AlsExGal Reviews

Leave It to Beaver: Teacher's Daughter (1961) Season 4, Episode 15

Is this how Eddie Haskell got in the construction business?

[8/10 · 26 May 2024]

Wally has started seeing Julie Foster, a pretty girl at his high school. Her father teaches English at Mayfield High School, but he's not Wally's teacher - until the semester ends and the teachers and home rooms all change. Suddenly Wally finds himself in Mr. Foster's class. Lumpy, and in particular Eddie, are giving Wally "the business", saying he knew all along that Mr. Foster was going to be his English teacher when the semester changed, and that he started dating Julie to ensure that he'd get an A in that class. Wally talks to Mr. Foster about this and is told that he will get the grade he deserves, regardless.

Then Ward and June pressure him to see less of Julie Foster because they think he is too young to see so much of the same girl. But Wally expresses this opinion in the worst possible way and now he is on the outs with Julie. Will this impact his grade? Watch and find out.

In the middle of the episode, at some point Wally and Eddie are double dating. Wally is taking Julie, and Eddie is taking the daughter of the owner of a big construction company, saying that he is going out with this girl mainly to make connections with her father, who he thinks can help him later in life. In the 80s sequel show, "The New Leave it to Beaver", Eddie owns his own construction company. I wonder if there is an unmentioned connection there, or if it is just a writing coincidence.

Leave It to Beaver: Chuckie's New Shoes (1960) Season 4, Episode 11

It's too bad birth control wasn't more reliable back in the 50s...

[7/10 · 26 May 2024]

... and that motherhood was pretty much foisted on all women whether they were suited for it or not, as this episode illustrates.

Ward and June are going out on a Saturday, leaving Wally and Beaver at home. They are plenty old enough to take care of themselves at this point. Then along comes Mrs. Murdock from across the street. She has to pick her husband up at the airport and practically flings her small son Chucky at Wally, gives him some money, and tells Wally to buy Chucky some shoes. Wally and Beaver never consented to anything, and yet here they are saddled with this kid.

Along comes Eddie Haskell who wants Wally to come ice skating with him and two other girls. Beaver volunteers to run the errand in Wally's place, and he does a good job, but things run amok when Beaver turns his head for one second at the store and Chuckie hides because Chuckie is a brat who wants what he wants when he wants it. What Chuckie wants at this instance in time is to wander and explore the department store alone. This kid is on his way to becoming Eddie Haskell at best and Norman Bates of Psycho at worst.

Everybody blows up at Wally for giving the Beaver this task, but Beaver didn't make any mistake that Wally wouldn't have made. The fault lies with the mother for being such an emotional mess, for making Chuckie the nightmare that he is at this point, and presuming it's somebody else's problem to buy her child clothes. It's rather insinuated that Mrs. Murdock is a mess of a parent, but still the show puts too much blame on Wally and by extension, Beaver.

At the end, Beaver asks a question that I'm surprised no adult would answer - "Does a lion, roaming in the jungle, have a conscience?" Of course he doesn't. Only humans have a conscience. It's what separates us from the animals who act purely on instinct. Why wouldn't the writers just let this be said?

Used Cars (1980)

a comedy from Robert Zemeckis that could never be made today

[7/10 · 26 May 2024]

It revels in bad taste, in its story of completely amoral car dealers. But it is amusing and zany in its own particlar way.

The story starts with two car lots across a busy road from each other, owned by two long feuding twin brothers (Jack Warden). The more polished one belongs to the nastier sibling, whereas the ramshackle one is owned by the kinder one with a weak heart. When the kinder brother dies 20 minutes in, the one lot is taken over by top salesman Kurt Russell who will employ any number of dirty tricks (including commercials with frontal nudity and strong language) to drum up business. The film is outrageous, but it is put over by a game cast and a script that knows to keep popping from one incident to the next without lingering too long on things.

Wild Girl (1932)

Joan Bennett as backwoods tomboy...

[6/10 · 26 May 2024]

... complete with perfectly styled platinum hair and penciled-in eyebrows. She's lusted after by a wide assortment of men, including Confederate veteran Charles Farrell, gambler Ralph Bellamy (replete in full Snidely Whiplash regalia), and sweaty Irving Pichel. Eugene Pallette is also on hand to provide blustery comic relief and self-deprecating fat jokes.

