Leave It to Beaver (1957–1963): Season 2, Episode 18 - The Garage Painters - full transcript

[Announcer] Leave It To Beaver.

Starring Barbara Billingsley,

Hugh Beaumont,

Tony Dow...

and Jerry Mathers...

as the Beaver.

[June] Oh, yes.

Oh, yes. I know you’re
very busy over the weekend,

but we would appreciate
it, if you could help us out.

Oh. Well, thank you very
much. I'll try someone else.

Hi, dear. Oh, Ward.
Am I glad you're home.



Maybe you'll have better
luck than I'm having.

I've called all over town,
but everyone's too busy.

What's the matter? Oh, we've
had a minor household tragedy.

The weekend's coming up, and
the television set's broken down.

Well, what's wrong with it? Well,
I don't know the technical term,

but as Wally said,
"The tube goofed out."

Honey, you're dripping. Oh.

Well, I guess it won't be
the end of the world, will it,

if they can't watch television
over the weekend? I don't know.

They informed me that the paper
says the rain's going to keep up,

and they've seen
the movie downtown.

Why, they came downstairs twice
already to tell me there's nothing to do.

Well, maybe telling us that will
keep 'em busy for a couple of days.

[Imitating Helicopter]



[Imitating Gunshots]

Oh, hiya, fellas.

Oh, hi, Dad. Hi, Dad.

Well, Wally, doing your
homework on Friday?

No, Dad. I'm writin' a
letter to the president.

The president? What do
you have to say to him?

Well, nothin'. But I figure, if he
writes me back, I can sell the letter.

Oh.

Uh—Well, uh, Beaver,
what are you doing?

Well, I got nothin' to do,
so I'm doin' it lyin' down.

Oh, Dad? Did Mom tell you
she can't get the TV fixed?

Yeah, we're gonna have to spend
the whole weekend with nothin' to do.

Oh, come on now, fellas. I'm
sure you can find something to do.

For instance, uh, why don't you
just sit in your room and read a book?

Gee, Dad. Why are you punishing
us? We haven't done anything wrong.

Yeah, Dad. They make
us read books in school.

Look, fellas, you have the
wrong idea about reading.

I'm talking about just
picking up a book...

and reading it for the
sheer fun of reading it.

I'll tell you what.
Tonight after supper,

you let me pick
out a book for you.

And you read it together over the
weekend. I'll bet you get a kick out of it.

Well, I guess if it's
got pictures in it,

we could look at
it till the rain stops.

Okay. Now you better
get washed up. Okay, Dad.

Hey, Dad?

Do you think if I
sent the letter airmail,

the president would
think it was important?

Why don't you just
mark it "personal"?

Did you find a book
yet for the boys?

Oh, I was, uh, just looking
through some of my old books...

to find one they'd
both be interested in.

The Boy Allies at
the Battle of Jutland.

Who were the Boy Allies?

Oh, they were a couple of young
fellows who won the First World War.

Lorna Doone.

Oh, Ward, I read this
book so many times.

I used to pretend I
was the girl in the story.

Never thought they'd name
a cookie after you, did you?

You know, Ward, it's really
a shame the boys can't get...

the same fun and adventure
out of reading that we did.

Yeah.

Well, you know, here's
one that just might do it:

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Oh, I saw that in the
movies years ago, but

I don't remember too
much about the story.

Well, dear, it's an
all-time classic for boys.

Yep. This is it. I'm
gonna take this up to 'em.

Ten, nine, eight...

Well, what are you
guys up to now?

I don't know what
they call it, Dad,

but we once saw some
Russians do it on television. Oh.

Well, hey, I think I found
a great book for you.

Just the right one: The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

I was practically
brought up on this book.

Oh, yeah, that's about a kid. I
once wrote a book report on it.

Oh, you read the book, Wally?
No, I just wrote a book report on it.

What kind of a kid was he, Dad?

Oh, he was a real boy. He
had some great adventures.

Really? How many
people does he kill?

He doesn't kill anybody.

Then what happens?
What are his adventures?

Well, let's see, uh...

