NEW LEAVE IT TO BEAVER SPECIAL: IT'S A SMALL WORLD (TV)

Summary

A special in this series that reunites the Cleaver family three decades after the production of "Leave It to Beaver," depicting the Beaver and Wally as adults with their own children. This episode, celebrating the program's thirtieth anniversary, features the original, unaired pilot of the first "Leave It to Beaver," titled "It's a Small World." Barbara Billingsley, Tony Dow, and Jerry Mathers introduce the program, informing viewers that Ward and Wally were played by different actors in the pilot. The episode, made in 1957, finds the boys looking for Franklin Milk Company bottle tops as the Beaver has been told by neighborhood rascal Frankie Bennett that those collecting 1000 tops would receive a bike as a prize. Both Wally and the Beaver collect the tops, but when they bring them to the milk company, the executives are puzzled over the contest. Mr. Baxter and his boss Mr. Cockran, not wanting to admit they do not know what is going on, buy the boys a new bike. Once at home, Wally and the Beaver hide the bike from June and Ward, afraid because Ward had told them they could not have a bike until they were responsible enough. The boys take the bike for a ride, fooling their parents by hoisting it down from their bedroom window. In the meantime, Mr. Baxter, now in trouble at work for giving away a bike for a nonexistent contest, visits the Cleaver home in order to get the bike back. Ward then gives the boys a lecture on responsibility, telling them they cannot accept something they did not earn. The boys then refuse the bike from Mr. Baxter, whose company has, in the meantime, decided that such a contest would be good for publicity. June watches the boys make the responsible decision -- and, when they go to their room to freshen up for dinner later that evening, Wally and the Beaver find a surprise. Commercials deleted.

Details

• NETWORK: WTBS-TV
• DATE: October 4, 1987 Sunday 3:30 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 0:23:04
• COLOR/B&W: Color and B&W
• CATALOG ID: T:18090
• GENRE: Comedy
• SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy
• SERIES RUN: Disney Channel - TV series, 1984-1985; TBS, 1986-1989
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• Brian Levant … Executive Producer, Writer
• Peter V. Ware … Supervising Producer
• Fred Fox … Supervising Producer, Writer
• Richard Lewis … Producer, Original "Leave It to Beaver" segment
• Lori Motyer … Associate Producer
• Frank R. Saperstein … Director
• Jerry Hopper … Director, Original "Leave It to Beaver" segment
• Joe Connelly … Writer, Original "Leave It to Beaver" segment
• Bob Mosher … Writer, Original "Leave It to Beaver" segment
• Barbara Billingsley … Cast, June Cleaver
• Casey Adams … Cast, Ward Cleaver
• Paul Sullivan … Cast, Wally Cleaver
• Jerry Mathers … Cast, Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver
• Richard Deacon … Cast, Mr. Baxter
• Diane Brewster … Cast, Miss Simms
• Joe Kearns … Cast, Mr. Cockran
• Harry Shearer … Cast, Frankie Bennett
• Tony Dow