Director Raoul Walsh frames the film as being viewed through an old photo album, and the opening is a doozy, with each actor shown as a "page" in the album with their name at the bottom, and they each deliver a line or two about their character along with their character's name. It's very awkward, yet memorable. Many scenes also segue via a "page turning" wipe/transition. There's also some nice location shots of the giant sequoias. Otherwise this is a bunch of overheated hooey.

Tall Story (1960)

Mostly interesting to see Anthony Perkins as anyone but Norman Bates...

[6/10 · 26 May 2024]

...and Jane Fonda starring in her film debut. This was directed by Josh Logan and very well I may add-the entire production is top notch. Perkins is lanky, adorable and comes across as a typical but naive young adult. Fonda is just gorgeous due to both youth and flattering photography, and we get to see her wearing more conservative 60's fashion as a college co-ed.

Where this movie fails horribly is the silly plot line (get ready) Fonda's character majors in Home Economics and is only attending college to "find a husband" - cue my surprised Pikachu face. She sets her sights on Perkins, the star basketball player who is bribed to "throw" the big game. Of course, everything ties up neatly in the end and if you just roll with the silly plot line, it's a fairly enjoyable little romp, not unlike some of the silly Doris Day/Rock Hudson type of films of the era.

This movie featured several familiar talented supporting actors such as Elizabeth Patterson, Jaws Mayor Murray Hamilton as the coach, and an unrecognizable Tom Laughlin as a fellow student.

But the standout for me was Ray Walston, whom I never cared for on MY FAVORITE MARTIAN. It was great to see him in a "normal" role and as a first year prof with goatee and glasses, just stood out as the best supporting actor in the film. The character's wife was played by Anne Jackson who, along with Ralston, was an Actor Studio member. She was beautiful and did the most she could with a small part.

Leave It to Beaver: Beaver's Big Contest (1960) Season 4, Episode 6

Never ask Ward a question when he's doing home repair

[8/10 · 26 May 2024]

Beaver is selling raffle tickets for the local hospital and gets a free ticket for every ten tickets that he sells. He ultimately ends up with ten raffle tickets. He's hoping to win the grand prize of a trip to Hawaii, but Eddie Haskell decides to burst his bubble. Eddie tells Beaver that even if he wins that prize that it will be his father saying Aloha, not Beaver, and that parents can take things away from children and there is nothing that they can do about it.

Later Ward is repairing a lamp - no doubt from June once again unplugging a device by it's cord rather than the plug - when Beaver quizzes him about the subject. Beaver asks Ward if he discovered a diamond mine in South America, would Ward take it away from him. Ward answers that of course he would not, while really not paying attention as he is in full battle with the lamp. This eases Beaver's mind on the subject.

Then Beaver wins the raffle - not first prize but the 3500 dollar sport's car. At first the whole family is thrilled. But then Ward and June have time to think and realize it is entirely impractical to keep this car. They decide to sell it and put the 3500 dollars in Beaver's college fund. When Ward tells Beaver, all he can hear is that Eddie Haskell's cynical take on the situation was correct and that his dad had lied to him when he asked about the diamond mine. And from the look on Wally's face he has similar feelings. How will this all work out? Watch and find out.

Ward might have had better luck winning the Beaver over with his decision if he had given more thought to the diamond mine question when he was repairing the lamp. It was a good lesson in taking time to answer your kids' questions completely and thoughtfully, because a seemingly ridiculous question about a diamond mine might have a real life equivalent that will need to be dealt with.

Leave It to Beaver: Wally's Pug Nose (1959) Season 2, Episode 19

Wally becomes self conscious

[8/10 · 26 May 2024]

Wally, Tooey, and Lumpy are sitting together in the cafeteria looking at the new girl in school - Gloria. After her friend leaves, Wally goes over to her table to talk to her. The conversation goes pretty well until Gloria mentions offhand that she just now noticed that Wally has a pug nose.

