Petticoat Junction (1963–1970): Season 2, Episode 8 - Betty Jo's Pen Pal - full transcript
Betty Jo's pen-pal arrives at the Shady Rest for a visit.
In this next episode,
Hooterville gets a visitor
who has traveled
from a great distance.
And I'm not talking about
Pixley or Crabtree Corners.
Betty Jo's been corresponding
with a pen pal in Japan,
and the young lady comes
to the Shady Rest for a spell
where she makes
quite an impression.
As broadcast November 24, 1964,
Aki Hara plays
the role of Nobuko,
otherwise known as
"Betty Jo's Pen Pal."
(train whistle blows)
♪ Come ride the little train ♪
♪ That is rollin' down the
tracks to the Junction ♪
(bell clanging)
♪ Forget about your cares ♪
♪ It is time to relax
at the Junction ♪
(whistle blows twice)
♪ Lots of curves, you bet ♪
♪ And even more when you get ♪
♪ To the Junction ♪
♪ Petticoat Junction ♪
(snare drum plays train rhythm)
♪ There's a little hotel called
the Shady Rest at the Junction ♪
♪ Petticoat Junction ♪
♪ It is run by Kate, come and
be her guest at the Junction ♪
♪ Petticoat Junction ♪
♪ And that's Uncle Joe,
he's a-movin' kinda slow ♪
♪ At the Junction ♪
♪ Petticoat Junction! ♪
(train whistle blows)
"Ko... nni... chiwa."
"Ko... nni... chiwa."
"Konnichiwa."
"Konnichiwa."
"Watakushi nonami
wa Betty Jo desu."
You practicing to be a stork?
Oh.
I was just trying to learn a
few Japanese expressions
to make Nobuko feel at home. Oh.
Konnichiwa. Hello.
Hello. Uh...
Watakushi nonami
wa Betty Jo desu.
My name is Betty Jo.
Your name's going to be mud
if you don't finish
carpet-sweeping this hallway.
Yes, ma'am.
I sent Bobbie Jo to get
me some clean sheets.
Where is she?
Downstairs, I guess.
Bobbie Jo?
Konnichiwa.
We're all trying to
learn some Japanese.
According to those letters,
your pen pal Nobuko's been
writing you all these years.
She's going to
understand your English
much easier than your Japanese.
Now, where's Billie Jo?
Billie Jo's taking a bath.
Billie Jo?
Yo aso wasu itsu
ha imasu masu ka?
What'd she say?!
"When does the
floor show start?"
Oh, I see.
That's what she said. (sighs)
Kate... Konnichiwa.
Betty Jo, could I get you to
sew a button on this collar?
I'm sorry, Uncle Joe,
I've got to finish sweeping.
Bobbie Jo, would you...?
Oh, I'm sorry, Uncle Jo,
I have to help Mom now.
Oh, Billie Jo, would you sew
a button on my shirt for me?
Oh, sayonara.
Hey, can I get a button
sewed on this shirt?
And give me a straight
answer... in English.
No. Is that straight enough?
Uncle Joe, we have so much to
do here before the train gets in.
How's it gonna look, a girl
comes all the way from Japan,
and the first impression she
gets of American manhood
is that American womanhood
don't sew no buttons on his shirt?
"Sara-noyer"!
(steam engine
hissing and chugging)
(brakes squealing
and steam hissing)
Isn't she gorgeous?
Beautiful.
She sure is.
You sewed that
button on too tight.
I'm purpling into asphyxiation.
Betty Jo, go ahead.
Say your welcoming piece.
Betty Jo-san!
Nobuko!
(talking over each other
in own native language)
Looks like all that language
study went to waste.
Oh, Nobuko... Uh-huh.
I'd like you to meet my family.
Oh, Betty Jo,
it is not necessary to
introduce me to them.
I feel I have known
them for years,
from the way you have
described them in your letters.
Your mother, the strict one.
Guess I'm not strict enough.
Welcome.
And Bobbie Jo-san,
the worm in the book.
Bookworm.
And Billie Jo-san,
the boy-crazy one
with the scattered brain.
Betty Jo!
It lost something
in the translation.
Uncle Joe!
Oh, a lazy old dog!
I'd know you anywhere.
Hey, I think you
ought to make a rule
to censor all
outgoing foreign mail.
For you, Mrs. Bradley.
Oh, you didn't need
to bring me anything.
My pleasure for allowing me
to be a guest in your home.
