The Waltons (1971–1981): Season 4, Episode 9 - The Emergence - full transcript

JOHN-BOY: In 1935, life on
Walton's Mountain began to change.

Our activities took us more
and more away from home

and it was only knowing most of
us would all be there again at night

that helped us
keep the family ties

that had always
been our strength.

To help pay back the money
we had borrowed from the bank,

my father had taken
a job in Norfolk.

And when possible, he
returned home on weekends.

My mother, under the
additional pressures

of being a substitute teacher,

found her life changed.



These changes took
some getting used to

for all of us.

Jim-Bob, you
can't take all that.

Here, Mama, I'll help Jim-Bob.

You get ready to
go to work, all right?

Thank you, John-Boy.
Here, Jim-Bob.

Jim-Bob, are you
gonna eat all of this?

I'm a growing boy.

Oh, Elizabeth,
you're last again.

Well, I'm the littlest.

And the slowest.

Ben! Ben!

I wish you'd come
home right after school

to help me get that Carson
order out come Saturday.



I heard you, Grandpa.

Hey, Jim-Bob, here you go.

Got a lot of food
there, don't waste it.

You better share
it with somebody.

I'll do this. All right.

John-Boy, you remind me

to turn the collar of your
good shirt before Thursday.

Grandma, don't worry about that. I'm
not even going to the dance. And why not?

You know, with Daddy away,
there's too much work around here.

Besides, the girl he was gonna
take is going with someone else.

Mary Ellen, I declare, you
probably operate a spy ring.

I'm Mata Hari and I know all.

(CHUCKLES) I believe it.

Livie, I hate to
see you fretting so

over your substitute teaching.

You must've known
that school board

would come calling on
your room sooner or later.

I didn't know they'd send
the assistant superintendent.

Well, haven't you been doing
the work the way it should be done?

Yes, I have.

Then that Mr. Gordon won't have
anything whatever to complain about.

They wanted you at
that school, didn't they?

Livie, they asked you to
substitute for Rosemary,

now you remember that.

I stopped at Ike's
and there was a letter!

From your daddy?

ERIN: No, it's for John-Boy.

Corabeth says
it's from Richmond!

Well, if it's for me, I
guess I'd better have it.

Oh, it smells divine, John-Boy.

Erin, may I have
the letter, please?

Corabeth also says that the S.W.A.K
on the back means "sealed with a kiss"!

Did Corabeth say what
it says on the inside?

Of course not.

A postmaster's wife can only
read what's on the outside.

OLIVIA: Jim-Bob! Elizabeth!

Anybody that's going to
school, I'm leaving now!

Have a good day.

ERIN: Bye, Grandpa.

Bye-bye, Grandma.
See you later, John-Boy.

John-Boy. S.W.A.K.

Oh, no.

Oh, no.

Must be something
in that letter.

Yes, it would appear so.

John-Boy?

Something in that
letter upsetting you?

What's so dumb is
that it upsets me at all.

It's so unimportant.

Here. It's from Marcia
Woolery. Uh-oh.

I didn't know you were still
mooning over that little old girl.

I'm not mooning over her!

The thing is, I'm just afraid
she's still mooning over me.

Whoopee! She's coming home.

And she wants me to pick
her up at the bus depot.

That's what I can't figure
out, why'd she ask me to do it?

Well, you were kind of special
good friends, weren't you?

Well, I always thought so,

but she was just always
so fickle all the time.

Pie-eyed filly for sure!

I mean, I wonder if she
realizes it's been a whole year.

I mean, I've got a whole
new circle of friends,

I'm moving in a
different direction.

If she thinks she can just come in
to town and knock me off my feet, I...

John-Boy, she's not
proposing marriage to you.

She just wants
you to be at the bus.

Well, I still don't like it.

I still think she should've
asked somebody else.

I've got enough trouble
with trigonometry.

I don't need Marcia Woolery.

Mrs. Walton. Yes, Annie.

May I get a drink of water?
Yes, but don't take too long.

Mrs. Walton...

Oh, Tom, would you hand
out those papers, please?

Yes, ma'am. Thank you.

Hey! Don't do that.
You're gonna break it.

Sure has cramped
your style, Ben.