Wally goes home that night and looks the word up in a dictionary and is horrified to think that he has a nose like a pig! So he orders a contraption that you wear at night that is supposed to give you a Roman nose. When Ward finds this and gets it out of Beaver as to what it is for, he seeks a tactful way to advise Wally about his unwarranted self consciousness.

Wally talking to girls is endearing stuff. When he talks to Gloria for the first time he awkwardly starts out the conversation discussing salt - like that's why he came over in the first place. In another episode where Eddie Haskell thinks he's going steady, Wally starts his conversation with this girl he's never met with a story about how somebody on the varsity basketball team got sick in the locker room. Wally could hardly get away with this approach if his nose was a thing of horror to behold.

The New Leave It to Beaver: Madcap Dreams (1988) Season 3, Episode 19

Illustrates a major problem with this series...

[5/10 · 25 May 2024]

... that being how Eddie Haskell was written in this show versus the original Leave It To Beaver (LITB).

In this episode Eddie is depressed, wondering what exactly the meaning of his life is. He decides, out of the blue, that his purpose is to become a Country and Western star. Notice that he doesn't decide to become a country and western singer or performer - he jumps straight to wanting to be a star and nothing less will do.

I know that Eddie Haskell mainly existed in this show, and in the original for that matter, to be a contrast to the wholesome aboveboard Cleavers. But at least in the original LITB Eddie was fleshed out. If you watch enough episodes of that old series you'll see that although Eddie does some pointlessly cruel things, he does not do them to be pointlessly cruel. He's deeply insecure and needs an audience, and when he does have one he's a wise guy, often overstepping boundaries. He has many vulnerable moments, and even does a few generous things because he is capable of empathy on occasion.

In the New LITB show, Eddie is practically a cartoon character. He says horrible things to his wife and sons. He sends his youngest son to military boarding school and treats his wife like a servant. He does things without any perceivable motivation other than trying to grab a few laughs for the show, and this episode is exhibit A.

The only reason I didn't score this episode lower than 5 was that Ken Osmond showed an unexpected talent for singing and dancing here. I always admired Ken Osmond's portrayal of Eddie Haskell, so this review was hard to write.

Leave It to Beaver: Price of Fame (1959) Season 2, Episode 26

Of bowls of steam and spanking machines...

[8/10 · 25 May 2024]

... in other words, those are some friends Beaver has!

In season four Whity dares Beaver to find out if there is actual soup in a billboard soup bowl. In this episode, Larry Mondello makes up a tale about a spanking machine in Mrs. Rayburn's office closet that is used on the eighth graders. Larry and Beaver were cleaning the blackboards for the teacher, and then Larry leaves for the evening. Beaver cannot resist going into Mrs. Rayburn's office to look for that spanking machine. But while he is there the janitor locks Mrs. Rayburn's office door, accidentally locking Beaver inside. Beaver has to trip the fire alarm in the principal's office to be freed from his dilemma.

At home, Ward is stern with Beaver, talking about how he was in a place where he shouldn't be, costing the fire department time and money and in general being a "conspicuous" little boy. Wally has to explain to the beaver what that word means. The next day, Beaver again gets himself into an embarrassing dilemma, but this time he is afraid to ask somebody to get his father to help fearing he will again be condemned as conspicuous.

Ward blames himself for making Beaver feel like he could not come to him when he was in trouble, but what about Beaver's friends? Time and again they seem OK with setting Beaver up for trouble if they think they may profit by it or, as in this case, just get a laugh.

Wally has a prescient moment in this week's episode when he asks his dad if they should sue the city over Beaver's second embarrassing incident. In the 80s TV show "The New Leave It To Beaver", Wally is an attorney.

The New Leave It to Beaver: The Bestest Dad (1987) Season 2, Episode 19

Dads to the rescue - maybe

[7/10 · 25 May 2024]

Wally is tapped to speak at career day at his daughter's school and strikes out, with the dad who is an exterminator winning the day. Meanwhile, when Beaver is too busy nailing down a big Japanese client to work on a Trail Blazers scouting project with his youngest son, Oliver (John Snee) settles for the unlikely help of Eddie Haskell for a fee. The theme seems to be that, well intentioned as they may be, fathers do mess up from time to time.

