Wally, the Lifeguard is the 121st episode in the series.
Plot synopsis[]
As the school year has begun, and several of the regular lifeguards at the local beach at Friend's Lake, have returned to college, several highschoolers, including Wally, have been offered a job as a lifeguard, for the beach's remaining warm weather weekends. June is reluctant to allow Wally to accept, but Ward convinces her that Wally wouldn't have been offered the job if the school didn't think he was up to it, and it'll only be for a couple of weeks anyway. Both Beaver and Eddie are especially excited about Wally being a lifeguard and go on to brag to their friends about it. However, when Wally goes up to Friend's Lake to accept the position, the ranger realizes Wally is too young be hired as a lifeguard as the state law recently changed the age limit to 18+ to work as a lifeguard, but Wally's gym coach had apparently been unaware of the change, when he offered Wally the job. Wally is offered the position of a candy butcher, selling hot dogs, drinks, and candy, for the same pay as a lifeguard, to which he reluctantly accepts.
On Wally's first day, Eddie comes to the beach along with two girls from their class, and the Cleavers (along with Gilbert and Whitey) come for a picnic, all expecting to see Wally doing his lifeguarding duties. However, everyone is surprised to see him doing his less prestigious job, instead. Wally explains what happened, and while Eddie, Ward, and June are disappointed, they understand. Beaver, however is embarrassed by Wally's mundane job, and refuses to talk to his brother.
Ward eventually convinces Beaver that the reason he feels Wally let him down, is because he tried to use Wally's status as a lifeguard to make himself look like a big shot to his friends, but then Wally got an unfortunate break. He mentions that Wally had once done the same thing with his friends, bragging about Ward being a football hero in high school, only for Ward to have to explain to them that he had only been a second-string halfback who rarely played, and Wally had felt similarly let down. He says all Beaver needs to do is start talking to Wally again, and soon the two brothers make amends.
Appearances[]
- Eddie
- Gilbert
- Whitey
- Mary Ellen Rogers
- Mr. Burton
- Alma
- Lifeguard