The Waltons (1971–1981): Season 6, Episode 13 - The Celebration - full transcript
The Waltons have one remaining payment on their mortgage. John and the family rush to complete one big lumber job to pay it off. As they celebrate, Ike Godsey faces financial trouble. The Waltons help Ike.
You give me the order,
I'll give you those posts.
- On time?
- On time.
Three hundred posts?
And they got to be ready by
supper, two weeks from Monday.
Nothing's impossible.
Come on, let's go to work!
Best-looking
farmhand I ever saw.
Don't flirt with me.
I'm a truck driver.
Ouch!
Mr. Brendamore.
Sure is good to see you.
Isaac, I haven't got
the best news for you.
- There's Ike.
- Looks unhappy.
John, it's the end of the world.
Easy, easy.
Nature, I think, intended my
father to be a dreamer and a poet.
Instead, he became the head
of a large, hungry household.
The one thing he feared
and despised was debt,
and yet it clung to him as devotedly
as it clung to all of his neighbors.
He tried never to borrow,
never to buy anything on time,
and never to fall behind on
things like taxes and doctor bills.
A s careful as he was,
there came a day in 1940
when he looked at his finances
and was astounded by what
he found looking back at him.
John?
John?
Liv, I've got to go to
Rockfish. Anything you need?
Nothing we can afford.
Is anything wrong?
No. No.
Afternoon, John.
Yo, John Walton.
Fine, Reverend, how are you?
- John Martin.
- Talk about a sight for sore eyes.
- How are you, old fellow?
- I'm pretty good for a fellow our age.
Looks to me like you've
got a problem on your mind.
John, I've looked at
these at least 18 times
and they don't make
any sense to me.
You were saying that when
we were in the first grade.
- How's your mother?
- Never better, thanks.
They dried her out
real nice this time.
- Good Lord!
- You see what I mean?
This is the beatingest
thing I ever heard of.
What it looks like,
you've got a payment due in two weeks on
your bank loan for the sawmill equipment,
and another payment
on the first of the month,
which retires the loan.
That's what I mean.
Johnny Walton, of all people,
teetering on the rim edge of being
totally free and clear of debt.
It's unusual. That's a fact.
It almost never happens.
Country people like us,
everybody owes the storekeeper,
and he's in debt to
banks and wholesalers,
and they're in debt to
people further up the line.
Do you remember
that poem Miss Monteith
used to recite in
eighth-grade Latin?
I don't even remember Latin.
"Big fleas have little fleas
Upon their backs to bite 'em
"And little fleas have smaller
fleas And so, ad infinitum"
I don't know.
Pa always says a reasonable
amount of fleas is good for a dog.
It keeps him from
brooding about being a dog.
Johnny Walton, out of debt.
I'll bet that's never even
happened to my mother.
Your mother's still in business
since her last treatment?
Yeah, tearing around Jefferson
County, foreclosing her mortgages,
calling in her loans.
My goodness, Johnny,
if it weren't for the people she
owes and the people that owe her,
she wouldn't have
anybody to talk to but me.
I sure wouldn't want that.
You're scaring me now. I'm
already beginning to feel lonesome.
Just don't let it get you down.
There's nothing incurable about it.
You've still got two more
payments due to the bank,
and a lot can
happen in six weeks.
I'd sure like to trim
those six weeks.
- How can you do that?
- Let me think.
- John Martin, take care of yourself.
- All right.
- Marcia Woolery.
- Mr. Walton. Hey!
What are you up to these days?
Oh, I'm still clerking down
here at the dry goods store.
How's everybody out your way?
- Couldn't be better.
- You still hear from John-Boy right along?
Yeah, well, he writes.
- Is he married yet?
- No, he's mostly writing books.
Well, you talk to him. You tell
him it's still Miss Marcia Woolery.
All right, Marcia,
good to see you.
Okay, bye.
Come in, Mr. Walton. Sit down.
What can we do for you today?
Best thing you could do for me is
order a great big mess of crossties.
We don't need
any crossties today,
but I am in the market for a
good number of fence posts.
