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.

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 popular movies, and was a contributing writer to the Bette Davis classic, THE LITTLE FOXES. Good trivia question.

3500 reasons NOT to miss this one. SEASON 4 EPISODE 6 remastered.

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.