Leave It to Beaver (1957–1963): Season 2, Episode 21 - The Tooth - full transcript

[Announcer] Leave It To Beaver.

Starring Barbara Billingsley,

Hugh Beaumont,

Tony Dow...

and Jerry Mathers...

as the Beaver.

Dear? My soft-boiled egg's
a little hard this morning.

Oh.

You must have gotten the
Beaver's. He likes his hard.

Wally likes his medium,
and you like yours soft.

Well, how do you usually tell
them apart? Eggs all look alike.



- Not to a mother.
- Oh.

[Chuckles]

You'd have made a
beautiful bird. Thanks.

Where are the boys?
Aren't they dressed yet?

Oh, they're dressed, but
Beaver still has to get washed.

Why doesn't he wash
before he gets dressed?

He says if he waits until he's
dressed, there's less to wash.

Oh.

Can you see it, Wally?

Yeah, I can see all of
'em. But which tooth hurts?

[Muffled] It's the one
I got my tongue on.

Yeah, I guess I can see it.

It looks just like all the rest.

When did it start hurtin'?



I think it started hurtin' last night
when I was eatin' my ice cream.

Why didn't you tell Mom?

She wouldn't have let
me finish my ice cream.

Hey, maybe it's loose.

I can't tell. Feel it and see.

Uh-uh. Not that one.

Uh-huh. Boys, you got...

Wally, what are you doing? Oh, gee,
Mom, I was just feeling Beaver's tooth.

Are your hands
clean? Well, sure, Mom.

I just got finished cleanin'
out the goldfish bowl.

You go down and get your
breakfast. I'll take care of Beaver.

Okay, Mom. Does your tooth hurt?

Well, sometimes it does,
and sometimes it doesn't.

But this morning, it
does more than it doesn't.

Let me see.

It's back there.

Oh, that's one of your molars.

Is that the kind you
don't get any more of?

Yes, it is. Let me see again.

It's way back there.

Hey, Dad, my egg's too soft.

Yes, I know. They got
switched around this morning.

Beaver's got a
toothache, huh? Yeah.

I don't think it's too bad though.
He wasn't hollerin' or anything.

Our biology teacher's got
a tooth about a foot long.

What? It didn't come
out of anything's mouth.

It's made out of
plastic or somethin'.

It's real neat. You can take it
apart and see the insides. Oh.

Ward, Beaver won't
be going to school.

I think I'd better take him
to the dentist. Dr. Harrison?

Yes. I hope he
can squeeze him in.

Boy, that Dr. Harrison,
he's somethin' all right.

He looks in your mouth
and washes his hands.

And then he answers the
phone and washes his hands.

He's always washin' his hands.

Boy, I sure wouldn't
wanna be a dentist.

Hey, Wally. I'm gonna
get to go to the dentist.

Yeah, but Mom's making
you go to school right after.

[Knocking]

Oh, hello, Larry. Hello, Mr. Cleaver.
I come to walk Beaver to school.

Hi, Larry. I'm not
goin' to school today.

I'm goin' to the dentist
'cause I got a toothache.

- No foolin'?
- Yeah. I'm goin' to Dr. Harrison.

Boy, you're lucky, Beaver.
He gives you toys and junk.

- Gee, all the time?
- Well, once he gave me a toothbrush.

But if you tell him you got
one at home, he might not.

Well, I gotta be goin'.

I'll see ya, Larry. Be
sure and tell all the guys.

I will. So long,
Beave. So long, Larry.

Well, Beaver, sounds like you're
looking forward to going to the dentist.

Sure, Dad.

Beaver, I want you
to eat your breakfast.

And when you're finished, I want
you to go upstairs, brush your teeth.

Gee, Mom, why should I brush
my teeth? I'm goin' to the dentist.

Beaver, I don't want to be
embarrassed in front of Dr. Harrison.

Heck, yeah. Mom doesn't want your
teeth makin' the family look crummy.