Let's you and me
talk some business.
Do you remember the old
paper mill down by Riddleton?
Uh-huh.
That's reopening
as a defense plant.
And we're gonna
run a siding in for it,
and we're gonna have
to fence the entire area.
Sounds like a big order.
I'll be glad to fill it for you.
Glad is one thing,
Walton, but able is another.
Trouble is, I need more posts
than you can cut, shape and
creosote in the short time I've got.
Maybe so, maybe not.
I can get all the posts I need
at the Roanoke railroad yards,
without any waiting.
Of course, I'll have to
pay a premium for them,
but I can tell
you it's worth it.
Hold on now, before you start
throwing away your money.
How many posts
are we talking about?
Three hundred. And right away.
- Right away when?
- Couple of weeks.
You give me the order.
I'll give you those posts.
- On time?
- On time.
Hey, Rev, how you
like the shine on this?
Looks nice, Ike.
Sure you wouldn't
like a bargain?
Ike, I don't need
a refrigerator.
A good number of people in the
community are without refrigeration,
a situation which
will be remedied,
Mr. Godsey and I having purchased at
auction a number of these fine pieces.
Sure got a good buy
on these at the auction.
I've got 49 more of these
babies over in Godsey's Hall.
Will that be all,
Reverend Buchanan?
No, no. I'll have a can
of corned beef hash,
and a can of sardines and a can of
those little sausages there, please.
Have you purchased a
pet, Reverend Buchanan?
A pet? No, why?
- Well, who's going to eat this food?
- Me. I like this stuff.
Mercy, I'm surprised you're able to
maintain your health on such a diet.
- That will be three dollars even.
- Thank you.
- Ladies. See you, Ike.
- Bye, Reverend.
If I was 50 years younger, I'd give
that preacher a run for his money.
I'm surprised somebody hasn't
snatched him up before now.
Well, young Reverend Buchanan is
just 26 years old and a fine-looking man.
And there is something that
we must all put our minds to.
Finding him a wife, right?
Well, you must agree that the choice
of a wife for the pastor of a church
would be of general concern to
the entire Christian community.
He'll be quite a
catch for somebody.
- Who do you have in mind?
- Oh, I haven't got anybody in mind.
I've already caught mine.
There's that oldest Darden
girl. She's about ready.
Oh, no. Oh, what about...
Oh, no.
Now, there's Marcia Woolery.
She's always looking for a man.
Why, Maude, I am shocked that you
would even mention that kind of girl.
Why don't we leave it up to the
Reverend to pick out his own wife?
There's nothing backward
about Hank Buchanan.
Now that you've
brought it up, Mary Ellen,
that would seem to be
one of the main problems.
Three hundred fence posts?
Well, haggling with
the railroad must be
something like a bug
arguing with a chicken.
That's true too, Pa.
My grandpa taught me
never to drive into any place
where you couldn't turn
around and drive out again.
But three hundred posts?
And they got to be ready by
supper, two weeks from Monday.
Nothing's impossible.
What I don't understand is
why you'd take such a big order.
I mean, we're not rich,
but we're not poor either.
Look at him, Mama. There's
something he's not telling us.
The reason I took that order
is that if we work like
we're putting out a brushfire,
I can walk into the Mercantile
Bank and Trust Company
on the first of the month,
and I can make the final
payment on that new sawmill,
and I can walk out, not owing one
person in this world one red cent.
Hallelujah!
Be the first time in our
married life we'll be out of debt.
Whatever it takes, let's do it.
I don't how it happened,
or how long it's gonna last,
but I want to enjoy that
feeling just once in my life.
If everybody pitches in,
and I mean everybody,
we can meet that order.
Just think of it, not being
beholden to a living soul.
I've been in debt my whole
life, and I didn't even know it.
What's so special
about getting out of debt?
It's very special, Ben.
It's sort of like you might feel if you
had all your chores done for the day.
For once in your life.
Now, does everybody
agree we can do it?
Pa?
"In the bright lexicon of youth,
there is no such word as 'fail'."
Excelsior!