There's also a recurring statement about one of the kids in Trail Blazers having an electrical engineer for a father and is therefore expected to build the most amazing project out of the household objects provided. I'm an electrical engineer. If you need someone to perform an inverse Fourier transform I'm your person. But electrical engineers in general do not go around building interesting useful things out of tin cans and we probably cannot repair your sprinkler system.

The New Leave It to Beaver: Cursed Again (1988) Season 4, Episode 5

I was expecting more

[6/10 · 22 May 2024]

Eddie's slipshod work on a Gypsy's driveway causes her to curse him with a Gypsy curse. She will only take it back if Eddie agrees to fix the driveway. Of course he won't. He laughs off the curse at first but then his TV breaks and, as the power of suggestion begins to do its work, Eddie really begins to believe he is cursed as most of the things that happen are caused by him overthinking matters.

Wally agrees to act as Eddie's attorney to try and work out an agreement between Eddie and the Gypsy woman, but now that she can see that Eddie is scared she asks for redoing the work correctly AND 1200 dollars in damages. The Gypsy suggests a seance to ask the spirits what to do, and Eddie considers that ridiculous, but Wally says he thinks it will be a good idea. What does he mean by that? Watch and find out, although I will say that Wally is displaying a bit of the old Eddie Haskell sneakiness in what he has planned.

This episode makes reference to the original LITB episode "Voodoo Curse" where Eddie has a psychosomatic illness caused by him believing in the validity of the Voodoo curse Beaver has put on him.

I was expecting more from this episode, primarily because Voodoo Curse was such a great episode of the original LITB. This episode falls a little flat.

The Gilded Lily (1935)

Fred MacMurray in his breakthrough role...

[7/10 · 22 May 2024]

... as well as his first collaboration with Claudette Colbert. MacMurray plays reporter Peter Dawes who has been thoroughly "friend-zoned" by Marilyn David (Colbert) a stenographer. Every Thursday night, the two friends meet on a secluded bench in Manhattan. They eat popcorn, tell each other about their life, and "watch the world go by." It's obvious that Peter has a crush on Marilyn, but she's set on his being her good friend.

Later, she meets Charles Gray (Ray Milland), a young man with whom Marilyn is instantly smitten. One day, Charles announces that he is going to England for business and will return. Marilyn is sad, but understanding. Later, Peter learns that Charles was hiding a secret and he's actually part of the British aristocracy. He and his father (C Aubrey Smith) were traveling in New York City incognito. Marilyn also learns that Charles was actually engaged, when she was led to believe that they would be married. Marilyn ends up giving Charles the heave ho.

All while this is going on, Peter is in the background looking out for his friend, Marilyn. He learns about Charles' deception and later does not care for how he treats his friend. Peter uses his position at the newspaper to plant some stories about Marilyn, whom he nicknames the "No Girl," and how she dumped Charles. The publicity blows up and turns Marilyn into an overnight celebrity. Her celebrity grows to the point that she's even headlining a nightclub act even though she cannot sing or dance.

This was a really sweet movie. I loved the rapport between Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert's characters. I didn't expect the twist with Milland's character and I always love to be surprised by a movie. The ending of the film came as no surprise, but it honestly was the only ending this film could have. I highly recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a sweet romantic comedy.

Leave It to Beaver: Wally's Big Date (1961) Season 5, Episode 8

That rascal Haskell tells a tall story

[9/10 · 21 May 2024]

The students of Mayfield High School draw names of students at Riverside High School to take to a dance that's all part of a social experiment by one of the teachers. Eddie comes to Wally and says he wants to switch dates, because the girl Wally is taking is somebody he knows and thus wants to take. Wally is suspicious given Eddie's sneaky past, but when Eddie shows Wally a picture from the Riverdale High School yearbook of the girl Wally would be taking if he and Eddie switched dates, he admits she's pretty and agrees. Wally arranges to meet the girl he is taking - Eddie's original date - at the soda shop so they can get acquainted prior to the dance, and she is not only pretty but seems pretty nice. And then she gets up to leave - she's four inches taller than Wally! He's been had by the antics of Eddie Haskell.