Since your mama's
been the teacher,

you've been scared
to try anything.

Well, there's nothing so
special about smoking cigarettes.

I just used to do it
when I was a kid.

Mama'll probably make
me permanent monitor soon.

But she doesn't want it to look
like she's favoring me right away.

Well, I don't want any favors.

In fact, I've been thinking
about calling Mama

"Mrs. Walton" while
we're in school.

Oh, Mary Ellen,
that's so sophisticated!

Sure, I think your
mama is a good teacher.

I just said I wouldn't want my
mama teaching at my school.

Oh, yeah? Well, wait
till report cards come out.

(GORDON CLEARING THROAT)

Uh, children, we have a visitor.

Grace and John to your seat.

Stand here, Elizabeth.
You two, stop that.

Good morning,
Mr. Gordon. Mrs. Walton.

How is everything
going? Oh, just fine.

It is well past
8:00, Mrs. Walton.

Uh, children, it's
time to get started.

We have an important visitor.

Now get to your
desks quickly, please.

Hurry up. Quickly, please.

We have an important visitor.

(CLEARING THROAT)

Mr. Gordon is assistant
superintendent of schools.

I'd like you all to say good
morning to him, please.

ALL: Good morning, Mr. Gordon.

Good morning, boys and girls.

I'm, uh, here today
to observe your work,

because we at the Jefferson
County Board of Education

like to keep up with...
(DOOR OPENING)

Yes?

Corn's all harvested,
so I'm back.

What's your name?

Samuel Miller.

What?

His name's Simple Miller.

Ira.

It's Samuel Miller not Simple.

Samuel, there's an empty desk in
the back. Will you please sit down?

Mr. Gordon has something
he wants to say to us.

Now, as I was saying, I'm...
I'm here to observe your work.

Because we at the Jefferson
County Board of Education

like to keep up with...

We like to keep an eye on
what's happening in the schools.

Therefore it's my pleasure
to drop by on occasion

and observe
classroom activities.

Hi, John-Boy.

Marcia.

Would you please get
my suitcases for me?

Of course.

Don't tell me which
car's yours. Let me guess.

All right. That one.

How'd you know that?

It's just right.

It's all cute and
shiny like you are.

Why, thank you.

Very chivalrous of you.

Oh, well...

MARCIA: Boy, a whole
year and three months.

I hardly feel as
if I've been away.

Do you feel as if I've
been away, John-Boy?

No, not really. Not
now that you're back.

Guess that's because we never
really did say goodbye properly.

What a marvelous hello.

I guess it just goes to
prove that we're not two ships

that passed in the dark.

Well...

If it was up to me,
I'd say we nearly had

a couple of head-on collisions.

Better watch the road.

Yeah.

We'll drive over and you
can leave off your suitcases

and then we'll take a ride and
everyone can get a good look at you.

Tomorrow I can drive
you into Westham

and show you the college and
introduce you to some people.

Maybe we can sort of pick up
where we didn't say goodbye.

You mustn't do that, John-Boy.

Why not?

What's that?

I'm engaged.

What? Mmm-hmm.

I... Well...

Why didn't you
tell me that before?

Just wanted to see if
you really did miss me.

Really?

Um, who's the fella?

Oh, his name is Frank Taylor.

Uh-huh.

You... You gonna
live on the Mountain?

(LAUGHS)

Lord, no, John-Boy.

Frank couldn't live here.
He's a city man, born and bred.

I only came back
to sell my property.

Frank's gonna buy
himself a little business,

and he needs just a little
more cash to close the deal.

I see.

My goodness! I didn't know a
place could fall apart so fast.

Well, after your daddy died, there
wasn't anybody to take care of it.

Well, I'm not gonna do it now.

Leave that to the new owners.

I intend to spend my
time here having fun.

I thought you had to
get back to your job.

Oh, I quit that.

(CHILDREN SCREAMING)

OLIVIA: Children. Excuse me.

Samuel! Samuel, wait.

You've missed so much, you're
gonna need some help catching up.

I thought we could work on your
reading during our lunch hours.

I can't read much, Mrs. Walton.

And I'll never learn.

So you'd just be
wasting good time.

