Hugh Beaumont Movies

Former Leave It to Beaver paterfamilias Hugh Beaumont makes his second Petticoat Junction appearance, this time playing the father of Betty Jo's fiancé Steve Elliott (Mike Minor). The trouble begins when the elder Mr. Elliott and his wife (Ann Doran) arrive in Hooterville unexpectedly, looking forward to having Betty Jo (Linda Kaye) cook them a terrific meal, and then show them around the couple's "dream house." Alas, Betty still hasn't mastered the art of cooking, and the "dream" house is still a nightmare--so it's the rest of the family to the rescue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Can it be? Hugh Beaumont, the immortal Ward Cleaver of Leave It to Beaver fame, cast in this episode as a shy bachelor named Ronnie Beckman? Well, it's true, and unless Kate (Bea Benaderet) intervenes, Ronnie will never pop the question to his sweetheart Vera Wilson (Molly Dodd). Kate's plan involves inviting Ronnie to spend a night at Shady Rest so that he can bask in the benefits of a large and loving family--but things don't quite work out as intended! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Wally's girlfriend Julie Foster (Cheryl Holdridge) is impressed by the moustache worn by transfer student Wayne Gregory (Robert Koff), so much so that she dumps Wally (Tony Dow) in favor of Wayne. Out of jealousy, Wally decides to cultivate a bit of lip fuzz himself. The results are far from suave and sophisticated -- in fact, they're downright laughable. The question is, will Julie laugh along with everyone else, or will she see the error of her ways? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Beaver (Jerry Mathers) wins a 14-carat locket at a carnival. At first, he plans to give the prize to his mother, June (Barbara Billingsley). But at the prodding of his friend Gilbert (Stephen Talbot), Beaver ends up presenting the locket to pretty Donna Yeager (Christine Jordan). Not unexpectedly, the ramifications of Beaver's generosity are daunting indeed -- especially when Donna's parents find out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

If nothing else, this episode proves that Beaver (Jerry Mathers) no longer regards girls as "creepy." With the big eighth grade dance rapidly approaching, Beaver accepts the invitation to escort pretty Peggy McIntosh (played by Veronica Cartwright, who used to be Violet Rutherford a few seasons back). The fun begins when Beav tries to weasel out of his commitment to Peggy when another girl, Melinda Nielson (Charla Doherty), asks to be his date for the very same dance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The 234th and final episode of Leave It to Beaver is also the series' first "clip show," comprised of highlights from the past six seasons. While doing a bit of cleaning around the house, June (Barbara Billingsley) comes across a little windup toy that belonged to Beaver (Jerry Mathers) and Wally (Tony Dow) when they were kids. This sets June and Ward (Hugh Beaumont) to reminiscing about the various adventures undertaken by their boys in their younger days. Before long, the older Cleavers are paging through a family scrapbook, full of photos conveniently taken at crucial points in several past episodes. (A question: who snapped the pictures, and how did they know that something funny was abut to happen?) Showcased in this episode are scenes from "Beaver Gets 'Spelled," "New Neighbors," "My Brother's Girl," "The Shave," "Beaver Runs Away," "Larry Hides Out," "Teacher Comes to Dinner," and "Wally's Election" (a clip from "Beaver and Andy" was removed just before this episode aired). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Now that he's graduated from the eighth grade, Beaver (Jerry Mathers) is looking forward to the extensive (and expensive) cross-country bus trip he's going to take during the summer. At the same time, Beaver is sweet on Mary Margaret Mathews (Lori Martin), the new girl in town. When that notorious bon vivant Whitey Whitney (Stanley Fafara) offers to spend the summer teaching Mary Margaret how to water-ski, jealous Beav begins to have second thoughts about seeing America. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Eddie (Ken Osmond) is convinced that he's too cool for the room when he moves out of his parents' house and into his own apartment. Before long, Wally (Tony Dow) is being regaled with Eddie's stories about his new-found independence, his posh living quarters, and his unlimited accessibility to pretty girls. Ward (Tony Dow) and June (Barbara Billingsley) are worried that impressionable Wally will want to follow Eddie's example -- but a visit to the fabled "bachelor pad," and a revealing conversation with the landlady, brings Wally down to Earth in a hurry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Wally (Tony Dow) persuades Ward (Tony Dow) to let him borrow the new family car in order to attend the prom. Wary Ward warns Wally to be very, very careful. He tries his best, but somehow one of the headlights is smashed to bits. Desperately, Wally and his pals scramble about to repair the damage before Ward finds out. It is very nearly a "clean getaway" -- until Wally's conscience kicks into gear. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Feeling he has outgrown his old electric train set, Beaver (Jerry Mathers) is amenable when June (Barbara Billingsley) arranges to give the trains to a younger neighbor named Jimmy. But while he's cleaning and fixing up the trains, Beaver is overcome by a wave of nostalgia and has second thoughts about giving them up. As it turns out, Beaver's mind undergoes quite a few changes in the episode -- especially when he meets Jimmy's cute older sister Georgia (Toby Michaels). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Moving from Saturdays to Thursdays for its sixth and final season, Leave It to Beaver acknowledges the fact that both Beaver Cleaver (Jerry Mathers) and his brother Wally (Tony Dow) are now teenagers by reorchestrating the series' familiar theme music in emulation of a rock & roll beat. Also, whereas Wally was previously the only sports hero in the family, now Beaver is old enough to win a football award, and to score a winning touchdown -- though he's still not mature enough to handle the responsibilities of athletic fame and adulation. Additionally, for the first time in the series, Beav and Wally go on a double date with two attractive sisters -- and later on, Beav and not Wally gets in trouble for scheduling two dates on the same night! Too, Wally's hormones have kicked in to the extent that he seriously considers growing a moustache to impress his steady.
Yes, six years have definitely gone by since Leave It to Beaver's first season. Episode highlights this year include "Eddie the Businessman," in which that unregenerate creep Eddie Haskell (Ken Osmond) unwittingly becomes accessory to a robbery scheme, and the thematically similar "Beaver the Caddy," in which The Beav must choose between telling a lie and getting a big tip on the links; "Tell It to Ella," wherein Beaver's complaint to a newspaper advice columnist about unfair parents backfires big-time (watch for a young Tim Matheson in this episode); and "Wally and the Fraternity," in which Wally's plan to pledge to his father Ward's (Hugh Beaumont) old fraternity may be scuttled by the words of a disgruntled ex-pledge. One of the season's best offerings showcases Doris Packer in the role of Beaver's eighth-grade teacher Miss Rayburn; in "Beaver's Book Report," Beav attempts to summarize The Three Musketeers based on the 1939 film version starring the Ritz Brothers. The series' 234th and final episode is also the only "cheater" in Leave It to Beaver's history: "Family Album" is a retrospective of clips from classic earlier episodes, including the series' very first offering, 1957's "Beaver Gets 'Spelled." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Beaver insists that he's too old for birthday parties and presents and all that kind of junk. Accordingly, his parents present him with money on his birthday, as does his Uncle Billy. However, Beaver cannot resist spending some of the cash on a model car. So here's the problem -- inasmuch as he was so adamant about not getting "toys" for his birthday, and he hasn't asked permission to purchase the car, Beav must now figure out a way to hide his new acquisition lest he lose face in front of his parents. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide