The Waltons (1971–1981): Season 4, Episode 23 - The Fledgling - full transcript
John-Boy wants to buy a printing press to start his own newspaper. Works hard to earn money for the down payment.
JOHN-BOY: The year 1936 was a
momentous one in the history of the world.
It was the year a king gave up
his crown for the woman he loved.
It was the year Adolph Hitler
violated the Treaty of Versailles,
and it was the same
year that Benito Mussolini,
encouraged by Hitler's
daring, overran Ethiopia.
But none of these historic events
was quite so important with our family
as the struggle by one of us
to attain an impossible dream.
Mr. Johnson? Hello, John.
I have an article here on the
preparations for the Jefferson County Fair.
I won't be needing
the story, John-Boy.
Mr. Johnson, I'd appreciate
it if you'd at least read it.
I was up till about 4:00 in the
morning... Really? Good, good.
You read this, will
you? The lead story.
The editorial comment?
That's it.
All right.
"With this issue, I take the
opportunity to say farewell
"to friends and subscribers to
The Jefferson County Times."
Go on.
"Nearly 15 years ago, I
arrived here an outlander
"and embarked upon an adventure
which had been the dream of a lifetime,
"to publish a small
country newspaper."
I can't believe you
were serious about that.
Well, I had an offer right after
we talked the other day, John-Boy.
The place is sold.
I didn't think you'd
ever go through with it.
I need a change
in my life, John.
I've never been very
successful with marriages.
My second wife,
as you might know,
has been gone from
these parts over a year now.
I feel the need to get
back to my own roots.
It's a little town in Florida.
Mr. Johnson, I'd...
I'd appreciate it
if you'd at least
recommend to the new owner
that he keep me
on as a stringer.
Well, the new owner's in farm
equipment. He's renovating the whole place.
What about the newspaper?
What's gonna happen to the paper?
I'm gonna ship that ahead
to Florida and set it up there.
All except... Come with me.
I'd like to show you something.
Here. Here, John-Boy.
This is how I started.
This is my original press.
Of course, I had to expand,
get better equipment,
but I always held onto this
press because I loved her.
What a beauty! Isn't she?
She still run?
All I have to do is oil her a little
bit and she'll run like a dream.
What are you gonna do with her?
Well, I have an advertisement
running in a publisher's quarterly.
I wish that you
were in the market.
Me? Mmm-hmm.
Mr. Johnson, we Baptists
don't sell our souls too easy,
but that press could tempt me.
How much? I'm asking $550.
Lot of money.
But I'm counting on that money
to help cover the expenses
when I make the move.
Oh, of course, sure.
When did you say
you had to clear out?
I have to be out in three weeks.
It's crazy.
Even if I had the press, I'd
have to do all the work myself.
I'd have to rent space,
I'd have to set the type
and run it off myself,
I'd have to write all
the articles myself.
I'd even have to deliver and
get the advertisements myself.
Yeah, but with my closing up,
you know, that leaves
the county without a paper.
There's a demand,
you could fill it.
It's not a foolish thought.
You don't think so?
Mmm-mmm.
You think maybe you could
lower your price just a touch?
Well, I... I might
take a down payment
and the rest in installments.
What kind of down payment?
$50? And then $15
a month after that.
$50, huh? Mmm-hmm.
Too much? No,
that's... that's...
That's fair. That's
really fair. I...
You got yourself a deal.
Good. Good.
John-Boy, I know that
everybody's having a hard time.
You got the $50?
Have I got the $50? Yeah.
Of course not.
But I've got three weeks
to get it in and I will.
I know you will. I
promise you, I will.
Listen, Mr. Johnson, I don't want
you to show this to anybody, all right?
Just... just... I don't want anyone
to know that this thing even exists.
You really mean what
you're saying? I certainly do.
Then it is a deal. It's a deal.
Hallelujah. Hallelujah!
(MOTOR WHIRRING)
Hey, Grandpa!
Grandpa! Hey, that's a real pretty
rocking chair you got there, isn't it?
Thanks, John-Boy. It is a copy
of one my own granddaddy made.
Oh, that's really a
beauty. Where's Daddy?
Right here, Son. Hey,
Daddy, come in here.
You get a grip on yourself. I got
something to tell you. You too, Grandpa.
I bought myself
a printing press.
That's nice, Son.
What are you
planning to do with it?
Well, start a
newspaper, of course.
GRANDPA: What did you use for
money to buy this printing press?
Well, I haven't paid for it
yet, but the deal's all set.
You see,
Mr. Johnson, the editor,
is folding down the
Jefferson County Times.
And he's moving lock, stock, and barrel
to Florida, the presses and everything,
except for this one pretty little
foot-operated printing press,
and that's the one I
bought it. How much?
Just $50 down and $15 a month.
Till you've paid off how much?
$550. Methuselah!
I know that sounds like a lot of
money, but don't worry, Grandpa.
It's really just the down
payment that's hard to get,
and I got a month
to scrape that up.
I shouldn't have any trouble clearing
the $15 a month profit on the newspaper.
How do you propose to
get this down payment, Son?
Well, I'll just have to
get myself a full-time job.
Hold on, Son... No, now, now.
I know exactly what you're saying
and no, I'm not planning to quit school.
Don't worry about that. I
can do both at the same time.
I might have to cut down
on my schedule a little bit,
but I'm sure I can manage it. You're
not gonna oppose me on this, are you?
You know, we're not gonna be
able to help you with the money.
I know you can't help
me with the money.
I don't want you to
help me with the money.
That's the point. I
wanna do it all myself.
Sure hope you know
what you're doing.
Of course I know what I'm doing.
Excuse me.
I thought you'd
be excited by it.
I am.
But have you given any thought as
to how you plan to accomplish all this?
Oh, I can work it out. See,
I've got it all figured it out.
I just have to get myself a
job and reschedule my time.
I just wanted to tell you first
'cause I knew you'd understand.
Can you imagine
my own newspaper?
Well, nothing's impossible, John. If I
said it was, you wouldn't believe me.
Probably not.
Well, then, it isn't.
But, John, have you given
any thought to your workload?
I mean, there are just so many
hours in a day, you can't change that.
Oh, I know that. I've
given a lot of thought to it.
See, there's... there's a lot of
things I'm gonna have to cut down on.
Of course, like the... the stringer
job at the Times. That'll be out.
I'll just have to rearrange
my study schedule
and cut out a lot
of wasted hours.
I'm sure I can find a lot of
wasted hours in my life to cut out.
One thing still
concerns me, John.
What's that?
I love your enthusiasm
for this project, but...
Well, it takes me back to
when I was about your age,
and I had some pages I'd
written about some people
who pained and astonished me so,
that I had to write a novel about them.
You, too? Oh, yes.
I still have those pages.
I take them out and I look
at those stillborn pages
and I wonder what
happened to them.
I never finished that novel.
I went to work to
support those people
instead of loving and
respecting and revering them.
I don't know what I might have
become if I had continued writing.
Now, please, please, you put
that in your mind and don't forget it.
I won't.
You know, I never really intended to
give up writing the novel altogether.
John, it's a splendid
thing to be young.
The young have a sense of wonder
and awe and elation about things that...
Well, that people who
are older just... just lose.
Husband your energy and you
give your talent to your novel,
and don't dilute it by taking
on too many responsibilities.
Well, now I don't think I could
stop working on it even if I wanted to.
Good.
Good luck, John.
Thank you. I knew
you'd say that.
Bye. Bye, John.
Mike! Are you joining
the workforce? Surprised?
Well, I never thought you
had any money troubles.
I've got them now.
What happened?
Well, the old man cut way
down on the allowance.
I sent him a wire and instead
of a check, I got a phone call
and a 30-minute lecture on
thrift, industry, and self-reliance.
Know where I can find a
paying job? No, I sure don't.
I'm looking for one
myself. What for?
'Cause I gotta make some real
money real fast. Full-time job.
Well, not gonna find one here.
No? All right. Well,
good luck to you.
Yeah. Same to you.
I'll check back just in case
something opens up. Thank you.
TILLIE: I'll get your
ham sandwich for you.
(COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYING)
Excuse me, sir, I'd like to speak
to you about your job sign out front.
You local? Yes, I go
to Boatwright University.
I've been looking all over. This
is the first opening that I've found.
I've had some of the boys from the
college in here about the job already,
only trouble is, they always
say they'll stay on the job
but the minute the
semester's over,
they quit and head back
where they come from.
Well, that wouldn't be the case
with me. You see, I live around here.
