"Leave It To Beaver: Season 2" -- A Personal Review (1 Viewer)

[Gary OS]

Great stuff about this second season set! Thanks David. Of course, the big question I wanted answered is - When is Season 3 being released?

Gary "I think I've been on the boards long enough for most of you to know that 'The Fugitive' is #1 on my wishlist at this point" O.

 

[David Von Pein]

~~gazes intently into crystal ball~~

Voice out of the clouds utters -- October 31st, 2006.

~~crystal ball off~~

 

[Gary OS]

He-he. I know you've "predicted" this date already, and boy I hope you are correct. Just wondering if it's utter speculation on your part, or if you have an inside tip.

Gary "I won't rest until Universal makes the release date official" O.

 

[David Von Pein]

Did I predict Oct. 31 previously? I know I picked a date out of a hat, but couldn't recall what it was.

Heck, if I twice (independently) guessed Oct. 31, then it must be right, huh?

 

[Gary OS]

Well, I could have been wrong about your previous prediction date.

Gary "I knew you picked a date once before, and for some reason thought that was it" O.

 

[David Von Pein]

Related Topic.........

Here's something for Beaver fans to pick up when it comes out on October 30th (maybe at about the same time as LITB S.3 on DVD, ya think? ). A hardcover volume this is, too. .....

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/076...qid=1152304486




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Another nice Beaver Book is this one (some of my "Wholesome Cleaver Funnies" are provided in a review on this page):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/cus...ews/1575000520

 

[Mike Frezon]

David! http://www.notebookforums.com/images/smilies/blushing.gif

 

[David Von Pein]

That only goes to show whose mind it is that's in the gutter here.
Doesn't it, Mr. Frezon??

 

[Mike Frezon]

Guilty as charged.

...but it takes one to know one!

 

[David Von Pein]

Now, if you think I'm going to resort to that tired old comeback of: "I resemble that remark", you've got another thing coming, my friend!

And just remember one more thing -- Aunt Martha's coming by the house tomorrow with eggplant and umbrellas...and you're not gettin' ANY! So there!

 

[michael_ks]

Ok, I stand corrected--grammatically incorrect in the show, but that's how it is alright.

 

[Carlos Garcia]

The incorrect spanish spoken on that episode is "Usted tiene una cara como puerco", which translates to "you have a face like pig". Missing was the word "un" = "a".

 

[michael_ks]

Does anyone recall the title of a book published in the early 80's that took literary classics and transformed them into LITB type episodes? I wish I still had my copy--it was hillarious. I just now recalled this after seeing David's posting of "The World According to Beaver" because one of the chapter titles was worded the same, a take-off on "The World According to Garp". I believe others were "Of Mice and Beaver", "The Beaver of Wrath" and "The Brothers Cleaver" (Brothers Karamazov). For this particular classic, I'll never forget this exchange:

Haskell: What do you say, comrade Gertrude? People's Kindergarten out so soon?

Wally: Aww, cut it out, comrade Eddie!

The book was filled with stuff like this, a la Hemingway, Conrad, Pasternak, et al. Great fun.

 

[David Von Pein]

Meaningless (Albeit Funny) Beaver Interjection #64 (Or So) .............

For a really "natural"-feeling and seemingly completely-unrehearsed LITB moment, go to the S.2 episode "Beaver Says Goodbye". At the 14:00 mark in the show, Beaver is talking to father Ward in the garage. Watch and listen for Beaver's line, "That's pretty funny".

It's a very brief remark, but it strikes me as 100% real and genuine on Beaver's/Jerry's behalf, and never fails to crack me up. It's a LITB moment that is always deserving of a replay when I cue up this episode.

See if you don't agree.

 

[Mike Frezon]

So now Dave VP is affecting my viewing habits!

I watched "Beaver says goodbye" last night and enjoyed the episode immensely. (I also watched Beaver's sweater--completely independent of Dave's recommendation!)

I am NEVER disappointed when I watch any of these episodes. The acting is superb and the lessons are timeless.

In the sweater episode, when Ward wonders why Beaver would just decide to "ditch" a $13 sweater after learning that it's really a girl's sweater and June explains that a boy his age wouldn't have the maturity to reason for himself let alone explain to his parents that he was wrong after taking the stand and insisting that he really needed that sweater...it's priceless. it is for those kinds of reasons that the show works so well for both children and adults.

It's the kind of show that should be required watching for would-be parents to let them know how to deal with the psyche of young children.

Heck, even the way Miss Landers deals with Judy Hensler in her rather irritated(!) no-nonsense way in the classroom when Judy is trying to ply her usual "snitch" trade would be a valuable lesson for some teachers.

 

[Jeffrey Nelson]

I just rented disc 1 of the first season and have watched almost all the episodes on it. Even better than I remember as a kid. Wonderful, wonderful show, with sophisticated, natural-sounding dialogue and believable situations. This family seems utterly real to me. And yet...what an even richer experience this would have been with the benefit some juicy extras. I believe all the family is still with us except for Hugh Beaumont, and some of the friends must still be around as well. And there's got to be some other stuff in the vaults on this series...these sets could have matched the Dick Van Dyke Show sets, but sadly, they don't come close.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Jeffrey: Those are all valid points on which I can agree. I have been so happy just to have these shows on disc that I forget they (the DVDs) could be "even better".

What a treat it would be to hear some commentary on some of the episodes from Jerry Mathers, Barbara Billingsley & Tony Down--even from some of the other child actors such as Ken Osmond or Rusty Stevens would be great.

These could be "memory lane" types of commentary as opposed to truly episode-specific comments. I would think just watching some of these episodes along with the cast members would reveal a treasure trove of interesting information about the production of the show from technical info to actor's traits.

 

[David Von Pein]

When did Tony add the "n" to his last name?

I think perhaps he was known as Tony "Get" Down (esp. during the episode when he had to learn the Cha-Cha).

Proverbial --->

I agree with you, though, re. commentaries. A commentary by Jerry and Tony (either "Dow" or "Down", I wouldn't care which) for "The Haircut" in Season 1 would have been ideal. For one thing, a commentary for that ep. could answer my question of wondering how they arranged the filming for the next few episodes, what with Beaver being in a "scalped" state following "The Haircut".

It seems pretty obvious that poor Jerry/Beav really was scalped for that episode. And to think, as Wally suggests in that episode, that all of Beav's hair grew back "in a week" seems a bit on the wishful-thinking side.

Which makes me wonder how they hid his hairless head in the next filmed episode? Maybe The Beav kept his baseball cap on the entire time.

THE WARD -- "Beaver, did you get a haircut?"

THE BEAV -- "I sure did."

 

[Mike Frezon]

Tony Down used to be on-screen buddies with Kent Osmond and Frank Banks.

 

[Jeffrey Nelson]

I thought at first it looked like a real scalp job, but then I looked closer, and it did seem a bit artificial-looking...I dunno. If it is a cover, it's a darned good one. And what an absolutely fantastic episode! I love love LOVE this show, and can't wait to be able to shell out the $$$ for all the seasons, but I'd be even more ga-ga over it if they would have given this show the extras it deserves. Like The Dick Van Dyke Show, it's an absolute TV milestone; the archetypal '50s nuclear family comedy, and far and away the best IMO. It's frankly criminal that there's nary an extra to be found. (The Dick Van Dyke Show, still my favorite American sitcom of all time, isn't really in the same category, as the emphasis was mainly on the grownups, and not so much the "family unit".)