Well, he goes into a cave,
and he camps on an island,

and he gets, uh, chased
by an Indian—Injun Joe.

And— Just one Indian?

Of course, just one Indian.

Well, I never saw a television
show just had one Indian.

Ah, well, I think you'll find
that Tom was a real boy.

As a matter of fact, a lot
of the things he does in

this book are things that
I did when I was his age.

Hmm. I just wish you kids
could have as much fun out of life.

You go ahead. Give the
book a try. Read it together.

Wally, are there
any pictures in there?

Oh, yeah. There's a lot of 'em.

Hey, look. Here's one of Tom standin'
on his head in front of a girl. Yeah.

Dad said he used to do a lot of
the stuff like the kid in the book.

I wonder if he ever stood
on his head in front of Mom?

I don't know. I never
seen him. Me neither.

Well, I guess after he married her,
he didn't have to do it anymore. Yeah.

Well, I gave 'em Tom Sawyer.

I hope they have as much fun
out of it as I did. I hope so too.

[Laughs] You know,
when I was Wally's age,

I read every book I
could get my hands on.

I used to use my mother's library
card so I could take out twice as many.

Times have certainly
changed. Yeah.

Why do you suppose you
read so much? I don't know.

Maybe it was because
nobody ever told me I had to.

Hmm.

[Wally] "Tom said, 'I
dare you to step over that,

"'and I'll lick you till
you can't stand up.

Anyone that'll take a
dare, will steal sheep.'"

Hot dog! They're gonna
have a fight. Shh, Beaver.

"The new boy stepped
over promptly and said,

"'Now you said you'd do
it, now let's see you do it.'

'Don't crowd me now,
you better look out.'"

Oh, uh— Hi, Mom. Yeah. Hi, Mom.

Do you boys realize that it's
almost 1:00 in the morning?

Well, gee, Mom. We were just
readin' the book Dad told us to read.

Yes, that's fine. Well, now, you just put
this away and get some sleep. Okay, Mom.

Now I don't want to hear
another sound out of you two.

Good night. Good night, Mom.

Good night. Good night, Mom.

[Sighs]

Gee, I wish she hadn't taken the
book. I wanted to see who won the fight.

I'll bet you Tom Sawyer wins it.

Yeah? How come? 'Cause
he's got his name on the cover.

That's the way it usually works.

Yeah. I guess it's like
Wyatt Earp on television.

If he was gonna lose,
they'd call it somethin' else.

What are you up to? Oh,
now that the rain stopped,

I thought I'd paint
those garage doors.

Been trying to get on
'em for weeks. Oh, good.

Painting the rest of the garage last
month made the doors look shabby.

Well, now I'll paint the doors
and the rest of it'll look shabby.

Where are the boys?
Oh, they finished breakfast,

went right back up to their
room with Tom Sawyer.

They did, huh? Well, you
know, I'm not surprised.

I don't believe any boy could put
that book down once he's started it.

Just the same, I think I'm
gonna go back up to their room...

in a little while and tell
'em to get some fresh air.

All right. I'll be out making
our garage a thing of beauty.

This is where Tom and his
pal are in the cemetery at night.

Oh, boy.

"Then Tom
whispered, 'Say, Hucky,

"do you reckon Hoss
Williams hears us talkin'?'

'Of course he does. At least
his spirit does.'" [Whistles]

"Tom, after a pause,
'Wished I'd said, Mr. Williams.

"But I never meant any harm.
Everybody calls him Hoss.'

"'A body can't
be too particular...

about how they talk about
these here dead people, Tom.'"

Boy, this is better than The
Mummy's Curse on television.

Well, you boys still
reading Tom Sawyer?

Wally's mostly readin' it. There's a
lot of words in there I haven't had yet.

And a lot of others that my
teacher says I shouldn't even use.

Well, I think that's fine,
your reading like this, but...

Well, I think you better go
outside and play a little bit.

Gee, Mom, we were just
gettin' to the good part.

Yeah. He's already had
a fight and ditched school,

and now he's in a
graveyard with a dead cat.

All that's in Tom
Sawyer? Sure, Mom.

