Leave It to Beaver (TV Series) Beaver's Big Contest (1960) User Reviews

A Lesson in Delayed Gratification

[MichaelMartinDeSapio · 9/10 · 30 July 2016]

Beaver enters a raffle contest and wins third prize, a sports car. As Beaver is obviously too young to use the car, Ward plans to sell it and invest the money in Beaver's college education. This upsets Beaver, as he had been full of dreams about the car and how much he would enjoy it. The blow is all the more crushing since Eddie Haskell has been taunting Beaver that his father would "take the car away from him."

Ward explains that it's the right thing to do. After all, they can't just let the car sit in the garage until Beaver is old enough to drive it. And so Beaver learns that adult realities trump childhood dreams; he learns the important virtue of "delayed gratification."

It's a solid episode, but actually the most interesting part of it has nothing to do with the main plot. Wally finds June sitting in the living room listening to a record of Donizetti's opera LUCIA DI LAMERMOOR. June explains how she used to go to operas, plays and sporting events in New York. It's nice to have this glimpse of the private world of June Cleaver, who is usually so wrapped up in the affairs of her family.

This episode marks the final appearance of Larry Mondello (not counting the "flashback" sequences in the series finale). The last we see of him, he is sitting with Beaver in a pretend automobile as the two kids make-believe they are driving a racing car.

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

[AlsExGal · 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.

Goodbye, Larry!

[dktamosan · 9/10 · 17 May 2024]

After being in the previous episode-"Beaver's Freckles" Larry makes his final appearance here. Just a brief one with he and Beaver driving a pretend car but it brings back memories of the episode where Larry talked Beaver into driving the "one lunger" around the block that ended with Beaver getting a ticket! Larry may have been Beaver's best friend but he sure had a knack for talking Beaver into doing things that inevitably got him into trouble. Immediately afterwards he would usually say-"Boy Beaver, you really shouldn't have (fill in the deed)." Larry became a regular character after Wally got older and started hanging around with his friends (Eddie, Chester, Tooey) and Beaver needed a sidekick so along came Larry. He was irreplaceable even with Richard and Gilbert trying to fill that spot but they never really did. Heck, they never even ate apples!

THE TEEN DREAM EPISODE OF ALL TIME.

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 7 February 2024]

One of three super episodes directed by Gene Reynolds (MASH), so many of us grown up kids at heart remember to this day. Unbeatable.

10 Plus Stars.

Beave is selling raffle tickets for a new hospital, in which he ALSO has a chance to win. As Beaver's weird luck would have it, yes, he WINS a brand new sports car, worth $3500 -- over $36,000 dollars today.

OMG on steroids.

Naturally, Eddie Haskell has to throw a wet blanket on Beave's good fortune, insisting Ward and June would keep the car for themselves. Beave would be lucky if they gave him a ride! Eddie is a work of art.

Unfortunately... here it comes... Ward tells Beave it's best to sell the car, since he's too young to drive, and put the money in the bank for college. And that's a lot of mazuma. In actuality, Beave is a rich kid.

I do, I DO agree with the last reviewer, and have said the same for the last 50 years. Ward's right, but keeping the car would have been so cool. Ya think?

Another thing, considering tv production costs, producers Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher probably couldn't afford to keep the car, more than likely renting it. That's why they call is show "business."

Even if you are not a fan, this is an episode you cannot miss. Life's frustrations.

This was also the last episode for Rusty Stevens (Larry Mondello). He was a talented child actor, and had many other tv show credits to his name, but according to Barbara Billingsley, Rusty's parents argued a lot with the producers, which resulted in him being cut with from the show. If you can recall in one or two prior episodes, Larry actually had more dialogue than Beaver, which may have been brought upon by his parents. Not a wise idea.

Look for famous character actor Burt Mustin as Gus, the friendly fireman. Mustin originally sold cars in Hollywood, and when he retired, became an actor. He made the right choice. By the way, this classic episode was written by famous screenwriter Arthur Kober, who wrote many movies, and co-wrote the Bette Davis classic, THE LITTLE FOXES. Good trivia question.

3500 reasons NOT to miss this one. SEASON 4 EPISODE 6 remastered. Super color cover on the dvd box set.

Beaver does win a lot of stuff over the years.

[pensman · 6/10 · 28 March 2017]

Ward is a little short sighted about selling Beaver's sports car. Had he kept it in the garage and in pristine condition, the value would have gone up; plus, Ward and June could have driven it around. And as Wally is a junior in high school, I'm sure Beaver would have let Wally use it to be a babe magnet. And to get Eddie's goat.

But Ward decides it would be better to sell the cat and use the money for Beaver's college fund. If Ward managed to get $3,000 for the car and put the money in an account paying 5% for 6 years. He would have $4,000. Better to have kept the car.

June had the best idea. Let the hospital tell Beaver he was too young to win a car and therefore he was only eligible for the cash value. That would have been the easiest way out.

But Beaver writes a great newspaper ad to help sell the car. Yes, the episode endorses common sense; but it would have been a whole lot cooler to have kept the car.

He Won! He Won!

[StrictlyConfidential · 5/10 · 22 November 2020]

(*Wally quote*) - "Hey, mom, would it be OK if I quit high school?"

For a dollar a shot, Beaver is selling raffle tickets to help benefit the new Mayfield hospital.

Beaver is so gung-ho about selling these tickets that he's certain he's bound to win one of the grand prizes.

Unfortunately, that obnoxious creep, Eddie Haskell ruins Beaver's euphoria by spouting off about the ways of parents.