Dale Eunson Movies

As John-Boy heads to New York to find out if his novel has been accepted for publication, he recalls the events leading to this critical and anxious moment. Presented as "flashback" are choice excerpts from the previous episodes "The Typewriter", "The Literary Man" and "The Burnout". This final episode of The Waltons' fifth season also marks the final regular appearance of Richard Thomas as John-Boy Walton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Ingalls children are left in the care of Mr. Edwards (Victor French) when Charles (Michael Landon) takes Caroline (Karen Grassle) on a second honeymoon in the city. Alas, Caroline has no fun at all, worrying as she does about leaving her daughters in the hands of an inexperienced adult. And back in Walnut Grove, Edwards soon learns that there is more to being a "parent" than just having good intentions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Waltons attend the annual County Fair, where each family member hopes to win a prize. At the same time, Olivia's former beau Oscar Cockrell (Peter Donat) shows up at the fair in hopes of advancing his political career. Comparing Oscar's affluence with his own family's lack of same, John-Boy (Richard Thomas) asks himself how different his life would have been if Olivia (Michael Learned) had accepted Oscar's proposal. Meanwhile, a "special ingredient" in Olivia's cake has a curious effect on the contest judges! ~ 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

Moving to a new night (Thursday rather than Saturday), and boasting a jazzy new arrangement of its theme song, Leave It to Beaver settles down for its sixth and final season. Hoping to impress his girlfriend Julie Foster (Cheryl Holdridge), Wally (Tony Dow) decides to take her on a fancy dinner date. He's even willing to go the whole nine yards by escorting Julie to the White Fox, the classiest place in town (needless to say, this was Julie's idea). As the couple enjoys their very expensive meal (80 cents for the soup alone), Wally confidently reaches for his wallet -- only to find it isn't in his pocket! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

June (Barbara Billingsley) deduces that her moony-eyed son Wally (Tony Dow) is suffering from an acute case of puppy love, with the attractive Ginny Townsend (Linda Bennett) as the object of his affections. Figuring that the best way to handle the situation is to allow Wally a close-up look at his "dream girl," June invites Ginny on a picnic with the Cleavers. Sure enough, the whiny and finicky Ginny quickly proves herself to be somewhat less than a dream and more of a nightmare! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When his school holds a pet fair, Beaver (Jerry Mathers) gets neurotic over the fact that everyone owns a pet except him. To save face, he brags that he owns the talking parrot that he recently saw in the window of the local pet store. Of course, Beaver is certain that he can back up his boast by talking his dad Ward (Hugh Beaumont) into purchasing the parrot. But Ward isn't exactly made of money, and the best he can do is to bring home a hamster -- and boy, will Beaver get the business this time! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Fascinated by the neat Eskimo sweater that he's spotted in a store window, Beaver (Jerry Mathers) begs Ward (Hugh Beaumont) and June (Barbara Billingsley) to buy it for him. Although his parents don't feel that the sweater is appropriate for him, Beaver won't take no for answer. What our hero doesn't know is that the sweater is not designed for boys, but for girls -- a fact that comes crashing down upon him when Judy Hensler (Jeri Weil) shows up in school the next day wearing the exact same sweater! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season three of Leave It to Beaver finds the Cleaver family living in a new house, the result of the series' production company moving out of Republic Studios and into their new stamping grounds at Universal. In the season opener, Wally (Tony Dow) is appointed chairman of his high school's blind date committee. Beaver (Jerry Mathers) gives Wally the business, insisting that the committee has been formed only to find boyfriends for girls who can't get them otherwise. Wally pooh-poohs this theory, but soon has cause to regret accepting the chairmanship when he is unable to match up anyone with Jill Bartlett (Beverly Washburn), the new girl in school. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ward (Hugh Beaumont) gives the boys five dollars to buy their mom June (Barbara Billingsley) a couple of birthday presents. While Wally (Tony Dow) purchases a wallet, Beaver buys a garishly decorated blouse. Rather than hurt her son's feelings, June pretends that she loves the outlandish gift -- and that's when Beaver asks June to wear the blouse at her next Woman's Club meeting! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Glynis Johns and Cameron Mitchell are top-billed in All Mine to Give, but they're out of the picture halfway through. Johns and Mitchell play a Scottish couple, Mamie and Robert, living in the American wilderness of the mid-19th century. Robert dies, whereupon Mamie takes on the responsibility of raising their six children. And when she succumbs to illness, it is the oldest child, Robbie (Rex Thompson, who'd previously played Louis Leonowens in The King And I), who takes on the challenge of finding homes for his siblings on Christmas Day. Based on a true story, All Mine to Give has heart-tugging potential, but the script isn't up to the performances. One year before its American release, the film was distributed in Great Britain under the title The Day They Gave Babies Away. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A remake of 1933's The Greeks Had a Word for Them, as well as a retread of 20th Century-Fox's favorite plotline, How to Marry a Millionaire was the first Hollywood comedy to be lensed in Cinemascope. Lauren Bacall, Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe play three models of modest means who rent an expensive Manhattan penthouse apartment and pose as women of wealth. It's all part of a scheme hatched by Bacall to snare rich husbands for herself and her roommates. The near-sighted Monroe is wooed by an international playboy, but ends up settling for the tax-dodging fugitive (David Wayne) who owns the girls' apartment. The knuckle-headed Grable goes off on an illicit weekend in the mountains with a grouchy married executive (Fred Clark), but falls instead for a comparatively poor--but very handsome--forest ranger (Rory Calhoun). And Bacall very nearly lands an aging millionaire (William Powell), but has a sudden attack of conscience and opts instead for the supposedly poverty-stricken chap (Cameron Mitchell) who has been pursuing her since reel one. It turns out that she has actually landed one of the richest men in New York--and upon learning this, our three luscious heroines faint dead away. Before the opening credits roll in How to Marry a Millionaire, we are treated to a "live" orchestral rendition of Alfred Newman's "Street Scene" overture, conducted by Newman himself. In addition to its being the first wide-screen comedy, Millionaire was also the first-ever presentation of the weekly NBC series Saturday Night at the Movies, premiering on the small screen on September 23, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide