We open with Wally sorting what appear to be school assignments, and he asks Beaver why isn't he going out with their parents. Outside of his parents, Beaver says he tries to avoid being with grown-ups. Wally's going to the school even though it's Saturday; he will be working on the school paper, thus the sorting of papers on the bed. Beaver is suspicious of Wally's motives. Rightly so, the editor Wally will be helping is a girl.
Gilbert and Alan are coming over to spend the day with Beaver, no doubt because his parents are going out and leaving him behind; but also with a list of verbal do not's. He may be growing up but still. Gilbert comes up with an idea to pass the time: calling up people on the phone to try and get them upset. First, he calls the meat market to see if they have pig's feet. Really, then put them in shoes and no one will know it. Those of you of a certain decade will recognize this version of harassment which has been replaced and "improved" by online harassment. Gilbert has a string of ideas but Beaver puts a stop to it. Gilbert's not done. How about we call someone real like Pat Boone, or John Glenn, or Don Drysdale. Drysdale, he's in Los Angeles. Beaver figures his dad isn't up to their putting through a long-distance call. They were expensive back then.
The boys put together their funds, they have about one dollar, and are about to call when Wally walks in. He immediately smells a rat. Three boys don't sit together silently on a sofa. As soon as Wally leaves, the boys are at it. Beaver is sensing something isn't right but for some reason his "grown-up" genes have yet to kick in: he still can't tell anyone to stop. The call goes through to Dodger Stadium but Drysdale is in the shower. He gets out and talks with the boys, at least with Gilbert, and even he voices a concern about the cost of this call. The call goes on and on and the bill will come.
When the boys balk about paying a quarter each, the operator tells them the call was $9.35 plus tax. Guessing Ward will not be happy. As soon as they hear a car, the boys ditch Beaver as usual. But Gilbert comes up with a bad idea, and as expected Beaver will agree. Instead of confessing what they did, they will make a secret pact to say nothing for a month. Perhaps in a month they will have the money to cover the call.
Ward and June are happy, the house is in one piece and nothing seems broken. Perhaps Beaver really is growing up. Wally wants to know if his parents have found out what the boys wrecked. Wally says when he came home there they were sitting on the sofa like the "see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil monkeys." June believes Wally is being overly suspicious; Wally and Ward don't agree.
At school on Monday Kenny is bragging about an autographed picture of a race driver his father got for him. That's nothing brags Gilbert. We were at Beaver's and spoke to Don Drysdale. Bye, bye secret pact. Kenny goes home and tells his dad the story. Not good because Kenny's father works for the newspaper, and he thinks it will be a good human interest story.
Wally knows something is up. Beaver asks if Wally ever charged anything without permission. Yep, a dollar's worth of gas, and that angered their father. What made it worse was Wally didn't tell him right way. Beaver confesses to Wally about his call was to Los Angeles. Wally agrees, Beaver is in trouble.
As he gets home, Ward brings in the paper. He hasn't read it yet, but June sees the story about boys calling Don Drysdale. Ward thinks it's funny until he sees the names. Now everyone knows.
Beaver has his usual lame excuse. Gilbert and Alan show up. Their fathers read the paper too. Gilbert says he father says that Ward can do anything he wants to his son. All three are marched into the den and the entire story comes out. Ward is upset. Each boy will have to come over and work for an hour a day for a week doing yard work. Beaver feels bad for not being up front with his father, but the smart money says he will make a similar mistake in the future.
We don't know if anything happened to Alan, but Gilbert's father has taken away all phone privileges for a month.
In 1962, all long-distance calls were operated assisted. Beaver made what was called a station to station call. Basically, a phone to phone call which meant the call was completed when anyone came on the line. Much more expensive was a person-to-person call which was only completed when the person named picked up the phone. This was much abused as it was used to assure someone you had arrived somewhere safely. I might call myself at home and the operator would say they had a call for me. When say my mother would tell the operator I wasn't there but would the operator ask if the caller wished to speak with anyone else, she would hear my voice saying no, and then she knew I was safe. No charge for the call because it wasn't completed. Today with VOIP lines and smart phones, no one even knows about having to use a real operator and have a call go through a switchboard.
And that was Don Drysdale doing a cameo spot on the show. Drysdale is a Hall-of-Fame pitcher now. Back then he was a pitcher for the LA Dodgers and was the idol of many a young boy.
Gilbert and Alan are coming over to spend the day with Beaver, no doubt because his parents are going out and leaving him behind; but also with a list of verbal do not's. He may be growing up but still. Gilbert comes up with an idea to pass the time: calling up people on the phone to try and get them upset. First, he calls the meat market to see if they have pig's feet. Really, then put them in shoes and no one will know it. Those of you of a certain decade will recognize this version of harassment which has been replaced and "improved" by online harassment. Gilbert has a string of ideas but Beaver puts a stop to it. Gilbert's not done. How about we call someone real like Pat Boone, or John Glenn, or Don Drysdale. Drysdale, he's in Los Angeles. Beaver figures his dad isn't up to their putting through a long-distance call. They were expensive back then.
The boys put together their funds, they have about one dollar, and are about to call when Wally walks in. He immediately smells a rat. Three boys don't sit together silently on a sofa. As soon as Wally leaves, the boys are at it. Beaver is sensing something isn't right but for some reason his "grown-up" genes have yet to kick in: he still can't tell anyone to stop. The call goes through to Dodger Stadium but Drysdale is in the shower. He gets out and talks with the boys, at least with Gilbert, and even he voices a concern about the cost of this call. The call goes on and on and the bill will come.
When the boys balk about paying a quarter each, the operator tells them the call was $9.35 plus tax. Guessing Ward will not be happy. As soon as they hear a car, the boys ditch Beaver as usual. But Gilbert comes up with a bad idea, and as expected Beaver will agree. Instead of confessing what they did, they will make a secret pact to say nothing for a month. Perhaps in a month they will have the money to cover the call.
Ward and June are happy, the house is in one piece and nothing seems broken. Perhaps Beaver really is growing up. Wally wants to know if his parents have found out what the boys wrecked. Wally says when he came home there they were sitting on the sofa like the "see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil monkeys." June believes Wally is being overly suspicious; Wally and Ward don't agree.
At school on Monday Kenny is bragging about an autographed picture of a race driver his father got for him. That's nothing brags Gilbert. We were at Beaver's and spoke to Don Drysdale. Bye, bye secret pact. Kenny goes home and tells his dad the story. Not good because Kenny's father works for the newspaper, and he thinks it will be a good human interest story.
Wally knows something is up. Beaver asks if Wally ever charged anything without permission. Yep, a dollar's worth of gas, and that angered their father. What made it worse was Wally didn't tell him right way. Beaver confesses to Wally about his call was to Los Angeles. Wally agrees, Beaver is in trouble.
As he gets home, Ward brings in the paper. He hasn't read it yet, but June sees the story about boys calling Don Drysdale. Ward thinks it's funny until he sees the names. Now everyone knows.
Beaver has his usual lame excuse. Gilbert and Alan show up. Their fathers read the paper too. Gilbert says he father says that Ward can do anything he wants to his son. All three are marched into the den and the entire story comes out. Ward is upset. Each boy will have to come over and work for an hour a day for a week doing yard work. Beaver feels bad for not being up front with his father, but the smart money says he will make a similar mistake in the future.
We don't know if anything happened to Alan, but Gilbert's father has taken away all phone privileges for a month.
In 1962, all long-distance calls were operated assisted. Beaver made what was called a station to station call. Basically, a phone to phone call which meant the call was completed when anyone came on the line. Much more expensive was a person-to-person call which was only completed when the person named picked up the phone. This was much abused as it was used to assure someone you had arrived somewhere safely. I might call myself at home and the operator would say they had a call for me. When say my mother would tell the operator I wasn't there but would the operator ask if the caller wished to speak with anyone else, she would hear my voice saying no, and then she knew I was safe. No charge for the call because it wasn't completed. Today with VOIP lines and smart phones, no one even knows about having to use a real operator and have a call go through a switchboard.
And that was Don Drysdale doing a cameo spot on the show. Drysdale is a Hall-of-Fame pitcher now. Back then he was a pitcher for the LA Dodgers and was the idol of many a young boy.