Where you all live?
Jefferson County.
Walton's Mountain.
Mostly poor folks out that way.
How'd you get in
college in the first place?
Scholarship.
You ever handled the public? No.
But I know I could. I like people.
I get along with them very well.
Last fellow moved
his family to Roanoke.
Not sure it's gonna work
out for him down there.
No telling how
long the job will last.
Well, sir, I'd appreciate being
able to fill out an application at least.
I could give you references if
you wanted to from some people
like the pastor at the church or my
dean at the university, Dean Beck.
I know Dean Beck.
If he recommends you,
I might give you a try.
Well, I'll have him call you.
Meanwhile, fill
out this application
and get it back to
me on the double.
Thank you very
much. I sure will.
Good morning, Tillie, who's
minding the lunch counter?
Nobody. I'm late.
Good morning, Tillie.
Oh, morning, Rudyard.
I'll have you some
coffee in just a minute.
No hurry. Hired me a new boy
and I gotta keep an eye on him.
That's gonna be $1.
Thank you very much.
Where to, ma'am? Oh, I
gotta get over to Ruckersville.
Round trip, one way?
Well, it's hard to say.
I got my eldest
daughter over there
that's come down with some
kind of skin condition. Oh.
Six children and her not
able to turn a hand to work.
Her husband's over in Raleigh,
North Carolina, looking for a job
but would nothing do but
she had to send for me.
Well, maybe what I ought to do
here is sell you a one-way ticket
and then you can come back
whenever you want to, all right?
Oh, well, it's hard
to tell when that'll be.
They got her wrapped in bed sheets
and putting salve all over her whole body.
Well, a round-trip ticket is
good all year long, okay?
I don't know.
See, Clyde might get back
from Raleigh, North Carolina,
in time to ride me
home in his car.
Can you hurry it up?
I'm going to miss my bus!
Yes, certainly. I'll tell you
what I'm gonna do, ma'am.
I'm going to sell
you a one-way ticket
and then I'm gonna let
you worry about when you
wanna come back, and you
can decide that on your own.
That'll be 50 cents even. Oh.
There you go.
Thank you very much.
(CLEARS THROAT) Thank you.
Where to? Roundtrip
to Lynchburg, please.
How many hours a
day at this bus station?
Eight. But I enjoy it, it's
not really like work at all.
John, you have six
hours of class every day.
The workload you carry
requires three to four hours' study.
When are you getting your rest?
I've been thinking
about a way to fix that.
I'm gonna do something
about it today, I promise.
Good.
I'm sorry, Professor.
It's all right.
(RECKLESS BARKING)
Daddy! Son.
Hey. Where you off to?
Mama's running low on meat.
If I'm lucky we'll have
venison for breakfast.
And where you gonna hunt?
There's deer nearby,
they'll be up along the ridge.
You're pretty sure
about that, aren't you?
They've been up in the high
meadow grazing all morning.
About now they'll be moving
down for water. Uh-huh.
(JOHN-BOY CLEARS THROAT)
You're not interested
in hunting, Son.
Well, to tell you the truth,
something kind of serious I
wanted to talk to you about.
Shoot.
Daddy, I like my job. You
know, I really do, it's a fine job.
It's an exciting place to
be, especially for a writer.
You know, you meet so
many different kinds of people
and they're all traveling here
and there and they got stories to tell
and some of them are laughing
and some of them are crying,
and meeting each other.
Some of them will even
tell you their whole life story
if you got time to listen.
Oh, it's an exciting place.
I'm glad you're
enjoying it, Son.
Only problem is, there just don't
seem to be enough hours in the day
for me to do
everything I wanna do.
I don't want you killing
yourself over work.
No use ruining your
health. It's not worth it. Mmm.
So I've been thinking,
sure would save a lot of
wear and tear on my hide
if I didn't have to
come home every night.
Now, are you telling me that you
wanna move away from home?
Well, I've been thinking about
a boarding house in
Westham or something like that.
Wouldn't be forever, you know.
We all say that.
Once we make the break
and get out on our own,
get used to it, we
stay out on our own.
Tell me something.
What do you think Mama's
gonna say about that?
She'll grieve some, worry a lot.
It's all part of raising a
family. She'll stand up to it.
I'll talk to her about it.
Strange.
I had all kinds of
things saved up.
Things I wanted to say to
you when this time came.
Now it's here and I
can't think of any of them.
I wish you could.
Well, Son.
No one man can tell
another man how to live.
In the long run, I guess, every
man has to do what he has to do.
Some of us grow up, raise
families, become woodchoppers,
others go into politics, or
get rich in the stock market.
In the end, though,
we all grow old and die.
The important thing is to... is
to find someone you can love
someone who can love you back,
get work that can pay the bills.
Work that you can get
some satisfaction from.
Well, I have that.
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
Always pay your debts, Son.
Don't take unfair
advantage of any man,
and don't let any man take
unfair advantage of you.
Find yourself a good woman.
Remember, you're my son.
Yes, sir.
John! Hmm.
How did you make
out with your job hunt?
Not too bad. I'm selling
tickets down at the bus depot.
Wow.
And how about you?
No. No, nobody wants me.
Well, jobs are hard
to find these days.
How's it pay? Not bad. Not bad.
Good. Might be hitting
you for a loan soon.
What's the matter? Your
daddy cut out your allowance?
(GROANS) Cut it way down.
Think I might be standing in
the bread lines any day now.
Might come out
with you some night
just to have one of your
mother's good meals.
You'd be welcome, but I'm not gonna
be going out there too much longer.
Just until I find a
place in town. Oh.
Finally moving into
the big, wicked city?
I am. Just as soon
as I can find a place.
Well, shouldn't take
too long. Good luck.
Thank you very much.
Same to you with the job.
Thank you.
How's the burger?
Hmm. Wonderful. Got
a real special flavor to it.
My special
ingredient. What is it?
Wine. Red wine.
I put a jigger of wine
for every pound of meat.
You put wine in the
burgers? That's wonderful.
Where do you get the wine?
My husband makes it.
Really?
You sure your name is
Shanks and not Baldwin?
That's a little private joke.
Only Baldwins I know are
two ladies from over your way.
They stop in for a burger
every time they come to town.
You know Miss Mamie
and Miss Emily Baldwin?
Love them to death. So do I.
Wouldn't you know they'd
find your burger shop?
John! John.
I found the solution
to all of our problems.
You have? Yes.
I'd like you to meet Tillie here.
This is Mike Paxton and he's crazy.
You didn't have to
tell me. I spotted him.
What'll you have, Mike?
Eh, well, how much
is what he's having?
15 cents. Can I get a
small one for a nickel?
No deal.
Here, you can have half of mine.
He's having a little
financial difficulties right now.
Thanks.
Which I have found a
way for us to deal with.
What do you mean "us"?
It's your problem. Not mine.
Will you listen to me?
I'm strapped and
you're trying to save.
Why don't we both do the
sensible thing, find a place to share?
We'll split the rent.
What do you think?
Well, I'll roll it
over in my mind.
Roll it over? I thought you
country boys ruminated.
All right, I'll ruminate it.
While he's ruminating, I'll
have one of these burgers.
Why, I thought you were broke.
Only temporarily.
You don't trust me?
Well, I'll trust you, long
as you're a friend of his.
One burger, Joe.
They're very unique.
Well, they are, aren't they?
It's a special ingredient.
You're really serious
about sharing a room?
Yes, of course, I am.
I don't know, Mike.
See, I keep odd hours.
I'd be up half the
night, writing and...
Doesn't bother me.
I'm a heavy sleeper.
But I snore, see, so... So do I!
I've always had my own room.
So have I!
Well, I suppose we
could give it a try.
Deal.
All right, it's a deal.
You got any ideas where you'd
like to start looking for a place?
No. Do you?
Of course not, I don't
know any place around here.
Well, I do.
You two are babes in the woods.
Go to Mrs. Butterworth
across the street.
That's the only place in
town that's right for you.
What makes you think
that place is right for us?
Well, it's a good place. She'll
treat you fair and she's a lady.
Might even teach
you some manners.
Here's your burger. Thank you.
You owe me 15
cents. Just sign there.
Worth every penny.
Aw. This is such a
beautiful house you have.
Thank you.
Are you Virginians?
Eh, well, he is, ma'am.
I'm from Philadelphia.
I've met a good many Northern
people who were quite well-behaved.
I expect my guests to conduct
themselves at all times as gentlemen.
Oh, of course, ma'am.