Samuel, wait! Mrs. Walton!

May I have a word with you?

(SIGHING)

Please sit down, Mrs. Walton.

Elizabeth, you'll
have to wait outside.

I want to talk to
your mother privately.

Mama? You go on outside, honey.

I'll be out as soon
as I'm finished.

Go on. Just wait by the
door. I'll be right there.

You're doing a good
job, Mrs. Walton.

Thank you, Mr. Gordon.

I'm very favorably impressed.

Not that I agree with all of
your methods, but we'll see.

Now, there are a
couple of things.

The Miller boy, for instance.

I never saw him before today.

Well, the board has.

He's not very bright.

But the fact that
he's absent so often,

wouldn't that be what's
holding him back?

Mrs. Meriwether
feels it would be wrong

to waste a teacher's
valuable time on him.

And she is the
superintendent of schools.

And now, about Elizabeth...

You really can't have one of your
own children hanging onto your coattails

every minute when
teaching school.

Now, she should sit
in her regular place.

Mr. Gordon, Elizabeth
is the baby in my family.

And she's not used to sharing me

with so many other children.

So I'm just gonna
keep her close by me

until she's ready to let go.

Now, are you sure that that's
the best place for it, John-Boy?

Marcia, I'm not gonna
move this one more time.

Poor John-Boy, I
made you work so hard.

You deserve a
reward. Want a bite?

No, thank you.

Listen, Marcia, this is my
one day off from classes.

I really ought to be home
helping Grandpa at the sawmill.

Well, I thought you might
drive me into Westham

so I could put that
ad in the paper.

I'll drive you in tomorrow
on the way to school.

Well, I really
should get it in today.

Frank said to.

Why don't you get
Frank to drive you?

Maybe he should have
hammered the sign in for you, too.

Oh, John-Boy, now
you're mad at me.

(CLICKS TONGUE)

Come on. Let's make up.

What do you want
out of me, Marcia?

Just to be your friend like you
said we should be at graduation.

Well, I feel like
I'm your friend,

but I feel like things
have changed between us.

Don't you like me
anymore, John-Boy?

Marcia.

John-Boy Walton! I am engaged!

We'd better get to Westham
so I can put the ad in the paper.

You all right, John-Boy?

I don't know.

I really don't know.

(ALL CHATTERING)

Samuel, what are
you interested in?

Sports? Movie pictures?

I don't know.

Horses?

Funnies?

Mama, Mr. Gordon.

Good morning, Mr. Gordon.

Are you starting late
again, Mrs. Walton?

No, we started right
on time this morning.

What is all this chaos?

This is our current
events lesson.

Why don't you have a seat?
We're about to start our reports.

Children, come on.
Clean up the scraps now.

Get back to your desks.

Make sure you keep your
scissors pointed to the floor.

"Mr. Costello offered to pay for
the food his monkey consumed

"while it was in Mrs.
Schneider's kitchen,

"and for cleaning the
sofa in the living room.

"Mrs. Schneider said that
she still liked organ grinders,

"but that she hoped they keep their
monkeys on leashes from now on."

(ALL LAUGHING)

Thank you, Annie.
That was very good.

All right. Now...

All right, Jim-Bob.

My current event is
on an airplane ride.

"Richard Merrill, a
veteran airline pilot,

"and his co-pilot Harry Richman

"were speeding over the
North Atlantic this morning

"with a helping hand of
40-miles-per-hour winds behind them.

"Flying high and fast according to
brief radio flashes from the plane,

"they were making
about 200 miles per hour

"and should land on the ground

"at Henderson Field near London

"after 24 hours after their
take-off from Floyd Bennett Field."

Thank you, Jim-Bob.

Samuel, did you have a report?

Yes, ma'am.

Stand up then.

M-My report is about the World
Peace Conference in Brussels.

That's in Belgium.

Six thousand delegates
from 32 countries

are... are meeting there to have
a meeting about stopping war.

There were some
delegates from Germany,

but they left before
the meeting started.

Samuel, did you read
that in the newspaper?

No, ma'am, I heard it
last night on the radio.

Is that okay?

Wasn't it supposed to
come from the newspaper?

I don't think that's
important, Mr. Gordon.