Oh. Well, why don't you
go out and play now...

and then get back
to the book later?

Well— Okay, Mom.

[Both] Hi, Dad. Hi, fellas.

Hey, Dad, how come
you got the doors in here?

Oh, well, the paper says it may rain.
If it does, they'll dry better in here.

What you stirrin' up
the paint for, Dad?

'Cause the pigment
settles to the bottom.

Oh.

Dad, when you were a kid,

did you really do the
stuff that Tom Sawyer did?

Oh, sure. A lot of the things.

Well, would it be all right if
we did some of those things?

Oh, I guess so. Like,
uh, what, for instance?

Well— You tell him, Wally.

[June] Ward, telephone. It's
Fred Rutherford. All right, dear.

Down at the paint store, they got
a machine that shakes up the paint.

- It looks just like makin' a malted.
- Oh, yeah. I've seen it.

Well, I like to watch
that jiggle machine.

I figure, someday the top's gonna
fly off the can, and then, oh, boy.

Yeah. I guess if you watch it
long enough, that might happen.

Ye... Ye— [Sighs]

All right, Fred. Give me
half an hour to get dressed.

Well, I better go
put that paint away.

Goin' out? Yeah. I'm not
gonna get to the doors after all.

There's a meeting at the club, and Fred
thinks it's very important that I be there.

What's the meeting for?

Oh, uh—Well, it seems
there are two factions.

One of them wants to bar
women from the golf course...

and the dining room,
except on Tuesdays.

Oh. Uh...

Which side are you on?
It's a secret ballot, dear.

- Hey, Wally, what's this stuff?
- Oh, that's turpentine.

What's it for?

You use it to thin out paint.

Why don't they make
paint thin in the first place?

Well, then nobody'd
buy turpentine.

Oh.

Oh, let me get that, Wally.

Oh. Hey, Dad, can we
watch you paint for a while?

I'm afraid I'm not going to be
doing any painting today after all.

I have to go to a meeting.

Gee, Dad, me and Wally could
paint for you. Couldn't we, Wally?

Well. Yeah, I guess we could.

I don't know, guys.
It's a pretty big job.

But gee whiz. In the book,
they let Tom Sawyer paint.

Yeah, and he didn't even
have no father. "Any father."

In the book it
said, "No father."

Please, Dad? Huh?

Well, I...

Well, I guess you could handle
it all right, if you're careful, uh...

But watch those panes
of glass though, huh?

Oh, sure, Dad. We'll be real
careful. Yeah, we'll do a real neat job.

Okay, and if you spill any paint, be sure
and wipe it up with a rag before it dries.

Good luck.

Well, dear, you're gonna get
your garage doors painted after all.

The boys are going
to do it for me. Oh.

Well, dear, don't you think they're
a little young to do such a big job?

Oh, I don't know. Uh, anyway, they had me
on a spot. They quoted Tom Sawyer to me.

I don't know if you should have
made Tom Sawyer such a hero to them.

- You read this book lately?
- Well, no. Why?

Dear, Tom Sawyer smoked and cursed
and lied, and—and he played hooky.

Why, he even ran away from home.

Well, I don't think they're
gonna take the book literally.

I certainly hope not.

You know, I'm
gettin' kinda tired.

Me too.

I wish some guys would drop by
accidental and do the paintin' for us.

I told ya, Beave, that only
happens in Tom Sawyer.

Yeah.

- Hey, don't waste all that paint.
- Okay.

Now you better get another
rag to wipe your hands off with.

Okay.

[Ringing]

Hello. Oh, hello, Ward.
You still at the club?

Yeah, the meeting's still going on,
so don't expect me home for lunch.

Huh?

Oh, well, so far, the
women retain possession

of the dining room
and the golf course.

- How are the boys doing?
- Well, I don't know.

So far, they've come
in three times for rags.

Huh?

I said that's a good sign.
They must be doing a neat job.

Well, I hope so.

Dear— Dear, you stay out
of the arguments down there.

Let Fred Rutherford
do the talking.

If anyone's gonna make a
fool of themselves, let him do it.

All right, dear. Bye.

