Leave It to Beaver (season 2)

: "See main article: List of Leave It to Beaver episodes"

infobox tvseason
season_name=Leave It to Beaver (season 2)


caption=Title screen
dvd_release_date=2006
country=USA
network=ABC
first_aired=October 2,1958
last_aired=June 25,1959
num_episodes=39 (black-and-white, full-screen, approx. 25 minutes)
next_season=|

"Leave It to Beaver" (season 2) provides background information regarding the second season and summaries, cast, and crews for episodes within the season. Other seasons may have individual articles. Refer to main article.

Season 2: 1958-1959

Production

"Leave It to Beaver" moved from CBS to ABC before the season debut and would remain with ABC for the rest of its run. The move is attributed to the show's sponsor, Ralston Purina, who managed a better deal with ABC than with CBS. The season opened October 2, 1958 with "Beaver's Poem" and completed its run June 25, 1959 with "Most Interesting Character". The show moved from its first season time slot of Wednesdays at 8:00 P.M. (EST) to Thursdays at 7:30 P.M. (EST), with summer '59 reruns airing at 9:00 P.M. The third season would see yet another time slot. Like the show's first season, the second season consists of 39 black-and-white, full-screen, half-hour episodes (with ads) recorded on 35mm film.

Opening and closing sequences

The opening sequence features Ward and June standing at the bottom of the entry stairs and sending the boys off to school one at a time. Wally descends first and leaves the house. Beaver descends and heads out the door. He turns and the camera zooms in for a closeup as he pauses in the doorway to don his baseball cap. The closing sequence parallels the opening in showing Beaver and Wally returning from school at the end of the day and entering the house through the front door. Both sequences were accompanied by the show's theme tune, "The Toy Parade".

Casting

As in the first season, all four main players appear in every episode.

Sue Randall joins the cast as Beaver's third grade teacher, Miss Landers and remains with the show for several seasons. Stephen Talbot joins the show as Beaver's friend, Gilbert Gates (later, Bates), and remains for the series' duration.

Direction and writing

Norman Tokar directs most episodes with Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher, again, writing most. Series star Hugh Beaumont pens the story for the episode, "A Horse Named Nick".

"Leave It to Beaver" universe

Beaver is in the third grade at Grant Ave. Grammar School while Wally enter the ninth grade at Mayfield High. Wally receives his first letter in sports and begins wearing a letter sweater in "Beaver the Athlete". The sweater becomes a constant in his wardrobe and is featured significantly in a future episode. Lumpy Rutherford becomes a member of Wally's circle of friends though retaining something of his first-season bullying nature.

Towards the end of the season, the Cleavers consider moving and, in one episode, look at a house in the nearby community of Madison. In the season's closer, "Most Interesting Character", Ward announces to the boys that the Mapleton Drive house has been sold, and, in the opener of the third season, "Blind Date Committee", the Cleavers are comfortably settled in the Pine Street house. No episode features the actual move.

Episodes

References

* Applebaum, Irwyn. "The World According to Beaver". TV Books, 1998. ISBN 1575000520.
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050032/episodes#season-2 IMDb: "Leave It to Beaver". Season 2.]
* "Leave It to Beaver: Season 2". DVD. Universal Studios Home Entertainment, 2006.
* Mathers, Jerry."...And Jerry Mathers as "The Beaver". Berkley Boulevard Books, 1998. ISBN 0425163709.