Leave It To Beaver coming in 2005!!! (1 Viewer)

[Gary OS]

Rodney, you beat me to the punch. I was going to suggest the Savings Bond "episode" as the one everybody has been thinking and talking about.

Greg & David,

I'm with you guys on the amount of enjoyable episodes from that last season. The season got off to a great start with "Wally's Dinner Date" when we got to see Cheryl all dressed up and looking beautiful. Then you've got the aforementioned "Double Date", and the "Late Edition" where Beaver beats up the girl. The best part about that one was when Ward started in on her and she started to cry. All of sudden, he was the bad guy. Hilarious!

There were so many wonderful episodes with Eddie in that last season. "Eddie the Businessman", "Bachelor at Large", "Beaver the Sheepdog" (Eddie's tutoring of Beaver in the fine art of the insult is fantastic), "The Party Spoiler" (Lumpy's facial expression is hilarious when he bites into the candy and Eddie getting onto Wally thinking he put the fake cheese in the sandwiches), "The Parking Attendants", and "The Credit Card" (the baseball bat comment is one of the best in the whole series).

There are plenty more, including "Wally & the Fraternity", "Eddie's Sweater" (a real gem, especially when Lumpy starts humming and drums the steering wheel and dash), "Don Juan Beaver", "Summer in Alaska", and "Wally's Practical Joke" (one of my absolute favorites from the entire show, not just the 6th season).

Boy, the more I contemplate it, the more I really do wish Universal would have started from the 6th Season and moved backwards.

Gary "has there ever been a smart aleck in tv history to match Eddie Haskel? I don't believe so" O.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Bachelor At Large nearly brings a tear to my eye. That's a great episode. By your list, I'm "surprised" at how many great episodes there are at the end (not really surprised, but a lot of favorites are Lumped together). The White Fox . . . and Wally almost messes it up when Ward smooths it out for him. The one where Wally gets a little revenge with an ice cream delivery (don't remember which that is).

 

[Bert Greene]

I'm glad to hear of the all the affection for LITB's last season. It did contain some terrific gems. I suppose my favorite seasons are the 1st and the last. The first is terrific, as the boys are still at such a young age, that their naive childhood innocence lends itself to some marvelously humorous misunderstandings. Then, by last season, you have Wally and his pals, all well-played and well-defined, navigating through various social situations and the roadbumps that ensue. It's a nifty show, and I'll get any and every season that is released.

 

[David Von Pein]

Gary, Greg, Bert, Carlos (et al) ........

Fabulous "Beav" observations. It's nice to see that several people here are LITB fans like myself. Of course, I've known this from previous "WE WANT THE BEAV ON DVD!" threads like this in the past too. Golly, dad, we must be getting old, huh?? Or--we just like Really Good Clean/Wholesome TV, where an entire episode can revolve around a kid doing his laundry or not liking brussels sprouts (and be funny too).

"Wally's Practical Joke" was mentioned above -- a howl of a show too. The "American Graffiti"-type scene is great, plus Lumpy's screaming for "Dadddd-y!" to come to his aid.

"Well, the way you drive, I'm surprised something like this didn't happen a long time ago! -- Why don't you go in the house! And DON'T practice your stupid tuba -- your mother's trying to sleep!"

Rodney....

Thanks for the link to the "Savings Bond" episode. For some reason, I don't recall that post of yours from that other thread. But I, too, hope perhaps it can be included on a LITB DVD set. A nice extra it would make...yessss. [/yoda]

And that plotline does, indeed, sound similar to the "broken bow-&-arrow" episode that someone mentioned earlier too. I'm guessing that writers Mosher & Connelly re-vamped the Savings Bond mini-ep. and wrote a whole script with basically the same story for the actual series.

I tried looking up info on that "extra episode" in Jerry Mathers' book that I have -- but I couldn't find any mention of it in there. Perhaps it is, but I missed it. That book is a tad scattershot in nature; but fun to read -- as is this book, which is filled with tongue-in-cheek Beaver humor.......

 

[Mike Frezon]

Gilbert Bates: "Hey, Beave! Put your foot up on the lady's thumb!"

 

[Paul Sandhu]

Why was it so expensive?