Wally, why did we ask
Dad to let us paint the doors?

'Cause you said we'd
have fun paintin', that's why.

Oh.

- We're not havin' fun, are we?
- Heck, no.

I didn't think so.

[Lumpy] Hey, Cleaver. Hey,
Cleaver, is that you in there?

Hiya, Lumpy. Hi, Wally.

Hey, Lumpy, I thought your dad
took your bike away from you...

on account of you
flunked physical ed.

He did. But he's
in a meetin' today.

I came over to see if you're
going to the movies this afternoon.

Nah, we can't. Gotta
paint these garage doors.

Oh, your father's
makin' you do it, huh?

- No, he's not makin' us do it.
- Well, then why are you doin' it?

'Cause we're havin' fun.

Uh, yeah— Uh,
Lumpy, you like to try it?

Why?

So you can have fun too.

- That's no fun.
- How do you know, if you haven't tried it?

I've painted lots of times.

Man, it's nothin'.
You guys are goofy.

- [Lumpy] Paintin'!
- [June] Boys! Lunch is ready.

Okay, Mom.

Hey, Beave, don't carry
that thing around with you.

Put it down someplace
where it won't dry out.

Okay.

Thanks for the lunch, Mom.

Either of you want
another sandwich?

No. They all kinda taste
like paint. Yeah, mine too.

When you were upstairs, you
should have washed your hands better.

We must've washed 'em real
good, 'cause now our sink's all green.

Uh, well, we better
get back to work. Okay.

Hey, Mom, can I
have some more rags?

Help yourself. But, Wally,
please don't make any more mess.

Gee, Mom, that's what
we're gettin' the rags for.

[Sighs]

Hi, Larry. Hiya, Beaver.

Boy, somebody really
messed up your garage.

Nobody messed it up. Me
and Wally are paintin' it. Oh.

Oh, hi, Larry. Hi, Wally.

Here you go, Beave. Thanks.

Hey, Larry.

Hey, Larry.

What? Hey, Larry,

would you like to have some fun?

Sure. I always
wanna have some fun.

Okay, you can paint for a while.

- Huh?
- Yeah, it's the most fun
we ever had.

Then how come you want me to
do it, if you're havin' so much fun?

Um, well, 'cause you're
Beaver's pal, Larry.

Yeah, 'cause you're my
pal. Go ahead and try it.

I don't like it.

Wally, how come it's not
workin' like it did in the book?

Well, I told you it wouldn't, Beave.
Come on. Let's get this thing finished.

More rags? Yeah, Mom, more rags.

What kind of a mess did
you boys make this time?

Well, Beaver kinda painted
the window by mistake.

Hey, Mom, as long as I'm in
here, could I have some milk?

I guess so.

Wally! Don't sit on anything.

Hi, Beaver. Whatcha doin'?

Oh, hi, Benjie.

Oh, I'm paintin' the garage.

I've been watchin'
you. It looks like fun.

Hey, Benjie, you
think you could do it?

Sure I do. I paint with
my fingers in kindergarten.

Well, okay. But do it neat.

I will.

This is green
paint, isn't it? Yeah.

No, Benjie. Let me show ya.

Hey, Beave, I got the
rags. Oh, hi, Benjie.

Here, you take this
one. Ooh... Uh-oh.

[Chattering]

Darn stuff's dry.
It won't come off.

Where's the turpentine?

Benjie!

Benjie, what did
you do that for?

I wanted to see what I
would look like if I was green.

Oh, Beaver. What did you
let him near the paint for?

Well, I wanted to
be like Tom Sawyer.

[Woman] Benjie? Benjie?

Uh-oh. It's his mother.

Maybe we can hide him someplace.

Nah. It's too late.

Wally, have you seen...

Benjie! Oh, you're
all covered with paint!

I know. Beaver told me to do it.

You boys did a thing
like this to Benjie?

Well, gee, no, Mrs.
Bellamy. He did it to himself.

He wanted to see
how he'd look green.

I don't think he
looks very good.

Why, I think this is just
absolutely disgraceful.

He's only a little a baby, and you
boys oughta be ashamed of yourself.