Bye. Good-bye.

Thanks for the neat army
men. And thanks for only

making us wait an hour
before you could squeeze us in.

You're very welcome, Theodore.
When will the doctor let us know?

He'll check the X-rays over. We'll
let you know sometime this afternoon.

You may have to come in
tomorrow. Oh, that's fine. It's Saturday.

Beaver won't miss
any more school.

If I come in tomorrow, will I
get some more army men?

I wouldn't be
surprised, Theodore.

Boy, if I get enough toothaches,
I'll have a whole army.

Good-bye. Good-bye.

Bye. The doctor's
all set for you now.

It was real neat, Larry. Dr. Harrison
cranked me up in the big chair,

and then he took
pictures of my teeth.

I had X-rays taken
when I hurt my hand.

Boy, people are sure
funny-lookin' underneath their skin.

Did he say what was
makin' your tooth hurt?

He said I had a cavity.

Oh. What's a cavity?

It's somethin' you get when
you don't brush your teeth.

All I get is hollered at,
but I never got a cavity.

Hi, Wally. What you doin' here? I
came in to get some notebook paper.

What'd you come in for, Lumpy?

I just come in, and
don't call me Lumpy.

Gee, everybody calls
you Lumpy, Lumpy.

Not little squirts.

Hey, Beave, how did you make
out at the dentist this mornin'?

Pretty good. I got some army men,
and he says I might have a cavity.

Cavity, huh? When's
he gonna fill it?

He didn't say
anything about that.

He just took pictures of
my teeth from the outside.

Sure, he did, to see how
big a hole he's gotta make.

Wally, if you got a cavity, do they
really make a hole in your tooth?

Aw, Beaver, it's nothin'.

What are you
kiddin' him for, Wally?

Beaver, you saw that drill they got
hangin' there? That's what they use.

[Imitating Jackhammer]

- Wally, will it hurt?
- Of course not, Beaver.

If you've got a cavity,
it'll only be a small one.

Sure it'll be a small one. They'll
drill a big hole just the same.

Why would they do that?

'Cause they get more money
for fillin' a bigger hole. That's why.

[Imitating Jackhammer]

Cut it out, Lumpy. I'll
see ya at home, Beave.

Yeah, I'll see ya
at home, Wally.

Hey, Lumpy, what did
you tell him all that stuff for?

Aw, he knows I
was just kiddin' him.

Anyway, those squirts shouldn't have
called me Lumpy. My name is Clarence.

Yeah. Sure, Clarence.

Do you think it'll really
hurt, Larry? I don't know.

All I had was my appendix out.

Didn't that hurt? No. I
was asleep all the time.

They gave me appendix gas. Oh.

Well, I hope Lumpy's wrong.
I hope drillin' doesn't hurt.

No, it won't hurt, Beave.
Drillin's probably nothin' at all.

Yeah, it's probably
nothin' at all.

See ya, Larry. See ya, Beaver.

[Loud Drilling]

Hi, dear. Hi.

What you doin'? Puttin'
the thermometer in the roast.

What's the matter?
Is it sick? [Laughing]

You must have had a good day. As a
matter of fact, I did. Came home early.

Now I'm gonna throw the baseball
around a little bit with the boys.

They should be home any minute.
I'll just go up and change my clothes.

Oh, uh, what about the
dentist? Oh, they took X-rays.

He may have a slight cavity.
They're gonna call us. Oh.

Hi, Beaver. Hi, Mom.

Did they call from the
dentist office yet? No, not yet.

Your father's home though. I think he's
gonna throw the baseball with you fellas.

Oh, I don't feel like
throwin' the baseball, Mom.

Oh, well, he can
throw it with Wally.

- What do you feel like doing?
- Just sittin'.

Why don't you sit in here
and keep me company?

I feel more like sittin'
in the living room.

[Ringing] I got it, Mom!

[June] All right, Beaver. Hello.