Oh... Oh, it's beautiful.
Mom, why don't you try it on.
Huh? Ye-Yeah!
For my pen pal.
Why, thank you. (gasps)
Look! A real pearl.
It is a cultured pearl.
They're grown in the
sea near my home.
How do they grow pearls?
Oh, nothing to it.
They take one of these
here educated clams,
and they stuff a hunk
of sand under his shell,
it makes it so mad, it
squirts pearls at you.
Ain't that right, Nabooki?
The young must not question
the wisdom of the elders.
You girls hear that?
Yes, Uncle Joe.
Bobbie Jo-san,
words of great wisdom
from our great philosophers.
Oh, thank you so much.
"A parrot can repeat
words of wisdom,
but cannot understand them."
I read something like that
once, in a fortune cookie.
And for Billie Jo-san, to
practice the art of flirtation.
BILLIE JO: Oh, it's
beautiful. (Joe chuckles)
(chuckles)
And for Uncle Joe-san...
to always hear happy sound.
Ain't nothing wrong
with my hearing.
That's a radio.
Oh.
Hey, how about that?
Pixley Hardware's
got a sale on snail bait.
Thanks a lot.
And for you, this.
We'll fasten it for you later.
Konnichiwa.
Mom, you look beautiful!
Like a most distinguished
Japanese lady.
Well, thank you.
You know what I
think I'm gonna do?
I'm gonna wear it
at the next meeting
of the Every Other Wednesday
Afternoon Discussion Club.
It'll give them
something to discuss
the Wednesday
we're not discussing.
(all laugh)
Nobuko, have you ever
had fried chicken before?
No, but I'm looking
forward to it.
Betty Jo has described
the excellence of your ability
to prepare it.
You see, I wrote some
good things about you,
O Strict One.
Help yourself.
Please, Uncle Joe-san first.
I've read that, in Japan,
men are always served first.
They make good
radios there, too.
(tapping three times,
and a loud fourth)
(imitates Joe's tapping)
Oh, what do you plan
to major in in college?
I'm hoping to teach
English in Japan.
Where are you going to teach?
Oh, there's a nice little
school near my home.
I've heard that Lenmore College
has a very nice
English department.
They don't have a
very good football team.
Well, I don't think
Nobuko will be going
out for the football team.
Uncle Joe, pass the peas.
Uncle Joe?
I didn't know that. Know what?
Pullman's emulsified oil is a
sure cure for your root knob.
You've been having
trouble with root knob lately?
Of course not.
Then pass the peas.
Oh...
Hey, this is interesting.
Uncle Joe, turn that thing off.
It's not good manners.
There ain't nothing
wrong with my manners.
Uncle Joe, you know better
than to eat peas with a knife.
She is.
Is something wrong?
Uh, well, uh... Am I
not eating correctly?
Well, of course you are.
(awkward chuckle)
I'm glad I asked.
I was gonna eat the
peas with this, uh, fork...
Oh, that's right!
Oh...
Well, the knife was
considered correct
by certain members
of the older generation.
I must confess, I
have never eaten
with utensils like these before.
No kidding. What do
you use? Chopsticks.
Well, Nobuko, if you're going
to go to an American college,
I think you better learn
how to use a knife and fork.
Let me show you.
(all cheering)
Thank you.
Now, if there's anything
else you want to know about,
don't be ashamed to ask.
Yeah; you just follow my lead,
and them college people will think
you were born and brung up here.
In a depressed area.
Lights out, Miss
Worm in the Book.
BOBBIE JO: Just a
few more minutes, Mom.
This book Nobuko
brought me is fascinating.
Lights out.
Flashlights, too.
Night, Betty.
How do you like her, Mom?
I think she's a very nice girl.
Mom, I was wondering
if, tomorrow, we...
It's late. Get to sleep.
Oh, but Mom, I just...
Good night, and that's final,
from the Strict One.
(knocks softly)
Nobuko?
NOBUKO: Come in, please.
My goodness, what are you
doing sleeping on the floor?
This is the way we
always sleep at home.
Well, try the bed, it's
much more comfortable.
Oh... Oh.
Oh, it is all right,
Mrs. Bradley.
He's supposed to
sleep on the floor.
Now then, isn't that
better than the hard floor?
Much better.
We're glad you came to visit us.
Good night, child.
Good night.
What would you like to do today?
Whatever you have planned.
