Wally and Beaver order a Florida alligator from an ad in a magazine. When they pick him up at the post office, they are disappointed to see that he is only a few inches long and feel like they were had. Because of his small size, they are able to sneak him into the house and hide him in their bathroom without their parents knowing about this. But when he won't eat the insects they catch for him, they decide to consult "Captain Jack" a caretaker at a local alligator farm.
The alligator grows to a foot in length, so the boys move him to a tub in the basement that is never used, but when the housekeeper Minerva goes down there to hang out wash to dry because it is raining, she runs back upstairs screaming that there is a monster in the basement. Ward takes the fact that she is seeing monsters and that some of his brandy is missing (the boys are using it as an alligator appetite stimulant) as proof that Minerva is drinking on the job and fires her. I certainly hope Ward gave her an apology, some severance pay, and letter of recommendation after the truth came out. Minerva is never seen or heard from on LITB again.
In these early episodes, all through the first season, there's much more playful banter between Ward and June. They always talk, but the conversation is much more serious in later seasons.
The end has something happening that the writers just forget all about the following week - the appearance of a puppy that Ward and June have gotten for the boys. Earlier in the episode, Ward said that if the boys demonstrated some responsibility, then they could have a discussion about a pet. Probably raising an alligator in captivity from a few inches to a foot long proved that responsibility. However the dog is never seen or mentioned on LITB again. Perhaps he went to live with Minerva?
Interesting factoid - This was supposed to be the first episode of the series, but it was delayed as the censors had a problem with an actual toilet being shown on TV! Thus was the state of censorship in the 1950s. Only when the producers agreed to only allow the toilet tank to be shown, which is where the boys were keeping their alligator, was the episode given the green light.
The alligator grows to a foot in length, so the boys move him to a tub in the basement that is never used, but when the housekeeper Minerva goes down there to hang out wash to dry because it is raining, she runs back upstairs screaming that there is a monster in the basement. Ward takes the fact that she is seeing monsters and that some of his brandy is missing (the boys are using it as an alligator appetite stimulant) as proof that Minerva is drinking on the job and fires her. I certainly hope Ward gave her an apology, some severance pay, and letter of recommendation after the truth came out. Minerva is never seen or heard from on LITB again.
In these early episodes, all through the first season, there's much more playful banter between Ward and June. They always talk, but the conversation is much more serious in later seasons.
The end has something happening that the writers just forget all about the following week - the appearance of a puppy that Ward and June have gotten for the boys. Earlier in the episode, Ward said that if the boys demonstrated some responsibility, then they could have a discussion about a pet. Probably raising an alligator in captivity from a few inches to a foot long proved that responsibility. However the dog is never seen or mentioned on LITB again. Perhaps he went to live with Minerva?
Interesting factoid - This was supposed to be the first episode of the series, but it was delayed as the censors had a problem with an actual toilet being shown on TV! Thus was the state of censorship in the 1950s. Only when the producers agreed to only allow the toilet tank to be shown, which is where the boys were keeping their alligator, was the episode given the green light.