This is a current events
lesson, not a reading lesson.

Samuel, that was
very, very good.

I'm just gonna give you
an "A" for that report.

He seems like a frog there.

(ALL LAUGHING)

Jim-Bob, are you all right?

Yeah.

GRANDPA: Jim-Bob... Yes, ma'am.

I beg your pardon?

Yes, ma'am.

Better.

What about you, John-Boy?

You don't look so good, either.

John-Boy?

Grandma?

I was afraid
trigonometry and calculus

in one year would be
too much to handle.

That's not what's
bothering him, Mama.

It's Marcia Woolery's fiance
coming to Walton's Mountain.

Well, why should that bother me?

OLIVIA: When's
this gonna happen?

Tonight.

GRANDMA: Why should
that get you all riled up?

It doesn't matter, Esther, which
one of them does the jilting.

A man always feels a fool
when the new beau comes along.

Grandpa, I didn't
jilt Marcia Woolery

and she didn't jilt
me. It's just that...

When we were in
high school together

we were attracted to each other,

and now that
she's back, I feel...

Attracted.

Mary Ellen, you're indiscreet.

(CHUCKLES) Excuse me.

John-Boy, you don't have to see
Marcia's sweetheart if you don't want to.

They're coming here, Mother,
tonight. GRANDMA: Good Lord.

Well, thank you
for asking me first.

Jim-Bob, something is wrong.

I'm okay, Mama.

You can't fool me, young man.

I've been your mother too long.

Sit down at the table.

Now talk.

Jim-Bob?

I gave a good report and
you didn't even hear it.

When Simple Miller
opens his mouth

for the first time in
his life he gets an A.

I thought having my mother for a
teacher would make school easier,

all it's done is make it worse.

ERIN: And I thought I'd be
monitor more often, not less often.

Yeah, I thought it would be fun
pretending you weren't my mother,

but I didn't expect you to
pretend I wasn't your daughter.

Well, why didn't
somebody say something?

Mama, that's because you
were too busy with Simple Miller.

His name is not Simple! It
is Samuel! Samuel Miller.

And I do not want to hear
that other name again!

Now, now.

You young ones,
stop your grumbling.

Give her a chance. She's just
getting started out at that school.

She needs your help.

Livie, don't you have some
papers to correct or something?

Thank you, Grandma.

I'd better study, too.

Me, too.

I'd rather work than study.

I'll help you with the
dishes, old woman.

I do my thinking in school.

Whatever just pops into my head.

Here I am, old girl.
You wash and I'll wipe.

It's like when our
own were young.

We've gone full circle, Zeb.

Old darling, I've loved
every curve in that circle.

Elizabeth is here.

Thanks to us and our circle.

What circle, Grandpa?

Over there.

(CHUCKLING)

OLIVIA: The board of education thinks
it's a waste of time trying to educate him.

But that boy is not stupid.

I just can't let him
fall by the wayside.

Of course not, but you can't
ignore your own either, you know.

I'll watch myself, Grandma.

But each child needs
something different,

and some children need a
whole lot more than others.

That's what
teaching's all about.

Well, John did agree
to my taking the job.

Well, I guess he didn't
know exactly how much

it was gonna ask
of you, now, did he?

MARCIA: Mrs. Walton
and Mrs. Olivia Walton,

this is my fiance Frank Taylor.

Hi, ladies. How do you do.

Oh, and this is John-Boy,
my high school beau.

How do you do, John-Boy.

It's John.

What did you go and
change your name for?

I never changed it.
It's always been John.

I don't know if I'll
ever get used to that.

Ah. I got it.

It's a good corner.
Two major streets.

He's let it go a little
since he's been sick,

but I know I can
build it back up again.

And if I put on a mechanic, too,

I could do better
than he ever did.

We can pump 800 gallons a day.

A week, Marcia, honey.

That's 800 gallons a week. Oh.

I keep telling her,
but it just doesn't stick.

You're adorable, honey, but
stay out of the business talk.

Excuse me.

You had any answers
on your ad yet, Marcia?

Just one, but he
wasn't interested.

FRANK: I don't know how this
girl managed before I came along.

She didn't even ask the man to
come out and look at the place.

