Leave It to Beaver (season 5)

At the country club Ward is greeted like a future in-law by the father of Evelyn, a girl Wally is dating. Later, at the dinner table, Ward and June try to get Wally to explain, without much luck. When Wally plays tennis with Evelyn and her older sister Judy and her husband, who dropped out of junior college to get married, the Cleavers really start to worry. However, after a night at the Hendersons, seeing that their life is more frantic than fun, Wally realizes that marriage is "nothing to mess with". Later, at the club, after Wally has stopped "going steady" with Evelyn, Ward overhears Evelyn's father introduce himself to someone else as a prospective relative. After Evelyn's father leaves, Ward tells the man to let his son accept any invitation to visit the Hendersons.

Guests: Mary Mitchel as Evelyn Boothby, Gloria Gilbert as Judy Henderson, Ryan O'Neal as Tom Henderson, Pat McCaffrie as Bill Boothby, Frederick DeWilde as Jack Bennett (as Frederic deWilde; father of Brandon deWilde).

Ward and June have been invited to the McBride's wedding anniversary on Friday, and Wally is taking Susan to a dance at the lake. Even Lumpy has a date. Who will watch Beaver? Beaver thinks that he's too old for babysitters and his parents are loath to tell him otherwise. When Gilbert and Richard show up and tell Beaver his family treats him like a baby, Beaver says, Oh yeah?, he's staying at home by himself on Friday. This they have to see. So, when Beaver is told that there will be a sitter, he's very unhappy. However, this sitter is Judy, whom Wally can't take his eyes off of, with a voice like a kitten's purr, and the good sense to disappear when Gilbert and Richard come calling. It's enough to make Beaver wish he were a baby again.

Ward has just come back from playing 27 holes of golf and June is in the kitchen paring vegetables. Then come crashing sounds as Lumpy's car pushes Wally's newly purchased, non-running 1936 Ford coupe up the driveway. Ward and June are stunned that Wally, absent his driver's license, would make such a purchase without consulting them, given all the added costs having a car entails ($200 for car insurance, plus registration, $4-5 per week for gas and oil). Now the car is blocking the driveway and can't be pushed. Ward and June take a cab to the Algers, while Wally calls Lumpy to bring "the guys" and tools. The car is taken apart enough to be pushed out of the way, but Ward and June are shocked to return near midnight to find Wally and Beaver both working on it. Wally can't keep the car, but can he recoup his $25 investment? While Wally sells off car parts, Ward calls a junk dealer who'll pay $15 for such a car with all the parts. When the dealer arrives with his tow truck, to find the car picked over like a fish bone, Wally is able to pay him $10 to haul it away, and still have $2.50 profit from selling the parts.

Beavers asks for money for his birthday when he decides he's too old for birthday parties, and his parents give him a stash they want him to save. Beaver plans on saving it, but then sees a model car he's been wanting.

Beaver rescues Mrs. Prentiss' cat and feeds it while he waits for her to claim it, but the cat won't leave him alone.

Eddie stops by from the library, where's he's been writing an essay on Aristotle, with plans to go to M.I.T. But Wally may have a weekend job. "Sam" has managed to make Eddie look bad again. June knows her polite, conscientious son will get the job, as he does, and all the free ice cream he can eat, which makes any new worker too sick to want it. But Beaver thinks that means he and his friends will be treated. When they can't pay for their 25-cent sodas, Wally thinks of calling the cops but lets them go with a warning. Then the girls, all the girls, show up; and there's nothing behind that counter they want more than Wally. Eddie and Lumpy show but feel slighted. So, they pose as Mary Ellen's father, and phone to have Wally deliver ice cream to her slumber party, where boys are forbidden. After being chased from the premises by a furious dad, Wally seeks out his friends at their homes and dumps some now melted pistachio on Lumpy, and a carton of vanilla down the front of Eddie. Ward understands, but is concerned by, Wally's loss of temper. The fact that Wally himself has a "creepy felling" about it is a good sign.

When Ward and June are found snacking on cream cheese and crackers—to forestall hunger pangs at the housewarming at the Burke's, whose lunches are invariably late—the boys ask for rides to the park and Gilbert's, nearby destinations. Ward and June are being picked up by the Tolans; and Ward suggests walking, as he would have been expected to do. Beaver thinks that was because it was harder to hitch up the horse and wagon. Wally goes to the park and Gilbert comes over. With everyone else gone, Beaver and Gilbert sit in the car and pretend to take a trip, until Beaver releases the emergency brake, and the car rolls into the street, blocking all traffic. Gilbert flees and meets Wally. Wally hurries home, finds the spare key, and heroically drives the car out of the way. Then the police arrive and cite Wally for driving without a license. Beaver needs to explain how the car got out into the street. Wally and Beaver meet Ward at traffic court. Their story to the judge is too complicated, but they do make the point that it's hard to ask an adult when all the adults are yelling. Wally gets a warning. Beaver will sit in a box the next time he wants to drive. And, no, he doesn't want to see the judge again, either.

