"Leave It to Beaver" Beaver and Gilbert (1959)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Norman Tokar

Writers:

Joe Connelly (creator)
Joe Connelly (writer)

TV Series:

"Leave It to Beaver" (1957)

Original Air Date:

19 March 1959 (Season 2, Episode 25)

Genre:

Comedy | Family

Plot:

Beaver meets the new kid in town, Gilbert Gates, who likes to tell tall tales. |

Plot Keywords:

Baseball Cap | Americana | Family Relationships | Slang | Father Son Relationship

Cast

Hugh Beaumont	...	Ward Cleaver
Barbara Billingsley	...	June Cleaver
Tony Dow	...	Wallace 'Wally' Cleaver
Jerry Mathers	...	Theodore 'Beaver' Cleaver
Robert 'Rusty' Stevens	...	Larry Mondello (as Rusty Stevens)
Carleton G. Young	...	John Gates
Stanley Fafara	...	Hubert 'Whitey' Whitney
Stephen Talbot	...	Gilbert Gates

Series Cast

These people are regular cast members. Were they in this episode?

Bobby Mittelstaedt

...

Charles Fredericks

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Trivia:

This episode marks the debut of Stephen Talbot as Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver's friend Gilbert. In this debut Gilbert's last name is Gates. In all future episodes he is Gilbert Bates with the exception of one episode in season 5, "Beaver's English Test" where he is Gilbert Harrison.

What's Eating Gilbert Gates?

This episode marks the debut of Gilbert Gates, a new kid in Beaver's class who moves in across the street. It seems Gilbert has quite the imagination, telling Beaver a ton of tall tales on their first meeting. Gilbert tells Beaver he has been on an exhibition to the North Pole and that he's the youngest Eagle Scout in America; his father is a war hero, works for the FBI and knows the President and Burt Lancaster, and his brother pitches for the St. Louis Cardinals, etc.

Beaver plans on going to the movies the next day with Gilbert, and turns down the chance to go with old friends Larry and Whitey. However, Gilbert (Stephen Talbot, son of classic movie star Lyle Talbot) stands him up. Later, we find the latter went to the movies with Larry and Whitey! Still later, Beaver winds up scrapping with his new neighbor....and we find out, through Gilbert's father, why the new kid acts and says the things he does.

A good episode and a nice bit of insight on behavior.