I really like the room.
Well, I like it too, very much.
I'm particularly fond of
this part of it right here.
If I were to use this desk and
you were to sleep over there,
then if I stayed
up all night writing,
it probably wouldn't
keep you awake.
Are you a writer, Mr. Walton?
Yes, ma'am, and a student and I
sell tickets down at the bus depot.
The rate is $3 per
week per person.
That includes three meals per
day and the use of the parlor.
And there is a coin-operated
telephone in the downstairs office.
Ah.
Well, Mike, what do you think?
Well, uh, I think
we should take it.
That is, if we're acceptable
to Mrs. Butterworth.
If you gentlemen would
accompany me to the parlor,
we will fill out the
necessary papers.
Thank you.
I'm just about ready to go.
When your... your daddy went away I...
I tried to pretend it wasn't happening.
And,
well, when the pain
settled in, it hurt bad.
I'm not pretending with
you. It... it hurts already.
I'm sorry, Grandma.
You know, I'm not
gonna be very far away.
Now, you come home every
chance you get, you hear?
You know I will.
Oh, uh,
the... the people at the
place where you're boarding,
they're Christians,
aren't they? Good people.
That's for you.
Now, you read that every
night, and you say your prayers,
you resist temptation,
and you remember
you're my grandson.
Everybody's waiting in
the yard to see you off.
OLIVIA: Not everybody yet.
I'll be out in a minute.
I know they'll
feed you over there
but I thought some of my fried
chicken might remind you of home.
Thank you.
Oh, this is for you, too.
Thank you, Mama.
See that you use it.
Oh, I will.
I love you.
And that's all the
speech I'm gonna make.
There you go.
Goodbye, Son.
Bye-bye.
How're you gonna get to school?
I reckon I can get
a ride with Elsie
Warren. She goes down
there about every day.
All right, you come
and visit me, all right?
I will.
You betcha.
Yeah.
If you ever need a nurse...
Yeah, I'll call on you.
What's the matter with
you? That's for sissies.
(CHUCKLES) Well, I'm a sissy.
I'll come and visit you. Yeah,
I'm gonna count on it, Ben.
(BEN SNIFFLES)
Jim-Bob.
Be good. Yeah.
Hey, there.
I'm being very brave,
John-Boy. Me, too.
Bye.
JASON: Drive carefully.
Yeah, I sure will.
You all wish me luck now.
GRANDPA: Good
luck. BEN: Good luck.
I'll see you soon. JASON: Yeah.
(CAR STARTING)
Thank you very much.
(CLEARS THROAT)
BOTH: Surprise!
Miss Mamie and Miss
Emily! How are you?
Oh, just splendid,
thank you, John-Boy.
I'll bet you weren't
expecting to see us!
I've never been so happy
to see anyone in all my days.
Excuse me, could I buy a
ticket before my bus leaves?
Certainly. Where to?
Uh, one way. Culpepper.
Oh, we have some distant
relatives in Culpepper!
They're in barrels.
What my sister means is that
they're in the manufacture of barrels.
We haven't seen
them for just ages.
We just don't visit back
and forth the way we used to.
But if you run into
them in Culpepper,
do tell them that all is
well in Jefferson County!
So, anyway... One
way, Richmond, please.
Yes, ma'am, that's
$1 and five cents.
You must visit the Poe
Shrine while in Richmond.
It's where Edgar Allan Poe
lived as a youth, don't you know?
He was adopted by
some people named Allan,
but I don't believe he
took the family name.
Of course not, otherwise he would
have been called Edgar Allan Poe Allan.
Oh, precisely.
But it would have been a
rather stately name, wouldn't it?
There you are, ma'am. Thank you.
Have a nice trip!
I'll relieve you now, John,
if you'd like to go to lunch.
Oh, I certainly would.
Thank you very much.
Oh, John-Boy, would you do us
the honor of being our guest at lunch?
Oh, that would be a great pleasure,
ladies. Thank you very much.
Good. Good.
We always dine here
when we come to Westham.
Mrs. Shanks makes the
most heavenly hamburgers.
Yes, she does, doesn't she?
Tillie, look who we got here.
Oh, I'm happy to see you.
Three hamburgers coming up!
(ALL LAUGHING)
Three burgers, Joe.
Dear Mrs. Shanks.
She always knows exactly what
we want even before we tell her!
(ALL LAUGHING)
Hello.
Hi, John-Boy. I was
just wondering about you.
Sorry, I haven't had
a chance to come by,
but I've been so busy with
work and school and everything.
It's okay.
You haven't sold
my press, have you?
No, she's right back there.
How's the job going?
Oh, it's fine, it's wonderful.
You know, I got just about half the
down payment socked away already.
Good, good, good.
Do you mind if I take a
look at it? No, go right ahead.
Treat her gently when
you take her, John-Boy.
This press was almost a part of
me. You know, I love this old girl.
I may sleep next to it.
Where are you gonna keep her?
I don't know. I figure
I'll keep it in the barn
till I find out what
I'm gonna do.
You know, I got to thinking, this
case of type won't be much use to me.
Really goes with the press.
And this table and
stone for setting the type.
I don't know, it goes together.
Well, Mr. Johnson, you know,
I'm gonna have a hard
enough time as it is
scraping up the down
payment on the press.
Wait a minute, I'm not
trying to sell it to you.
It goes with the press.
You mean you're throwing it in?
Well, you don't throw type and
you don't throw a stone, John-Boy.
Let's just say that
I'm including it.
Oh, my Lord. You know the
press is no good without it.
Mr. Johnson,
you have been such
a good friend to me.
I hope someday I can repay this.
You just be here a week from
Friday and pick up these things,
and I will be off to Florida.
I will be here a week from
Friday just as soon I get paid.
Any sign of your
daddy, Elizabeth?
No, and I'm getting hungry.
Well, dinner's ready.
We'll eat in a few minutes.
Mama, can I have a dry old biscuit
or something to keep me going?
No, Ben. You wait
like everybody else.
If I don't eat soon, I'm gonna get
rickets. I'll wake up with yellow skin
and my eyeballs hanging out of
my head like... like tennis balls.
Jim-Bob, that is not
the symptom of rickets.
What do you know about
rickets anyway, Jim-Bob?
That's what Mary Ellen
says I'll get if I don't eat right.
Nobody's coming down with
anything like that around here.
I feed you children good food.
(ALL CHUCKLING) Yeah, but when?
OLIVIA: Just a few more minutes.
Mama, I moved my stuff out of
John-Boy's room so he'll feel at home.
You didn't have to do that,
Jason, but that was nice of you.
Can I play? Uh, next hand.
Mama, are we gonna have to
wait till John-Boy gets home to eat?
No, he has to work awhile. He
won't be here till about midnight.
You can all see him
first thing in the morning.
I wonder if he'll
look any different.
People don't change that
much in a week. Oh, you did.
You grew about six inches and
your voice changed overnight.
That's just because I'm unusual.
(CAR APPROACHING)
Hey, I see someone.
That must be your daddy.
Girls, help Grandma
get supper on the table.
I will.
Jason, you wanna... Sure.
Did you have a good
day? Oh, not bad.
I foreclosed a
couple of mortgages,
raised the interest
on all my loans,
fired a couple of vice presidents
for putting their hands in the till.
How was yours? Terrible.
Three of the servants quit, I
played just terribly at my bridge club,
and they don't have room for us
on that Caribbean cruise
we've been planning.
Oh, no. Isn't there
any good news?
Well, dinner's on the table, and
John-Boy's coming home for the weekend.
I'll settle for that.
Thank you very much.
Boy, am I glad to see you.
You may not be
when I've had my say.
How would you like
to work this weekend?
This weekend?
I was gonna go home and
visit my family this weekend.
I promised my wife I'd take her over to
see her folks over in Shenandoah Valley.
Her mother's real bad and there's
no knowing whether she'll pull through.
Oh, well, in that case,
of course, I'll stay.
Anyway, I can use
the extra money.
Would you mind if I made a
phone call for just a second there
and let my folks know
I'm not coming home?
Go ahead. Thank you very much.
(DINGS)
Yes, operator, I'd like to call
Walton's Mountain, Virginia.
Godsey's store. It's
three shorts and a long.
(CRICKETS CHIRPING)
(KNOCKING)
Oh, it's Ike. Come on in.
Howdy, Zeb.
Hi, folks!
Well, Ike.
John-Boy just called. He
has to work this weekend
and he wanted me to let you
know that he can't come home.
Wanna catch a picture show?