But, Frank, w-when I
told him where it was,

he said he wanted to stay
closer to Charlottesville.

Mmm. See what I mean?

You didn't need to
tell him where it is.

You should've
said, "Not far at all,"

and then once you've got
him on his way, start selling.

She wants to help
me in the filling station,

but I really don't think I'm
gonna let her near the place.

Well, as I recall, Marcia was
always pretty good at math.

She could probably help
you out with the bookkeeping.

Oh, I don't believe in
women dealing with accounts.

That takes a man's head.

Why don't you tell Mrs.
Walton about the letter, Frank?

FRANK: Right.

Marcia's told you she wants
to sell her parents' property?

Yes.

The problem is that
her father's will says

she can't sell until she's 21.

Then she has to hold on to it.

Not necessarily.

My lawyer in Richmond tells me

that if I can find an adult who
knows Marcia or knew her parents

to sign a letter saying she's
capable of making such a decision,

then the court will
allow her to sell.

And you want me
to sign that letter?

Well, I'd thought of Mr. Walton,

but with him away, I'm sure you
can see the sense in it, Mrs. Walton.

Do you want to sell, Marcia?

Of course she does.

I mean, what does she want

with a little old
backcountry cabin like that

when she can live like a
human being in the city?

(LAUGHING)

Is that the way you
feel about it, Marcia?

I... I guess so.

Well, I think before
Mama signs any letters

somebody ought to take it down
to the bank and have them look at it.

Maybe grandpa can do that.

Oh, it's all perfectly
legal, John-Boy. Uh, John.

Give Mrs. Walton
the letter, honey.

Oh, you have it, Frank.

The lawyer gave it to you.

Yes, but you said that
I would probably lose it,

and that you would
bring it out with you.

Well, you should
have reminded me!

Now I've got to come all
the way back out here again

and that's more time lost.

I'll be back with that letter in a
day or two, Mrs. Walton. Good night.

Well, come on, Marcia.

He's usually much nicer.

I should hope so.

She's not gonna marry that!

You know what
time it... Come on!

Bye-bye, Grandpa,
bye-bye, Grandma.

You packed your lunch?
Lunch? Bye, Grandma.

Bye-bye.

And, Livie, you just remember
you got five of your own in that class.

I will, Grandma.

Wait for me!

Hey, hey, hold on there,
boys. Where are you going?

I thought we'd get a little
work done this morning.

I go when John-Boy
goes till I get my own car.

But you don't have a
class till 10:00, I thought.

Grandpa, Grandpa, Marcia Woolery
asked me to drive her into town.

I figured I'm gonna
have a talk with that girl.

I'm just gonna come
right out and tell her

I think that man's
a gold digger.

Now... Now, she's
engaged to him, so you...

Now, Grandma,
don't worry about it.

Just an old friend giving
advice to an old friend.

Don't worry. Coming, Jason.

Oh, sure. They're
all in that age...

They know everything.

Now, this one was painted
later in Van Gogh's life.

During this period, he
painted mostly in blues.

But you can still see
the lovely composition.

Samuel, I don't think you
should sit way back there.

You're kind of out of things.

Come on up front here a little.

You can't put him in front
of anybody, Mrs. Walton.

(CHILDREN
GIGGLING) He's too big.

Well, it's just for a little
while, Annie, all right?

Come on, Samuel.

Not there. Over there.

Samuel, I want you to read
the board for me, please.

"The Senate is made up of

"96 senators,

"two from each state.

"The House of..."

The House of Representatives has

435.

Now, yesterday you told
me you couldn't read that.

From back there I couldn't
see the words, ma'am.

And I sort of remember
what you said it was.

Samuel, you wait
for me after school.

I'm gonna go home with you.
I wanna talk to your parents.

Yes, ma'am.

All right.

Now,

this one...

Well, I'd like two
root beers and a...

She wanted... W-What did you
want? Tuna... Tuna fish sandwich.

And I want a hamburger
well-done with everything on it.

Except onions.

You remembered. So did you.

I guess we must've
been pretty silly then, huh?

It was nice.

What'd you do today, John-boy?

Oh, it was very exciting.

I had Latin and
English literature

and trigonometry,
which is my nemesis.