Why don't you take her around
and show her where
some of our important
historical events took place?
Like what?
Well, you could take
her down to the creek
and show her where Lem
Walters busted his pole
pulling in that
eight-pound trout.
I know a real historical site
you could show her. What's that?
You cleaning up the backyard,
like you been promising to
do for the last 20 Saturdays.
Aw, Kate... And
when you're through,
we'll put up a historical marker
commemorating the event.
Hey, just a second.
Here's something
she might like to do:
Henley's Garage in Pixley's
giving away free balloons
for every grease job.
Backyard.
Not a bad price for an Edsel.
Oh, something wrong?
Just very strange to see
you working, Mr. Carson.
What do you mean by that?
In a Japanese household,
it is the women who
do all the physical work.
What do the men do?
Oh, they sit and talk
and sometimes drink tea.
You know, I've been saving
up my money for 30 years
for a trip to Chicago.
I might switch to Japan.
And it brings blessed relief
to people who have
been suffering for years.
How wonderful.
All you got to do is take a pill
before going to bed,
you wake up the next
morning full of pep and vigor.
Give me the name of
those pills and I'll buy you
the large lazy-type bottle.
You mind telling me
why you're loafing around
while Nobuko does all the work?
It may look that way
to your untraveled eye,
but Nabooki was just showing
me some local Japanese customs.
I was just telling Uncle Joe-san
that, in Japan, it is the women
who do the work
in the garden. Ah.
Yeah, I didn't want
her to get homesick.
Oh, how very thoughtful.
You know, Nobuko, we
have an American custom
that covers this
kind of situation.
Oh? What is it?
It's called hollerin'.
Uncle Joe!
A picnic? You mean, with
ants and all that kind of stuff?
Yeah.
You've got rocks in your head.
Henry, Nobuko's a
guest in this country.
It would be a nice thing to do.
You want to do something nice?
Tell Billie Jo that I
have been waiting for her
nearly a half hour.
Why do you always have
to keep Henry waiting?
Betty Jo, take the advice
of a mature woman:
never be on time for a date.
Why not?
It makes you look
like you're eager
to go out with him.
Then why did you
make a date with him?
Because I'm eager
to go out with him.
I don't understand that at all.
(chuckles) Well, you
will when you grow up.
I think I'll let him stew
another ten minutes.
Betty told me how
you've been writing
to each other all this time.
Yes, she is a wonderful girl.
I hope she doesn't
grow up like Billie Joe.
This is a record. She's been
keeping me waiting 35 minutes.
Perhaps something is wrong.
Oh, no, she does
it all the time.
She does?
I'm getting a crick in my back.
Oh, please.
Oh!
That better?
Yeah!
Your feet.
Thanks!
Perhaps you would like some tea.
Crazy!
I beg your pardon?
Oh, I'd love some.
(sighs) What time is it?
8:32. Three more minutes.
Oh, thanks.
Cookies?
Hi, Henry.
Hi.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
Oh, that's okay.
Well, we're gonna
be late for the show.
Show? What show?
Henry!
Oh! Gee, I'm sorry, Nobuko.
We-We have to be going.
Gee, thanks for the
tea and everything.
My pleasure.
Henry!
So long.
Hey, Betty, I just
got a great idea.
Why don't we take Nobuko
on a picnic tomorrow?
Henry!
May I serve you some more
potato salad, Henry-san?
I'd just love some
more potato salad.
(mocking): I'd just love
some more potato salad.
Are there any pickles
over there, Nobuko?
Are there any pickles
over there, Nobuko?
I'd like another slice
of bread, please.
He's had six slices already!
Henry!
Huh?
Do you suppose I could
have another piece of chicken?
Sure, there's
plenty; help yourself.
Why, of all the nerve!
Did you hear what...?
What is the matter with you two?
You and your pen pal.
What's she doing?
Listen, it took me two years
to get Henry to shape up,
and she's ruining
everything in one hour.
More butter?
Oh, lots more.
(gasps)
Henry never looked
at me that way.
Maybe he would
if you waited on
him a little more.
What are you, some kind
of radical or something?
Getting used to
sleeping in a real bed?
Yes. I must admit, it
is very comfortable.
Oh, there are
all sorts of things
in America that are kinda nice,
soon as you get used to 'em.
I liked the picnic today,
but there was one
thing I do not understand.
Billie and Bobbie sat
apart from their men.
Is this an American custom?