Mmm-mmm.
There's a great one
playing down at the Colonial.
One Hundred Men and a Girl.
Deanna Durbin's in it.
Oh, she's good.
Leopold Stokowski.
Huge symphony orchestra.
You like symphonic music?
Yes, I do, but I got too
much work to do right now.
Oh, you should relax. Really,
mate, I don't know if you've noticed it
but you've been tensed
and short-tempered
and on edge all the time.
I've been working hard, Mike.
Then slow down.
Really, you could crack up if
you keep going at this pace.
Well, I'll be getting
some rest this weekend.
I'll be going home for the
first time since I moved out.
Okay, keep your nose to the
grindstone. I'm gonna catch a show.
All right.
You have a good time.
Thank you.
JOHN-BOY: After Thanksgiving,
the winter turned severe.
Snow fell all through
Christmas and New Year,
blotting out the horizon.
Inside the house,
the family felt isolated,
as if on a small, snug
island of warmth and light.
The younger children grew restless
and could not wait for the storm to end,
(KNOCKING AT
DOOR) for they knew...
Come in.
Mr. Walton, you have guests.
I told them you'd
receive them in the parlor,
but they said they were old friends
and you might receive them here.
Who is it? Mr. and Mrs. Godsey.
Oh, yes, I'd like to see
them. Thank you very much.
Corabeth! Corabeth!
How do you do?
Oh, be careful, the baby!
Oh, well. Ike!
How are you? Good
to see you. Have a seat.
Make yourselves at home.
No, no, we haven't time.
That's a nice one,
isn't it? That is nice.
How's everyone at home?
Pining for you is how they are.
Just heartsick and lonesome
for their first-born child.
John-Boy, you haven't said a
proper greeting to our little stranger.
Who is this anyway?
(DOG WHINING) Well,
Mr. Godsey said that
he would like to hear
the pitter patter of little feet
around the house, so I
went to the animal shelter
and found this
adorable little stranger.
Her name is Clementine.
Clementine! Clementine.
(LAUGHING) She is a
sweetheart, isn't she?
I wish you could convince
Mr. Godsey of that.
Well, all she does is
make mischief on the rug.
Mr. Godsey, if you would put down
the newspaper as I requested you to do.
I tried the newspaper,
but she's scared of it.
Mr. Godsey, she's
only eight weeks old.
One can hardly expect
courageous behavior
from anything that's
only eight weeks old.
But I really think... Really.
You know, John-Boy, what a lovely
home you have selected to live in.
All these fine old things
remind me of Doe Hill.
Mama had fine
old things like this.
Oh.
Mr. Godsey, if we linger
here in conversation,
we will be late for the
movie picture show.
Oh, that's right. We're
going to the movies.
It's with Mr. Leopold Stokowski,
the well-known
classical conductor
and his symphony orchestra.
One Hundred Men and a Girl? I
know. My roommate went to see it.
Mr. Godsey, give John-Boy
the note. Oh, that's right.
Elizabeth wrote you a letter. She
brought it over to the store to mail it,
but I thought seeing as
how we were coming in,
I'd deliver it personally.
I am the postman.
Thank you very much.
I appreciate it, Ike.
Mr. Leopold
Stokowski is waiting.
(CLEARS THROAT)
Well, nice of you to come by.
Okay, John-Boy.
I'll be seeing you.
That's from your mama.
Thank you, Corabeth.
(DOG WHINES)
You have a good time.
Okay. Bye, John-Boy.
Bye-bye. Don't you make any
mischief in the movie house, Clementine!
ELIZABETH: "Dear John-Boy,
we miss you so much.
"Mama cried after
you left. I cried, too.
"It is lonesome to look
at your place at the table.
"Reckless stepped on some
broken glass and cut her foot.
"Mary Ellen and Jason
are fighting over your room.
"It bled a little, but
Grandma wrapped it up.
"Love, your sister,
Elizabeth Tyler Walton."
JOHN-BOY: "Dear
Elizabeth Tyler Walton.
"This is not a Valentine.
"This is not an essay on what I
did during my summer vacation.
"This is not a notice asking
you to pay your electric light bill.
"This is a letter.
"This letter is not from
President Roosevelt.
"This letter is not from Greta Garbo
and it is not from Little Orphan Annie.
"It is from me, your
brother, John-Boy."
Thank you very much.
Morning. Mr. Davis, morning.
Quiet night? Nothing
out of the way.
Son, I don't know how to put this,
but I've got some bad news for you.
What's that?
I'm sorry to do this, you've dealt fairly
with me and you've done a good job,
but the fellow who had the
job before you has come back.
Came in today with his
family and he's dead broke.
Asked for his job.
Got to give it to him, John.
You can't do that.
You know what this
job means to me.
You know I've staked
all my plans on this job.
And I feel terrible about it.
Oh, please, you can't do
this. I've worked hard for you!
I've given it
everything I've got.
John, it's not
because I want to.
You're young.
It's just yourself.
But this man has a family,
a wife and kids to feed.
You can understand that. Yeah.
Yeah, I can understand it fine.
I understand just fine.
Here's your pay.
Yeah. Thank you.
I hope you find something else.
Mike. Yeah? What?
I'm sorry to wake you up. I
want you to do me a favor.
I'm not going to
be in school today,
so I'd like you to go by
Professor Parks' office
and tell him that I'm out looking for a
job, otherwise I'm gonna lose that press.
John, you hunted for work all weekend.
What's gonna make today any different?
Today's Monday. There'll be
more people open for business.
Anyway, he'll understand. I just want
him to know I'm not gonna be there.
(YAWNING) I'll
tell him. Good luck.
Thank you. You
get back to sleep.
Hello? Yes.
I'm enquiring about the job ad
you've got in the paper this morning.
Oh.
Y-You wouldn't have any other
openings, would you, of any kind?
Listen, I... I really could
use a job, you know.
If there's any odd jobs or...
Okay. Yeah. Thank you.
Any messages for me?
Not that I know of.
You'd think there'd
be something.
I've been leaving
applications all over town.
Sorry. Yeah.
Oh, I saw Parks again today. He
wants you to drop by and see him.
Oh, of course he
does, of course he does.
I can't go. He's just gonna
talk to me about my novel.
And he's right. It's been three
days, I haven't written a word.
He'll just give me a lecture.
What are you gonna do?
I'll just do the
only thing I can do.
Go to Mr. Johnson and
throw myself at his mercy.
See if he'll take what I got so
far and let me pay off the rest.
Mate, you look really knocked out.
I think you should rest for a while.
I can catch a movie if
you wanna take nap.
No, no, no, no.
I'd better go and do this now.
John.
If I had the money,
I'd give it to you.
I know you would.
Excuse me. Sir?
Yeah. Where's Mr. Johnson?
Johnson? I don't
know any Mr. Johnson.
I work for the Greensboro
Farm Machinery Company.
Oh.
Well...
It's all over.
All my plans are in the dirt.
See, I lost my job.
So I couldn't afford
to pay Mr. Johnson.
So he just shut
down and took off.
The press.
Everything. It's gone.
I feel like such a fool.
The whole family will be
real glad to see you back, Son.
I don't wanna see the family.
Get your stuff. Got
to sleep in the shed.
Jason's got your room,
didn't know you'd be home.
Yeah, I guess the shed is as
good a place as any right now.
What's this?
Fella came by with a truck
loaded with newspaper stuff.
Just unloaded it. Left a
letter for you over there.
JOHNSON: "Dear John,
"sorry I didn't get to see you before
I left, but goodbyes are hard to say.
"Thought you'd want
these things at home.
"Professor Parks made your down
payment, you can settle up with him.
"I wish you great success
with the Blue Ridge Chronicle.
"You have earned it.
Sincerely, Clarence Johnson."
Welcome home, Son.
(ALL LAUGHING)
I can't believe it.
Do you want to
see this thing work?
JOHN-BOY: I had made a
brief journey into the world,
had known loneliness,
desperation, and friendship,
and it stretched the horizons
of my experience and of my life.
Like the best of journeys,
it led to home again,
and the whole adventure of my life
was turning now in a new direction,
for I was soon to become the
publisher, editor, writer, and printer
of a small country newspaper.
ELIZABETH: John-Boy?
JOHN-BOY: Yes, Elizabeth?
Did you know that
Corabeth has a puppy?
I know. She calls it Clementine.
That's not what Ike calls it.
What does Ike call it?
I can't say.
Why not?
Mama won't let me
say words like that.