Wally talks to his dad about this and says he wants to back out of the dance because he will get nonstop ribbing from the guys if he shows up with this girl who towers over him. Ward gives him some advice but says, at Wally's age, he is not going to tell him he must go on the date, that he must use his own best judgment. So Wally decides to go through with it and tries combing out his hair "tall" and wearing lifts. How will this all work out? Watch and find out, although I did think the resolution not very realistic.

If you notice Eddie and Lumpy having closely cropped hair and Lumpy looking like he lost weight, Ken Osmond and Frank Bank were both in the reserves at this time as they were both over 18, and serving in that capacity meant they didn't have to take their chances with the draft, although the Vietnam War wouldn't really rev up for another four years.

This is one time where it looks like Wally really is going to give Eddie a badly deserved punch in the nose when June walks in and Eddie manages to get away. In the 1983 movie "Still The Beaver", Wally finally does give Eddie one punch and Eddie mentions it was the only time in thirty years that he hit him. From what I've seen of the series, that seems to be correct, although Eddie rightfully got close to being "clobbered" by Wally several times.

A Night of Adventure (1944)

It's hard not to like

[6/10 · 21 May 2024]

Tom Conway, with his smooth, urbane air, plays Mark, a hotshot defense lawyer, whose busy schedule leaves little time for his wife, played by the lovely Audrey Long. Tired of waiting hours for him to show up for dinner, and other forms of benign neglect, the wife pursues a platonic relationship with Tony, an artist. Confrontations lead to someone getting killed, and Mark finds himself defending Tony against murder charges. Corrupt officials also figure into the mix. The court room proceedings have a nice blend of drama and humor. Plus, there's the always amusing Edward Brophy. At 65 minutes long, this movie is hard not to like.

The New Leave It to Beaver: Supply and Demand (1984) Season 1, Episode 3

Makes fun of a fad that occurred the year before...

[7/10 · 20 May 2024]

... while also bringing home an important lesson about family and true friendship.

Wally's daughter Kelly gets into a spat of sorts with a girl reminiscent of the LITB character Judy Hensler in that she is very stuck up and sure of herself. The girl has the recent subject of crazed buying - a Mulberry Bush doll. Kelly tells the girl that she has one too, which is a lie. The other girl then says that she should bring the doll in on Monday to prove that she owns said doll. It's Friday, and thus Kelly has three days to get this doll that is currently sold out everywhere.

Kelly tells her dad about her dilemma, who, along with Beaver, go to great lengths and pay four times suggested price to get one. But then during the weekend Kelly has her doll outside playing with it and loses it. Now what? Watch and find out.

This show is making sport of a craze that occurred in 1983 when the Cabbage Patch Kids brand of dolls became so popular at Christmas that year that parents and grandparents were mobbing the stores for them and fights were breaking out over getting the last one. About 15 years before online shopping became a thing, the only way to buy something in most cases was to show up in person and run from store to store looking for it.

Leave It to Beaver: Sweatshirt Monsters (1962) Season 5, Episode 35

Those sweatshirts hardly look like a big deal today

[7/10 · 19 May 2024]

Alan, Richard, Whity, and Beaver each buy a sweatshirt with a hideous monster emblazoned upon it. They make a pact to all wear their sweatshirts to school the following day. Of course parents are what happen while you are making plans. Each set of parents refuses to let their son go to school with such an outfit on. Beaver, however, decides to be too clever for his own good. He goes upstairs and changes, as instructed by his parents, but has the sweatshirt on underneath. After leaving for school, he ducks into the garage and takes off his outer shirt and goes to school in the goofy sweatshirt.

He arrives at school a couple of minutes late, so his entrance into the classroom is all the more dramatic and comical. Especially when he sees his three amigos are suitably attired. So it's off to the principal's office for him, with his parents getting a phone call. Complications ensue.

Most of the LITB episodes translate pretty well because they hit upon the basic unchanging issues of children and parenting. But this one is rather stuck in its time period, like the ones that refer to the value of formal dancing school early in the series. During Ward's lecture to Beaver over what happened he says "Either a thing is right or it's wrong." But that hardly applies to clothing, since fashions change drastically over time. In 1862, every single girl in Beaver's school would have been arrested for showing their ankles!

