"Beaver and Andy" is a lot different than many other episodes. It doesn't deal with Beav getting his head caught in a fence or having trouble at school. Instead, it takes a serious issue (alcoholism) and indicates the effects it can have on innocent children.
Itinerant handyman Andy (well played by Wendell Holmes) approaches Ward looking for work, and suggests that he can paint the Cleaver house's trim. Knowing about Andy's drinking problem (or "troubles" as he calls it), Ward and June are hesitant but finally hire Andy after he assures them that his drinking days are over.
Wally and Beaver later find an empty whiskey bottle in the bushes, and after initially thinking it contained turpentine, Wally identifies it as a whiskey bottle. Wally adds that adults drink whiskey to "have a good time" because they have a much harder time having fun than children.
Later, Beaver is home alone with Andy, who becomes nervous and begs Beaver for a drink. Beaver finds a little-used bottle of brandy, and Andy subsequently gets drunk and falls off a ladder. Ward and June later discuss Andy's situation and decide that they shouldn't have tried to shield the boys from Andy's drinking problem but instead should have frankly discussed it with them.
This episode won't make you laugh much, but it does give you something to ponder. If a child has a lot of interactions with drunken adults and doesn't understand alcohol's effects on some people, the consequences can be pretty miserable.
Itinerant handyman Andy (well played by Wendell Holmes) approaches Ward looking for work, and suggests that he can paint the Cleaver house's trim. Knowing about Andy's drinking problem (or "troubles" as he calls it), Ward and June are hesitant but finally hire Andy after he assures them that his drinking days are over.
Wally and Beaver later find an empty whiskey bottle in the bushes, and after initially thinking it contained turpentine, Wally identifies it as a whiskey bottle. Wally adds that adults drink whiskey to "have a good time" because they have a much harder time having fun than children.
Later, Beaver is home alone with Andy, who becomes nervous and begs Beaver for a drink. Beaver finds a little-used bottle of brandy, and Andy subsequently gets drunk and falls off a ladder. Ward and June later discuss Andy's situation and decide that they shouldn't have tried to shield the boys from Andy's drinking problem but instead should have frankly discussed it with them.
This episode won't make you laugh much, but it does give you something to ponder. If a child has a lot of interactions with drunken adults and doesn't understand alcohol's effects on some people, the consequences can be pretty miserable.