Country of origin United States | Original network ABC | |
No. of episodes 39 (black-and-white, full-screen, approx. 25 minutes) Original release October 2, 1958 – June 25, 1959 | ||
The second season of the American television situation comedy Leave It to Beaver premiered on October 2, 1958 and concluded on June 25, 1959. It consisted of 39 episodes shot in black-and-white, each running approximately 25 minutes in length. This was the first season that the show was originally aired on ABC after the first season was televised on CBS.
Contents
Production
Leave It to Beaver moved from CBS to ABC before the season debut and would remain with ABC for the rest of its run. The move is attributed to the show's sponsor, Ralston Purina, who managed a better deal with ABC than with CBS. The season opened October 2, 1958 with "Beaver's Poem" and completed its run June 25, 1959 with "Most Interesting Character". The show moved from its first season time slot of Wednesdays at 8:00 P.M. (EST) to Thursdays at 7:30 P.M. (EST), with summer '59 reruns airing at 9:00 P.M. The third season was broadcast in another time slot. Like the show's first season, the second season consists of 39 black-and-white, full-screen, half-hour episodes (with ads) recorded on 35 mm film.
Opening and closing sequences
The opening sequence features Ward and June standing at the bottom of the entry stairs and sending the boys off to school one at a time. Wally descends first and leaves the house, slamming the door so hard that a lamp wobbles and Ward winces. Beaver descends and heads out the door. He turns and the camera zooms in for a closeup as he pauses in the doorway to don his baseball cap. The closing sequence parallels the opening in showing Beaver and Wally returning from school at the end of the day and approaching the house along the front walk. Both sequences were accompanied by the show's theme tune, "The Toy Parade".
Casting
As in the first season, all four main players appear in every episode.
Sue Randall joins the cast as Beaver's third grade teacher, Miss Landers, and remains with the show for several seasons. Stephen Talbot joins the show as Beaver's friend, Gilbert Gates (later, Bates), and remains for the series' duration.
Direction and writing
Norman Tokar directs most episodes with Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher, again, writing most. Series star Hugh Beaumont pens the story for the episode, "A Horse Named Nick".
Leave It to Beaver universe
Beaver is in the third grade at Grant Ave. Grammar School while Wally enters the ninth grade at Mayfield High. Wally receives his first letter in sports and begins wearing a letter sweater in "Beaver the Athlete". The sweater becomes a constant in his wardrobe and is featured significantly in a future episode. Lumpy Rutherford becomes a member of Wally's circle of friends though retaining something of his first-season bullying nature.
Towards the end of the season, the Cleavers consider moving and, in one episode, look at a house in the nearby community of Madison. In the season's closer, "Most Interesting Character", Ward announces to the boys that the Mapleton Drive house has been sold, and, in the opener of the third season, "Blind Date Committee", the Cleavers are comfortably settled in the Pine Street house. No episode features the actual move.