The Story of the Beaver Papers

In an attempt to save "Leave It To Beaver" from going off the air in 1963, famous authors submit scripts hoping their influence will persuade the network from dumping the show. Scripts include "Lady Cleaver's Beaver" by D. H. Lawrence, "Beavermorphosis" by Franz Kafka (where Theodore actually transforms into a giant beaver), and my personal favorite "And Thus Spake Beaver" by Nietzche ... "And Beaver descended alone from the house encountering no one, and all at once there stood before him Larry Mondello who bit into an apple. And thus spake Beaver unto Larry Mondello, 'Shared cookies make a friend, not getting in trouble together', and he punched Larry Mondello in the stomach." If you love the Beave and love Literary Parodies, you'll love this book.

Wow -- it's nice to see that there are other people out there who have read this book and loved it as much as I did. I bought the book when it first came out in 1985 and I was in college. I almost peed my pants reading it in the bookstore, so I figured I'd better buy it before they threw me out. I still have it on my shelf, and it's provided countless hours of amusement ever since. About the only books I would consider funnier than this one are George Ade's "Fables in Slang" and "More Fables in Slang", which are sadly almost unknown today. They should really reprint this, because it's as hilarious today as it was almost 15 years ago.

When I first read the Dostoevsky episode ("Hey, Wally, do you think it's OK to kill an old lady?" "I don't know, Beav. We haven't gotten that far in civics."), I was in convulsions. This is the funniest book in the history of Western Civilization, even funnier than "The Lazlo Letters," and that's saying something. That it is out of print is some kind of culture crime.

Back in 1988 I borrowed a copy of this book from a friend, who threatened me with bodily harm if I didn't return it! I have been searching ever since for my own copy to horde! When I first read it I giggled, but after a second, third, and final fourth reading I was inspired to write my own interpretations... Not very good writing on my part, but the book and it's premise inspired me!! Recently I saw a contest for people to "Guess" the plot of the final Seinfeld episode, and I was reminded of this book, which takes a favorite show, and creates unbelievable and hilarious plotlines inspired from interpretations of favorite famous literature. As I continue my quest.... I wonder if this format will be revisited, and could it be successful again? The newspaper which published the Seinfeld Plots Contest had increased readership, which should inspire someone to revisit the format, and entertain us all with this humorous writing technique.

The cast and crew of "Leave it to Beaver" are on standby pending cancellation as writers around the world (and throughout history) desperately submit treatments to save the beloved show. Jacobs and Jones have compiled a wonderful collection of storylines written in styles mocking the world's great authors, within the "Leave it to Beaver" format. From the gloomy existentialism of Sartre to the gloomy realism of Steinbeck and the erotic imagery of Alain Robbe Grillet, the authors manage to poke fun at television sitcoms and world literature as well. I read a borrowed copy of this book in 1987 and have been searching shelves for it ever since