Leave It to Beaver

We finally found out why Theodore was nick named "Beaver". It was because when Wally was little, he couldn't say "Theodore".

This final episode of Leave it to Beaver goes down in television history as the first traditional TV "series finale" (by today's standards) by ending with this "clip show." No other series prior to this had a special ending episode produced (with the exception of "Howdy Doody" in 1960--but it didn't use flashbacks and was not a sitcom!), they all just simply ended with a general story line that could have come at any point in the series.

Gilbert is in the class of '63

Gilbert Bates' middle name is revealed to be Grover.

The shadows of production personnel are visible in one of the golf course scenes when Mr. Langley walks toward the camera.

After the game they attempt to push-start Wally's car, but in other episodes it appeared that Wally's car is an automatic, making a push-start impossible.

While the newspaper headline and discussion was about Don Drysdale's 420-foot Home Run that won the game, Drysdale actually hit 0 home runs in 1962.

The shoes Beaver wears in the episode for Basketball are a pair of White canvas high-top PF-Flyers sneakers. Eddie calls them "tennis shoes," while the other cast members use the word sneakers.

The morning of Beaver's birthday. June, gives Beaver birthday cards. All, of the cards are in unsealed envelopes. Who, sends cards through the mail unsealed? And, with money in them.

Look for a very young Ryan O'Neal who has a small role in this episode. Many years before he became famous.

When Beaver is talking to Wally after going around the neighborhood a second time, he says, "Even that crazy guy who chased us away yesterday gave us money today." That doesn't make sense since the purpose of Beaver and Gilbert's second trip was just to record how much each donor had given. They weren't seeking any new donations, so why would they have bothered that man again - especially when they were afraid of him?

This episode is the has the highest production costs of the entire series. They had to build the very expensive billboard and use more than the usual number of studio sets.

In this episode, Eddie's father is Frank Haskell. When Eddie's father appears in season 1 on the bus ride, his name is George and in season 6 in the credit card episode, Eddie's father is named George.

This episode contains a rare early sitcom reference to God in a way that is neither vague nor comical. June, fearing that Beaver may be stealing school equipment, reminds him that when he is alone and thinks he can't be seen, there is Someone who can see him. Beaver asks if she means God, and June nods her head yes. Beaver then says he would not want to upset God since He has enough trouble with the Russians, a reference to the Cold War, another early sitcom rarity.

When the Cleavers are at the restaurant, there is a young woman sitting at a nearby table. She looks a lot like the actress that plays Beaver's school teacher in other episodes. She was probably cast in the role as an extra in the restaurant scene as the Cleavers don't 'recognize her' sitting nearby.

Listen close and you can hear the faint beat of a human heart in Eddie Haskell.

In this episode, Beaver mentions that he'd had his tonsils removed when he was younger.  However, in the Season 4 episode "Beaver's Tonsils," he still has them.

While watching this episode, I noticed that the scene of Downtown Mayfiield was actually a scene of Downtown Skokie IL. circa 1959. I have a pictorial history book of Skokie with the same picture looking north on Lincoln Ave circa 1946. I recorded it on my DVR and stopped the picture. I could see the same buildings especially the First National Bank of Skokie which was built in 1907. I even saw the same 20 MPH speed limit sign in both pictures.

In this episisode clues to the location of Mayfield are given when Ward tries to calm June's anxiety about the boys' use of the boat by saying, "...the ocean's 20 miles away..."

When Beaver goes inside to ask about riding in the garbage truck, you hear the horn of the garbage truck signalling Beaver to come. But when Beaver runs outside, Mr. Fletcher is standing behind the garbage truck holding a garbage can. He couldn't have honked the horn.