Leave It to Beaver season 4
| Leave It to Beaver Season 4 | |
|---|---|
| Season 4 | |
| No. of episodes | 39 (black-and-white, full-screen, approx. 25 minutes) |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | October 1, 1960 – June 24, 1961 |
| Season chronology | |
The fourth season of the American television situation comedy Leave It to Beaver premiered on October 1, 1960 and concluded on June 24, 1961. It consisted of 39 episodes shot in black-and-white, each running approximately 25 minutes in length.
Production
The fourth season of Leave It to Beaver debuted on ABC October 1, 1960 with "Beaver Won't Eat" and aired its last episode, "Substitute Father", June 24, 1961. At forty-thousand dollars, "In the Soup" (May 6, 1961) would be the most expensive episode produced during the series' run. Like the previous three seasons, the fourth season consists of 39 black-and-white, full-screen, half-hour episodes (with ads) shot on 35mm film.
Opening and closing sequences
The opening sequence shows the stoop of the Pine Street house. June steps from the house carrying the boys' lunches; Ward appears carrying the boys' light jackets. Wally leaves the house. He is handed his lunch then his jacket and steps out of camera range. Beaver leaves the house. He is handed his lunch then his jacket and steps forward as the camera zooms in for his close-up. The closing sequence would use the sequence of the third season. In the closing credits, wardrobe is acknowledged with "Boys' Casual Wear by A-1 Manufacturing Co." and "Miss Billingsley's Dresses by DeDe Johnson". Both sequences are accompanied by the show's theme tune, "The Toy Parade".
Casting
As in previous seasons, all four of the show's main players appear in every episode.
Cheryl Holdridge made two previous appearances on the show as Gloria Cusick, one of Wally's girlfriends, but, in this season, makes her first appearance as Julie Foster, Wally's classmate and the daughter of one of his teachers. The Cusick character disappears while Julie Foster remains as one of Wally's girlfriends through the following seasons.
After sixty-seven appearances as Larry Mondello, Rusty Stevens leaves the show. His departure is attributed to a family move and forces Madge Blake (Larry's mother, Mrs. Mondello) to be written out of the show. Keith Taylor is hired to play Harry, a chubby boy in Beaver's class, whose bulk suggests the Larry Mondello character.
Following the season's third episode, "Beaver Becomes a Hero", Jeri Weil leaves the show with thirty-one appearances as Beaver's classroom nemesis, Judy Hensler under her belt. Karen Sue Trent then fills the classroom nemesis role as snooty Penny Woods.
The season is essentially Sue Randall's last after twenty-nine appearances as Miss Landers. She would, however, make one isolated fifth season appearance in "Nobody Loves Me" (February 1962). After her departure, Beaver has male teachers or Mrs. Rayburn.
Veronica Cartwright makes her last appearance as Violet Rutherford, although she returns to play Peggy MacIntosh in the final season episode, "Don Juan Beaver."
Direction and writing
Most of the directorial duties through the fourth season are the purview of Norman Abbott. Hugh Beaumont directs three episodes. Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher write most of the scripts and contribute as teleplay writers.
Leave It to Beaver universe
In the fictional world of the show, Beaver enters the fifth grade at Grant Ave. Grammar School and Wally the eleventh grade at Mayfield High. Ward's globe trotting uncle, "Billy" (Edgar Buchanan) makes the first of two appearances on the show. The viewer learns Miss Landers' first name is Alice when Beaver displays a newspaper article announcing her engagement. The adult theme of divorce is touched upon in the second episode, "Beaver's House Guest". Eddie's father, Frank Haskell (but George in other episodes), makes an appearance, phoning from "way up there" in Freeport, in "Eddie Spends the Night". Wally's girlfriends from the past, Mary Ellen Rogers and Alma Hanson, make appearances while new girlfriend Julie Foster is introduced. Wally's one-shot girlfriends this season include Kitty Bannerman, Margie Manners, and Ginny Townsend.