Here's what we're
gonna do, then.
Pa, Ben and Jason, you'll do
the gathering and the hauling.
Jim-Bob, you'll
help me in the mill.
Honey, you can be the water-boy.
- What about me?
As soon as you finish your work,
you can come home and help out.
I'll drive the truck.
- The truck?
- Uh-oh.
Who's going to do the cooking?
You are.
All right, everybody.
Come on, let's go to work.
Timber!
I used to think when I got older and
bigger this type of work would get lighter.
As I understand it, when you
get older it just gets slower.
There must be an easier
way to make a living.
We're not trying
to make a living.
We're just trying to help
the family get out of debt.
Easiest way isn't
always the best, boys.
First thing I'm going to
do when I leave is get rich.
Ha! Good luck.
I'm tired of being
poor. Dirty all the time
and grubbing all the time.
Griping all the time.
Water, everyone.
Well, now. Thank you.
Grandpa, Daddy says when
you've got more logs, he's ready.
I'll be right with him as
soon as I wet my whistle here.
I was about to dry
up and fly away.
I heard of some
miners, out in the desert,
they give away as much as 100-dollar gold
nuggets just for one little drop of water.
See? You can be poor
in more ways than money.
Come on, Elizabeth, we'd better
get that log up to your daddy.
Can I ride Blue?
Well, I guess Blue
would put up with it.
I'm gonna start over here.
Here we go.
Grandpa, I can't get it straight.
Am I poor people or not?
I'd say you scarcely
qualified for hard times.
Me, I've had lots of hard times,
including one time that I was really poor.
And the one that was particularly
hard hit every year was Santa Claus.
As I remember one
particular year, 1877,
this year Santa Claus brought
us in our stockings something else.
- Must have been pretty exciting.
- Yes.
Something I had seen once before
over at Charlottesville,
but never expected to have.
What was it?
The way it looked and
the way it felt in my hand,
that's the first and the last
time that I was ever rich.
And I felt something else, too.
I knew that I was never
going to be poor again.
And I was right.
What was it?
It was
an orange.
Something wrong?
You're wearing pants.
You don't think I'm going to haul
fence posts in a housedress, do you?
Best-looking
farmhand I ever saw.
Don't flirt with me.
I'm a truck driver.
Ouch!
First left, past the
depot, ask for Taggart.
Yes, sir.
Be careful, now.
You've got a big load.
Olivia, is that
you? In male attire?
I'm doing a man's job, Corabeth.
Well, I suppose it's for a good
cause. I'm glad to see you.
I'm on my way to the parsonage
to measure the curtains,
and I really would appreciate it if you'd
give me a few minutes and come with me.
I'm kind of pressed for time.
Olivia, it would only
take a few minutes.
And if I'm seen there alone
with the young minister...
Well, you know how people talk.
All right, Corabeth, but
we will have to hurry.
Good afternoon.
We're here to measure for
the new curtains, all right?
Sure, go on in. It's not locked.
Excuse me, sir?
Didn't you use to be
Mrs. John Walton?
You want those new curtains?
Sure do.
Then watch your step.
Yes, ma'am.
Well, one thing becomes
increasingly clear.
It is up for us to find someone for that
boy who is matrimonially suitable for him.
You got a tape measure?
You may be just as
laissez-faire as you like,
but it behooves you to
keep one fact in mind.
Young Reverend Buchanan is
in the fullness of his manhood.
And he possesses a
remarkable degree of...
Three feet wide by...
Well, I might as well just
come right out and say it.
Animal magnetism.
Six feet.
Good for him. Did
you write that down?
Yeah, six feet.
But he just flits around
like a bee in buckwheat.
And you know, it's up to us,
those of us with cooler heads,
to see to it that we place
his feet on the right path.
Corabeth, when I run across a
bee that's flitting around, I let it flit.
I figure it knows where it's
going a lot better than I do.
And I'll see you.
John Walton.
John Walton, what a
pleasant surprise, John.
Mr. Brendamore, who's
watching the bank?
Well, I'm just up here checking on
my good customer, Isaac B. Godsey.
And for the Mercantile
Bank and Trust Company,
the way we're going,
everybody's watching us.
That couldn't hurt.
I've been hearing rumors about
you, all the way down to Rockfish.
And what's that?
Like you are about
ready to cut us adrift.
Come the first of the month,
I hope to come in and
make my last two payments.
Now, no hurry.
We'd hate to see
you do anything rash.
Like getting your money back?
Well...
We're in the
business to lend it out.
Get it back, it just sits there
not doing anybody any good.
- In fact... Cigar?
- Thanks.
In fact, when you
come to pay it back,
I'd like to see you
borrow a little more.
Well, Joe,
don't stand on one foot waiting.
All right, you
think it over, John.
- Goodbye.
- Mr. Brendamore.
- Ike, got a match?
- Oh, yeah, sure.
I don't know. If I was
you, John, I'd listen to him.
Maybe you're right, Ike. I'm
gonna need some more creosote.
Those fence posts
are really eating it up.
- Five-gallon?
- Uh-huh.
You know, Ike, I think I'm
just a country boy at heart.
When I see the town banker grinning
and joking and passing out cigars,
I figure it's time
for me to back up.
Well, I must say, John,
that the bank was very helpful
to us in our recent investment.
Yeah, you didn't
see our latest special.
- The Arctic Queen. Ain't she a beauty?
- Pretty fancy.
I think we made a
very astute purchase,
buying in quantity as we
did, at the auction sale.
And I'll let you in
on something, John.
I stand to make $75 on
every one of those beauties.
I paid $14 apiece for them.
This information is not to
be passed around, of course.
And I got 50 of them.
That's quite a sizeable
investment, Ike.
Prosperity is back.
The US War Department is
buying up everything, left and right.
Maybe they'll buy
your 50 iceboxes.
I think you're poking
fun at me, John.
What do you care,
Ike? You're rich.
Well, we really
put in a day today.
Pull yourselves
together and wash up.
What's for supper?
I'm not going to tell you.
You'll eat it and like it.
Grandpa, you sure
you're not doing too much?
Why don't you let the
boys do the heavy work?
Give Jim-Bob or Ben a turn, Pa.
I always say, "If you want a thing
done good, you do it yourself."
Take advantage, Grandpa.
A new broom sweeps clean.
Yes, but it's us old brooms
that dust out all the corners.
Oh, no, you're not going
to help me that way.
Working in town, poor thing,
you're missing all the fun.
The smoke, the sawdust, the sightseers.
We had seven or eight of those today.
- What is there to see up here?
- Ben working,
Daddy getting out of
debt, Mama in overalls.
Mama, I told Corabeth
you couldn't help her today.
I ran into her on the way
home. I helped her anyway.
Did you have fun?
She did all the talking,
I did all the listening.
Are she and Corabeth
up to something?
Corabeth's decided they should
pick out a wife for Hank Buchanan.
Now, what would Hank
Buchanan do with a wife?
It's what a wife would do with
him that's got Corabeth into a stew.
She doesn't want the wrong
kind of girl getting a hold of him.
Are you serious?
Well, he's a good-looking
man, with a good future.
Oh, sure he's good-looking,
but there's no such thing as a
Baptist preacher with a good future.
Better not let your
mama hear you say that.
She'll drum you
out of the church.
Mama would like nothing better than if all
seven of us kids became Baptist preachers.
Any preacher around here is as
poor as Job's turkey and always will be.
As long as Hank lives, he'll
probably have someone like Corabeth
looking over his shoulder,
trying to run his life.
From what I've seen, nobody
runs Hank Buchanan's life.
Come on, you two. Let's eat.
Sit down, sit down.
- Pa?
- Simmer down, everybody.
Father in Heaven,
we thank thee for the food upon our
table, the good health and appetite.
We thank thee for the work
and the strength to finish it.
Oh, and Lord,
when we do finish it, let's
have a real nice celebration.
Amen.
- Amen.
- Amen.
Amen.
- Getting tired, Daddy?
- No.
