LEAVE IT TO BEAVER: BEAVER GETS 'SPELLED' {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The premiere of this comedy series about the Cleaver family -- Ward and June and their two sons, Wally and Theodore, known as "the Beaver." Beaver's new teacher, Miss Canfield, gives him a note to take home to his parents. Beaver comes to believe that the note bears ill news and could possibly get him expelled. He chooses not to tell his parents about the note, but confides in Wally about it. Wally tries to assure Beaver that he won't get expelled unless he did something truly reprehensible. However, this does little to assuage Beaver's fears. The next day, Miss Canfield locates her note under Beaver's desk, unopened. Beaver tries to weasel his way out by spinning a fabrication, saying that last night his stove blew up and his father got hospitalized. Miss Canfield believes Beaver and tells the principal, Mrs. Rayburn, about the supposed incident. She also reveals to Mrs. Rayburn the purpose of the note: to ask June if Beaver can participate in the school upcoming fire prevention pageant. Ward and June are confused when Mrs. Rayburn sends Ward flowers, asking him to get well soon. Meanwhile, Beaver has lost Miss Canfield's note, and so Wally types a response to it, assuming that the note was accusing Beaver of perpetrating some wrongdoing. His response describes the Cleavers as upset and administering corporal punishment to Beaver. Miss Canfield and Mrs. Rayburn receive the answer and Mrs. Rayburn sees through the deception, calling for a parent-teacher conference with June to clear things up. However, Beaver learns about the meeting and skips school. June learns this and the Cleaver family search all over town for Beaver, who is on the run. Finally they locate Beaver hiding up a tree in the park. Eventually June convinces Beaver to return home, and everyone learns the truth. Beaver serves detention with Miss Canfield, who tries to convince him that she's not his enemy. Beaver seems to warm up to her; he disliked how she called him by his real name "Theodore," and she agrees to call him "Beaver" from then on. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: October 4, 1957 6:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:26:43
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: B:05983
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1957-1958; ABC - 1958-1963
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Harry Ackerman … Executive Producer
- Joe Connelly … Producer, Writer
- Bob Mosher … Producer, Writer
- Dan Nathan … Associate Producer
- Norman Tokar … Director
- Barbara Billingsley … Cast, June Cleaver
- Hugh Beaumont … Cast, Ward Cleaver
- Tony Dow … Cast, Wally Cleaver
- Jerry Mathers … Cast, Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver
- Diana Brewster (See also: Diane Brewster) … Cast, Miss Canfield
- Doris Packer … Cast, Mrs. Cornelia Rayburn
- Burt Mustin … Cast, Gus the Fireman
- Stanley Fafara … Cast, Hubert "Whitey" Whitney
- Jeri Weil … Cast, Judy Hensler
- Gary Allen … Cast, First Man
- Steve Paylow … Cast, Boy
- Ralph Sanford … Cast, Fats Flannaghan
- Alan Reynolds … Cast, Second Man