Erwachsen müßte man sein Dance Contest (1957–1963) Online

Mary Ellen Rogers has gone away to school (some fancy boarding school, I assume) and is back for a short time and having a big dance at the country club. She invites Wally, who doesn't want to go, but can't say "no" on the telephone.

Wally's pals are visiting him the next day, shooting the bull out in the garage, and they know all about the invitation. Lumpy asks Wally what his "secret" is, since Mary Ellen (Pamela Baird) now is the hottest girl around. They - Lumpy, Chester and Tooey - are impressed Wally is going out with her. While they are visiting, Mary Ellen comes to see him and is waiting in the living room. All of them go inside. When asks Tooey what he's doing, he replies, "We all came in to watch Wally talk to Mary Ellen." They stand there and gape at her (great expressions, particularly on Tooey) while Wally introduces them.

Mary Ellen coyly remarks she came over to show Wally the dress she's wearing at the dance. Now the boys' (not Wally) eyes are popping out of their heads as Mary Ellen dazzles them. Mary Ellen finally gets Wally alone outside to tell him she entered the two of them in a "cha cha contest" for the dance. "I just know you're a smooth dancer by the way you walk," she purrs at him. (Boy, I don't remember girls being aggressive like this back in the late '50s!).

Poor Wally now has to learn the cha-cha-cha, but doesn't want anyone to see him, of course. He bars the door to the bedroom while he practices to an instructional record. Beaver's listening at the door, making weird faces. He then goes around the outside of the house and looks into the window. Wally catches him and tells Beaver he better keep quiet. Beaver responds, "Gee, Wally I wouldn't say anything. I would be too ashamed to let anybody know I had a brother who danced by himself."

Anyway, not much eventful happens in the rest of the episode. The lesson in here - told to Wally by his dad, who was nice enough to pay for a last-minute dancing lesson for him, is that one would be better off telling someone he's doesn't know how to do something rather than pretending he does and then trying to learn it at the last minute.

Wally gets an invitation from Mary Ellen Rogers to the Mayfield Cotillion. Wally doesn't want to go but Ward says he then has to call Mary Ellen and decline the invitation. When Wally calls, Mary Ellen talks to fast that Wally just collapses and gives in.

Next day, Tooey, Chester, and Lumpy are in the garage and are telling Wally that Mary Ellen has changed since she went away to school; she is a hot number. Just then Mary Ellen stops by to show Wally the dress she will be wearing; and all the guys come into the house to look at her. Mary Ellen tells Wally she has entered them in the cha cha contest at the dance. She says she knows Wally has to be a good dancer because he walks so smoothly.

When Beaver gets home from school he is told by June not to go upstairs or to bother Wally, he is studying. Beaver tries to sneak into the room, but Wally has jammed a chair under the doorknob so Beaver can't get in. But Beaver can hear a record on the record player trying to teach Wally how to dance the cha cha.

Upstairs, Wally is having no luck whatsoever trying to learn the dance. It doesn't help that Beaver is outside the window watching Wally dance with a canoe paddle for a partner. Wally pulls Beaver inside and tells him what's going on; but when Beaver starts laughing then Wally sends Beaver back out the window he came in.

Next morning June is wondering what's going on with Wally. Every day after school Wally has come home and locked himself in his room to study. He hasn't even mentioned the dance. Beaver gets home from school and goes upstairs with Larry. Larry tells Beaver to put on the record player but Beaver says he isn't supposed to touch Wally's stuff. Of course Beaver touches the player and the record starts and Beaver and Larry start dancing together to the instructions and music. Wally finds them and is upset with Beaver.

That night at dinner no one is talking. June tries to get a conversation going and gets a conversation: Wally announces he is not going to the dance. Beaver explains Wally can't go to the dance because he can't cha cha. Ward arranges for Wally to get an hour's dance lesson from a professional dance instructor. Beaver's take on all of the events just reinforce his belief that girls just make guys do silly things.

Ward and June are waiting for Wally to see how the dance went. It was OK, Wally got an honorable mention for his dancing. That impresses June until Wally says if you didn't get first or second place, then everyone got honorable mention. Wally does thank Ward for the emergency dancing lesson before heading upstairs.

Beaver wants to know if Wally had to eat with the girl as well as having to dance with them. Wally asks Beaver not to say anything to the guys about the dancing lessons. Beaver says he wasn't going to because he's saving it. Saving it? Yeah, if Wally is mean to him some time then he has something to use.

It seems a lot of this could have been avoided if Wally talked with Ward and June early on. I am pretty sure June knows the cha cha and could have taught Wally. It would still be silly as Wally would feel ridiculous learning from his mom. I will just have to give this one over to the writers. And yes, my mom taught me a few dances when I was a kid.