- Is this the Cleaver residence?
- Who's calling, please?

This is the nurse at
Dr. Harrison's office.

Well, the Cleavers
all went to Alaska.

Hmm?

Yeah. We all moved
away yesterday. Good-bye.

[Exhales]

Who was it, Beaver?

Well, uh, I think it was a
lady had the wrong number.

Well, you talked quite a while.

Well, it took me that long
to find out I didn't know her.

[Ringing] I got it.

I'll get it this time. Hello.

Hello, Mrs. Cleaver. This is
the nurse at Dr. Harrison's office.

I just called, and I
think I got Theodore.

According to him,
you're all in Alaska.

- I see.
- Can you come in
tomorrow morning at 10:00?

Tomorrow morning?
Oh, that'll be fine.

Yes, we'll be there. Bye.

Beaver. Alaska?

Gee, Mom, I couldn't
think of any farer place.

Beaver, you were at the dentist
today. There's nothing to be afraid of.

But gee, Mom. I don't want
him drillin' holes in my teeth.

Well, it won't hurt, Beaver.

Why, lots of boys, every
day, have their teeth filled.

This time, there won't be any problems
at all. But if you wait, there will be.

The thing to do is go now
when there's hardly any drilling.

- Don't you think that's the thing to do?
- I guess so.

Oh, of course it is.

Look, honey, I have
to go finish dinner.

I sure wish I was in Alaska.

Hey, Wally, what would happen if I
didn't go tomorrow? Dad would yell at ya.

No. I mean, what would happen
if I didn't get my cavity filled up?

Oh. Well, the hole would
keep gettin' bigger and bigger.

And then, pretty soon, your
tooth would rot and fall out.

Hmm. What would
they do then, Wally?

Then they'd have to
stick a false tooth in there.

Gee, Wally.

I'd be the only kid in the
third grade with a false tooth.

But they don't fall out in a hurry. You
might have a toothache for a whole year...

before your tooth rotted
good enough to fall out.

Wally, how many hours till
10:00 tomorrow morning?

About 13.

Hey, look, Beaver. Lumpy
was just givin' you the business.

Havin' a tooth filled's nothin'.

Did you ever have one filled?

- Well, no.
- Then how do you know it's nothing?

Well, I just know
it's nothin'. That's all.

Oh.

Hey, Beave, I'm gonna go downstairs
now. You want me to turn out the light?

No. I think I wanna do most
of my sleeping awake tonight.

Okay.

[Door Closes]
[Footsteps On Stairs]

Is that you, Wally? Yeah, Mom.
I'm gonna get a glass of milk.

Beaver asleep yet?

No. He's in bed though.

He told me to leave the light on
so he could worry about his tooth.

June, I think the Beaver's
making too big a fuss...

about going to the
dentist tomorrow.

He must have been pretty
worried to give the nurse that story.

He's building it
all up in his mind.

He's got to learn to
face things like this.

The sooner he does and
realizes there's nothing to it,

the easier it's gonna
be for him the next time.

I suppose you're right, dear.

[Sighs]

Ward. Mm-hmm?

Would you take Beaver
to the dentist tomorrow?

Well, I can... [Chuckling]
Of course, June.

All set? I am. I don't
know where the Beaver is.

Beaver! Oh, Beaver!

Dear, at the dentist,
please be understanding.

Of course I will. But at the
same time, we can't baby him.

[Footsteps]

He'll be right down.

Everything all right?
Yeah, I guess so.

He locked himself
in the bathroom.

He locked— [Footsteps On Stairs]

Beaver, it's 20 minutes of 10:00. What
were you doing locked in the bathroom?

I was kinda sayin' some
prayers it wouldn't hurt.

You—Oh.

Well, that's fine,
Beaver. Did you finish?

Not quite.

Well, we're due there now.
Maybe you can finish later.

But gee, Dad, it
might be too late later.

Ward, maybe we
can make another...