Mm-hmm... It's known as
having your nose out of joint.
You see, Bobbie
and Billie were upset
because you were
waiting on the fellas,
and that's not the
way we do it here.
Our men are
trained to wait on us.
They like this?
We never asked them.
You see, it used to be
that women did all the work,
and the men just sat
around shouting orders.
Then, about a hundred years ago,
the women in this
country got together
and they started shouting back.
Oh, I have read about that.
The War of Independence.
Well, no, it wasn't
a war... But, uh,
you're gonna be studying
at an American college
with American boys
who've been brought up
in the American tradition
of waiting on themselves.
But if you start
waiting on them,
you're gonna tear down all
the work we women have done.
But I have been brought
up to serve a man.
I do not know how
to do otherwise.
Well, it's just a matter
of knowing a few
of the basic rules.
The first one of which is:
"Nothing makes a man
feel more like a man
than helping a helpless woman."
JOE: Kate?
In the backyard, Uncle Joe.
Put the basket down.
But I... Your first lesson.
Kate, have I got time
for a nap before supper?
Oh, sure, but Nobuko,
didn't you have something
you wanted to ask Uncle Joe?
What? Well...
would you mind carrying
the basket of laundry
into the house for me?
Well, uh... It is
too heavy for me.
It's too heavy for me, too.
But I'm sure it'll be
like lifting a feather
for a big strong man like you.
Yeah, it is kinda light.
Now for your first
lesson in eyelash batting.
Uncle Joe-san, would you
mind getting me a glass of water?
What?
Please?
I mean... please?
(chuckles)
Okay.
Would you mind getting
me one, too, please?
What's the matter, you
got something in your eye?
Catching on real quick, Nabooki.
Couple of more lessons,
and you'll be able
to take your finals.
8:00... they're
a half hour late.
When they said 7:30, we
shouldn't have gotten here until 8:00.
I want you to get the
treatment from Nobuko.
Now remember, just complain
about how
uncomfortable that chair is,
and she'll bring you a pillow.
You're putting me on.
No, you saw her
action at the picnic.
That was nothing.
Just wait till I
ask for some tea.
Just stand back and
watch the oolong fly.
It's un-American.
But is so un-Japanese
to keep a man waiting.
No, you listen to Mom.
She made me what I am today.
Thanks. I guess.
Operator 32K reporting.
The enemy is below
and chomping at the bit.
Your finals are
starting. Come on.
Good luck.
We'll give her a
ten-minute start,
and then you can go down.
You know, I don't think
this is such a good idea.
Yeah, you give her two
teabags and ten minutes
and our name's liable to be mud.
Kombawa.
Oh, hi, Nobuko. We've
been waiting for ya.
HENRY: It was a beautiful
day today, wasn't it?
Beautiful.
Oh, uh,
say, this chair's
pretty uncomfortable.
My back is killing me.
Oh, that is too bad.
It really hurts.
Perhaps it would feel better
if you had a pillow for it.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's what
I need, a pillow.
Henry-san,
would you get a
pillow for Roy-san?
Me?!
My chair is uncomfortable, too.
Would you get a pillow
for me, Henry-san?
Huh?
Please?
Sure.
Here. How's that?
Fine.
Although it would be more
comfortable if I could put
my feet up on something.
Hey, Roy, the footstool.
I thought you
said... Oh, I thought
you would get it
for me, Henry-san.
You are so strong.
Sure. I'll get it.
Thank you.
Oh, I'm forgetting my manners.
Would you like some tea?
Yeah.
Yeah, we sure would.
The kettle is on the stove,
the teabag's on the cupboard
and the cups are on the table.
You heard her, Roy.
I thought you said... Said what?
Nothing. Nothing.
I'll get it.
Oh, I would have a
piece of lemon with mine.
Go on down, girls,
and tell Nobuko
she graduated
with flying colors.
May I have some
lemonade, please?
I'd love some, too, please.
Well, I think Nobuko's gonna
get along just fine in America now.
Kate, I don't know whether
you did the right thing,
teaching her the things you did.
Well, I didn't want
those fellas at college
taking advantage of her.
(chuckles)
Yeah...
but it was kinda
nice having her do
those thoughtful little things.
Yeah, I suppose so.
I didn't even have to
ask her to do nothing.
She seemed to know what
I want even before I did.
(chuckles)
Wouldn't hurt American women
to try to give a little
of that treatment.
Yeah... I just might
try it someday.