The 16th is the day of the drawing for the Mayfield-Riverside High exchange dance. It was idea of Mrs. Mulligan, the social studies teacher, to choose dates by lot, to teach good citizenship. Eddie coyly offers to trade the date he drew, Gail Preston, for Wally's Marjorie Muller, claiming he and Marjorie have hit it off. By her picture in the Riverside yearbook Eddie has brought, Gail is a knockout; but when Wally goes to the malt shop to meet her, she turns out to be "nine feet tall", which Eddie knew. Wally finds Eddie trying to retrieve the yearbook and really is about to clobber him, when June comes in. At the dance, Gail has her hair down and has worn flats, and she's no taller than Wally. They have a great time until Wally brushes off Beaver's phoned reports of parental illness, but she easily understands why Beaver was only trying to give Wally an excuse to leave. At home, June remembers wearing her hair down and flats for a shorter boy. Ward says today's teens are too sophisticated to be that kind.

Beaver wants $6 to buy a season ticket to the ice rink. Ward worries that further expenses will result as things get out of hand, especially, June adds, seeing the way his current golf habit has grown from a single 5-iron. Sure enough Beaver soon wants some skates, on sale at $12.95, bought with money from his bank account. Reluctantly, his parents agree. Unfortunately, Beaver is sold a pair three sizes too large by an unscrupulous salesman. At the rink, Beaver can hardly stand. He takes to hiding in the library while saying he's out skating. Wally finds Beaver there, after returning a copy of Gone With the Wind. Wally and Beaver try to return the skates, but the salesman quotes a no-return policy on sales items. Later, at home, Ward reads that the ice rink has been closed recently. When Ward gets the truth, he won't let the store get away with it, and gets a refund. Beaver wishes his parents had been mean enough to deny him new skates. Ward says kids should learn to handle responsibility before they try to take it.

Wally gets permission to go on a chaperoned trip to the lake with his friends, but finds out their parents won't be joining them. He does not tell his parents this. Eventually they learn the truth, and forbid Wally from going. It turns out all the other parents did the same thing, effectively cancelling the trip.

Ward convinces Wally to tutor Beaver and Gilbert since they're having a rough time getting through English class. Wally gives Beaver and Gilbert one of his old English tests for them to study, but the next day their teacher, by coincidence, gives them the exact same test to take. Both Beaver and Gilbert ace this test, but Beaver feels guilty that he cheated, because of the test he had studied the night before. Eventually Beaver confesses to his teacher, Mr. Blair, who isn't angered, but questions Beaver on how he felt about the situation. Beaver admits that he's not as good at English is his recent test indicated. Mr. Blair is impressed with Beaver's knowledge of right and wrong and hopes Beaver will study and try harder in the future.

Wally feels embarrassed when it looks like his own date is driving him to the dance.

Beaver goes out on his first date.

Beaver gets himself in another spot when he uses his father's favorite golf club, thinks he accidentally broke it, and buys a replacement one on credit. However, it turns out the original club was already slightly broken.

Although he's delighted that she's leaving school, Beaver reluctantly attends the going-away party of his nemesis Penny, but they soon start to get along.

Beaver is required to wear bunny ears for a school production, making him an easy target for humiliation.

Beaver is unhappy that his parents are making him give away his electric trains, even though he hasn't played with them for over two years.

Beaver and Gilbert are permitted to stay home alone while the rest of the family is out at various activities. All is well, and the boys watch a mystery movie on TV that makes them jumpy and a little scared to be home alone. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the boys, Lumpy and another boy have arrangements to pick up Wally late at night, after his basketball game, to go to a masquerade party. They arrive outside the Cleaver’s house dressed in gangster attire and Lumpy wearing a hideous mask. They park on the wrong side of the street, turn out their car lights, in a car Beaver doesn't recognize - all in an attempt to scare Wally when he gets home. Gilbert and Beaver, of course, don't know any of this and see this strange car complete with gangsters with masks outside their house late at night, and call the police. The result is that Lumpy and his friend are arrested, and the rest of the show deals with the Cleavers and the Rutherfords sorting it all out.

Beaver talks his parents into letting him buy an expensive jacket just like Richard's, then shares it when Richard's own jacket goes missing. Richard then makes excuses to delay returning Beaver's jacket.