They say hell is made
out of fire and brimstone.
I wonder how that
compares with creosote.
Brimstone is nothing but sulfur,
and creosote is nothing but coal tar.
What's going on?
We were just talking about hell.
I decided not to go.
Good.
You all look kind of tired.
Let up and cool off for a
while. Everybody take a swim.
What a great idea.
Make it a short one, now.
Come on right back to work.
Come on, boys. The
first one in's a rotten egg.
You're not going?
I like it right here.
This celebration you
were talking about?
You mean, Elizabeth
was talking about?
What do you want to do about it?
I would just keep
it kind of quiet.
I think the children are expecting
some kind of celebration.
Maybe we could have a few
friends in, burn the mortgage papers.
How about a Sunday picnic?
Everybody brings their own basket.
All right.
The sun disappears,
it'll be back tomorrow.
I thought you were as interested
in getting out of debt as I am.
I am.
Most of all, I'll be glad not
to see that look anymore.
What look?
You probably don't
even know you're doing it.
You get all these
wrinkles on your forehead,
little worry lines
around your eyes.
Like your mind's running
around, asking questions.
"Will there be enough
food on the table tomorrow?
"Can I meet the payments?
Will I be able to pay the taxes?"
I always pay the taxes.
At least we won't have to
worry about that anymore.
That's right. Gonna have
some money left over.
We won't have to
give it all to the bank.
You've been wanting a new truck.
I aim to get one.
What about you?
You want something?
I'd kind of like to have
the house painted.
What about a trip to
Europe? The Grand Tour?
The Grand Canyon.
Just get in that car and go.
I've always wanted to
see the Grand Canyon.
Liv, what are you talking about?
Natural Bridge is less
than sixty miles away,
you've never even been there.
How about something
for the house?
You could buy one of Ike's
new electric refrigerators,
or we could get you a phone.
Nope. Thanks anyway.
All right. Don't say I
didn't give you the chance.
What are we gonna worry
about now? Growing old?
You don't have to worry
about growing old, Liv.
The older you get,
the prettier you get.
Flattery will get you just
about anything you want.
Horace, let me
show you something.
Well, Ike, ain't that
an electric icebox?
That is a big deluxe
family-size Arctic Queen.
It has six-and-a-half
cubic feet.
It's got two drawers.
It's got almost 14
feet of shelf space.
And it's got four ice cube trays, and it
makes seven pounds of ice at a time.
- And it's got another feature...
- Hold on, Ike.
This is real nice.
We got no electricity
up where we live.
Oh, well, I'm sure it's
easy enough to hook up.
The Rural Electrification Administration
is dispelling darkness everywhere.
Well, I'll tell you.
We kind of like the
old spring house.
Me and Amy, we walk
down there in the evening,
and maybe get a cold
dipper of buttermilk,
or maybe we just sit and watch the
little frogs hop in and out of the pond.
Ah, we like the
old spring house.
What do I owe you, Ike?
Just a nickel, Horace.
Y'all come up and
see us, you hear?
Yeah, we'll go up
and see you, Horace.
- Hello, Horace.
- Hiya, John.
Say, tell me, when you going
to give up all this foolishness?
What foolishness is that?
Work.
Make an old man out
of you before your time.
Now, hold it. You look
out in there, you hear me?
If you ain't careful, they'll be selling
you one of them electric refrigerators.
All right, Horace.
Hello, Ike.
Oh, John, how are you?
Boy, these refrigerators,
they're just going like hotcakes.
- Is that so?
- I bet I could save one for you.
Oh, no thanks, Ike.
If I were gonna
buy a refrigerator,
I'd go to Charlottesville,
buy it from a chain store.
Here's the money
for the gas, Ike.
What's the matter?
It's bad enough I have to
take this from customers.
But from kinfolk, taking
their business to strangers?
If it wasn't for people like you, I
wouldn't be in the mess that I'm in.
Here they come.
Jason? Where'd he go?
Well?
Well, what happened?
Say something.
You look like a couple
of Cheshire cats.
Anybody for Rockfish?
