Leave it to Beaver is one of those shows that many adults grew up with. Some parents have shown it to their children through the ages. Mr. Feeny even showed it to Cory and Shawn’s class on Boy Meets World. The Cleaver family is known for their good clean fun, clean house, clean-cut appearance… and that’s a lot of clean. They’re also funny and easy to watch.
Even though the sitcom is pretty great, it is still a product of its time. The show was on from 1957 to 1963, so it is safe to say that some things have changed since then. Leave it to Beaver is good for some laughs, but it also has a few jokes that just aren’t quite right anymore.
The Blind Date Committee (Season 3, Episode 1)
Wally is chairman of the Blind Date Committee and must find dates for girls who don’t have escorts to the school dance. Jill Bartlett is the only girl who needs a date. Beaver pipes up, “Well, I’ll bet she’s a real ugly girl, with warts all over and gray hair.” It’s unbelievable that such a line just flies by. Wally gives Jill a call, and when her mother answers, Wally asks how much Jill weighs! Wally will call back if he “can find somebody that’ll take her.” Ward thinks it’s time to try to “line up a date” now that Wally knows “a little about her.”
Wally has trouble finding another suitor, so he asks Jill to go with him. Eddie Haskell teases Wally about his date. When Wally asks if Eddie has ever seen Jill, Eddie responds, “Sure, I saw her in the hall with a couple of other gophers.” Wally asks, “You mean she’s not good lookin’?” Eddie meanly answers, “Sure, if you happen to like gophers.” Ward tries to console Wally by telling him a story about having to take a “wet blanket” to prom back in his day. There is so much wrong with this episode, and these mean jokes go by left and right.
Mother’s Helper (Season 4, Episode 23)
The cringe-worthy joke in this episode is right at the beginning. Beaver: “Hey, Wally, when you get married, are you gonna have your wife do the dishes?” Wally: “Well, sure. That’s what a girl’s supposed to do, all the housework and the dishes and all that kind of stuff.” Beaver: “Boy, when I grow up, I’m not gonna marry a girl.” Wally: “Oh, you’re not?” Beaver: “Uh-uh, I’m gonna have paper plates instead.” This one speaks for itself.
It’s a Small World (Pilot)
The pilot episode of Leave It To Beaver featured two different actors, as pilots sometimes do. Ward Cleaver was played by Max Showalter (credited as Casey Adams), and Wally was played by Paul Sullivan.
Ward makes a startling remark when reasoning with Mr. Baxter: “Mr. Baxter, you make it sound like those two boys stuck a gun in your stomach and said, your money or your bicycle.” Even if intended sarcastically, gun violence is never something to joke about.
In the Soup (Season 4, Episode 32)
Wally wants to throw a Friday night house party. June Cleaver is fine with the idea, but she wants to discuss it with Ward. This will be a boy-girl party, and when the parents agree on it, June tells Ward, “You know the last time Wally had boys and girls to a party was on his twelfth birthday? Boys all stayed in the kitchen and the girls all stayed in the living room.” Ward quips, “Yeah, that’s when Wally was young and bashful and shy, and smart.” June says in a tone of warning, “Wa-ard.” Still, Ward gets away with another joke relating to gender roles.
Captain Jack (Season 1, Episode 2)
This is one of the most bizarre sitcom episodes ever. Beaver and Wally send away for an actual alligator. When their baby Florida alligator arrives, they must find a place to put it. Beaver says, “I filled the bathtub so it’d be ready for our alligator.” Wally answers, “Beaver, if we keep him in there, we won’t be able to take a bath.” Beaver finishes the joke with, “Yeah, it’s real good having an alligator.” Despite the absurdity of this episode, it was the first to show a toilet on television.