 

[David Von Pein]

Yes, that was Hubert "Whitey" Whitney; not Gilbert. Mike F. ought to be tarred-&-feathered for such a gross error on his part. I think Ward ought to chew Mike's rear-end down to the nub for such a gaffe.

Re. the expensive soup show -- I have no idea why it cost more than other eps.; I guess it cost a bunch to make the "Zesto Soups" billboard. Beats me.

 

[Paul Sandhu]

Is there any word on any special features... I wouldn't mind waiting a little longer for some great ones.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Now, Mike. You should know better than that. If you're going to have adventures with your friends, its important that you be able to recall which friends they were.

Honestly, Mike. I fully expect that you'll think of some way to let Whitey know you're sorry.

 

[Paul Sandhu]

Some really neat news!

According to TVsoDVD the set will include the original pilot for the show, hit the link for more info.

 

[Dane Marvin]

That's pretty damn sweet. Discovered in the vaults.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Only six weeks to go! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

 

[Greg_S_H]

Golly, Mike. Will we have to get our six weeks' progress reports signed by our parents? Gee.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I hope I don't lose mine Greg...and then come up with some outrageous story to cover my tracks....only to get a lecture from Dad on how I need to be able to go to my parents when I screw up.

I tell ya. After the Ultimate Toy Box, THIS is probably my most anticipated release ever! This show meant a lot to me growing up.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Are you planning on the lunch box? I know I am.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Nah. I don't go for the collectible set stuff. I've got enough problems finding room for the discs. This is going to be all about watching the shows...again...and again.

Hey! Maybe they could do an Ultimate Degrassi release in a lunch box, too!

Episode #1 - Beaver gets 'spelled. Woohoo! Best part is when he goes to see Gus the fireman (Burt Mustin) for advice!

Any word yet if they are going to include those short narrations from Hugh Beaumont that set up each week's episodes? It'll be a crime if they don't. I am really enjoying all the extra little pieces included in the Ultimate Beverly Hillbillies set that was just released. VERY cool!

I had actually recorded every Beaver episode on Beta tapes back in the 1980s! I just got around to tossing them all earlier this year.

 

[Jim-M]

Normally I never consider any gift sets, but that lunchbox is so cool and nostalgic that I am seriously considering it if I can find a fantastic deal on it.

"Gus and the net, Gus and the net."

 

[David Von Pein]

Cool! But why did you toss 'em prior to all 6 seasons arriving on DVD? Or, are the tapes pure crappola now with no usable Beta machine to play them on?

Along the same topic ... I currently have 233 Beaver eps. on VHS -- some of them multiple times, which isn't as nutty as it might sound -- because they were recorded over several years and off of different stations from differing prints of the shows. Meaning that there are different scenes cut from one version that are present on my 2nd variant. Nifty little way to get all (or most) of the 25.5-minute broadcasts, eh?

I lack only the episode entitled "Beaver And Violet", a third-season Beav outing which prominently features Fred Rutherford and daughter Violet (played by Richard Deacon and Veronica Cartwright, who both, as fate would have it, had roles in Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 flick "The Birds"). Veronica, as I'm sure Mike Frezon knows as well, also turned up as another character in LITB -- "Peggy MacIntosh" -- in the Season-Six episode "Don Juan Beaver" (not my favorite ep. by a long shot).

FYI --

For a quick at-your-fingertips reference guide to all the guest stars who appeared in every "Leave It To Beaver" episode, IMDB provides this useful page.......

http://imdb.com/title/tt0050032/guests


For some reason, I was never able to tape the "B.&V." episode for home use. It must have been a TV-Land conspiracy -- a plot to keep me from completing my Beaver library!

I should be able to secure that episode, however, when Universal releases "LITB Season 3" on September 26, 2006.*

* = Wishful Thinking Date Only.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Veronica Cartwright was on "Invasion" last week, and I think her voice was used this week.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Just like me and the final episode of Newhart. Just as the dramatic conclusion was about to air..a power outtage swept through my area...causing most of NY's capital district to go dark.

The local CBS affilliate aired the final few minutes in their local newscast that night....but, me, not knowing that, didn't watch. And, I have missed it everytime it has aired on placed like TVLand.

I still hope to see it someday. It always seemed like a completely cool idea...albeit not completely original.