Leave It to Beaver (season 2)
| Leave It to Beaver Season 2 | |
|---|---|
Title screen
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| Country of origin |
 United States
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| No. of episodes | 39 (black-and-white, full-screen, approx. 25 minutes) |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | October 2, 1958 – June 25, 1959 |
| Season chronology | |
The second season of the American television situation comedy Leave It to Beaver premiered on October 2, 1958 and concluded on June 25, 1959. It consisted of 39 episodes shot in black-and-white, each running approximately 25 minutes in length. This was the first season that the show was originally aired on ABC after the first season was televised on CBS.
Leave It to Beaver moved from CBS to ABC before the season debut and would remain with ABC for the rest of its run. The move is attributed to the show's sponsor, Ralston Purina, who managed a better deal with ABC than with CBS. The season opened October 2, 1958 with "Beaver's Poem" and completed its run June 25, 1959 with "Most Interesting Character". The show moved from its first season time slot of Wednesdays at 8:00 P.M. (EST) to Thursdays at 7:30 P.M. (EST), with summer '59 reruns airing at 9:00 P.M. The third season was broadcast in another time slot. Like the show's first season, the second season consists of 39 black-and-white, full-screen, half-hour episodes (with ads) recorded on 35 mm film.
The opening sequence features Ward and June standing at the bottom of the entry stairs and sending the boys off to school one at a time. Wally descends first and leaves the house, slamming the door so hard that a lamp wobbles and Ward winces. Beaver descends and heads out the door. He turns and the camera zooms in for a closeup as he pauses in the doorway to don his baseball cap. The closing sequence parallels the opening in showing Beaver and Wally returning from school at the end of the day and approaching the house along the front walk. Both sequences were accompanied by the show's theme tune, "The Toy Parade".
As in the first season, all four main players appear in every episode.
Sue Randall joins the cast as Beaver's third grade teacher, Miss Landers, and remains with the show for several seasons. Stephen Talbot joins the show as Beaver's friend, Gilbert Gates (later, Bates), and remains for the series' duration.
Norman Tokar directs most episodes with Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher, again, writing most. Series star Hugh Beaumont pens the story for the episode, "A Horse Named Nick".
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