Chip is now a teenager, something the family is having trouble getting used to. The only birthday episode was aired in March of 1962, when Chip turned 10. Now the boys' ages fluctuated greatly in this series. An episode that aired 10 months ago, for example, had Chip being 6 months away from being 13, while Robbie was still 17. For the past dozen or so episodes, Robbie is a college man of 19. Ernie is normally portrayed as being younger than Chip-which he was, of course, but one episode showed them in the same class at school.
Wanting to be "grown-up" Chip asks if he can host a party for 6 of his school friends-and their dates. Despite Uncle Charley's protests, Steve approves and then Steve faces the wrath of a few protective mothers who are trying to protect their "little babies" from what they fear will be a Roman orgy.
Their party is so innocent that at one point chaperone Steve comes out from the kitchen where he, Ernie, and Charley are playing casino to find they have turned out the lights in the living room. Steve turns them on to see the boys all standing in one corner and the girls in the other. Chip explains they know teenage party-goers like to turn out the lights, so they did so, even though they don't know why.
Much of the plot here deals with Ernie eagerly assisting Chip in planning the party, then being told he isn't invited because he's too young. Steve sort-of explains it to Ernie, who is remarkably good-natured about the whole thing. When the record player breaks, Ernie comes up with the fix in the form of the Douglas family quartet-Steve on his sax, of course, Robbie with his guitar, Ernie on bongos, and Charley on a bass-provide live music for the party goers.
As this episode aired on December 23, 1965, I cannot help but observe what an odd family series this was to never have a Christmas episode.
This could well be described as a typical episode of the series: It featured a simple plot, no real arguing, not even between Ernie and his brother about not being invited to the party. Unlike a Leave it to Beaver episode where Beaver wasn't invited to a party Wally hosted and the Beav decided to sabotage the party to ruin it as a way of getting revenge, Ernie took his rejection like a man, totally mature, after having his feeling hurt. It rates a 6 with me.
Wanting to be "grown-up" Chip asks if he can host a party for 6 of his school friends-and their dates. Despite Uncle Charley's protests, Steve approves and then Steve faces the wrath of a few protective mothers who are trying to protect their "little babies" from what they fear will be a Roman orgy.
Their party is so innocent that at one point chaperone Steve comes out from the kitchen where he, Ernie, and Charley are playing casino to find they have turned out the lights in the living room. Steve turns them on to see the boys all standing in one corner and the girls in the other. Chip explains they know teenage party-goers like to turn out the lights, so they did so, even though they don't know why.
Much of the plot here deals with Ernie eagerly assisting Chip in planning the party, then being told he isn't invited because he's too young. Steve sort-of explains it to Ernie, who is remarkably good-natured about the whole thing. When the record player breaks, Ernie comes up with the fix in the form of the Douglas family quartet-Steve on his sax, of course, Robbie with his guitar, Ernie on bongos, and Charley on a bass-provide live music for the party goers.
As this episode aired on December 23, 1965, I cannot help but observe what an odd family series this was to never have a Christmas episode.
This could well be described as a typical episode of the series: It featured a simple plot, no real arguing, not even between Ernie and his brother about not being invited to the party. Unlike a Leave it to Beaver episode where Beaver wasn't invited to a party Wally hosted and the Beav decided to sabotage the party to ruin it as a way of getting revenge, Ernie took his rejection like a man, totally mature, after having his feeling hurt. It rates a 6 with me.
