The BEST episodes of Leave It to Beaver season 1
Every episode of Leave It to Beaver season 1, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Leave It to Beaver season 1!
Leave It to Beaver is a 1950s and 1960s family-oriented American television situation comedy about an inquisitive but often naive boy named Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver and his adventures at home, in school, and around his suburban neighborhood. The show has attained an iconic status in the United States, with the Cleavers exemplifying the idealized suburban family of the mid-twentieth century. One of the first primetime sitcom series filmed from a child's point-of-view, the show was created by Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher, two radio and early television writers, who found inspiration for the show's characters, plots, and dialogue in the lives, experiences, and conversations of their own children. Like several television dramas and sitcoms of the late fifties and early sixties (Lassie and My Three Sons, for example), Leave It to Beaver is a glimpse at middle-class, American boyhood. A typical episode features Beaver getting into some sort of trouble and facing his parents for reprimand and correction.
#1 - Tenting Tonight
Season 1 - Episode 29 - Aired 4/30/1958
After a weekend spent at the movies goes awry for Ward, he decides the boys should spend their weekends outside and plans a camping trip. However, when Ward's called into work, Wally and Beaver decide to camp out in the backyard.
#2 - The Broken Window
Season 1 - Episode 25 - Aired 4/2/1958
While playing baseball in the street with Wally, Chester and Tooey, Eddie hits a baseball through the Cleaver's window resulting in Ward forbidding the boys to play baseball so close to the house. However, later, Beaver talks Wally into pitching one, but this results in a broken car window.
#3 - My Brother's Girl
Season 1 - Episode 27 - Aired 4/16/1958
An eighth grade dance has Wally being pressured into attending with a girl, instead of going stag with Eddie. However, Mary Ellen Rogers becomes determined to have Wally take her and goes through Beaver to get to him.
#4 - Child Care
Season 1 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/7/1958
After Ward's bragging about Wally and Beaver being responsible, Herb and Janet Wilson assume that it would be all right to leave their 4-year old daughter in Wally and Beaver's care while they go out to a party with Ward and June. Trouble begins when the youngster locks herself in the bathroom.
#5 - The State vs. Beaver
Season 1 - Episode 24 - Aired 3/26/1958
Ward helps Beaver and Wally build a miniature race car powered by a lawn mower motor and Ward makes the boys promise not to use it without him being with them. Later, Larry talks Beaver into taking it for a spin resulting in being pulled over by a traffic officer.
#6 - Party Invitation
Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/17/1958
Beaver is invited to Linda Dennison's birthday party and quickly discovers that he is the only boy that she invited. Fearing for his reputation, Beaver tries his best to get out of attending, but June and Ward are insistent, not aware of the situation Beaver's in.
#7 - Wally's Job
Season 1 - Episode 33 - Aired 5/28/1958
Wally jumps at the chance to paint a couple of garbage cans for Ward, who offers 50 cents a piece. However, once Eddie tells Wally, that his father was charged $3.00 to have his painted, he becomes disinterested in the job which is when Beaver steps in and takes over the job.
#8 - New Neighbors
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/1/1957
The Cleavers have new neighbors, the Donaldsons, and June sends Beaver over to welcome them with a vase of flowers. However, when Mrs. Donaldson thanks Beaver by kissing him on the cheek, Beaver becomes convinced that Mr. Donaldson will kill him because he let a married woman kiss him, and it's all thanks to Eddie Haskell, who planted that idea in Beaver's mind.
#9 - Water, Anyone?
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/15/1957
Wally and his friends are trying to earn enough money to buy baseball uniforms. They put a plan into action by doing their chores at a slow pace in order to maximize their hourly pay. Meanwhile, Beaver, also wanting to be on the team, begins selling water to his family and neighbors.
#10 - Next Door Indians
Season 1 - Episode 28 - Aired 4/23/1958
Wanting to be liked by Wally's friends, Beaver makes up a wild story about the vacant lot next to his house being an Indian battle ground. After making a bet with Eddie, Beaver has Wally help him plant artifacts in the lot. However, that is forgotten when the kids make a discovery that they believe will make them rich.
#11 - The Bank Account
Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/14/1958
Ward tries to teach Wally and Beaver the importance of saving by giving them a piggy bank. The boys quickly save up a handful of change and are all ready to spend it on some baseball equipment. However, unknown to their parents, they change their minds and decide to spend the money on a most unselfish gift.