We got a couple more
loads to deliver tomorrow.
Then we're done?
We were already finished
truckload before last.
I just can't believe it.
The check paid off the mortgage
and a nice little bit left over.
- So...
- So,
tomorrow we burn
the blamed thing!
Everybody's going to a hoedown
They're coming from miles around
All our friends and
neighbors are gonna be there
Listening to the country sound
Now kick off your shoes,
take a rest for a while
Leave your tears
and worries behind
It's only gonna be
just a matter of time
Till everybody's feeling fine
We're all going to a hoedown
It's a country jamboree
There isn't any
time to slow down
And I want you
all to come with me
Out to the barn,
gonna take m y guitar
You can bring your mandolin
And if we run out of tunes
In the light of the moon
We can start all over again
We're all going to a hoedown
It's a country jamboree
There isn't any
time to slow down
And I want you
all to come with me
Out to the barn,
gonna take m y guitar
You can bring your mandolin
And if we run out of tunes
in the light of the moon
We can start all over again
You know, John,
I've been to a lot of
different kinds of parties.
Three hog-callings
and a county fair.
Never seen the like of this.
Mortgage burning, and
it ain't even a church.
How's a fellow supposed to act?
Just act natural, Horace.
John, there ain't
nothing natural about it.
Imagine a man owing nobody
nothing, nowhere in the world.
- Here you are, Maude.
- Oh, thank you.
Is there anything in this, Zeb?
Well, I'll swear there's nothing
in there but whatever ought to be.
Aw, shucks. I'd hoped it'd
be something with a kick in it.
Me too.
- Hey.
- Hi.
- Hi.
- Join the party.
It's a memorable day, Olivia.
- John Martin, I'm counting on you.
- For what?
If you see John Walton
trying to bolt the premises,
I want you to hang
on to his shirttails.
I think he feels everybody's
making a little too much of this.
I don't know what he's
got to be shy about.
Another man in his position
would want everybody to know.
Not John.
John Martin, how come
you didn't bring your mother?
She's locked in her room.
That means either she's counting her
cash money or she's got a bottle in there.
You bring those papers?
Got the mortgage right here
in my pocket. Stop fretting.
Well, thank you for picking them
up. I just wish this thing were over.
Stop fretting.
Oh, Olivia, I'm sorry I'm late, but
I made my famous English trifle,
and I became so involved
in the creativity of it,
that I simply lost
all track of time.
Where do you want me to put it?
Put it over there on the
table. Thank you, Corabeth.
Where's Ike?
Oh, well, he'll be right along.
He insisted that I come on.
I hope he's coming. You
said you had words with him?
Two words. "No refrigerator."
He got mad. There's
nothing I can do about that.
Mr. Brendamore.
Sure is good to see you.
Isaac, I haven't got
the best news for you.
It's an English trifle I made
especially for the occasion.
Delicious.
Zebulon, behave yourself.
My, it looks like everybody
in the county is here.
Everybody except Ike and
the Reverend Buchanan.
I don't know about Ike,
but I've never heard of a Baptist
preacher that could resist fried chicken.
Who's that woman
with the Reverend?
It looks like Marcia Woolery.
It is Marcia Woolery.
Grandpa, she's fainted.
Corabeth? Corabeth?
Livie! Livie, come
here! It's Corabeth.
- What happened?
- Clear out.
Clear out, everybody.
Give her air, give her room.
Mercy, mercy, mercy.
Now, Corabeth, you
stop this silliness.
The Baptist Church
will never survive...
The Baptist Church has
survived worse than this.
Now you behave yourself or I'll pour
a pitcher of lemonade on your head.
Olivia, I would not
like for you to do that.
Well, nor would I.
But you pull yourself
together or I'm gonna.
Now, come on, I'll take
you over to the porch,
and you can sit down
and compose yourself.
I'm going to Louisiana
My true love for to see
Oh, Suzanna,
don't you cry for me
It's fun, isn't it?
What?
Watching the
grownups carrying on.
Are they carrying on?
Mama's mad at Corabeth.