Leave It to Beaver: Wally and the Fraternity (1963) Season 6, Episode 28

Ulterior motives

[7/10 · 19 May 2024]

Wally has decided to go to State University, and so has Eddie. Now they are both in the process of deciding upon a fraternity. Ward speaks highly of his own fraternity, Alpha Kappa, and writes a letter of recommendation for them both. But then the pair run into State U student Chuck Bradford who says that "Alpha Kappa is the worst pig house on campus". So apparently things have changed since Ward was at State, but Wally is torn between hurting his dad and being in a substandard fraternity.

Eddie does not have such torn feelings as his first concern is always himself. He thus writes a letter to Alpha Kappa asking the fraternity to withdraw his name from consideration. It turns out Chuck had alternative motives for trash talking Alpha Kappa, but Eddie has already mailed that letter. Complications ensue.

There's a rather fun scene in the middle of the episode where Eddie actually spews some wisdom that goes contrary to what Wally believes. Eddie is talking about the importance of making connections at college while Wally says all that matters is the quality of your education. In fact, both are right, but Eddie's cynical take is really ahead of his time.

I think this show could have successfully continued with the antics of Wally, Eddie and Lumpy at State University and Beaver back home as a high school student. It looks like they were maneuvering to have that as a possibility - All three seniors were going to State U the following year, but Jerry Mathers did not want to continue on with the show, wanting to have a normal high school experience, so LITB was ultimately cancelled at the end of its sixth season.

Leave It to Beaver: Wally's Haircomb (1959) Season 2, Episode 34

Wally comes home with a definite hair don't

[8/10 · 19 May 2024]

Wally comes home from the barber's with a new hair style - the jelly roll. This was an actual hair fad of the late 50s along with the DA haircut. The hair is rolled up around the sides, flat in the front and the middle, and like an oil slick all over.

June thinks Wally looks like a gangster with his hair like this, and tries getting Ward to do something, who mentions that the haircut would not do if Wally is going to try out for swim team. This does make an impression on Wally as he ditches the idea of being on the swim team but keeps the hairdo. She makes an appointment with the principal at the high school. The principal is not alarmed by the hairstyle and says the fad will run its course. But when Beaver comes down to go to school one morning with a jelly roll as well, she tries the direct approach with Wally. How will this work out? Watch and find out.

Everybody seems pretty hard on June for going to such lengths to get Wally to rid himself of this hair fad, saying that she was a control freak. But you have to remember that in the 1950s about the worst thing you could be was a non-conformist. People might think you were a Communist or something! And I'm not exaggerating much when I say that. These were different less forgiving and accepting times.

I liked how every time the camera was focused on one of these guys with this jelly roll haircut that you would hear intense 50s rock and roll playing. It was as humorous as the voodoo drums playing in the background every time someone thought that maybe there was something to these voodoo curses in the season one episode, "Voodoo Magic".

Leave It to Beaver: Next Door Indians (1958) Season 1, Episode 28

The power of imagination

[6/10 · 18 May 2024]

Eddie tells some tall tales around the lunch table at the school cafeteria about his family finding pirate treasure in South America. Beaver chimes in with his own tale of Indian fights across the street from his house. Eddie, not liking to be outdone in the tale telling department, calls Wally and says that he is bringing Chester and Tooey by tomorrow to dig for Indian relics in the vacant lot across the street. If they don't find any he expects Wally and Beaver to pay up their bet of a dollar fifty that a fight occurred.

The digging doesn't go on long before the boys dig up some interesting looking rocks. They determine they are garnets, used in jewelry, and all figure that they'll be rich. They each talk about what they'll do with their share of their fortune. But then Beaver shows the rocks to Gus, the fireman, who tells Beaver that they are not the kind of garnets that are used in jewelry, but are used to make sandpaper, and are worthless.

This episode doesn't have lots of laughs or bring out anything in particular about the personality or relationships of the guys, but it does show something pretty much dead today - Kids playing outside, using their vivid imagination to construct an alternate reality versus using some manufactured reality. Then there is Beaver's fascination with books that talk about military history that feed his child's imagination even more.

It's a nice look at childhood as it existed before electronics became prolific.

