"Leave It to Beaver" Beaver Makes a Loan (TV Episode 1959) Poster

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9/10
Beaver Is Ready To Kill His Best 'Pal'
ccthemovieman-110 October 2010
Warning: Spoilers
"I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I'm just telling you what a creep you have for a friend." Yes! Way to "tell it like it is, Wally!" That was Wally explaining to Beaver why his pal Larry Mondello is probably thinking up an excuse not to pay him the money he owes him. Wally points out all the things Larry has "borrowed" from Beaver and never returned, always having an excuse that Beaver accepts. Beaver is such a sap when it comes to believing the conniving Mondello.

Rusty Stevens did a good job over the years playing Beaver's best friend. And, to be fair, on this episode Larry shows that he does intend to pay Beaver back right away, but he's so weak he winds up........well, see for yourself.

I'll give you one hint: Beaver is not a happy-camper in this one! He draws pictures of Larry dying a horrible death and says he is going to wait and give them to Mondello's wife to torment him sometime in the future!! ha ha.....but you know things will work out in the end; they always do.
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9/10
There is an important message here
ronnybee211217 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The sooner that kids learn about the pitfalls of 'loaning' money,the better! This is a great episode that handles this topic very well,and if the lesson is taken to heart at a young age there is no telling the headaches and problems that can be avoided going forward. Everyone,sooner or later,will end-up in a bad spot financially due to poor planning or honest mistakes-this is all part of young life,nothing unusual. Most of the time,the person works through it somehow,learns a lesson,and tries to avoid getting into these situations again. That is how most people do it.(or used to..) Then,there are some people like "Larry Mondello" that have a chronic problem with handling money. It slips through their fingers like water,they borrow and don't pay back,squander money that should be spent on bills,etc. It can be very difficult for an adult,let alone a child Beaver's age to tell the difference between the person with a temporary, minor money problem,and a person that is a chronic flim-flammer with other people's money. However,Beaver has been in plenty of bad spots because of Larry,and brother Wally reminds Beaver of several items that were loaned to Larry by Beaver that were never seen again,so Beaver should be picking up a pattern by now ! Very relatable and believable episode.
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9/10
Beware of Larry Mon-Devil
HuskyNoir15 July 2022
All I know is, if Beaver was getting into the loan shark business, this is one time that he could've definitely used the services of the bully, Sonny Cartwright (from the previous episode) as his muscle. That's the only person who ever seemed to give Larry what he deserved.
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10/10
Larry the Welcher; Or, a Lesson in Trust
MichaelMartinDeSapio9 November 2015
Beaver learns a lesson in trust in this third-season episode. The monetary back-and-forth is a bit confusing, but the gist is that Beaver borrows money from Ward, then lends money to Larry, who then welches on him. Larry is on his way to go pay Beaver back, but he gets derailed by Gilbert and Whitey who entice him with a hamburger-and-apple-pie lunch and an afternoon at the movies ("The Iron Fiend"). There's a great moment as the camera shows Larry's conflicted emotions: do his duty by Beaver, or go with Gilbert and Whitey? When Larry doesn't show up at Beaver's house, Beaver goes out to find him; and the two boys have a "show-down" at the soda shop where Larry is downing cream sodas with the last of his (borrowed) money. This is a very funny scene - like children enacting a Western. Of course, Beaver and Larry make up in the end. It was a telling touch to have Larry walk down the street singing "You Always Hurt the One You Love." How true, Larry Mondello, how true!
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Larry doesn't need Beaver telling him what to do. Or does he?
pensman15 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Beaver needs a quarter for a new notebook so Ward gives Beaver a dollar but makes him promise to bring back the change. Larry doesn't have his money and begs the loan of a quarter off of Beaver, he even promises to buy Beaver's notebook and bring back the change. Didn't work that way, when Larry went to get a notebook he owed the school store fifty cents already. The whole dollar went.

