User Reviews

Beaver has a new goal, no more jalopy racer, now he wants to be a reporter or foreign correspondent. First step into the news world: get a paper route. Unfortunately, no job. A new kid got it: he lied to get out of school early and was the first to apply. How to get that job away from the new kid? After all, not only was Beaver going to get "news" experience, he was going to have money for a new surfboard.

The paper is late. Maybe dad can call and complain. It's the first day, you have to give him a chance; Oh, and Wally had the paper because it came early. But as the days go by the paper seems to get later and later, and arrives in various locations. When Ward has to go searching at night with a flashlight, he is getting upset. Beaver is really on Ward's back about complaining. Finally, Ward wants to speak with the paper boy, and he asks Beaver to stop him. Beaver literally grabs the paper boy and the two end up rolling around on the lawn; and we get a surprise, he is a she: Christine Jordan.

Beaver has to confess he got into a fight with the paper boy. Ward's upset about the fight, but Ward did ask to speak with the boy. June is upset that Beaver was bullied, Ward even calls the paper to speak with the circulation manager. Beaver tells Wally that the paper boy is a paper girl. Beaver is distraught, he got into a fight with a girl. No boy gets into a fight with a girl. Even Wally thinks Beaver better tell dad that the paper boy is a paper girl.

The paper boy shows up at the door to collect for the paper. Ward pays her and explains he is not happy with the service he has been getting. Then the girl starts crying and claims she has been delivering the paper for a sick brother. Ward feels guilty, Beaver feels guilty, June is playing mother hen. Then the circulation manager calls back to find out what issue Mr. Cleaver had about the paper. Ward tells Beaver, it is his call. Just say we have a good paper boy says Beaver.

Richard shows up to pick up Beaver. Maybe they can go mess around somewhere. Beaver is already booked for the day. The doorbell rings and it's the paper boy, papergirl. Are you ready to come over to the house, Chrystine Jordan asks? They will be checking out the new surfboard her brother is going to let them use when they go to the beach. Beaver is ready to go, and he looks happy about it. Poor Beaver, muses a left behind Richard. I used to know him when he was alive.

Inspired by a talk by a visiting foreign news correspondent, Beaver dreams of becoming a journalist and "enlightening the world" through his reporting. To this end he hopes to snag a paper route in the neighborhood. To Beaver's disappointment, another boy gets the job. At first the delivery is first-rate, but for some strange reason it goes suddenly downhill, so Ward calls the company to complain and Beaver lies in wait for the paper boy to give him "what for" (he still has hopes he can get the job). When Beaver tussles with the paper boy - it turns out to be a girl! Beaver has transgressed a sacred code: "Getting into a fight with a girl is about the worst thing a guy can do," declares Wally.

Now the girl (who is never named) shows up at the Cleavers' to collect her pay. Ward in a gentle manner complains about the quality of service and the girl bursts into tears. It turns out she had only been covering for her sick brother. Just at the right moment June appears and offers feminine comfort to the girl, who then leaves with her pay and her dignity restored. When the newspaper company calls Ward back to register the complaint, he hands the phone to Beaver and lets him decide what to do. Will he do the noble thing?

Of course, this dry synopsis can't convey the charm and social insight of this episode, which is among the more memorable of the final season. Ward's mortification in front of the paper girl ("Dad's yelling at a girl, Mom!") won't soon be forgotten. At episode's end Beav has made a new girl friend, prompting Richard to declare ruefully that he remembered "poor Beaver" when he was alive.

I feel compelled to add my opinion here as a LITBF and a father. Every time I see this episode I am appalled at why the writers would put this episode together. I'm speaking directly to the scene when Beaver lies in wait for the paper boy to come by, then runs him/her down and (no other word) assaults him by pulling her off her bike and commences to "beat her up". In real life, then or now, the girl would have gone home, told her parents what happened, and the police would have been called. The police would have made a trip to the Cleaver home and at the very least, issued him & his parents an order to appear in Juvenile Court for assault charges. Not a good episode for the "all American" kid.

This episode was rather dull. Not real bad but not that great either. It was rather odd the way everyone called Beaver's paper route as in "paper root" and then later everyone pronounced it like "paper rowt".

I think this happened in another episode which was more of Wally getting a paper route. Really odd how in both episodes they changed the way they pronounced "route" like maybe they filmed the last half of both episodes on a later day. And i agree with other reviewers when they talk about Beaver showing his mean side when he attacks the paper boy who turns out to be a girl. Really an odd episode which I can't recommend.