The New Leave It to Beaver: Perfect Candidate (1986) Season 2, Episode 9

Eddie seeks public office for personal gain

[7/10 · 18 May 2024]

Eddie is planning to ruin Miller's pond by building a huge development there backed by the megabucks of a developer. One morning Eddie is perusing the morning paper and sees that June Cleaver has led an action on the city council to slow development in their town to 3% per year, thus killing the Miller's Pond development. As a result, Eddie decides to run against June for her seat on the city council with the usual abundance of Eddie Haskell dirty tricks and flattery, except now it is in pursuit of public office. Complications ensue.

Eddie's campaign is humorous, just as you'd expect. He has campaign ads where he has his wife, Gert, dressed up like Jackie Kennedy complete with pill box hat. June suggests a debate, and Eddie uses the opportunity to cast aspersions on June's character. How will this work out? Watch and find out.

There is a funny scene towards the beginning where Eddie gets up from his breakfast in bed, puts on his bathrobe, walks to June's house and wakes her up in her bed to complain about killing the Miller's Pond development. Numerous members of the Cleaver clan walk in and declare "Mom! How could you!" as though they walked in on something salacious between Eddie and June. I might add that there was a rumor at one time that Ken Osmond, who portrayed Eddie, had actually married Barbara Billingsley, who portrayed June Cleaver.

Leave It to Beaver: Eddie's Double-Cross (1960) Season 4, Episode 8

Eddie and his female double cross paths

[8/10 · 18 May 2024]

Eddie tells Wally that he is "going steady" with pretty Caroline Shuster. Is this like the time in the second season where Eddie said he "had a girl" but it turned out the two of them hadn't even met? No, she knows him, she calls him "Peachy" and she even fixes her hair he way that he likes. Wally and Eddie join Caroline and her friend at the soda shop where Eddie and Caroline make plans to see a movie that night. Everything looks above board to Wally, except for Wally having to ultimately pay for the tab that Eddie picked up for Caroline and her friend.

Later, Wally is picking up some photos he had developed at the drugstore, and Caroline and her friends are in the soda fountain booth nearby, and they have not seen him. There Caroline tells her friends that Eddie is a creep, but that her regular boyfriend is grounded for two weeks so she needs somebody to take her out. This upsets Wally, but he says nothing until he gets home and talks to Ward about what he should do - Leave it alone or tell Eddie. Neither option sits well with Wally. It does appear that Eddie has met his match in Caroline - She is someone willing to use somebody else to get her own way.

June spends most of the episode worried that Wally will follow Eddie's lead and want to go steady too.

At the end, Eddie has a candid moment with Beaver. And yet he usually treats the kid so badly, or at least is free with very bad advice. Eddie comes across as a guy who badly wants to be loved but whose father's affection is transactional. If he can't be loved then he'll be the center of attention by being a wise guy, acting like nobody actually matters to him, when in fact they do.

Leave It to Beaver: Beaver's Accordion (1960) Season 4, Episode 13

Beaver and the sales pitch

[7/10 · 18 May 2024]

A circular comes in the mail advertising a free five day trial for a 280 dollar accordion. Ward understands from the sales pitch that the company wants 280 dollars, not to give somebody the "cultural opportunity" mentioned in the letter. He pitches it into a box full of other things to be thrown away. Beaver finds the ad and takes it upstairs to read and ponder it.

Eddie Haskell comes into the room to wait for Wally - he's taking a shower - and gives Beaver the business. Eddie tells Beaver that he's destined for great things with his accordion - his own band, the Ed Sullivan Show, a high salary - and that Beaver's dad is afraid that he'll be forgotten by Beaver and his newfound fame. Beaver buys this spiel and writes the company for the five day trial.

But when Beaver goes to return the accordion before the five day period is up, he needs over six dollars for the shipping which neither he nor Wally has, so he decides to store the accordion in a seldom used hall closet until he can come up with the shipping costs. Expensive complications ensue.

Once again Eddie gives Beaver bad advice. You'd think he'd learn. There's a fun bit of business with Ward and Wally painting their picnic tables gray and June saying she thought they looked better green. Wally tells June that Beaver is sloppy because he's a little kid, then leaves behind a giant paint hand-print on the refrigerator. Ward tries on an old hat from his younger years, and it looks like something he would have worn during his earlier film noir years. Perhaps it was.