I'm glad you're home, John-Boy.
So am I.
JOHN-BOY: Good night, everybody.
ALL: Good night, John-Boy.
momentous one in the history of the world.
It was the year a king gave up
his crown for the woman he loved.
It was the year Adolph Hitler
violated the Treaty of Versailles,
and it was the same
year that Benito Mussolini,
encouraged by Hitler's
daring, overran Ethiopia.
But none of these historic events
was quite so important with our family
as the struggle by one of us
to attain an impossible dream.
Mr. Johnson? Hello, John.
I have an article here on the
preparations for the Jefferson County Fair.
I won't be needing
the story, John-Boy.
Mr. Johnson, I'd appreciate
it if you'd at least read it.
I was up till about 4:00 in the
morning... Really? Good, good.
You read this, will
you? The lead story.
The editorial comment?
That's it.
All right.
"With this issue, I take the
opportunity to say farewell
"to friends and subscribers to
The Jefferson County Times."
Go on.
"Nearly 15 years ago, I
arrived here an outlander
"and embarked upon an adventure
which had been the dream of a lifetime,
"to publish a small
country newspaper."
I can't believe you
were serious about that.
Well, I had an offer right after
we talked the other day, John-Boy.
The place is sold.
I didn't think you'd
ever go through with it.
I need a change
in my life, John.
I've never been very
successful with marriages.
My second wife,
as you might know,
has been gone from
these parts over a year now.
I feel the need to get
back to my own roots.
It's a little town in Florida.
Mr. Johnson, I'd...
I'd appreciate it
if you'd at least
recommend to the new owner
that he keep me
on as a stringer.
Well, the new owner's in farm
equipment. He's renovating the whole place.
What about the newspaper?
What's gonna happen to the paper?
I'm gonna ship that ahead
to Florida and set it up there.
All except... Come with me.
I'd like to show you something.
Here. Here, John-Boy.
This is how I started.
This is my original press.
Of course, I had to expand,
get better equipment,
but I always held onto this
press because I loved her.
What a beauty! Isn't she?
She still run?
All I have to do is oil her a little
bit and she'll run like a dream.
What are you gonna do with her?
Well, I have an advertisement
running in a publisher's quarterly.
I wish that you
were in the market.
Me? Mmm-hmm.
Mr. Johnson, we Baptists
don't sell our souls too easy,
but that press could tempt me.
How much? I'm asking $550.
Lot of money.
But I'm counting on that money
to help cover the expenses
when I make the move.
Oh, of course, sure.
When did you say
you had to clear out?
I have to be out in three weeks.
It's crazy.
Even if I had the press, I'd
have to do all the work myself.
I'd have to rent space,
I'd have to set the type
and run it off myself,
I'd have to write all
the articles myself.
I'd even have to deliver and
get the advertisements myself.
Yeah, but with my closing up,
you know, that leaves
the county without a paper.
There's a demand,
you could fill it.
It's not a foolish thought.
You don't think so?
Mmm-mmm.
You think maybe you could
lower your price just a touch?
Well, I... I might
take a down payment
and the rest in installments.
What kind of down payment?
$50? And then $15
a month after that.
$50, huh? Mmm-hmm.
Too much? No,
that's... that's...
That's fair. That's
really fair. I...
You got yourself a deal.
Good. Good.
John-Boy, I know that
everybody's having a hard time.
You got the $50?
Have I got the $50? Yeah.
Of course not.
But I've got three weeks
to get it in and I will.
I know you will. I
promise you, I will.
Listen, Mr. Johnson, I don't want
you to show this to anybody, all right?
Just... just... I don't want anyone
to know that this thing even exists.
You really mean what
you're saying? I certainly do.
Then it is a deal. It's a deal.
Hallelujah. Hallelujah!
(MOTOR WHIRRING)
Hey, Grandpa!
Grandpa! Hey, that's a real pretty
rocking chair you got there, isn't it?
Thanks, John-Boy. It is a copy
of one my own granddaddy made.
Oh, that's really a
beauty. Where's Daddy?
Right here, Son. Hey,
Daddy, come in here.
You get a grip on yourself. I got
something to tell you. You too, Grandpa.
I bought myself
a printing press.
That's nice, Son.
What are you
planning to do with it?
Well, start a
newspaper, of course.
GRANDPA: What did you use for
money to buy this printing press?
Well, I haven't paid for it
yet, but the deal's all set.
You see,
Mr. Johnson, the editor,
is folding down the
Jefferson County Times.
And he's moving lock, stock, and barrel
to Florida, the presses and everything,
except for this one pretty little
foot-operated printing press,
and that's the one I
bought it. How much?
Just $50 down and $15 a month.
Till you've paid off how much?
$550. Methuselah!
I know that sounds like a lot of
money, but don't worry, Grandpa.
It's really just the down
payment that's hard to get,
and I got a month
to scrape that up.
I shouldn't have any trouble clearing
the $15 a month profit on the newspaper.
How do you propose to
get this down payment, Son?
Well, I'll just have to
get myself a full-time job.
Hold on, Son... No, now, now.
I know exactly what you're saying
and no, I'm not planning to quit school.
Don't worry about that. I
can do both at the same time.
I might have to cut down
on my schedule a little bit,
but I'm sure I can manage it. You're
not gonna oppose me on this, are you?
You know, we're not gonna be
able to help you with the money.
I know you can't help
me with the money.
I don't want you to
help me with the money.
That's the point. I
wanna do it all myself.
Sure hope you know
what you're doing.
Of course I know what I'm doing.
Excuse me.
I thought you'd
be excited by it.
I am.
But have you given any thought as
to how you plan to accomplish all this?
Oh, I can work it out. See,
I've got it all figured it out.
I just have to get myself a
job and reschedule my time.
I just wanted to tell you first
'cause I knew you'd understand.
Can you imagine
my own newspaper?
Well, nothing's impossible, John. If I
said it was, you wouldn't believe me.
Probably not.
Well, then, it isn't.
But, John, have you given
any thought to your workload?
I mean, there are just so many
hours in a day, you can't change that.
Oh, I know that. I've
given a lot of thought to it.
See, there's... there's a lot of
things I'm gonna have to cut down on.
Of course, like the... the stringer
job at the Times. That'll be out.
I'll just have to rearrange
my study schedule
and cut out a lot
of wasted hours.
I'm sure I can find a lot of
wasted hours in my life to cut out.
One thing still
concerns me, John.
What's that?
I love your enthusiasm
for this project, but...
Well, it takes me back to
when I was about your age,
and I had some pages I'd
written about some people
who pained and astonished me so,
that I had to write a novel about them.
You, too? Oh, yes.
I still have those pages.
I take them out and I look
at those stillborn pages
and I wonder what
happened to them.
I never finished that novel.
I went to work to
support those people
instead of loving and
respecting and revering them.
I don't know what I might have
become if I had continued writing.
Now, please, please, you put
that in your mind and don't forget it.
I won't.
You know, I never really intended to
give up writing the novel altogether.
John, it's a splendid
thing to be young.
The young have a sense of wonder
and awe and elation about things that...
Well, that people who
are older just... just lose.
Husband your energy and you
give your talent to your novel,
and don't dilute it by taking
on too many responsibilities.
Well, now I don't think I could
stop working on it even if I wanted to.
Good.
Good luck, John.
Thank you. I knew
you'd say that.
Bye. Bye, John.
Mike! Are you joining
the workforce? Surprised?
Well, I never thought you
had any money troubles.
I've got them now.
What happened?
Well, the old man cut way
down on the allowance.
I sent him a wire and instead
of a check, I got a phone call
and a 30-minute lecture on
thrift, industry, and self-reliance.
Know where I can find a
paying job? No, I sure don't.
I'm looking for one
myself. What for?
'Cause I gotta make some real
money real fast. Full-time job.
Well, not gonna find one here.
No? All right. Well,
good luck to you.
Yeah. Same to you.
I'll check back just in case
something opens up. Thank you.
TILLIE: I'll get your
ham sandwich for you.
(COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYING)
Excuse me, sir, I'd like to speak
to you about your job sign out front.
You local? Yes, I go
to Boatwright University.
I've been looking all over. This
is the first opening that I've found.
I've had some of the boys from the
college in here about the job already,
only trouble is, they always
say they'll stay on the job
but the minute the
semester's over,
they quit and head back
where they come from.
Well, that wouldn't be the case
with me. You see, I live around here.
Where you all live?
Jefferson County.
Walton's Mountain.
Mostly poor folks out that way.