Episodes
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 118 | 1 | "Beaver Won't Eat" | Norman Abbott | Bob Ross | October 1, 1960 | 13254 |
| 119 | 2 | "Beaver's House Guest" | Norman Abbott | Arthur Kober | October 8, 1960 | 13251 |
| 120 | 3 | "Beaver Becomes a Hero" | Gene Reynolds | Teleplay: Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher Story: Frank Gabrielson | October 15, 1960 | 13252 |
| 121 | 4 | "Wally, the Lifeguard" | Andrew McCullough | George Tibbles, Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher | October 22, 1960 | 13256 |
| 122 | 5 | "Beaver's Freckles" | Norman Abbott | Teleplay: Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher Story: William Cowley and Peggy Chantler Dick (as Peggy Chantler) | October 29, 1960 | 13253 |
| 123 | 6 | "Beaver's Big Contest" | Gene Reynolds | Teleplay: Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher Story: Arthur Kober | November 5, 1960 | 13255 |
| 124 | 7 | "Miss Landers' Fiance" | Norman Abbott | Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher | November 12, 1960 | 13261 |
| 125 | 8 | "Eddie's Double-Cross" | Norman Abbott | Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher | November 19, 1960 | 13260 |
| 126 | 9 | "Beaver's I.Q." | Norman Abbott | Theodore and Mathilde Ferro | November 26, 1960 | 13257 |
| 127 | 10 | "Wally's Glamour Girl" | Norman Abbott | Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher | December 3, 1960 | 13259 |
| 128 | 11 | "Chuckie's New Shoes" | Norman Abbott | Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher | December 10, 1960 | 13262 |
| 129 | 12 | "Beaver and Kenneth" | Norman Abbott | Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher | December 17, 1960 | 13265 |
| 130 | 13 | "Beaver's Accordion" | Gene Reynolds | Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher | December 24, 1960 | 13266 |
| 131 | 14 | "Uncle Billy" | Norman Abbott | Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher | December 31, 1960 | 13268 |
| 132 | 15 | "Teacher's Daughter" | Norman Abbott | Teleplay: Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher Story: Alan Lipscott and Bob Fisher | January 7, 1961 | 13264 |
| 133 | 16 | "Ward's Millions" | Hugh Beaumont | Teleplay: Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher Story: Theodore and Mathilde Ferro | January 14, 1961 | 13263 |
| 134 | 17 | "Beaver's Secret Life" | Norman Abbott | Wilton Schiller and Joe Connelly & Bob Mosher | January 21, 1961 | 13269 |
| 135 | 18 | "Wally's Track Meet" | Norman Abbott | Joe Connelly & Bob Mosher | January 28, 1961 | 13270 |
| 136 | 19 | "Beaver's Old Buddy" | Norman Abbott | Dick Conway & Roland MacLane and Joe Connelly & Bob Mosher | February 4, 1961 | 13271 |
| 137 | 20 | "Beaver's Tonsils" | Norman Abbott | Theodore and Mathilde Ferro and Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher | February 11, 1961 | 13272 |
| 138 | 21 | "The Big Fish Count" | Norman Abbott | Dick Conway & Roland MacLane and Joe Connelly & Bob Mosher | February 18, 1961 | 13273 |
| 139 | 22 | "Beaver's Poster" | Norman Abbott | Teleplay: Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher Story: Ellis Marcus | February 25, 1961 | 13275 |
| 140 | 23 | "Mother's Helper" | Norman Abbott | Dick Conway & Roland MacLane and Joe Connelly & Bob Mosher | March 4, 1961 | 13274 |
| 141 | 24 | "The Dramatic Club" | Dann Cahn | Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher | March 11, 1961 | 13267 |
| 142 | 25 | "Wally and Dudley" | Hugh Beaumont | George Tibbles | March 18, 1961 | 13276 |
| 143 | 26 | "Eddie Spends the Night" | Norman Abbott | Dick Conway & Roland MacLane and Joe Connelly & Bob Mosher | March 25, 1961 | 13278 |
| 144 | 27 | "Beaver's Report Card" | Norman Abbott | Teleplay: Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher Story: Theodore and Mathilde Ferro | April 1, 1961 | 13277 |
| 145 | 28 | "Mistaken Identity" | Norman Abbott | Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher | April 8, 1961 | 13280 |
| 146 | 29 | "Wally's Dream Girl" | Norman Abbott | Katherine and Dale Eunson | April 15, 1961 | 13279 |
| 147 | 30 | "The School Picture" | Norman Abbott | Teleplay: Dick Conway and Roland MacLane Story: Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher | April 22, 1961 | 13281 |
| 148 | 31 | "Beaver's Rat" | Hugh Beaumont | Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher | April 29, 1961 | 13285 |
| 149 | 32 | "In the Soup" | Norman Abbott | Teleplay: Joe Connelly, Bob Mosher Story: Dick Conway, Roland MacLane | May 6, 1961 | 13287 |
| 150 | 33 | "Community Chest" | Norman Abbott | Raphael Blau, Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher | May 13, 1961 | 13284 |
| 151 | 34 | "Junior Fire Chief" | Norman Abbott | Bill Manhoff , Dick Conway & Roland MacLane and Joe Connelly & Bob Mosher | May 20, 1961 | 13288 |
| 152 | 35 | "Beaver's Frogs" | Norman Abbott | Lou Breslow and Joseph Hoffman | May 27, 1961 | 13282 |
| 153 | 36 | "Beaver Goes in Business" | Norman Abbott | Dick Conway & Roland MacLane and Joe Connelly & Bob Mosher | June 3, 1961 | 13258 |
| 154 | 37 | "Kite Day" | Norman Abbott | Teleplay: Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher Story: Katherine & Dale Eunson | June 10, 1961 | 13286 |
| 155 | 38 | "Beaver's Doll Buggy" | Anton M. Leader | Dick Conway & Roland MacLane and Joe Connelly & Bob Mosher | June 17, 1961 | 13289 |
| 156 | 39 | "Substitute Father" | David Butler | Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher | June 24, 1961 | 13290 |
References
- Applebaum, Irwyn. The World According to Beaver. TV Books, 1998. ISBN 1-57500-052-0.
- IMDb: Leave It to Beaver. Season 4.
- Mathers, Jerry....And Jerry Mathers as "The Beaver". Berkley Boulevard Books, 1998. ISBN 0-425-16370-9.