#12 - Voodoo Magic
Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/3/1958
June and Ward make Wally and Beaver promise that they won't go to the movies and see a scary movie. However, Wally and Beaver are talked into seeing it, thanks to Wally's so-called best friend, Eddie Haskell. The movie has quite an influence on Beaver, who makes a voodoo doll, names it Eddie Haskell, and sticks it with pins.
#13 - Cleaning Up Beaver
Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 3/7/1958
Wally begins to outgrow his "sloppy" faze and becomes much neater. This is noticed by Ward and June who try to encourage Beaver to undergo the same transformation. However, Beaver changing like that just seems too extraordinary of a task.
#14 - Brotherly Love
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/8/1957
June has had it with Wally and Beaver's fighting and demands they make a pact to be nice to one another and do things together. However, when each boy gets an invitation for individual social outings, they each attempt to break the pact.
#15 - Captain Jack
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/11/1957
Beaver and Wally send away for an alligator and they secretly keep it in the bathroom. When the alligator falls ill, the boys get some advice from Captain Jack, an owner of an alligator farm. However, keeping him a secret is going to be hard, the alligator is growing and they need a new place to keep him without June and Ward finding out.
#16 - The Haircut
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/25/1957
After losing his lunch money for three days in a row, Ward gives Beaver one last chance by letting him handle his haircut money. However, when he loses that too, Beaver decides to give himself a haircut just days before he's scheduled to be an angel in a play.
#17 - New Doctor
Season 1 - Episode 31 - Aired 5/14/1958
June has Wally stay home from school when he comes down with a sore throat and suddenly Wally is emersed in attention from his parents, friends and doctor. Jealous and feeling left out, Beaver fakes illness, seeking that same attention.
#18 - Beaver Gets 'Spelled
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/4/1957
Beaver's teacher, Miss Canfield, sends a note home with Beaver and the other kids convince him that it's news that he's getting kicked out of school. Beaver and Wally take steps to hide the note from Ward and June.
#19 - Cat Out of the Bag
Season 1 - Episode 39 - Aired 7/16/1958
The neighbors are going away for the weekend and Beaver and Wally have been put in charge of taking care of their lawn and their cat, Puff Puff. When Eddie shows up with his dog, Wolf, chaos erupts and Wolf chases Puff Puff away.
#20 - Wally's Girl Trouble
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/6/1957
Wally and Beaver dread attending dance school, so when suddenly Wally takes a liking in it, June and Ward are dumbfounded. It seems Wally has developed a crush on a girl named Penny and Beaver soon feels neglected and left out when Wally begins spending all his time with her.
#21 - Beaver and Poncho
Season 1 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/21/1958
Beaver makes a trade with Larry Mondello: a glass doorknob for a Chihuahua. Larry found the dog in his garbage can, so when Beaver brings it home, Ward immediately breaks the news that he's going to place an ad in the lost and found and that Beaver probably won't be able to keep the dog. Despite this, Beaver quickly begins to grow close to the little pooch.
#22 - The Black Eye
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/18/1957
Beaver comes home with a black eye and Ward is upset when he learns that Beaver didn't fight back. This leads Ward to teach Beaver how to defend himself. Little does Ward know that the person who punched Beaver is a girl, Violet Rutherford, the daughter of one of Ward's co-workers.
#23 - The Clubhouse
Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/29/1957
Wally and his friends build a clubhouse and Beaver wants to join. Although the dues are $1 for 8th graders, Beaver has to come up with $3 in order to join their club. How can Beaver earn the money?
#24 - Lumpy Rutherford
Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/24/1958
The local bully, Lumpy Rutherford, has been picking on Beaver and Wally. Thanks to a story Ward tells them, the boys decide to play a joke on Lumpy. However, their ploy catches the wrong person. Lumpy's father and Ward's co-worker Fred Rutherford, is caught in the trap.
#25 - Beaver and Henry
Season 1 - Episode 36 - Aired 6/18/1958
An animal is chewing up June's flower bed, so Ward and the boys set a trap to catch it. They soon catch a white rabbit whom Beaver talks Ward and June into keeping. Beaver names him Henry only to later discover Henry is really a Henrietta and she's expecting.