And Daddy wishes
they'd just all go home.
Grandpa put some of the
Recipe in Maude Gormley's punch.
Preacher brought
a hussy to the party.
Erin Walton, I just
can't get over it.
You're all grown up and
just as pretty as a peach.
Thank you, Marcia.
- Is she really a hussy?
- That's what everyone thinks.
I always liked her.
Me, too.
Got the fireworks?
Yup, they're here.
Think the fireworks have
already started, though.
Who I'd love to see,
of course, is John-Boy.
They tell me he's all rich and
famous and living in New York City.
Sort of.
Is he dating any of
them New York girls?
Well, he keeps talking about a
dancer named Daisy in his letters.
Marcia, how do you know
Hank Buchanan, anyway?
Oh...
He just came into this dry
goods store the other day.
We got to talking and then one
thing led to another, and here we are.
Do you see him a lot?
I just met him last week.
Isn't he the cutest thing you
ever saw for a preacher, though?
Yeah. He sure is.
Is he dating anybody around
here on a regular basis?
No. Not really.
I can't understand that.
If ever a man was ripe for
picking, it's Hank Buchanan.
- Well, see you, Erin.
- Bye.
What's the matter with Corabeth?
Oh, she fainted when
she saw Marcia with Hank.
Is she afraid Marcia will
be the preacher's wife?
Uh-huh.
Well, she has nothing to worry
about. Because it won't be Marcia.
I suppose you know who it'll be?
Sure I do. I've always known.
- Everything all right?
- I may just murder Corabeth.
She through with her faint yet?
She's all right for the moment.
What's the matter anyway?
Hank Buchanan arrived
with Marcia Woolery.
I always liked Marcia Woolery.
I've got nothing against the
girl, but you have to admit,
she's not exactly the best
choice for a Baptist minister's wife.
- Did I hear my name mentioned?
- Hello, Hank.
I'd sure like to get this
celebration underway.
You got any ideas
on how to speed it up?
Sure, let's get this started. Everybody,
come on up here for a minute!
Come on. Don't be
bashful. Step on up.
Just give me a moment of
your time here. Step on up.
Friends,
did not my Lord deliver
Daniel from the lion's den,
Jonah from the
belly of the whale,
and the Hebrew children
from the fiery furnace?
Amen.
Then, why not every man?
Why not?
Amen, sister.
Today, he has delivered one of our
number from a good-sized mortgage
at the Mercantile
Bank in Rockfish.
Friends, I am proud and
honored to present to you,
perhaps the only man I
know free and clear of debt,
Mr. John Walton.
Well! I can't tell you what this
means to me and my family.
And the mill.
I just wish it could be
happening to all of you.
That's all I got to say,
except, who's got a match?
Now, what does that say, John?
"Paid in Full."
Jim-Bob, now!
For he's a jolly good fellow
For he's a jolly good fellow
For he's a jolly good fellow
That nobody can deny
That nobody can deny
- How does it feel to be out of debt?
- It's going to take some getting used to.
I'm proud of you.
We've worked hard for
this day. Let's try to enjoy it.
For he's a jolly good fellow
That nobody can deny
- There's Ike.
- Looks unhappy.
John, it's the end of the world.
Ike, it can't be all that bad.
The refrigerators don't work.
The bank knows it and
they want their money now.
Or they're going
to take the store.
Easy, easy.
Bring her inside.
Jason, keep everybody
out. And keep on playing.
Buffalo gals, won't
you come out tonight?
Come out tonight,
come out tonight
Buffalo gals, won't
you come out tonight?
And dance by the
light of the moon
A s I was walking down the street
Down the street, down the street
I was dreaming of Doe Hill.
Oh, Olivia.
You're all right, Corabeth.
Just fainted again.
We're destitute.
How'd you get in
this fix anyway, Ike?
Oh, I found an ad in
the paper for an auction.
Refrigerators.
I bought 50 of them.
Now I see why they're
so cheap. They don't work.
How much cash you in for?
$750.
We borrowed from
the Mercantile Bank
and put up the store as
collateral for a short-term loan.