June, everything will be fine.

I'm sure Beaver's very happy to be
getting this over with. Isn't he, Wally?

Gee, I don't know, Dad. He
sure doesn't look very happy.

[Sighs] Come on, Beaver.

Bye, Mom. Bye, Beaver.

So long, Wally.
Take it easy, Beave.

Come on, Beaver.

Beaver seems so upset. Yeah.

Well, Lumpy Rutherford
kind of gave him the business.

Gee whiz. Maybe Dad
shouldn't be so mean to him.

Wally, your father's
not mean to him.

It's just too bad that the
Beaver's so afraid of being hurt.

Yeah. Well, you know, Mom,

I don't think Beaver's
as scared of it hurtin'...

as much as he is scared
of actin' like it's hurtin'.

"Dr. Frederick W.
Harrision, D.D.S."

Well, Beaver, if the doctor's
name was any longer,

he'd have to have
two doors, wouldn't he?

Yes, sir.

Oh, come on now, Beaver.

You just sat there all the way
down here in the car. Snap out of it.

You're getting to be a
pretty big fellow now.

I know you don't want to go
in there and make a big fuss...

and embarrass yourself in
front of the nurse and everyone.

I know you're gonna be a
regular little soldier, huh?

- No, sir.
- No, sir?

If I was a soldier,
I'd shoot the dentist.

Aw, come on, Beaver.
You know perf...

Oh, excuse me.

[Clears Throat]
Now, listen, Son...

- Well, Ward, old man.
- Oh, hi, Fred.

Well, Cleaver, I see you're a member
of the Saturday morning dental patrol.

Oh. Yes. Yeah.

Hi, Beaver. Hi, Violet.

I brought Violet in for
Harrison to double-check.

She may need braces, you know.

What are you in for, Beaver?

I got a hole in my cavity.
They're gonna fill it up.

I had two cavities
once. Didn't I, Daddy?

Yes, sir, and went
through it like a Trojan.

I wasn't scared,
was I, Daddy? No, sir.

Well, I, uh—I'm sure
that a little thing like this...

isn't going to bother
the Beaver either.

Not at all. No, sir.

Oh, Violet here is plucky,
just like my boy—the old bruiser.

The bruiser? He
means Lumpy, Dad.

Oh, yes. Clarence.

Yes, they're all
on the rugged side.

- Violet here won the 50-yard dash
in the field day at school.
- Oh.

I won a ribbon with
my name on, but I lost it.

Well, that's too bad.

How did you make
out in your event, son?

Somebody pushed me. I fell down.

Ward, you should've been there last
summer when this little girl broke her leg.

- Oh?
- Not a whimper out of her.

Why, when that doctor took
her leg and started pulling,

and the bones were
grinding— Fred, please?

Oh, I see. The boy's a
little squeamish, huh?

No. I am.

Oh. Sorry, old man.

Mr. Cleaver. I believe
Theodore's next. Oh.

Go right ahead. We're
a little early. Thank you.

Uh, Son, you want me
to come with you? No, sir.

You all right, boy? Yes, sir.

Seemed a little
shaky to me, Ward.

Oh, no. Of course he isn't.

[Beaver] No! No! I won't get
up in the chair! I wanna go home!

He's not even in the chair
yet. He's just a little tense.

Would you like me to come in?

No. It'll probably
be better if you don't.

Just a little nervous, Ward.

- Fine boy you've got there. Fine boy.
- Thanks a lot.

Beaver, you've been
here several times before.

And I didn't hurt
you, did I? No.

But you never made big holes in my
teeth before so you could make more money.

- What was that?
- Yeah.

Lumpy Rutherford says you make big holes
out of little ones so you can charge more.

And you're gonna
use the big drill on me,

and it's just like the one
they use to dig up the street.

But I'm not gonna let you do it.

Well, I don't know what
Lumpy told you, Beaver.

But look here. See? It's
just a tiny pinpoint cavity.