I walked in the front door
of every store in town,

and I went to every counter
and every clothes rack.

I just kept thinking
how nice it was,

not being walking
in the back door

and down those stairs to the
stockroom in the basement.

I thought you liked working.

I did at first.

What happened?

Nothing. That's the trouble.

I had this great plan. I was
going to start out as a stock clerk,

and then work myself up to a
salesgirl and maybe even a buyer.

That doesn't sound
like a bad idea to me.

But I never got out
of the stockroom.

Well, these things
take time, Marcia.

No, John-Boy.

Everybody else that
started when I did, almost,

is already selling and Rita
Simons is even a buyer's assistant.

I figured the only way out
for me is to marry my way out.

Thank you.

Marcia.

Thanks.

Marcia, I know this is none
of my business, but I wanted...

You still have this pen.

Oh, yeah.

You remember when I got it?

I sure do.

Ike Godsey gave it to you
for a graduation present

while you were
trying to kiss me.

What do you mean, trying
to kiss you? I was kissing you.

Marcia, when Frank
proposed to you,

was it before or after he
knew that you had property?

There's nothing wrong with
helping your husband get ahead.

It's either that or winding
up like old Miss Jackson.

She started in the stockroom
almost 30 years ago.

And now she has the
grand job of being head clerk,

which only means she has to stay

after everybody
else has gone home

and finish up the
work that's left.

John-Boy,

I have to face the fact that I'm
not bright enough to be a buyer,

or even a salesgirl.

And I don't want to be a
stock clerk the rest of my life.

And I am gonna
marry Frank Taylor.

(ALL CHATTERING)

Bye-bye. Bye-bye.

Samuel.

I'd like you to wait for
me a minute, please.

I'm gonna go over to Samuel's
house to see his parents.

There's something I
want to explain to them.

Jim-Bob.

BEN: Who's that?

Uh-oh.

Uh, Mrs. Walton.

Uh, this is Mrs. Meriwether,
superintendent of schools.

How do you do, Mrs.
Meriwether, Mr. Gordon.

Mrs. Walton, I've been
wanting to talk to you.

I understand you're
breaking away

from some of our
traditional methods.

You're allowing
unsupervised activities.

And I hear you're giving
preferential treatment

to a student with
a limited ability

at the expense of the others.

Mrs. Meriwether,
that's called progress.

Now if you'll excuse
me, school is out

and I have important
things to do.

Come on, Samuel.
I'm walking you home.

Children, I'll see
you at home later.

Okay, Mama. ERIN: Okay, Mama.

Well!

What's he need glasses
for? He can't read.

That's why he has
difficulty reading, Mr. Miller.

He can't make out the words.

No, he just ain't
bright, that's all.

He come along when the wife's
getting on in years, you know.

Or maybe he's just a throwback.

He ain't no throwback.

I wouldn't send him
to that school at all

if the two of them
didn't keep after me so.

Mr. Miller, if you could've
seen Samuel in school today...

All I want to see is
him working in that field.

He's good with the corn.

Ain't nobody gonna be
laughing at him out there.

Now, I got work to do.

Hello, Mama.

Bye.

Where you going?

Um, well, I'm going to
the Boatwright dance.

I thought you weren't gonna go.

I changed my mind.

Who are you taking?

Marcia Woolery.

John-Boy, that girl is
engaged to be married!

I know. I know. She's
just my friend, Mama.

She's not my girlfriend.

Well, isn't Frank
Taylor due back tonight?

Not till later.

Besides, she might meet
somebody else she likes

better.

John-Boy, where are those
old glasses you used to wear?

I don't know. I... I think they're
in the top drawer of my desk.

You want them?

I need them.

Okay. You can take them.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

(CLEARING THROAT)

Hi.

John-Boy, wait a minute.

Marcia? What's
the matter, Marcia?

I'm scared.

Scared? Why, you're one of the
best dancers in the state of Virginia.

But I'll have to talk, too,
and they're all college kids.

Marcia, you're gonna charm the
socks off of them. Now come on.

(LIGHT MUSIC PLAYING)

(PEOPLE CHATTERING)

Hi. Hello.

