Winning Words 9/8/11
“When you make a mistake, admit it. If you don’t, you only make matters worse.” (Ward Cleaver) The 50s TV series, “Leave It To Beaver,” was known for working a moralism into each episode. Kids liked the antics of Beav, Wally and Eddie Haskell. Parents looked in to get tips on how to raise teens. In real life, Ward (Hugh Beaumont) was a lay minister. No wonder, he was good at preaching. ;-) Jack

FROM SH IN MICHIGAN: "Leave It To Beaver" was one of my favorite shows to watch. No wonder, the WW today are great. If we all admitted our mistakes and didn't lie to God/ourselves/others or blame others or try to shift responsibility for what's gone wrong, matters would be better rather than worse. Part of the charm of WW is seeing where you get all these quotes from. You think of places to get them which are totally surprising yet delightful!!!////FROM JACK: Even the reruns are good...after over 50 years.

FROM PEPPERMINT MARY: ...and get a really bad stomach ache!////FROM JACK: A troubled mind is another consequence. "If only...."

FROM ILLINOIS LIZ: One of my all-time fave shows. Still timely. (Ward was voted Nickelodeon's "Favorite Dad of All TIme" a few years ago by viewers.) ////FROM JACK: I know that you have your personal favorite dad!

FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER: How does being a Lay Minister in real life make Ward a good dad on film? Seams to me, maybe one of the writers was a Lay Minister.////FROM JACK: Part of the mystique of a sit-com is how you can put yourself into the story, without worrying about production details. Did you ever try out for the part of Eddie Haskel?

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: That program was a staple in our home. We laughed a lot and I'm sure learned a lot too. It took me a long time to learn it was easier to admit a mistake then try to cover it up. Probably that holds true for most of us. It's a hard lesson to learn but one well worth learning.////FROM JACK: Some of the best lessons are the "hard" ones.

FROM BBC IN ILLINOIS: Didn’t watch much…. But found the comment about Ward interesting.////FROM JACK: Each generation seems to have its message TV shows. I wonder what the current generation will relate to in their memories. Regarding Ward Cleaver, it's sometimes hard to see characters as actual human beings.

FROM KAY DEE IN MICHIGAN: I liked that show////FROM JACK: Times were simpler back then.

FROM BLAZING OAKS: My recollection of Beaver is pretty fuzzy, although I'm sure we watched some of the time! Most of the shows like Lassie, and Little House on the Prairie, etc. did have some moral point. Bonnie Bartlett (Moliner!) often appeared in Little House on the Prairie, so always watched for her...Bill's mother used to say, "Once you're caught in a lie, to that person you're a liar from then on". She was a stickler for honesty, which rubbed off on Bill. Also, "If you tell the truth, you don't have to always remember what you said." Once, when Mark and John were slugging it out, I asked, "who started this?", and John, the oldest, immediately said defensively, "He was going to hit me first!" Ha! Of course I had to laugh...:-(////FROM JACK: Can you think of any current sit-coms that have a moral message? Also, besides Bonnie, what other "famous" Moliners come into your fuzzy memory?////MORE FROM OAKS: I LOVED HARRY'S LAW, WHICH SUDDENLY WENT OFF THE AIR, BUT PROMISES TO RETURN THIS FALL. SHE UPHOLDS HIGH MORALITY, AND ALSO SITUATIONAL ETHICS. (KATHERINE BATES) I DON'T WATCH SIT-COMS AS A RULE, MORE INTO GAME SHOWS LIKE WHEEL OF FORTUNE, AND BALL GAMES AND ATHLETIC EVENTS. LOUIE BELLSON COMES TO MIND QUICKLY, AND DIDN'T MALCOM BOSSE WRITE COUPLE OF BOOKS? I KNOW I READ ONE OF HIS.//// FROM JACK: Ken Berry (F Troop) was a 1952 MHS grad. Suzy Boggus, the country singer, is from Aledo. We used to have a milkman named Mr. Boggus.