hottest Men alive: Dale Midkiff Anthony Starke Tim McGraw Jonathan Crombie Lumpy: Did you go out for anything, Dud? Dudley: Well, I went out for football, but I got my finger stepped on, so my mother made me quit. Eddie: Well listen-- I went out for basketball and I got my hair pulled, and my mother made ME quit. Dudley: It's not that I was afraid of getting hurt or anything; it's just that-- well, it's kind o' hard to play the flute with a busted finger. [Eddie and Lumpy suppress laughter]

09-27-2001, 11:59 AM	#4
lukes42 I've got nothing... Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 31, 2001 Location: Marquette, MI Posts: 416	Yeah, I agree that the show ended on a good note and not milked to death like "My Three Sons." It is rather difficult at times to watch the Beav grow into his awkward period, most notably in the final season. But hey, what can you expect with a kid that age? They are going to be different than the little boy's you remember. I think it would be very difficult to do a seventh season of the show. What would they have done when Wally went to college? Maybe they could make a college exist in Mayfield, and then Wally could still live at home. Well, it's enough to speculate, and I am glad it ended when it did.

09-29-2001, 11:17 PM	#5
MsLulu Wiggly Mom Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 30, 2001 Location: San Diego, CA, USA Posts: 144	I agree they ended the show at the right time. I'm glad they had the boys act their ages and not try to keep them little forever. Alot of other shows could take a lesson from LITB.

10-05-2001, 12:09 AM	#6
TV Guy Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 25, 2001 Location: Boston, MA, USA Posts: 3,419	And you know, the November after the show ended, JFK was asassinated, and the country really changed. The era of 50s innocence was over, so LITB didn't end a moment too soon.

11-06-2001, 05:52 PM	#7
BUNDYBOY Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Nov 05, 2001 Location: Mansfield, MA United States Posts: 69	There were alot of changes I agree! like the first 4 seasons Wally wasnt big into Dating intill the last 2 seasons! Also Beaver got Taller and his voice changed towards the end of the 4th season! Also the plots started changing dramatically like instead of kids plots they started becoming Teenage mature plots like dating and driving Ect. Thats how the shoe changed over time in my eyes!