Beaver explains what happened and Ward tells Beaver no movie money, Beaver is to get his money from Larry. June offers to call Larry' mom but Ward says no; the boys need to work it out. Wally bets Beaver that he won't see that seventy-five cents. That money will go the way of Beaver's hat and Beaver's baseball.

Saturday morning and Larry is getting his allowance which he tells his mom he owes to Beaver. Larry calls Beaver and says he is bringing the money over. Beaver tells everyone Larry will be paying him back. Wally says he will wait until he sees the money. On the way to pay Beaver, Larry meets Whitey and Gilbert and decides to go to the movies with them, Larry says why should he let that Beaver push him around. When Wally find Beaver in the front yard, he offers to loan Beaver movie money since Larry double crossed him.

Just before going into the theater, Larry has an attack of conscience; but he still goes to see the movie. Ward gets home to find Beaver didn't get his money. Again, June offers to call Mrs. Mondello, and again Ward says no. Feeling bad, Ward gives Beaver the money to get a soda. And Beaver finds Larry at the soda shop with Larry, Whitey, and Gilbert. Beaver tells Larry to step outside to get a sock. Larry says it's three against one but both Whitey and Gilbert bow out. Larry refuses to leave so Beaver calls him a rat; and Whitey and Gilbert agree that Larry is a rat. At home, Beaver is drawing pictures of what he would like to do to Larry the rat.

Larry shows up with his parakeet (in a cage) and a box with his army men and marbles. Larry says he is leaving to join the French Foreign Legion. Larry says he won't go if Beaver will be his friend again. Beaver agrees that Larry can be his friend, so Larry asks if he can have his stuff back. Before Beaver gets angry again, Larry hands him seventy-five cents that his father gave him to give to Beaver. Then Beaver goes over to Larry's for lunch and all if fine as Ward said it would be, much to the amazement of June.

Wally asks if Beaver got his money back, he did. Will Beaver loan Larry a couple of bucks if he is asked? No, Beaver says they don't have a friendship worth two dollars. In fact, Beaver isn't sure they have one worth seventy-five cents.

The idea that disagreements among young kids is quite transient is on the money from what I recall about my childhood, and what I have seen in my grandchildren. So I go with Ward on this. But no kid in my memory is as big a patsy as is Beaver when it comes to Larry. There would have to be a point where Beaver "grows up" enough to see Larry for how he operates. Even Wally knows Eddy enough to trust him just so far and no farther.
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10/10
Larry influence finally adressed
vitoscotti24 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Well, Larry running cons on Beaver is finally widely adressed. How will this affect future scripts? His playing Beaver like a fiddle is a major repeated theme. But, it always works. If I remember right Rusty Stevens (Larry) sadly will leave the show soon. And also no more hysterically funny Mrs Mondello (Madge Blake).
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8/10
Beaver Is To Trusting
coreycitn6315 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Throughout Leave It To Beaver history Beaver had a poor choice in making friends. All of them from Gilbert Bates, Richard Rickover, Whitey and especially Larry Mondello has taken advantage of Beaver in different ways. While the most malicious is Gilbert with the school picture Larry Mondello takes advantage of Beaver's trust. In this case Larry gets the Beaver to foolishly to loan him money for a notebook. Of course Larry gets talked into seeing a movie with Gilbert and Whitey while leaving Beaver waiting for his "pal". Both June and Ward feeling bad for Beaver and Ward gives Beaver the money for a soda and encounters Larry, With his trust broken Beaver wants to fight Larry but Larry weasels himself out, The two later makes up with as usual the Beaver don't learns anything.
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5/10
The Larry-Beaver Feud
StrictlyConfidential20 March 2021
(*Wally quote*) - "Hey, Beaver, you got crumbs in the butter."

Larry Mondello owes Beaver 75 cents after he puts the squeeze on Beaver to loan him the money.

It doesn't take much coaxing from Whitey and Gilbert to convince Larry to go to the movies with them and just forget about paying Beaver back.

But Larry actually does have a conscience and he's willing to make amends in order to keep his friendship with Beaver going.
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