"Happy Weekend" is reportedly Tony Dow's favorite episode, and it's easy to see why. It's one of the true classics of the series, and amazingly prescient. Ward thinks Beaver and Wally spend too much time with comic books, movies, and other "ready-made entertainment" and arranges for a family weekend at a cabin in the woods. He wants his boys to enjoy the rugged outdoor life just as he did.
But alas, modern civilization and modern commercialism have started to encroach upon the bucolic paradise: the boys discover a town nearby with a drug store and a drive-in movie theater; June goes to a beauty parlor to get her hair done; and the lake where they take a fishing excursion has been artificially stocked with fish (at a buck and a quarter!)
It's a shame the previous reviewer didn't see the subtleties of this episode. While many BEAVER episodes are criticized for being cookie-cutter and predictable, this one has a number of zigzags before it reaches its destination. The episode is beautifully shot: there is a magical scene in which Beaver and Wally lie in bed at night watching the crackling of the stove heater, laughing and joking and letting their imaginations run wild.
Ward realizes with regret that childhood isn't what it used to be. Children's activities are more organized now; people are constantly on the go and in a hurry to enjoy themselves; and drive-in movies are more attractive to kids than camping, hiking and fishing. "I guess I didn't have all the advantages you did," he tells his sons with a touch of irony. He realizes that you just "can't wrap up your childhood in a package and give it to your children." What would Ward think of today's children, who are even more over-committed than the kids of the '50s?
Still, the boys prove susceptible to the charms of the rugged life. Beaver discovers that he enjoys just sitting in a fishing boat with Wally and Ward and saying nothing. And right as the weekend is winding down, the two boys suddenly conceive the idea of building a raft with logs and launching it in the lake.
You will long remember Ward in his plaid shirt and fedora lounging in the fishing boat and philosophizing. The chemistry between Ward, June, Wally and Beaver is amazing. There is even an understated suggestion toward the end of marital intimacy between Ward and June - a daring touch.
Altogether, this is an unforgettable "Weekend."