Hey! Leave it to John Walton to
fly out a movie star for his date.

Well, are you gonna
introduce her around,

or you're just gonna keep
her to yourself all evening?

That's hardly possible.
This is Marcia Woolery.

And, well, counterclockwise,
this is Peggy Hill.

Hello. Hi.

And Randolph Lee.

Hi. Hi.

And this is Gloria Davis.

Hi. Hi.

And Eubank Swanson.

Hello.

Marcia and I went to
school together, high school.

She lives in Richmond now.

Richmond? Really?

Yes. EUBANK: You
go to school there?

No. I've been working.

A career woman!

May I?

(MARCIA EXCLAIMS)

Would you care to dance?

♪ You do ♪ Something to me

♪ Something that
simply mystifies me ♪

(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)

Here you go. Oh, thank you.

I'll bet they don't roll up the
streets in Richmond at 9:00 at night.

Heavens no.

There's too many
movie houses for that.

You can never have
too many movie houses!

No. I'll bet you've been
to every one of them.

Yes, lots of them.

I wonder if I'll ever be able
to live life like you are, Marcia,

instead of eternally
preparing to live.

Oh, you will, Gloria, someday.

Come on, Marcia,
let's cut the rug.

Excuse us, please.

Peggy?

(CRICKETS CHIRPING)

(JOHN-BOY HUMMING)

You know what, John-Boy? What?

I could dance all the way
back to Walton's Mountain.

♪ I've got a crush
on you, sweetie pie

♪ All the day and
night-time hear me sigh

♪ I never had any notion

♪ That I could fall

(TIRES SCREECHING) ♪
With so much emotion... ♪

Frank! Hello, Frank.

John-Boy!

You're not even smart enough
to wait until we get married

before you start
playing around on me.

I wasn't... You're
lucky I'm a gentleman

or you'd get the
same treatment he did.

I wasn't playing around!

Oh, this is all your fault!

I-If you'd only given me
your ring in the first place

we'd never had to
gone through all this!

Does it hurt bad?

Not bad.

It's your own fault.

John-Boy, don't say I
didn't tell you, but I did.

Well, at least the
way it worked out

I got him to break
the engagement.

It's why he almost
broke your jaw, maybe,

but it's not why he
broke the engagement.

What do you mean?

I was by the bank today.

It seems that
Marcia did not know

there still was a
mortgage on that house.

So the bank foreclosed.

Oh. So that's why he's
not interested anymore.

That leaves Marcia without
any money, without any job.

Most likely, she'd
be looking around

for someone to honeymoon with.

Well, I... I did want to
take her to the dance.

I mean, I... I did want
her to meet other people.

I thought that'd be a good idea.

But I'm not glad that she
thinks we're sparking again.

I certainly have no
intention of marrying her.

Then don't. Well, I won't.

Don't.

I won't.

No!

I know these glasses won't
correct Samuel's vision, Mr. Miller.

But I just brought
them to show you how

glasses can change
the way a person sees.

He don't need no glasses.

Won't you just try
them on? Please?

Can I try them, ma'am?

Of course you can.

I'd like to try
them, Mrs. Walton.

Why, it's just like that
funhouse at the circus...

Samuel ain't got no use for
no funhouse, Mrs. Walton.

Now you just take them
specs and leave us be.

With the right kind of glasses,

it wouldn't be like a funhouse.

With the right kind of
glasses, Samuel can...

How much would they
cost, them new glasses?

With the doctor's examination
and the glasses together,

it'd probably come
to about $3 or $4.

I don't have the money.

If you re-use these frames,
it'd probably come to less.

My cousin Louella has glasses,

but she didn't get
them from no doctor.

She bought them at the
five-and-ten. For 50 cents.

Only 50 cents, Reuben.

I don't have the time to
go into town to get them.

I'd be happy to drive
Samuel to town, Mr. Miller.

Samuel's gonna have
to ride in the rumble seat.

He'll probably love that.

Marcia will ride
up here with us.

Where are you going?
Into Charlottesville.

To get Samuel
Miller his glasses.

Can I come with you?

I guess it's all right. As
long as you get your coat

and tell your grandma
where you're going.

Okay. Hurry up.

Yes, sir!