How'd you get in
college in the first place?
Scholarship.
You ever handled the public? No.
But I know I could. I like people.
I get along with them very well.
Last fellow moved
his family to Roanoke.
Not sure it's gonna work
out for him down there.
No telling how
long the job will last.
Well, sir, I'd appreciate being
able to fill out an application at least.
I could give you references if
you wanted to from some people
like the pastor at the church or my
dean at the university, Dean Beck.
I know Dean Beck.
If he recommends you,
I might give you a try.
Well, I'll have him call you.
Meanwhile, fill
out this application
and get it back to
me on the double.
Thank you very
much. I sure will.
Good morning, Tillie, who's
minding the lunch counter?
Nobody. I'm late.
Good morning, Tillie.
Oh, morning, Rudyard.
I'll have you some
coffee in just a minute.
No hurry. Hired me a new boy
and I gotta keep an eye on him.
That's gonna be $1.
Thank you very much.
Where to, ma'am? Oh, I
gotta get over to Ruckersville.
Round trip, one way?
Well, it's hard to say.
I got my eldest
daughter over there
that's come down with some
kind of skin condition. Oh.
Six children and her not
able to turn a hand to work.
Her husband's over in Raleigh,
North Carolina, looking for a job
but would nothing do but
she had to send for me.
Well, maybe what I ought to do
here is sell you a one-way ticket
and then you can come back
whenever you want to, all right?
Oh, well, it's hard
to tell when that'll be.
They got her wrapped in bed sheets
and putting salve all over her whole body.
Well, a round-trip ticket is
good all year long, okay?
I don't know.
See, Clyde might get back
from Raleigh, North Carolina,
in time to ride me
home in his car.
Can you hurry it up?
I'm going to miss my bus!
Yes, certainly. I'll tell you
what I'm gonna do, ma'am.
I'm going to sell
you a one-way ticket
and then I'm gonna let
you worry about when you
wanna come back, and you
can decide that on your own.
That'll be 50 cents even. Oh.
There you go.
Thank you very much.
(CLEARS THROAT) Thank you.
Where to? Roundtrip
to Lynchburg, please.
How many hours a
day at this bus station?
Eight. But I enjoy it, it's
not really like work at all.
John, you have six
hours of class every day.
The workload you carry
requires three to four hours' study.
When are you getting your rest?
I've been thinking
about a way to fix that.
I'm gonna do something
about it today, I promise.
Good.
I'm sorry, Professor.
It's all right.
(RECKLESS BARKING)
Daddy! Son.
Hey. Where you off to?
Mama's running low on meat.
If I'm lucky we'll have
venison for breakfast.
And where you gonna hunt?
There's deer nearby,
they'll be up along the ridge.
You're pretty sure
about that, aren't you?
They've been up in the high
meadow grazing all morning.
About now they'll be moving
down for water. Uh-huh.
(JOHN-BOY CLEARS THROAT)
You're not interested
in hunting, Son.
Well, to tell you the truth,
something kind of serious I
wanted to talk to you about.
Shoot.
Daddy, I like my job. You
know, I really do, it's a fine job.
It's an exciting place to
be, especially for a writer.
You know, you meet so
many different kinds of people
and they're all traveling here
and there and they got stories to tell
and some of them are laughing
and some of them are crying,
and meeting each other.
Some of them will even
tell you their whole life story
if you got time to listen.
Oh, it's an exciting place.
I'm glad you're
enjoying it, Son.
Only problem is, there just don't
seem to be enough hours in the day
for me to do
everything I wanna do.
I don't want you killing
yourself over work.
No use ruining your
health. It's not worth it. Mmm.
So I've been thinking,
sure would save a lot of
wear and tear on my hide
if I didn't have to
come home every night.
Now, are you telling me that you
wanna move away from home?
Well, I've been thinking about
a boarding house in
Westham or something like that.
Wouldn't be forever, you know.
We all say that.
Once we make the break
and get out on our own,
get used to it, we
stay out on our own.
Tell me something.
What do you think Mama's
gonna say about that?
She'll grieve some, worry a lot.
It's all part of raising a
family. She'll stand up to it.
I'll talk to her about it.
Strange.
I had all kinds of
things saved up.
Things I wanted to say to
you when this time came.
Now it's here and I
can't think of any of them.
I wish you could.
Well, Son.
No one man can tell
another man how to live.
In the long run, I guess, every
man has to do what he has to do.
Some of us grow up, raise
families, become woodchoppers,
others go into politics, or
get rich in the stock market.
In the end, though,
we all grow old and die.
The important thing is to... is
to find someone you can love
someone who can love you back,
get work that can pay the bills.
Work that you can get
some satisfaction from.
Well, I have that.
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
Always pay your debts, Son.
Don't take unfair
advantage of any man,
and don't let any man take
unfair advantage of you.
Find yourself a good woman.
Remember, you're my son.
Yes, sir.
John! Hmm.
How did you make
out with your job hunt?
Not too bad. I'm selling
tickets down at the bus depot.
Wow.
And how about you?
No. No, nobody wants me.
Well, jobs are hard
to find these days.
How's it pay? Not bad. Not bad.
Good. Might be hitting
you for a loan soon.
What's the matter? Your
daddy cut out your allowance?
(GROANS) Cut it way down.
Think I might be standing in
the bread lines any day now.
Might come out
with you some night
just to have one of your
mother's good meals.
You'd be welcome, but I'm not gonna
be going out there too much longer.
Just until I find a
place in town. Oh.
Finally moving into
the big, wicked city?
I am. Just as soon
as I can find a place.
Well, shouldn't take
too long. Good luck.
Thank you very much.
Same to you with the job.
Thank you.
How's the burger?
Hmm. Wonderful. Got
a real special flavor to it.
My special
ingredient. What is it?
Wine. Red wine.
I put a jigger of wine
for every pound of meat.
You put wine in the
burgers? That's wonderful.
Where do you get the wine?
My husband makes it.
Really?
You sure your name is
Shanks and not Baldwin?
That's a little private joke.
Only Baldwins I know are
two ladies from over your way.
They stop in for a burger
every time they come to town.
You know Miss Mamie
and Miss Emily Baldwin?
Love them to death. So do I.
Wouldn't you know they'd
find your burger shop?
John! John.
I found the solution
to all of our problems.
You have? Yes.
I'd like you to meet Tillie here.
This is Mike Paxton and he's crazy.
You didn't have to
tell me. I spotted him.
What'll you have, Mike?
Eh, well, how much
is what he's having?
15 cents. Can I get a
small one for a nickel?
No deal.
Here, you can have half of mine.
He's having a little
financial difficulties right now.
Thanks.
Which I have found a
way for us to deal with.
What do you mean "us"?
It's your problem. Not mine.
Will you listen to me?
I'm strapped and
you're trying to save.
Why don't we both do the
sensible thing, find a place to share?
We'll split the rent.
What do you think?
Well, I'll roll it
over in my mind.
Roll it over? I thought you
country boys ruminated.
All right, I'll ruminate it.
While he's ruminating, I'll
have one of these burgers.
Why, I thought you were broke.
Only temporarily.
You don't trust me?
Well, I'll trust you, long
as you're a friend of his.
One burger, Joe.
They're very unique.
Well, they are, aren't they?
It's a special ingredient.
You're really serious
about sharing a room?
Yes, of course, I am.
I don't know, Mike.
See, I keep odd hours.
I'd be up half the
night, writing and...
Doesn't bother me.
I'm a heavy sleeper.
But I snore, see, so... So do I!
I've always had my own room.
So have I!
Well, I suppose we
could give it a try.
Deal.
All right, it's a deal.
You got any ideas where you'd
like to start looking for a place?
No. Do you?
Of course not, I don't
know any place around here.
Well, I do.
You two are babes in the woods.
Go to Mrs. Butterworth
across the street.
That's the only place in
town that's right for you.
What makes you think
that place is right for us?
Well, it's a good place. She'll
treat you fair and she's a lady.
Might even teach
you some manners.
Here's your burger. Thank you.
You owe me 15
cents. Just sign there.
Worth every penny.
Aw. This is such a
beautiful house you have.
Thank you.
Are you Virginians?
Eh, well, he is, ma'am.
I'm from Philadelphia.
I've met a good many Northern
people who were quite well-behaved.
I expect my guests to conduct
themselves at all times as gentlemen.
Oh, of course, ma'am.
I really like the room.
Well, I like it too, very much.
I'm particularly fond of
this part of it right here.