We want to fill it
before it gets any bigger.

It couldn't possibly hurt you. And
even if it could, we're very fortunate...

because we have some medicine
here that would keep it from hurting.

Uh, look, Beaver. You know that box
of toys the nurse has out in her office?

If I hurt you, you can
have every toy in that box.

You mean you're gonna trust
me to tell you if it hurts or not?

I'll trust you if
you'll trust me.

[Sighs]

Lean back, Beaver.
Mm-hmm. Dr. Harrison.

Maybe you'd better give me some of
that "not hurting" medicine anyway?

Oh, I don't think you need it,
Beaver, but it's here if you do.

Dr. Harrison. What are you
doin'? I'm washing my hands.

My brother says that's the only
thing wrong with being a dentist.

Now open wide for me.

There you are. You
mean it's all over with?

- Yes. Did it hurt?
- No, it didn't hurt.

Do I still get one
toy? You certainly do.

- Thanks for trustin' me.
- Thanks for trusting me.

Good-bye, Beaver. Bye, Doctor.

Hi, Beaver. Hi, Violet.

Fine boy, Ward. Fine boy.

Are you all right, Beaver?
Sure, Dad. It didn't hurt a bit.

Oh, isn't that what we
told you all along? Uh-huh.

Well, then, aren't you
just a little ashamed

of yourself making
all that fuss in there?

I guess so.

You wanna see the neat army men the
doctor gave me? Not right now, Beaver.

We'd better get on home.

I could've had the
whole box if I wanted.

What's it look like, Wally?

You can hardly tell
which one it was.

Gee. Now no one will believe
I had a hole in my tooth.

Hey, Beaver, did you cry?

Well, not while he was doin' it,

but I did let out a
couple before he did it.

Did Dad hear ya?

I guess everybody heard me.

What did Dad say?
He didn't say anything.

He just looked at me. You
know how he looks at ya.

Yeah.

Well—Well, I wasn't gonna cry.

Then all of a sudden,
everything just... busted out.

Oh, don't worry, Beave.

Dad'll be proud of
you some day again.

When, Wally? Oh, I don't know.

Maybe like sometime when you
save someone from drownding.

Then he'll probably stop
thinking you're chicken.

Yeah. I guess so.

What's the matter, dear? You
still upset about the Beaver?

No. I'm a little upset
about Ward Cleaver.

What are you upset
with him about?

June, I made a mistake
today a lot of fathers make.

I—I put so much pressure on the
Beaver about not disappointing me...

that all he could
do was break down.

Well, you can't expect
to be the perfect father.

Aw, I guess not.

See, the thing is, you...

You watch your boy growing up, and you
begin to see him as the all-American boy.

He's gotta be the
best athlete in school,

make the best grades,

got to have the
courage of a Spartan.

And every once in a while,
he lets you down a little bit,

and you're just one great big
quivering mass of disappointment.

Oh, come on. You're
not one of those fathers.

I don't know. Hmm.

I caught myself almost
trying to be today.

See, all a kid needs is just a
little reassurance now and then...

that we recognize he's
doing the best he can.

If he knows we feel that way, he'll
usually wind up doing the best he can.

How are you gonna
tell him? I don't know.

I guess I'll just wait for the right time
and then try and do it in the right way.

I sure hope it comes soon.

Oh, hi, Dad. Hi, Beaver.

I'm brushin' my
teeth. Well, that's fine.

Wally will be up to bed
pretty soon. Okay, Dad.

Uh, say, Beaver.

Today at the dentist's office,
telling you to be a little soldier...

and not to let me down,

I'm afraid I got you all upset.

Oh, that's okay, Dad.

Well, I just hope
you can forgive me.

Gee, Dad. You'd have to
do a lot worse stuff than that...

before I ever stop likin' ya.

Thank you, Beaver. You made that a
lot easier than I thought it was gonna be.

[Chuckles]