MovieChat Forums > Leave It to Beaver (1957) Discussion > Larry spending the weekend with Beaver.....

Larry spending the weekend with Beaver...some questions

posted 7 years ago by steely3000
3 replies | jump to latest

Larry is spending the weekend with Beaver at the Cleaver house. But Beaver punches Larry in the stomach, and so Larry wants to leave. He can't go to his parents' house because they are away for the weekend. So Larry wants to go to his grandma's house; she lives by the high school 5 miles away. Ward can't drive Larry there because his car is getting greased or something, so he calls a taxi (twice). When the taxi driver arrives, Beaver and Larry have made up, so Larry stays at the Cleavers' and eats corn with ketchup on it.

So a question: how did Ward know that Larry's grandma would be home? There is no mention of him calling her house to make sure. Perhaps Ward called grandma's house first to be sure, but we don't see that scene. Also if he had, perhaps Grandma (or Grandpa) could have driven by and picked Larry up? I also wonder how Ward would know what the cab fare would be; I don't see Ward giving the cab driver a $20 and letting him keep the change.

[–] janet-conant 7 years ago

I guess Ward just assumes that Larry's grandmother is home since Larry says he can go to his grandma's house. A boy who sits on a cake in the car isn't very swift though.

Ward forgets about the taxi driver at the door and just hands him a coin for his trouble. The cabbie looks at the measly coin and says "Thanks." Not a happy man. I'm surprised Ward didn't lose his temper with those two boys. It's like make up my mind. June was also in a quandary as she forgot who she had called (taxi) and then forgot her address.

[–] Navaros 7 years ago

The cabbie looks at the measly coin and says "Thanks." Not a happy man

He looks like the same guy who tries to make Beaver give him a huge tip in another episode (maybe the Train Trip episode?), and Beaver says something like: "Don't they pay you to drive a cab?" and he says "Sure they pay me" or something like that, then Beaver says, "Then why are you trying take money away from a little kid?"

Is that literally the same guy? If so, Ward let him off easy.

[–] Navaros 7 years ago

I assume that Larry's confident declaration of "I can go home to my Grandma's house" is good enough to infder that Larry knew she would be home. But if you want to split hairs, then you are correct, Larry & Ward could potentially be wrong about that assumption and Ward should have called Larry's Grandma to double-check. Although we could also assume that Ward called Larry's Grandma's off-screen, just as Ward claims to have called for a taxi twice, but on-screen, they only call for a taxi once.

also wonder how Ward would know what the cab fare would be; I don't see Ward giving the cab driver a $20 and letting him keep the change.

I assume the cab driver would have made change. Alternatively, maybe they discussed the fare in the second phone call to the taxi company which Ward says happened when he claims they called twice, even though the film only shows them calling once.

On a different note the truly strange error in this episode is one you didn't mention: why does June hesitate on the phone because she doesn't know where to send the taxi to until Wally picks up on her confusion, and offers her the address. June says, "Would you mind sending a taxi over to,uh..."...then Wally replies: "485 Mapleton." If June didn't know her own address (i.e. if 485 Mapleton is supposed to be the Cleavers' address), then she would be mentally incompetent. On the other hand, if June is sending a taxi over to Larry's Grandma's house (i.e. if 485 Mapleton is supposed to be the address of Larry's Grandma) before it first came to pick up Larry at the Cleavers' house, then June would also be mentally incompetent. As far as I can tell, either way, that conversation is a major writing fubar.