If I were to use this desk and
you were to sleep over there,
then if I stayed
up all night writing,
it probably wouldn't
keep you awake.
Are you a writer, Mr. Walton?
Yes, ma'am, and a student and I
sell tickets down at the bus depot.
The rate is $3 per
week per person.
That includes three meals per
day and the use of the parlor.
And there is a coin-operated
telephone in the downstairs office.
Ah.
Well, Mike, what do you think?
Well, uh, I think
we should take it.
That is, if we're acceptable
to Mrs. Butterworth.
If you gentlemen would
accompany me to the parlor,
we will fill out the
necessary papers.
Thank you.
I'm just about ready to go.
When your... your daddy went away I...
I tried to pretend it wasn't happening.
And,
well, when the pain
settled in, it hurt bad.
I'm not pretending with
you. It... it hurts already.
I'm sorry, Grandma.
You know, I'm not
gonna be very far away.
Now, you come home every
chance you get, you hear?
You know I will.
Oh, uh,
the... the people at the
place where you're boarding,
they're Christians,
aren't they? Good people.
That's for you.
Now, you read that every
night, and you say your prayers,
you resist temptation,
and you remember
you're my grandson.
Everybody's waiting in
the yard to see you off.
OLIVIA: Not everybody yet.
I'll be out in a minute.
I know they'll
feed you over there
but I thought some of my fried
chicken might remind you of home.
Thank you.
Oh, this is for you, too.
Thank you, Mama.
See that you use it.
Oh, I will.
I love you.
And that's all the
speech I'm gonna make.
There you go.
Goodbye, Son.
Bye-bye.
How're you gonna get to school?
I reckon I can get
a ride with Elsie
Warren. She goes down
there about every day.
All right, you come
and visit me, all right?
I will.
You betcha.
Yeah.
If you ever need a nurse...
Yeah, I'll call on you.
What's the matter with
you? That's for sissies.
(CHUCKLES) Well, I'm a sissy.
I'll come and visit you. Yeah,
I'm gonna count on it, Ben.
(BEN SNIFFLES)
Jim-Bob.
Be good. Yeah.
Hey, there.
I'm being very brave,
John-Boy. Me, too.
Bye.
JASON: Drive carefully.
Yeah, I sure will.
You all wish me luck now.
GRANDPA: Good
luck. BEN: Good luck.
I'll see you soon. JASON: Yeah.
(CAR STARTING)
Thank you very much.
(CLEARS THROAT)
BOTH: Surprise!
Miss Mamie and Miss
Emily! How are you?
Oh, just splendid,
thank you, John-Boy.
I'll bet you weren't
expecting to see us!
I've never been so happy
to see anyone in all my days.
Excuse me, could I buy a
ticket before my bus leaves?
Certainly. Where to?
Uh, one way. Culpepper.
Oh, we have some distant
relatives in Culpepper!
They're in barrels.
What my sister means is that
they're in the manufacture of barrels.
We haven't seen
them for just ages.
We just don't visit back
and forth the way we used to.
But if you run into
them in Culpepper,
do tell them that all is
well in Jefferson County!
So, anyway... One
way, Richmond, please.
Yes, ma'am, that's
$1 and five cents.
You must visit the Poe
Shrine while in Richmond.
It's where Edgar Allan Poe
lived as a youth, don't you know?
He was adopted by
some people named Allan,
but I don't believe he
took the family name.
Of course not, otherwise he would
have been called Edgar Allan Poe Allan.
Oh, precisely.
But it would have been a
rather stately name, wouldn't it?
There you are, ma'am. Thank you.
Have a nice trip!
I'll relieve you now, John,
if you'd like to go to lunch.
Oh, I certainly would.
Thank you very much.
Oh, John-Boy, would you do us
the honor of being our guest at lunch?
Oh, that would be a great pleasure,
ladies. Thank you very much.
Good. Good.
We always dine here
when we come to Westham.
Mrs. Shanks makes the
most heavenly hamburgers.
Yes, she does, doesn't she?
Tillie, look who we got here.
Oh, I'm happy to see you.
Three hamburgers coming up!
(ALL LAUGHING)
Three burgers, Joe.
Dear Mrs. Shanks.
She always knows exactly what
we want even before we tell her!
(ALL LAUGHING)
Hello.
Hi, John-Boy. I was
just wondering about you.
Sorry, I haven't had
a chance to come by,
but I've been so busy with
work and school and everything.
It's okay.
You haven't sold
my press, have you?
No, she's right back there.
How's the job going?
Oh, it's fine, it's wonderful.
You know, I got just about half the
down payment socked away already.
Good, good, good.
Do you mind if I take a
look at it? No, go right ahead.
Treat her gently when
you take her, John-Boy.
This press was almost a part of
me. You know, I love this old girl.
I may sleep next to it.
Where are you gonna keep her?
I don't know. I figure
I'll keep it in the barn
till I find out what
I'm gonna do.
You know, I got to thinking, this
case of type won't be much use to me.
Really goes with the press.
And this table and
stone for setting the type.
I don't know, it goes together.
Well, Mr. Johnson, you know,
I'm gonna have a hard
enough time as it is
scraping up the down
payment on the press.
Wait a minute, I'm not
trying to sell it to you.
It goes with the press.
You mean you're throwing it in?
Well, you don't throw type and
you don't throw a stone, John-Boy.
Let's just say that
I'm including it.
Oh, my Lord. You know the
press is no good without it.
Mr. Johnson,
you have been such
a good friend to me.
I hope someday I can repay this.
You just be here a week from
Friday and pick up these things,
and I will be off to Florida.
I will be here a week from
Friday just as soon I get paid.
Any sign of your
daddy, Elizabeth?
No, and I'm getting hungry.
Well, dinner's ready.
We'll eat in a few minutes.
Mama, can I have a dry old biscuit
or something to keep me going?
No, Ben. You wait
like everybody else.
If I don't eat soon, I'm gonna get
rickets. I'll wake up with yellow skin
and my eyeballs hanging out of
my head like... like tennis balls.
Jim-Bob, that is not
the symptom of rickets.
What do you know about
rickets anyway, Jim-Bob?
That's what Mary Ellen
says I'll get if I don't eat right.
Nobody's coming down with
anything like that around here.
I feed you children good food.
(ALL CHUCKLING) Yeah, but when?
OLIVIA: Just a few more minutes.
Mama, I moved my stuff out of
John-Boy's room so he'll feel at home.
You didn't have to do that,
Jason, but that was nice of you.
Can I play? Uh, next hand.
Mama, are we gonna have to
wait till John-Boy gets home to eat?
No, he has to work awhile. He
won't be here till about midnight.
You can all see him
first thing in the morning.
I wonder if he'll
look any different.
People don't change that
much in a week. Oh, you did.
You grew about six inches and
your voice changed overnight.
That's just because I'm unusual.
(CAR APPROACHING)
Hey, I see someone.
That must be your daddy.
Girls, help Grandma
get supper on the table.
I will.
Jason, you wanna... Sure.
Did you have a good
day? Oh, not bad.
I foreclosed a
couple of mortgages,
raised the interest
on all my loans,
fired a couple of vice presidents
for putting their hands in the till.
How was yours? Terrible.
Three of the servants quit, I
played just terribly at my bridge club,
and they don't have room for us
on that Caribbean cruise
we've been planning.
Oh, no. Isn't there
any good news?
Well, dinner's on the table, and
John-Boy's coming home for the weekend.
I'll settle for that.
Thank you very much.
Boy, am I glad to see you.
You may not be
when I've had my say.
How would you like
to work this weekend?
This weekend?
I was gonna go home and
visit my family this weekend.
I promised my wife I'd take her over to
see her folks over in Shenandoah Valley.
Her mother's real bad and there's
no knowing whether she'll pull through.
Oh, well, in that case,
of course, I'll stay.
Anyway, I can use
the extra money.
Would you mind if I made a
phone call for just a second there
and let my folks know
I'm not coming home?
Go ahead. Thank you very much.
(DINGS)
Yes, operator, I'd like to call
Walton's Mountain, Virginia.
Godsey's store. It's
three shorts and a long.
(CRICKETS CHIRPING)
(KNOCKING)
Oh, it's Ike. Come on in.
Howdy, Zeb.
Hi, folks!
Well, Ike.
John-Boy just called. He
has to work this weekend
and he wanted me to let you
know that he can't come home.
Wanna catch a picture show?
Mmm-mmm.
There's a great one
playing down at the Colonial.
One Hundred Men and a Girl.