[Inhales] Oh, I've never seen
such a mess— What's going on out...

Benjie!

Mrs. Bellamy, what happened?

I don't know. I—I just came over here
and found Benjie all covered with paint.

Well, gee, Mom,
it wasn't our fault.

Beaver was gonna let Benjie
paint, and then all of a sudden,

he started pouring
it all over himself.

Well, here, give me a rag,
and let me try to clean him up.

Oh, never mind, I'll just
take him along home.

This is disgraceful!

Bye-bye, Beaver. I'll come over
tomorrow and play some more.

Bye-bye, Benjie.

Oh, come along,
Benjie. [Mutters]

I'm so sorry, Mrs. Bellamy.

Um—Well, I guess we better
finish these doors, huh?

Oh, no, Wally. You
stop right where you are.

Now you can just clean this
mess up and yourselves...

and then go up to your room
and wait until your father gets here!

You know somethin',
Beaver? What?

I wish Dad was brought
up on another book. Me too.

Yes. Well, thank you very much
for understanding, Mrs. Bellamy.

Bye.

Did Benjie's mother understand?

Yeah, she says she understands,
but I don't think she understands.

Dear, I think you should
go up and talk to the boys.

Well, June, you know, really, this
wasn't their fault. It was an accident.

Oh, I know, dear, but...

Well, you told them what a
great book Tom Sawyer was,

and, well, you see, if they start copying
some of the other things in that book,

I'm afraid we're gonna have a lot more on
our hands than just a paint-covered Benjie.

I know, but this really
kind of puts me on a spot.

You know, after the
way I built the book up.

Oh, dear. Go ahead and get it over
with. They've had their baths already.

Well, all right. I just hope I can do it
without ruining Tom Sawyer for them.

Boy, this sure is
tough stuff to get off.

Yeah. Wally, look in my ear and
see if there's any paint in there.

Yeah, there's
still a little in there.

Hey, Wally, I can't get it out.

What if the school nurse looks
in my ear and sees it's green?

Ah, leave it there.

Maybe she'll think it's some sort
of disease and send you home.

Yeah.

Oh, uh, hi, Dad.

Hi, Dad.

We're sorry we messed up
Benjie, but it was really an accident.

Oh, I— I know
that, fellas, uh...

[Laughs] As a matter
of fact, it was, uh...

It was sort of my fault for
building up Tom Sawyer to ya the...

You know, the way I did.

Only thing is, your,
uh— Your mother, uh...

Well, she seems to think
you might try to copy...

some of Tom's other exploits
like, uh, smoking or ditching school.

Gosh, this morning Tom
Sawyer was such a good book.

Now all of a sudden,
it isn't so good.

Oh, no, Beaver. Tom Sawyer
will always be a great book.

It's, uh—Well, it's just that...

you fellows can't take the things
Tom did and try to do them today.

Heck, no, Dad.

You try to do any
of that stuff, and...

they'd say you were
some sort of a... delinquent.

Well, actually, those things...

were just part of
growing up in Tom's days.

There was nothing, uh, malicious
or deliberate in anything he did.

But— Well, times have changed.

It's a more complicated
world, and...

if a fella tried to do
those things today, he'd...

Well, he'd be judged
in a different light.

- Do you understand, Wally?
- Yeah, Dad. I guess I do.

- How about you, Beaver?
- Yeah, Dad.

It was a lot easier
bein' a kid in those days.

Well, Beaver, let's just say it's a
lot harder to be a kid these days.

Well, you guys better
get dressed for supper.

Okay, Dad.

Wally, what kind of disease
would I have with green ears?

[Footsteps On Stairs]

Well, here goes old Tom
Sawyer back up on the shelf. Yes.

It might have been better if "old
Tom" had stayed on the shelf.

Oh, no, dear.

Oh, I won't say a book hasn't
thrown a boy now and again, but...

He gets a lot of good
things from a book like this.

Imagination, ideas, and,

well, insight into people.

It's just something you sort
of have to take a chance on.

Even if it means a green
Benjie once in a while?

Yeah, even if it
means a green Benjie.