Sayonara.
♪ Petticoat Junction. ♪
This has been a
Filmways Presentation.
Hooterville gets a visitor
who has traveled
from a great distance.
And I'm not talking about
Pixley or Crabtree Corners.
Betty Jo's been corresponding
with a pen pal in Japan,
and the young lady comes
to the Shady Rest for a spell
where she makes
quite an impression.
As broadcast November 24, 1964,
Aki Hara plays
the role of Nobuko,
otherwise known as
"Betty Jo's Pen Pal."
(train whistle blows)
♪ Come ride the little train ♪
♪ That is rollin' down the
tracks to the Junction ♪
(bell clanging)
♪ Forget about your cares ♪
♪ It is time to relax
at the Junction ♪
(whistle blows twice)
♪ Lots of curves, you bet ♪
♪ And even more when you get ♪
♪ To the Junction ♪
♪ Petticoat Junction ♪
(snare drum plays train rhythm)
♪ There's a little hotel called
the Shady Rest at the Junction ♪
♪ Petticoat Junction ♪
♪ It is run by Kate, come and
be her guest at the Junction ♪
♪ Petticoat Junction ♪
♪ And that's Uncle Joe,
he's a-movin' kinda slow ♪
♪ At the Junction ♪
♪ Petticoat Junction! ♪
(train whistle blows)
"Ko... nni... chiwa."
"Ko... nni... chiwa."
"Konnichiwa."
"Konnichiwa."
"Watakushi nonami
wa Betty Jo desu."
You practicing to be a stork?
Oh.
I was just trying to learn a
few Japanese expressions
to make Nobuko feel at home. Oh.
Konnichiwa. Hello.
Hello. Uh...
Watakushi nonami
wa Betty Jo desu.
My name is Betty Jo.
Your name's going to be mud
if you don't finish
carpet-sweeping this hallway.
Yes, ma'am.
I sent Bobbie Jo to get
me some clean sheets.
Where is she?
Downstairs, I guess.
Bobbie Jo?
Konnichiwa.
We're all trying to
learn some Japanese.
According to those letters,
your pen pal Nobuko's been
writing you all these years.
She's going to
understand your English
much easier than your Japanese.
Now, where's Billie Jo?
Billie Jo's taking a bath.
Billie Jo?
Yo aso wasu itsu
ha imasu masu ka?
What'd she say?!
"When does the
floor show start?"
Oh, I see.
That's what she said. (sighs)
Kate... Konnichiwa.
Betty Jo, could I get you to
sew a button on this collar?
I'm sorry, Uncle Joe,
I've got to finish sweeping.
Bobbie Jo, would you...?
Oh, I'm sorry, Uncle Jo,
I have to help Mom now.
Oh, Billie Jo, would you sew
a button on my shirt for me?
Oh, sayonara.
Hey, can I get a button
sewed on this shirt?
And give me a straight
answer... in English.
No. Is that straight enough?
Uncle Joe, we have so much to
do here before the train gets in.
How's it gonna look, a girl
comes all the way from Japan,
and the first impression she
gets of American manhood
is that American womanhood
don't sew no buttons on his shirt?
"Sara-noyer"!
(steam engine
hissing and chugging)
(brakes squealing
and steam hissing)
Isn't she gorgeous?
Beautiful.
She sure is.
You sewed that
button on too tight.
I'm purpling into asphyxiation.
Betty Jo, go ahead.
Say your welcoming piece.
Betty Jo-san!
Nobuko!
(talking over each other
in own native language)
Looks like all that language
study went to waste.
Oh, Nobuko... Uh-huh.
I'd like you to meet my family.
Oh, Betty Jo,
it is not necessary to
introduce me to them.
I feel I have known
them for years,
from the way you have
described them in your letters.
Your mother, the strict one.
Guess I'm not strict enough.
Welcome.
And Bobbie Jo-san,
the worm in the book.
Bookworm.
And Billie Jo-san,
the boy-crazy one
with the scattered brain.
Betty Jo!
It lost something
in the translation.
Uncle Joe!
Oh, a lazy old dog!
I'd know you anywhere.
Hey, I think you
ought to make a rule
to censor all
outgoing foreign mail.
For you, Mrs. Bradley.
Oh, you didn't need
to bring me anything.
My pleasure for allowing me
to be a guest in your home.
Oh... Oh, it's beautiful.
Mom, why don't you try it on.
