The fourth episode of the series, this takes place in December, yet it aired in October 1957. In the show, Beaver has developed a habit of losing his lunch money. When he is chosen to be an angel in the school holiday musical, his dad sends him to the barbershop for a haircut; however, Beaver loses this money as well, so he decides to give himself a haircut. When that doesn’t go well, Wally tries to help. Eventually their parents find out, forgive them, and take them out for breakfast and a movie. And the Christmas play comes after all.
This episode reminds us of a few things about this time:
– Moms had to beg dads to talk to their kids about issues they were having at school.
– The grocery bill total was $23.
– A haircut cost $1.50. (The barber got a .25 cent tip.)
Honestly, it’s really not much of a Christmas episode, although it’s as close to one as the original series ever got. (We’ll have to visit The New Leave It to Beaver later!) Still, we do see June making the angel costume throughout the show, and Wally even tries it on (even if it makes him “look like a sissy”). Eventually, we do get to see the angel choir belt out “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” and I have to believe that eight years later, someone involved with A Charlie Brown Christmas played this version for producers, begging “please make sure our kids sing better than this!”
Overall, the episode is a fine early example of the show’s strong points. The haircut itself is pretty funny, although Beaver spends most of his time in his stocking cap to hide it. But more importantly, I was surprised to see Ward and June handle the situation so well, especially since we’re often led to believe that parents didn’t accept these types of shenanigans back then.
In fact, if we approach the show with a Christmas mindset, although the timelines are nearly two decades apart, Ward is very similar to the dad in A Christmas Story. He’s definitely stern and has certain expectations, but when it matters most, he’s a great dad and just wants the best for his kids.
7/10
Snow in Southtown Christmas Podcast 