User Reviews

The Cleavers have a new house and the series a new opening, but situations seem familiar. Wally has a new position, chairman of the blind date committee. He was appointed by Duke Hathaway, a senior who is sort of a big deal. His responsibility is to see that everyone has a date for the upcoming school dance. How hard can it be, there is only one girl without a date: the new girl, Jill Bartlett. Beaver figures she is a real ugly girl with warts all over.

Wally is unsure how to go about getting a date for a girl he hasn't seen or knows anything about. Ward suggests he call and speak to the girl. When Wally calls he ends up speaking with the mother and he asks probing questions like what does she weigh. Armed with such quality information, Wally now needs to call his friends to see if he can find Jill a date. Chester says no because Jill is in his science class and she doesn't talk to anyone. Tooey says no because Chester called him and warned him off. Wally decides he can't call Lumpy because he wouldn't do that to any girl.

At school, Wally tries talking with Duke; he wants to resign but Duke says no. Back at home, Beaver is talking to Larry who knows the problem of getting a date for a girl: Larry says his sister doesn't date because she's ugly. Wally finally calls Jill and asks her if she would like to go with him.

Eddie Haskell stops by and gives Wally the business for taking Jill Bartlett to the dance and Eddie claims Jill is a gopher; an insult I am not familiar with but it's easy to get the gist. Meanwhile Beaver and Larry are at Jill Bartlett's house trying to get a look at her so they can report to Wally on her looks. They do get to see her but Beaver's report isn't helpful because when he gets home he can't describe her at all. Beaver just concludes that Jill is mostly nothing as he can't remember a detail.

Wally is about to leave the house but Ward speaks to him and admits even he had dates with girls who weren't attractive. Ward says for one date in college he even had to pay his fraternity brothers to dance with her. Deciding to act on Ward's story, Wally borrows a dollar from Beaver thinking his two dollars might not be enough to bribe his friends.

We find Wally at the malt shop after the dance having a soda and talking. But Jill even knows that Wally paid his friends to dance with her. Wally says he didn't find anything wrong with Jill. Jill says she just doesn't know how to talk to boys the way Mary Ellen Rogers does. Then Jill asks Wally what is he interested in. Good idea because Wally can talk about himself with ease. Maybe Jill is catching on as to how to talk with boys.

At home Wally tells Beaver that Jill is nice. Beaver hopes nice doesn't mean he is in love with her. Of course not says Wally. And that's a good answer for Beaver who doesn't want Wally running off and getting married.

A fun episode if a little uneven, but Wally is now established in high school and Eddie's appearance is a good indicator we will see more of him. No doubt there is some good advice for girls from the 60's as to how to interest boys; but it certainly seems dated by today's standards when it seems every teen in the US is on social media.

Wally is chairman of the Blind Date Committee, a group that is in charge of getting dates for high school girls who can't find one for the upcoming high school dance.

There is one girl who is having a hard time finding a date and ultimately Wally decides to take the girl to the dance himself. She is attractive but not beautiful. She just doesn't have that certain something in her personality that gets the attention of guys.

But prior to the dance Wally really gets kidded about it, especially by Eddie who calls her a "gopher", which is some 50s teen term I've never heard of before. Boys in high school are, at this point in their development, a bunch of lemmings. They like the girls they've been told to like by others in their peer group. This leaves a bunch of boys competing for just a few coveted girls. Wally instead has a nice time with a "diamond in the rough". It is amusing when he gets home and speaks positively about the date and the evening that Beaver thinks Wally is going to get married and leave home.

I thought "Blind Date Committee" was a rough start to season 3. Jill Bartlett (Beverly Washburn) stole the show. Duke Hathaway (Tommy Ivo) I thought was miscast as a heart-throb in a series that's brilliant in casting. It was really low to call Jill a gopher. Then Wally, and even Beaver piling on mocking her. Beaver then said she's not homely or pretty. She's very pretty, playing a unpopular girl. Ward & June should of been sterner correcting Beaver and Wally.