Huh? Ye-Yeah!
For my pen pal.
Why, thank you. (gasps)
Look! A real pearl.
It is a cultured pearl.
They're grown in the
sea near my home.
How do they grow pearls?
Oh, nothing to it.
They take one of these
here educated clams,
and they stuff a hunk
of sand under his shell,
it makes it so mad, it
squirts pearls at you.
Ain't that right, Nabooki?
The young must not question
the wisdom of the elders.
You girls hear that?
Yes, Uncle Joe.
Bobbie Jo-san,
words of great wisdom
from our great philosophers.
Oh, thank you so much.
"A parrot can repeat
words of wisdom,
but cannot understand them."
I read something like that
once, in a fortune cookie.
And for Billie Jo-san, to
practice the art of flirtation.
BILLIE JO: Oh, it's
beautiful. (Joe chuckles)
(chuckles)
And for Uncle Joe-san...
to always hear happy sound.
Ain't nothing wrong
with my hearing.
That's a radio.
Oh.
Hey, how about that?
Pixley Hardware's
got a sale on snail bait.
Thanks a lot.
And for you, this.
We'll fasten it for you later.
Konnichiwa.
Mom, you look beautiful!
Like a most distinguished
Japanese lady.
Well, thank you.
You know what I
think I'm gonna do?
I'm gonna wear it
at the next meeting
of the Every Other Wednesday
Afternoon Discussion Club.
It'll give them
something to discuss
the Wednesday
we're not discussing.
(all laugh)
Nobuko, have you ever
had fried chicken before?
No, but I'm looking
forward to it.
Betty Jo has described
the excellence of your ability
to prepare it.
You see, I wrote some
good things about you,
O Strict One.
Help yourself.
Please, Uncle Joe-san first.
I've read that, in Japan,
men are always served first.
They make good
radios there, too.
(tapping three times,
and a loud fourth)
(imitates Joe's tapping)
Oh, what do you plan
to major in in college?
I'm hoping to teach
English in Japan.
Where are you going to teach?
Oh, there's a nice little
school near my home.
I've heard that Lenmore College
has a very nice
English department.
They don't have a
very good football team.
Well, I don't think
Nobuko will be going
out for the football team.
Uncle Joe, pass the peas.
Uncle Joe?
I didn't know that. Know what?
Pullman's emulsified oil is a
sure cure for your root knob.
You've been having
trouble with root knob lately?
Of course not.
Then pass the peas.
Oh...
Hey, this is interesting.
Uncle Joe, turn that thing off.
It's not good manners.
There ain't nothing
wrong with my manners.
Uncle Joe, you know better
than to eat peas with a knife.
She is.
Is something wrong?
Uh, well, uh... Am I
not eating correctly?
Well, of course you are.
(awkward chuckle)
I'm glad I asked.
I was gonna eat the
peas with this, uh, fork...
Oh, that's right!
Oh...
Well, the knife was
considered correct
by certain members
of the older generation.
I must confess, I
have never eaten
with utensils like these before.
No kidding. What do
you use? Chopsticks.
Well, Nobuko, if you're going
to go to an American college,
I think you better learn
how to use a knife and fork.
Let me show you.
(all cheering)
Thank you.
Now, if there's anything
else you want to know about,
don't be ashamed to ask.
Yeah; you just follow my lead,
and them college people will think
you were born and brung up here.
In a depressed area.
Lights out, Miss
Worm in the Book.
BOBBIE JO: Just a
few more minutes, Mom.
This book Nobuko
brought me is fascinating.
Lights out.
Flashlights, too.
Night, Betty.
How do you like her, Mom?
I think she's a very nice girl.
Mom, I was wondering
if, tomorrow, we...
It's late. Get to sleep.
Oh, but Mom, I just...
Good night, and that's final,
from the Strict One.
(knocks softly)
Nobuko?
NOBUKO: Come in, please.
My goodness, what are you
doing sleeping on the floor?
This is the way we
always sleep at home.
Well, try the bed, it's
much more comfortable.
Oh... Oh.
Oh, it is all right,
Mrs. Bradley.
He's supposed to
sleep on the floor.
Now then, isn't that
better than the hard floor?
Much better.
We're glad you came to visit us.
Good night, child.
Good night.
What would you like to do today?
Whatever you have planned.
Why don't you take her around
and show her where
some of our important
historical events took place?
Like what?