Leave It to Beaver: Eddie's Sweater (1963) Season 6, Episode 29

Two silhouettes on the shade

[9/10 · 16 May 2024]

Wally has been spending every night this week at Cindy Andrews' house. The complicating factor is that Cindy is Eddie's girl. Rumors abound. There are furtive glances and smart remarks at the dinner table courtesy of Beaver. Lumpy overhears Wally and Cindy in the hall at school planning to get together again and clues in Eddie. Eddie and Lumpy stake out Cindy's house, see Wally come over, and then see the "two silhouettes on the shade" looking like they are in an embrace. Could Wally have gone Cassanova on us just two months before the final episode? Watch and find out.

The thing that I can't figure out is how Eddie landed such a sweet and pretty girl as Cindy. That isn't shown in any of the episodes. I guess it would take much more than a half hour to explain. Especially nice is the conversation Eddie and Beaver are having at the end. There's nothing revealing about it. It's just that Eddie is now treating Beaver as a peer of sorts as Beaver exits childhood and enters adolescence. Eddie is not the wise acre in this episode that he usually is, and is instead much calmer. Insecurity always brought out the serious side of Eddie Haskell.

Leave It to Beaver: Lumpy's Scholarship (1963) Season 6, Episode 24

A rare Lumpy-centric episode

[8/10 · 15 May 2024]

Wally, a good overall athlete and excellent student, gets notice that he did not get an athletic scholarship from State U. At the same time, Lumpy gets notice that he did get an athletic scholarship from State U. Lumpy is an OK student, but he's an absolutely wonderful guard - a key position on State's football team that needs filling.

For the first time in his life Lumpy is the center of attention in a good way. The guys laud him, The girls gather round him. He's even got Eddie jealous because the new girl he likes can talk of nothing but Lumpy. Wally throws a party for Lumpy at his house complete with his classmates, presents, and a cake shaped like a football field.

Then Lumpy gets word - in the middle of the party from his own father - that the scholarship offer has been rescinded because of a D that Lumpy got in mathematics. His dad makes him feel like a bonehead over the phone, and that attitude carries into the party, because Lumpy can't bear to tell everyone what has happened, but he also feels like a fake accepting congratulations and gifts given the circumstances. How will this all work out? Watch and find out.

Lumpy started out a real malevolent bullying presence in season one, and has gradually been toned down to where even Eddie Haskell bosses him around under ordinary circumstances, even though Lumpy makes three of Eddie.

Note that June's dancing school Saturdays for the boys back in the early seasons has all been brought to naught since dancing now is mainly just gyrating to the music in free form.

The New Leave It to Beaver: Life Without Father (1987) Season 3, Episode 4

Can this father/son relationship be repaired?

[8/10 · 15 May 2024]

Freddie is curious as to exactly why his dad, Eddie Haskell, is estranged from his own father. He goes to Wally and says that, for his sixteenth birthday, he'd like his paternal grandfather to be invited to the birthday party that June is throwing for him. Wally goes to Eddie and tells him of Freddie's request, but even the idea angers Eddie as he and his father have not spoken in decades. Wally convinces Eddie that to just squash this request of Freddie's could lead to a rift opening up between himself and his own son someday, and so Eddie relents and his father is invited to the party. Will this lead to a tearful reunion between Eddie and his father? Watch and find out.

The original LITB must have been a great work environment, because actors that had only a couple of appearances on this show during their careers show up in this series from time to time, including George Petrie, who only portrayed George Haskell a couple of times in season six of LITB, reprising his role as Eddie's father in this episode. There's even a humorous tie-in to the season one LITB episode "Voodoo Curse" where Eddie's father thought Beaver's name was Gopher. He repeats that mistake here.

Also note actor Ken Osmond riding around on a motorcycle in this episode. Ken was actually a real motorcycle buff and was a motorcycle cop during part of his tenure with the LAPD. A motorcycle club was also how the actor met his wife of 50 years, married from 1969 until his death in 2020.