Deanna Durbin's in it.
Oh, she's good.
Leopold Stokowski.
Huge symphony orchestra.
You like symphonic music?
Yes, I do, but I got too
much work to do right now.
Oh, you should relax. Really,
mate, I don't know if you've noticed it
but you've been tensed
and short-tempered
and on edge all the time.
I've been working hard, Mike.
Then slow down.
Really, you could crack up if
you keep going at this pace.
Well, I'll be getting
some rest this weekend.
I'll be going home for the
first time since I moved out.
Okay, keep your nose to the
grindstone. I'm gonna catch a show.
All right.
You have a good time.
Thank you.
JOHN-BOY: After Thanksgiving,
the winter turned severe.
Snow fell all through
Christmas and New Year,
blotting out the horizon.
Inside the house,
the family felt isolated,
as if on a small, snug
island of warmth and light.
The younger children grew restless
and could not wait for the storm to end,
(KNOCKING AT
DOOR) for they knew...
Come in.
Mr. Walton, you have guests.
I told them you'd
receive them in the parlor,
but they said they were old friends
and you might receive them here.
Who is it? Mr. and Mrs. Godsey.
Oh, yes, I'd like to see
them. Thank you very much.
Corabeth! Corabeth!
How do you do?
Oh, be careful, the baby!
Oh, well. Ike!
How are you? Good
to see you. Have a seat.
Make yourselves at home.
No, no, we haven't time.
That's a nice one,
isn't it? That is nice.
How's everyone at home?
Pining for you is how they are.
Just heartsick and lonesome
for their first-born child.
John-Boy, you haven't said a
proper greeting to our little stranger.
Who is this anyway?
(DOG WHINING) Well,
Mr. Godsey said that
he would like to hear
the pitter patter of little feet
around the house, so I
went to the animal shelter
and found this
adorable little stranger.
Her name is Clementine.
Clementine! Clementine.
(LAUGHING) She is a
sweetheart, isn't she?
I wish you could convince
Mr. Godsey of that.
Well, all she does is
make mischief on the rug.
Mr. Godsey, if you would put down
the newspaper as I requested you to do.
I tried the newspaper,
but she's scared of it.
Mr. Godsey, she's
only eight weeks old.
One can hardly expect
courageous behavior
from anything that's
only eight weeks old.
But I really think... Really.
You know, John-Boy, what a lovely
home you have selected to live in.
All these fine old things
remind me of Doe Hill.
Mama had fine
old things like this.
Oh.
Mr. Godsey, if we linger
here in conversation,
we will be late for the
movie picture show.
Oh, that's right. We're
going to the movies.
It's with Mr. Leopold Stokowski,
the well-known
classical conductor
and his symphony orchestra.
One Hundred Men and a Girl? I
know. My roommate went to see it.
Mr. Godsey, give John-Boy
the note. Oh, that's right.
Elizabeth wrote you a letter. She
brought it over to the store to mail it,
but I thought seeing as
how we were coming in,
I'd deliver it personally.
I am the postman.
Thank you very much.
I appreciate it, Ike.
Mr. Leopold
Stokowski is waiting.
(CLEARS THROAT)
Well, nice of you to come by.
Okay, John-Boy.
I'll be seeing you.
That's from your mama.
Thank you, Corabeth.
(DOG WHINES)
You have a good time.
Okay. Bye, John-Boy.
Bye-bye. Don't you make any
mischief in the movie house, Clementine!
ELIZABETH: "Dear John-Boy,
we miss you so much.
"Mama cried after
you left. I cried, too.
"It is lonesome to look
at your place at the table.
"Reckless stepped on some
broken glass and cut her foot.
"Mary Ellen and Jason
are fighting over your room.
"It bled a little, but
Grandma wrapped it up.
"Love, your sister,
Elizabeth Tyler Walton."
JOHN-BOY: "Dear
Elizabeth Tyler Walton.
"This is not a Valentine.
"This is not an essay on what I
did during my summer vacation.
"This is not a notice asking
you to pay your electric light bill.
"This is a letter.
"This letter is not from
President Roosevelt.
"This letter is not from Greta Garbo
and it is not from Little Orphan Annie.
"It is from me, your
brother, John-Boy."
Thank you very much.
Morning. Mr. Davis, morning.
Quiet night? Nothing
out of the way.
Son, I don't know how to put this,
but I've got some bad news for you.
What's that?
I'm sorry to do this, you've dealt fairly
with me and you've done a good job,
but the fellow who had the
job before you has come back.
Came in today with his
family and he's dead broke.
Asked for his job.
Got to give it to him, John.
You can't do that.
You know what this
job means to me.
You know I've staked
all my plans on this job.
And I feel terrible about it.
Oh, please, you can't do
this. I've worked hard for you!
I've given it
everything I've got.
John, it's not
because I want to.
You're young.
It's just yourself.
But this man has a family,
a wife and kids to feed.
You can understand that. Yeah.
Yeah, I can understand it fine.
I understand just fine.
Here's your pay.
Yeah. Thank you.
I hope you find something else.
Mike. Yeah? What?
I'm sorry to wake you up. I
want you to do me a favor.
I'm not going to
be in school today,
so I'd like you to go by
Professor Parks' office
and tell him that I'm out looking for a
job, otherwise I'm gonna lose that press.
John, you hunted for work all weekend.
What's gonna make today any different?
Today's Monday. There'll be
more people open for business.
Anyway, he'll understand. I just want
him to know I'm not gonna be there.
(YAWNING) I'll
tell him. Good luck.
Thank you. You
get back to sleep.
Hello? Yes.
I'm enquiring about the job ad
you've got in the paper this morning.
Oh.
Y-You wouldn't have any other
openings, would you, of any kind?
Listen, I... I really could
use a job, you know.
If there's any odd jobs or...
Okay. Yeah. Thank you.
Any messages for me?
Not that I know of.
You'd think there'd
be something.
I've been leaving
applications all over town.
Sorry. Yeah.
Oh, I saw Parks again today. He
wants you to drop by and see him.
Oh, of course he
does, of course he does.
I can't go. He's just gonna
talk to me about my novel.
And he's right. It's been three
days, I haven't written a word.
He'll just give me a lecture.
What are you gonna do?
I'll just do the
only thing I can do.
Go to Mr. Johnson and
throw myself at his mercy.
See if he'll take what I got so
far and let me pay off the rest.
Mate, you look really knocked out.
I think you should rest for a while.
I can catch a movie if
you wanna take nap.
No, no, no, no.
I'd better go and do this now.
John.
If I had the money,
I'd give it to you.
I know you would.
Excuse me. Sir?
Yeah. Where's Mr. Johnson?
Johnson? I don't
know any Mr. Johnson.
I work for the Greensboro
Farm Machinery Company.
Oh.
Well...
It's all over.
All my plans are in the dirt.
See, I lost my job.
So I couldn't afford
to pay Mr. Johnson.
So he just shut
down and took off.
The press.
Everything. It's gone.
I feel like such a fool.
The whole family will be
real glad to see you back, Son.
I don't wanna see the family.
Get your stuff. Got
to sleep in the shed.
Jason's got your room,
didn't know you'd be home.
Yeah, I guess the shed is as
good a place as any right now.
What's this?
Fella came by with a truck
loaded with newspaper stuff.
Just unloaded it. Left a
letter for you over there.
JOHNSON: "Dear John,
"sorry I didn't get to see you before
I left, but goodbyes are hard to say.
"Thought you'd want
these things at home.
"Professor Parks made your down
payment, you can settle up with him.
"I wish you great success
with the Blue Ridge Chronicle.
"You have earned it.
Sincerely, Clarence Johnson."
Welcome home, Son.
(ALL LAUGHING)
I can't believe it.
Do you want to
see this thing work?
JOHN-BOY: I had made a
brief journey into the world,
had known loneliness,
desperation, and friendship,
and it stretched the horizons
of my experience and of my life.
Like the best of journeys,
it led to home again,
and the whole adventure of my life
was turning now in a new direction,
for I was soon to become the
publisher, editor, writer, and printer
of a small country newspaper.
ELIZABETH: John-Boy?
JOHN-BOY: Yes, Elizabeth?
Did you know that
Corabeth has a puppy?
I know. She calls it Clementine.
That's not what Ike calls it.
What does Ike call it?
I can't say.
Why not?
Mama won't let me
say words like that.
I'm glad you're home, John-Boy.
So am I.
JOHN-BOY: Good night, everybody.
ALL: Good night, John-Boy.