Well, you could take
her down to the creek
and show her where Lem
Walters busted his pole
pulling in that
eight-pound trout.
I know a real historical site
you could show her. What's that?
You cleaning up the backyard,
like you been promising to
do for the last 20 Saturdays.
Aw, Kate... And
when you're through,
we'll put up a historical marker
commemorating the event.
Hey, just a second.
Here's something
she might like to do:
Henley's Garage in Pixley's
giving away free balloons
for every grease job.
Backyard.
Not a bad price for an Edsel.
Oh, something wrong?
Just very strange to see
you working, Mr. Carson.
What do you mean by that?
In a Japanese household,
it is the women who
do all the physical work.
What do the men do?
Oh, they sit and talk
and sometimes drink tea.
You know, I've been saving
up my money for 30 years
for a trip to Chicago.
I might switch to Japan.
And it brings blessed relief
to people who have
been suffering for years.
How wonderful.
All you got to do is take a pill
before going to bed,
you wake up the next
morning full of pep and vigor.
Give me the name of
those pills and I'll buy you
the large lazy-type bottle.
You mind telling me
why you're loafing around
while Nobuko does all the work?
It may look that way
to your untraveled eye,
but Nabooki was just showing
me some local Japanese customs.
I was just telling Uncle Joe-san
that, in Japan, it is the women
who do the work
in the garden. Ah.
Yeah, I didn't want
her to get homesick.
Oh, how very thoughtful.
You know, Nobuko, we
have an American custom
that covers this
kind of situation.
Oh? What is it?
It's called hollerin'.
Uncle Joe!
A picnic? You mean, with
ants and all that kind of stuff?
Yeah.
You've got rocks in your head.
Henry, Nobuko's a
guest in this country.
It would be a nice thing to do.
You want to do something nice?
Tell Billie Jo that I
have been waiting for her
nearly a half hour.
Why do you always have
to keep Henry waiting?
Betty Jo, take the advice
of a mature woman:
never be on time for a date.
Why not?
It makes you look
like you're eager
to go out with him.
Then why did you
make a date with him?
Because I'm eager
to go out with him.
I don't understand that at all.
(chuckles) Well, you
will when you grow up.
I think I'll let him stew
another ten minutes.
Betty told me how
you've been writing
to each other all this time.
Yes, she is a wonderful girl.
I hope she doesn't
grow up like Billie Joe.
This is a record. She's been
keeping me waiting 35 minutes.
Perhaps something is wrong.
Oh, no, she does
it all the time.
She does?
I'm getting a crick in my back.
Oh, please.
Oh!
That better?
Yeah!
Your feet.
Thanks!
Perhaps you would like some tea.
Crazy!
I beg your pardon?
Oh, I'd love some.
(sighs) What time is it?
8:32. Three more minutes.
Oh, thanks.
Cookies?
Hi, Henry.
Hi.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
Oh, that's okay.
Well, we're gonna
be late for the show.
Show? What show?
Henry!
Oh! Gee, I'm sorry, Nobuko.
We-We have to be going.
Gee, thanks for the
tea and everything.
My pleasure.
Henry!
So long.
Hey, Betty, I just
got a great idea.
Why don't we take Nobuko
on a picnic tomorrow?
Henry!
May I serve you some more
potato salad, Henry-san?
I'd just love some
more potato salad.
(mocking): I'd just love
some more potato salad.
Are there any pickles
over there, Nobuko?
Are there any pickles
over there, Nobuko?
I'd like another slice
of bread, please.
He's had six slices already!
Henry!
Huh?
Do you suppose I could
have another piece of chicken?
Sure, there's
plenty; help yourself.
Why, of all the nerve!
Did you hear what...?
What is the matter with you two?
You and your pen pal.
What's she doing?
Listen, it took me two years
to get Henry to shape up,
and she's ruining
everything in one hour.
More butter?
Oh, lots more.
(gasps)
Henry never looked
at me that way.
Maybe he would
if you waited on
him a little more.
What are you, some kind
of radical or something?
Getting used to
sleeping in a real bed?
Yes. I must admit, it
is very comfortable.
Oh, there are
all sorts of things
in America that are kinda nice,
soon as you get used to 'em.
I liked the picnic today,
but there was one
thing I do not understand.
Billie and Bobbie sat
apart from their men.
Is this an American custom?
Mm-hmm... It's known as
having your nose out of joint.
You see, Bobbie
and Billie were upset
because you were
waiting on the fellas,
and that's not the
way we do it here.
