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

David, thank you for posting this awesome news on your site. I am a diehard fan of the show, and can't wait for season 1 to come out!

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=2624

You're welcome!

How many people here knew about the Wisteria Lane tie-in to Desperate Housewives, with the Beav's house being there on the same street? Also on that street are the houses from Animal House, The Hardy Boys, Providence, and even The Munsters (which is carefully shot around and never seen on the show).

Pretty cool, eh?

While I thank you for all the work you and Gord do, wasn't it sort of a given that most of the titles prominently featured in that Universal booklet back in May would be released in 2005?


Paul

Cool! Now if you can tell us tomorrow that Alfred Hitchcock Presents is coming out next year, I'll be a really happy boy...

I didn't know about Desparate Housewives, but I do remember an episode of Beaver where we can see the "Munsters" house and another where we saw the "Psycho" house!

I don't watch DH, but I wonder why they have to shoot around the Munster house. It doesn't look too weird today.



BTW, Universal better not mess with all the music in this show, or NO SALE!

(Actually, about the only music I can remember is the song from the record club episode, and I doubt if there are rights issues)

Great news indeed. "The Beav" and "The Wally" and "The Ward" on DVD at last!

Season One will include "Captain Jack" (which was the 1st ep. filmed; 2nd one aired). That's the episode where Wally & Beav send away for a pet alligator, and includes the funny scene where "Minerva" (the maid who we never ever see again) comes screaming up the basement stairs -- "Help! A monster! There's an alligator in the basement!"

Followed by Ward's skeptical -- "An alligator!!??"



"Capt. Jack" also marks the first time that a toilet was ever shown on TV. (Although they only let them show the "tank" part. The "bowl" was still way out of line, censorship-wise. )

I guess TV families like Ozzie & Harriet didn't even use the facilities. Amazing they weren't all 600 pounds apiece, from holding it IN all those years.

David L. -- Interesting tidbits re. the "Beaver House". I've never even HEARD of the show "Desperate Housewives". Is that a series which features comely matrons toting machine guns and bazookas, because they are "desperate"?

Did you also know -- That the Beaver house can be seen in the 1964 flick "Send Me No Flowers" (Doris Day/Rock Hudson)?

Plus: I think the house is the same one as featured in the Humphrey Bogart 1955 film "The Desperate Hours". (Must be something that ties "desperate" people to the house at 211 Pine Street in Mayfield, USA.)

It would be very nice if Universal would include the pilot show for LITB on the S.1 DVD set (called "It's A Small World", with Casey Adams). It's not very good, but it'd be nice to have for "completist" sake anyhow. (Like "Head Of The Family" is for "The Dick Van Dyke Show" DVDs; it, too, is pretty awful, but nice to have anyway.)

"IT'S A SMALL WORLD"



FYI -- The Season-One LITB DVD set will have 39 episodes in it. Each Beaver season had exactly that number. 234 eps. for 6 seasons, with a wholly-different opening credits' scene (and music) created for each season.

Funniest show from Season 1 (IMO): "The Haircut" (October 25, 1957). Beaver loses his haircut money and resorts to clipping his hair himself -- with disastrous (and funny) results. It appears they REALLY messed-up Jerry Mathers' head here. That stocking cap probably came in handy for Jerry in real life after the filming of that great episode.

[/b]
Yes, I think all those "record club" songs and artists were "made up". At least I'm doubting that there was ever a real song entitled "You Drive Me Ape, You Big Gorilla!" or "Thump, Thump, Thump, My Heart Is Marching".

However, upon further LITB reflection -- There is an episode that has Mrs. Ward (er...Mrs. Cleaver that is ) singing "I'll Never Smile Again", as Wally comes into the room, and is in shock that his mom is ... (gasp!) ... singing in the middle of the day! Hopefully, that song's rights won't block the inclusion of that scene.

That's ok, they never used it in Star Trek either, which might explain Kirk's questionable acting ability (constipation? )

The Munsters house appeared in the 4th season (episode #145) titled "Mistaken Identity":

http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet...22/epid-81140/

I'm almost positive I also saw the Psycho house in one episode, but I can't remember that episode. I believe the house could be seen down the block.

What was the name of that group? The Harmonica something or other, I think. Or, was that in another episode?

Universal ought to include Jerry Mathers' single as a bonus.

Wind Up Toy

Wind up toy, wind up toy
Hey, when you gonna treat me like a real-life boy?
You operate me with the turn of a key
Wind up toy, that's me

Take me here, take me there
Name the place, baby I don't care
Shooby-dooby-dooby-doo
We never kiss goodnight!

In the episode where Eddie moves into his own place, he quotes lyrics from Come On-A My House. I doubt if permission is needed for something like that, though.

Leave it to Beaver is to my generation what Brady Bunch is to the next generation. It will be nice to see these episodes complete for the very first time. They've never been available complete, either over the air or on VHS.

[/b]
"...I'm a-gonna give-a you can-dy!"

There's also the episode ("Happy Weekend"), which aired 46 years ago today (Christmas Day 1958), which features Ward's musical talents, as he sings a chorus of "'Nita ... Juanita ... Ask thy soul if we should part..."

Followed by Beaver's admonition: "Gee, dad, why would you sing goofy songs like that?"

They've never been on VHS, period ... which is another reason for looking forward to ANY type of "LITB" video release -- because it'll be a true "Theodore first".

David VP, you're pulling my leg, right? You've never heard of Desperate Housewives, the current ABC hit starring Teri Hatcher (the "Lois" in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman), Marcia Cross (used to be crazy "Dr. Kimberly" on Melrose Place), Felicity Huffman ("Dana" on Sports Night), and sexy latin newcomer Eva Longoria? Let me not overlook Knots Landings' Nicolette Sheridan, who plays the slutty character on the show, and who recently caused an FCC controversy by promoting the show "in character" (a staged "commercial", mind you, with no actual body parts seen) on Monday Night Football by approaching an NFL player in the locker room before the game and dropping her towel and jumping naked into his arms...you didn't hear about THAT? It was all over the news.

Well, tonight's your chance to get into this excellent soap-type show that's full of intrigue and comedy and drama and (not surprisingly) sexy bits. ABC is re-running the pilot episode tonight at 9/8C. It starts off with a suicide and goes from there...with the character who killed herself narrating the action! Sounds strange, but trust me it's great television, some of the best stuff in years.

Good news! Another series I've been waiting for.

Nope. Sure hadn't.

But thanks for the plug. Perhaps I'll stick my head up out of the 1950s/1960s, and take a quick peek (but only if Nicolette's towel is still on the floor).

Great news! The Beav on DVD. Wonderful.

Regarding extras, I remember having a VHS with a promo episode of LITB hawking savings bonds. It was a complete show, but not one of the regular episodes. I hope they put that on one of the sets.

Here's a page devoted to the Beav's musical career. There's also a link that will play a clip from his single "Wind Up Toy". As far as my critique...um, my mother once said if you don't have anything good to say to someone then keep your mouth closed. Thanks for the advice mom!

Bring on season 1!

http://www.leaveittobeaver.org/actor...rrysinging.htm

Travis either you're a good fortune teller, or David L just waited to release this news until the time was right...Either way, I'm also a happy camper!


http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=2628