Wally's Haircomb

Leave It To Beaver reflects a time when conservative social values were the norm. Although limited to the majority demographic of American society, it nevertheless presented family dynamics and life lessons pertinent to all. Luckily, the writing and production values opened it up to a wide range of entertaining situations (e.g. - a large recurring cast of characters and not restricted to the standard 3 camera interior setting of most sitcoms.)

Wally's Haircomb was typical in its portrayal of a universal family "problem" with a wise solution proferred, in this case ignoring the problem and letting it resolve itself, rather than trying to fix it only to make it worse.

Like most of the series, this particular episode remains relevant even today. Instead of a goofy greasy hairstyle one could substitute nose rings, tattoos, wacky beards or a myriad of other fleetingly hip fads.

As the school principal explained to June Cleaver to ease her concerns about her teen son following the crowd, "they conform by being non-conforming."

Wally comes home from the barber's with a new hair style - the jelly roll. This was an actual hair fad of the late 50s along with the DA haircut. The hair is rolled up around the sides, flat in the front and the middle, and like an oil slick all over.

June thinks Wally looks like a gangster with his hair like this, and tries getting Ward to do something, who mentions that the haircut would not do if Wally is going to try out for swim team. This does make an impression on Wally as he ditches the idea of being on the swim team but keeps the hairdo. June makes an appointment with the principal at the high school. The principal is not alarmed by the hairstyle and says the fad will run its course. But when Beaver comes down to go to school one morning with a jelly roll as well, June tries the direct approach with Wally. How will this work out? Watch and find out.

Everybody seems pretty hard on June for going to such lengths to get Wally to rid himself of this hair fad, saying that she was a control freak. But you have to remember that in the 1950s about the worst thing you could be was a non-conformist. People might think you were a Communist or something! And I'm not exaggerating much when I say that. These were different less forgiving and accepting times.

I liked how every time the camera was focused on one of these guys with this jelly roll haircut that you would hear intense 50s rock and roll playing. It was as humorous as the voodoo drums playing in the background every time someone thought that maybe there was something to these voodoo curses in the season one episode, "Voodoo Magic".

(*Beaver quote*) - "We weren't speaking about fads. We were speaking about Lumpy's lopsided head."

When June Cleaver gets a good look at Wally's new hairdo she's so outraged by it that (get this) she goes to the principal, Mr. Haller at Wally's school and makes a serious complaint about it. (Like, if that isn't a roundabout was of making some change, then, I don't know what it is)

Anyway - In the meantime - Beaver decides to imitate his brother's wild haircomb and that proves to be the comical highlight of this episode.

This is the one episode I can't stand June. With the sixties around the corner, June's attitude is about to get flattened by a new generation. Vietnam, the counter-culture, rock and roll, the baby boomers are about to make their mark. Her attitude was very much like my mother. It was the reason why I started running away at fourteen, volunteered for Vietnam at eighteen, protested the war at twenty-one, and played in rock and roll bands most of my life. I'm seventy two and still have long hair. I grew it to protest and I still feel the same way. My father and all my uncles served in World War Two, and could never understand my generation. My mom and dad eventually mellowed but my teens and twenties were a different story. The world was changing and so were we. Long story short, June had a bad attitude and she was just lucky that it wasn't six or seven years later and Wally or even the Beaver didn't hitch-hike to San Francisco and become a founding member of the Grateful Dead or the Jefferson Airplane.

This Is A Rather Good Episode, And I Thought That Wally's "Hairstyle" Was Very Cool. So Is The Music When The Focus Is On Wally's Hair.!!!

Now, June Cleaver Is Nothing But A Little Tyrant Who Seems To Be Unable To Think Out Of The Box, And Live And Let Live. She Wants, And Probably Craves Control. And, In My Humble Opinion, She Is Not Concerned As Much About Wally's Hairstyle As She Is Concerned With How Other People Seeing Wally's Hairstyle Will Reflect On Her, And Possibly On Ward As Well. How Petty. How Damn Petty.

And, This Wretched Business About Running To Wally's Principal Is A Rather Immature Act of Desperation That Is Totally Unnecessary. Of Course, Proper Appearance To Her Is Insanely Vital - Most Like Due To The Influence Of Her Overbearing Aunt Martha.

Good Grief. June Needs To Grow Up, And Let Wally Grow Up, Instead Of Trying To Shape Him Into Some Preconceived Mold Of How A Teenager "SHOULD" Look Like. Boy Oh Bpy!!!