I've never seen Samuel act
like a child before. It's lovely.

You still haven't told me
where we're going, John-Boy.

Well, I want to give it
a couple more miles.

I don't want you to
get out and walk back.

Well, I know anyway. I guessed.

Did you? Yeah.

You're taking me
to pick up my ring.

Actually, Marcia, we're
going in to Charlottesville

because I saw an ad in the paper

for a salesgirl at the
Federal Department Store.

But they wouldn't let me
be a salesgirl in Richmond.

Well, that was Richmond.

But I can't do it.

Marcia, you have to have a job.

Right, Mama? I mean...

You don't have your
parents anymore,

you don't have
any property to sell.

Right, Mama? I mean...

I mean, you're just... you're just
liable to get desperate enough

to... to say yes to the first
fella who proposes to you.

And, uh...

Marcia, I really like
you too much to...

Well, to see you
throw yourself away

on somebody just
for the security.

You really have
to support yourself

so that you'd be able
to pick and choose.

Don't you think so, Mama?

I bet she gets the job.

You're getting it.

I bet she has
years of experience.

She doesn't have dimples.

(CHUCKLES)

Here. Try one of these
dark ones over here.

Zeb, come and wash your hands.

Zeb, you're gonna catch a cold.

Not these either.

Try another. Try this pair.

I don't think it's
gonna work unless

I get them from the
doctor, Mrs. Walton.

Samuel, you can't say that
until you've tried every last one.

Now, come on.
That's what I said.

Jim-Bob!

Next, please. Who's next here?

Marcia Woolery. Yes, sir.

Well, Marcia, won't you
please come this way?

You know, I just love
this store, Mr. Keats.

It's my favorite place to shop.

When are we going home?

As soon as Samuel
finds his glasses.

Now come on, Samuel.

J-A...

Jawbreakers!

And licorice!

And jellybeans, and
peppermint sticks!

It's beautiful.

It's beautiful!

Mrs. Walton, you
sure are pretty.

Samuel, I think you better
try on another pair of glasses.

Well, thank you,
Mr. Keats. Mmm-hmm.

You got the job?

Uh-huh. He's a real nice man!

Well, well.

I'd say we better go pick
up Mama and the boys

and then we'll just celebrate
the working girl, all right?

Oh, well, I'll be staying
in town this evening.

I'm having dinner
with Mr. Keats.

How do you plan to get home?

Oh, he said he wouldn't
mind driving me out.

He just loves to
ride in the country.

I don't know why you're
so unhappy, John-Boy.

Marcia got the job.

It has nothing to do with it.

It's not right for her to be spending
the evening in Charlottesville

having dinner with a man
that she doesn't even know.

You go back and forth with your
opinion so much, I got a crick in my neck.

I think you're the fickle one.

Me? Fickle? I have
never been fickle. I...

That's not fair, Mama. I don't
like it when other people are fickle.

I mean, it's terrible. One
minute they feel one way

and then... and then the
next minute, you turn around

and they feel a whole other way.

JIM-BOB AND SAMUEL: ♪
I'm looking over a four-leaf clover

Well, with Marcia Woolery
I never know where I stand.

♪ I'm looking over
a four-leaf clover

♪ That I overlooked before

♪ One leaf is sunshine,
the second is rain

♪ Third is the roses... ♪

JOHN-BOY: Samuel Miller continued
on in Walton's Mountain School,

learning more and
more every day.

My mother was very
proud of him and of herself.

Marcia Woolery
became a good salesclerk

and when she did marry, it
was not out of desperation

but out of love.

GRANDPA: John-Boy,
you get Marcia all settled in?

JOHN-BOY: Yes, Grandpa.

GRANDMA: Is it a nice place?

Very nice. She's got
a corner room, big...

MARY ELLEN: And two meals a day.

Mary Ellen, how
did you know that?

Her boss buys her lunch.

Mary Ellen!

Mata Hari knows all.

OLIVIA: Does she know
when her bedtime is?

Mata Hari never sleeps.

No, she's too busy snooping.

Good night, Mata Hari.

Good night, fickle-face!

(GIRLS GIGGLING)

Mary Ellen.

Good night, John-Boy.

Good night.