Beaver wallows in self-pity when he thinks his parents don't love him. Beaver has a series of misadventures with his parents and his brother in which they all appear to continually scold and chastize him for, well, being Beaver. Looking over their shoulders, spilling water at the dinner table, and being dirty and wearing dirty clothes. The last straw is when his mom and dad fail to kiss him goodnight. He concludes he is no longer loved or wanted in the house. Wally clues in his mom about Beaver’s feelings, and blames it on his “age”. Beaver makes visits to his old teacher, Miss (Alice) Landers (this is the final episode appearance of Sue Randall) and his old fireman friend, Gus the fireman, in order to receive positive validation of himself from his old friends and mentors. Later, following Wally’s cue (Thanks Wally) mom and dad put on a show for Beaver with the result being a reaffirmation of their unconditional love for him. Problem solved.

After claiming to be brave enough to go with Wally and his friends to the amusement park, Beaver discovers his fear of rollercoasters. He gets a pep talk from Gus the fireman, and bravely goes off with the "big guys" to the amusement park. The tables are turned, however, when Eddie is the one who faints from fear on the roller coaster ride, while everyone else, including the Beaver, have a great time. Beaver makes a giant leap from little boy to big guy in this episode.

Beaver promises his new pet burro, Pepe, won't cause any trouble, but has a lot of explaining to do when Pepe get loose.

Eddie tells Wally and Lumpy that he's quitting high school to take a job as a local garage attendant. His new boss criticizes his clumsy, sloppy work. Wally then has the school principal buy gasoline from Eddie and hint that he is needed back at school to help manage a sports team.

Wally considers disobeying his parents when Lumpy invites him to a party at his house.

Beaver learns that doing the laundry is not as easy as it looks when he goes with Richard to the laundromat.

Ward permits Lumpy to drive Wally and Beaver to an out-of-town sporting event, unaware that Eddie is also going.

Beaver helps Wally babysit a 10-year-old girl who loves to play house, which Beaver finds is kind of fun.

Beaver tries out for the basketball team for his parents' sake, only to learn that everyone expects him to be good because of Wally.

Beaver's begging for a typewriter to help him with his schoolwork pays off, but he soon learns that typing is not as easy as it looks. Beaver pays Eddie to type his school report, only to have his teacher expect future reports will be typewritten as well.

Ward and June think Wally is considering joining the Merchant Marines, especially when he comes home two hours late.

A new girl joins Beaver's class and he offers to walk her home, and later visit the Cleaver house. However, much to his chagrin she shows great interest in Wally, even though Wally tries to rebuff and avoid her.

The Cleaver boys do their best to rake leaves and clean the yard like their father told them, but distractions keep them from getting the job done.

Wally is put in an awkward situation when a very attractive, slightly older woman asks him to be her regular tennis partner just to make her boyfriend jealous.

Wally is asked to join an exclusive club called the Barons, only to find that they're not so cool, but a group of spoiled playboys.

Beaver and his friends buy sweatshirts with monster faces on them, and they all plan to wear them to school the next day. However, none of their parents are impressed with their purchases, and forbid them to wear these sweatshirts to school. Beaver sneaks his own under his other clothes anyway, but ends up being only one holding the bag, when no one else went through with wearing theirs. Ward is called to bring Beaver home, and not to bring him back until he's dressed properly, and he later explains that certain actions are wrong, no matter who or how many people are doing them.

Gilbert's dad has to work late, making him unable to take Gilbert, Beaver, and two others on a camping trip, so Wally becomes their chaperone. Eddie and Lumpy arrive separately at night and scare the boys with sound effects of wild animals from a portable phonograph. But when a real coyote howls, a panicked Eddie runs off and falls onto a ledge. The park ranger must be summoned to throw Eddie a harness and pull him to safety.

Beaver and his friends, after making some prank phone calls, make a long-distance call to baseball star Don Drysdale, each intending to chip in for it. But partly because they had to wait for Drysdale to get out of the shower to talk, the call turns out to cost a lot more than they expected. The news of their chat with Drysdale makes the paper, but it only gets them all in trouble with their parents. Ward tells them that they had no right to use his telephone to call or prank-call anyone without permission, and decides he wants all the boys to do yard work for him after school for a week to cover the extra cost. Afterwards, Ward questions Beaver if all this was worth it, and Beaver claims nothing is worth having his father be disappointed in him.

The Cleaver boys express interest in the stock market, so Ward encourages them to invest in sensible utility stocks and bonds. His advice proves wise when a friend's investment in speculative stock gains soars to a high price, then drops sharply down.

The Cleavers' plan for a vacation at the lake is dampened when Wally prefers to spend time with his new girlfriend.