Our men are
trained to wait on us.
They like this?
We never asked them.
You see, it used to be
that women did all the work,
and the men just sat
around shouting orders.
Then, about a hundred years ago,
the women in this
country got together
and they started shouting back.
Oh, I have read about that.
The War of Independence.
Well, no, it wasn't
a war... But, uh,
you're gonna be studying
at an American college
with American boys
who've been brought up
in the American tradition
of waiting on themselves.
But if you start
waiting on them,
you're gonna tear down all
the work we women have done.
But I have been brought
up to serve a man.
I do not know how
to do otherwise.
Well, it's just a matter
of knowing a few
of the basic rules.
The first one of which is:
"Nothing makes a man
feel more like a man
than helping a helpless woman."
JOE: Kate?
In the backyard, Uncle Joe.
Put the basket down.
But I... Your first lesson.
Kate, have I got time
for a nap before supper?
Oh, sure, but Nobuko,
didn't you have something
you wanted to ask Uncle Joe?
What? Well...
would you mind carrying
the basket of laundry
into the house for me?
Well, uh... It is
too heavy for me.
It's too heavy for me, too.
But I'm sure it'll be
like lifting a feather
for a big strong man like you.
Yeah, it is kinda light.
Now for your first
lesson in eyelash batting.
Uncle Joe-san, would you
mind getting me a glass of water?
What?
Please?
I mean... please?
(chuckles)
Okay.
Would you mind getting
me one, too, please?
What's the matter, you
got something in your eye?
Catching on real quick, Nabooki.
Couple of more lessons,
and you'll be able
to take your finals.
8:00... they're
a half hour late.
When they said 7:30, we
shouldn't have gotten here until 8:00.
I want you to get the
treatment from Nobuko.
Now remember, just complain
about how
uncomfortable that chair is,
and she'll bring you a pillow.
You're putting me on.
No, you saw her
action at the picnic.
That was nothing.
Just wait till I
ask for some tea.
Just stand back and
watch the oolong fly.
It's un-American.
But is so un-Japanese
to keep a man waiting.
No, you listen to Mom.
She made me what I am today.
Thanks. I guess.
Operator 32K reporting.
The enemy is below
and chomping at the bit.
Your finals are
starting. Come on.
Good luck.
We'll give her a
ten-minute start,
and then you can go down.
You know, I don't think
this is such a good idea.
Yeah, you give her two
teabags and ten minutes
and our name's liable to be mud.
Kombawa.
Oh, hi, Nobuko. We've
been waiting for ya.
HENRY: It was a beautiful
day today, wasn't it?
Beautiful.
Oh, uh,
say, this chair's
pretty uncomfortable.
My back is killing me.
Oh, that is too bad.
It really hurts.
Perhaps it would feel better
if you had a pillow for it.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's what
I need, a pillow.
Henry-san,
would you get a
pillow for Roy-san?
Me?!
My chair is uncomfortable, too.
Would you get a pillow
for me, Henry-san?
Huh?
Please?
Sure.
Here. How's that?
Fine.
Although it would be more
comfortable if I could put
my feet up on something.
Hey, Roy, the footstool.
I thought you
said... Oh, I thought
you would get it
for me, Henry-san.
You are so strong.
Sure. I'll get it.
Thank you.
Oh, I'm forgetting my manners.
Would you like some tea?
Yeah.
Yeah, we sure would.
The kettle is on the stove,
the teabag's on the cupboard
and the cups are on the table.
You heard her, Roy.
I thought you said... Said what?
Nothing. Nothing.
I'll get it.
Oh, I would have a
piece of lemon with mine.
Go on down, girls,
and tell Nobuko
she graduated
with flying colors.
May I have some
lemonade, please?
I'd love some, too, please.
Well, I think Nobuko's gonna
get along just fine in America now.
Kate, I don't know whether
you did the right thing,
teaching her the things you did.
Well, I didn't want
those fellas at college
taking advantage of her.
(chuckles)
Yeah...
but it was kinda
nice having her do
those thoughtful little things.
Yeah, I suppose so.
I didn't even have to
ask her to do nothing.
She seemed to know what
I want even before I did.
(chuckles)
Wouldn't hurt American women
to try to give a little
of that treatment.
Yeah... I just might
try it someday.
Sayonara.
♪ Petticoat Junction. ♪
This has been a
Filmways Presentation.