User Reviews

"Larry Mondello" (Rusty Stevens) is always getting into trouble or getting Beaver into trouble. This time he gets caught showing Beaver his sister's diary and then later in the day runs away from home after his mother catches him and yells at him in front of Beaver.

A few hours later, Larry calls up Beaver and tells him he's going to run away to Mexico but winds up in Beaver's tub, instead! ha ha. When asked, he answers, "your place wasn't as far away." Beaver, with the aid of reluctant Wally, try to hide him because they don't want to be "rats."

The trouble starts (for the boys) when, with Mrs. Mondello over at the house, Larry is discovered. Larry's mother, by the way, is even more nuts than Larry. Madge Blake also did a great job playing her. It's odd, but throughout the episode Mrs. Mondello called Ward "Mr. Cleaver" and June "Mrs. Cleaver." Mothers and fathers did not call their sons friends by the last names - I know because I lived in that era. Oh, well...that's TV, not real life.

Overall, this is another funny episode with moral lessons to be learned. I almost feel sorry for Larry, because his mother is a little whacked and his father - whom we never see - is always out of town. In this episode, he was in Cincinnati.

Larry and Beaver are in Larry's sister's room. Beaver wonders if they should be in there, Larry says it's OK because his sister is out. Beaver is amazed at all the stuff Larry's sister has to make her look good; but Beaver feels it's best to leave. Larry stops Beaver because Larry wants to read from his sister's diary. Larry describes a diary as a place where girls write mushy stuff they don't want anyone to see. Obviously Larry grasps the purpose but doesn't see it as a hindrance to invade her privacy. Beaver repeats they shouldn't be reading this. Apparently, Mrs. Mondello grasps the idea and when she finds Larry she sends Beaver home and threatens Larry with "Wait until your father gets home." Beaver come homes early. Wally is going out with Eddie, and Ward and June are going shopping for a few hours so Beaver will be home alone. Beaver gets a call from Larry who claims he is running away to Mexico.

After returning from shopping, Ward gets a call from Mrs. Mondello who claims Larry has disappeared. Larry was to stay in his room until Mrs. Mondello said he could leave, and when she went in to tell him, he was gone. Larry's sister is out looking for him because Larry took his suitcase with him. Ward and June want to know if Beaver has seen Larry anyplace or around the house or outside. Beaver, as usual, plays his "take his dad's words literally" so Beaver can basically lie.

Beaver asks if he can eat in his room and pretend he's in a hotel getting room service. When Wally goes upstairs he finds Larry in the bathtub in their room. Larry wants to know if Wally is going to squeal on him, and if he does squeal to wait until Larry has had something to eat. Wally figures he could get in a lot of trouble if he doesn't report Larry. While having supper, June suggests Ward call Mrs. Mondello but Wally suggests Larry might not be home yet.

Up in the bathroom, Larry is eating but he is also complaining about June's cooking; Larry doesn't like the meatloaf or the carrots. Beaver says next time Larry should run away to someone else's house. Larry says he is going to sleep overnight but needs his pajamas which are outside in his suitcase. Larry figures they can tie a rope to his suitcase and haul it up and bring it in a window.

Mrs. Mondello arrives and she is very upset Larry hasn't returned yet. Mrs. Mondello is sure Larry would come to Beaver's house first. As Ward is assuring her that he told Beaver to tell him if he saw Larry, there is a banging outside. Ward opens the drapes to see a suitcase going upstairs. Ward figures he has found Larry.

Ward brings Beaver and Wally into the bathroom and threatens to turn the hot water on. That brings Larry out of hiding. Larry is sent downstairs and Beaver and Wally are to wait upstairs. Larry claims he ran away because his mother yelled at him in front of Beaver.

Wally and Beaver are sentenced to two days of weed pulling as a punishment. Beaver claims he can't understand why he is being punished just for hiding his best friend. Wally figures it would have been better to have told their father about Larry from the start, and no doubt Ward would have settled everything; and for sure they wouldn't be pulling weeds now.

Pulling weeds was a typical punishment when I was a kid. No one like it as you had to use a tool to dig down to the root and pull the weed out. A whipping would have been preferred. A couple of good swats and it was over. You cried for maybe 20 seconds and then sniffled for a while. But weed pulling was a full day punishment and you had to provide proof of your effort which meant a basket or two or three of weeds.

Beaver was definitely old enough to know what he was doing and that there would be a severe punishment when he was caught. Not an "if" but a when. Certainly kids would sympathize with Larry. If you got balled out at home that was bad enough, but no kid wanted to embarrassed in front of his friends. But Beaver has clearly lied to his father and knows it. He also knew he had no business in the room of Larry's sister. Worse, he got his brother to lie also. It's clear that Beaver should be feeling some shame for what he did. I am surprised at the writers.