Well, if we all put our heads together,
maybe we can figure something out.
Ruination don't bother me the way it
does some, because I see more of it,
being in business
with my mother.
The main thing, Ike, like that
man in the White House said,
there's nothing to
fear but fear itself.
That's true.
And, of course, the Mercantile
Bank and Trust Company.
They can't get
blood out of a turnip.
No, but they can get the turnip.
$750 is a lot of money,
but it shouldn't be
enough to ruin a man.
John Martin, isn't there
some way Ike could
borrow the $750 and
pay back the bank?
Oh, there's no way. I've
got nothing I can borrow on.
He's got no collateral, Liv.
I'm sorry to say, John,
but that's not quite true.
You mean I got
collateral? What collateral?
John Walton.
John Walton?
John?
Whatever are you
talking about, John Martin?
Well, figure two
years at five percent.
No, I couldn't ask John.
That comes to thirty-two
dollars and ninety cents a month.
Even if you were stuck
with the payments,
that's $2.98 a month less than
you were paying on your bank loan.
Are you saying I should
mortgage the sawmill again?
No, I couldn't ask
you folks to do that.
My mother is a mean, tight,
hard-nosed businesswoman.
She's known John longer
than you have, Olivia.
If Ike Godsey signs a note,
and the signature John
Walton is underneath,
that's the soundest collateral she
can get anywhere in the country.
John, we've got to discuss this.
Excuse us.
I do not see why we have to
haul Ike and Corabeth out of debt.
Olivia, I didn't say I
was gonna do anything.
It's the first time you haven't had
that loan hanging over your head.
You should use that money for
yourself. Get some enjoyment out of life.
Liv, how could we
enjoy the Grand Canyon,
knowing that Ike and Corabeth were
ruined and we could have saved them?
It was their greed
that got them into it.
Liv,
if the shoe were on the other foot,
wouldn't they do the same for us?
No, they wouldn't.
Then let's put it this way.
What's the
Christian thing to do?
Well, I guess co-signing a loan isn't
the same as owing the money yourself.
Technically, no.
Technically, yes.
When it comes right
down to the heartburn,
I don't know the difference.
John, I don't know how to say...
It's all right, Ike.
Don't worry about it.
Thank you.
They're waiting for us outside.
Well, it's been a good day.
And it's been nice having all our
friends over to help in this celebration.
But I got to tell you I'm standing
here under false pretenses.
Every dog has his day,
and I guess today I had mine.
It felt good being free, not
owing anybody anything.
I guess that feeling
lasted a good 20 minutes.
But I'm here to tell
you that I'm back home,
and back in debt,
and I don't much care.
I just want everybody to know that
John Walton is back in debt again,
but not without a great
deal of help from me.
Welcome home, John.
John, it's been a fine day.
We've traveled a long way
and we can begin again.
Knock on wood. Reminds
me of an old song.
The bear went over the mountain
The bear went over the mountain
- Erin, who is it?
- Who is what?
Who's going to marry
Hank Buchanan?
Me.
The other side of
the mountain Erin.
The other side of the mountain
The other side of the mountain
And there it was.
Our parents' great occasion
went as quickly as it came.
And this that followed was the moment
of meaning, the time for celebration.
Our parents, like our grandfather on that
Christmas morning a hundred years ago,
were blessed with one
lovely moment of being rich.
And perhaps they
knew, like my grandfather,
that they would
never be poor again.
This time I mean it.
Good night, everybody.
- Hey, Daddy?
- What?
That goony Marcia was
with the Reverend today.
Remember when John-Boy
was chasing after her?
Yes, I do.
Just think. Suppose
John-Boy had caught her.
Good night, Jim-Bob.
You know what she'd
be saying right now?
"Good night, Mama Walton, good
night, Daddy Walton, good night, Jason..."
Goodnight, Jim-Bob.
English -SDH
I'll give you those posts.
- On time?
- On time.
Three hundred posts?
And they got to be ready by
supper, two weeks from Monday.
Nothing's impossible.
Come on, let's go to work!
Best-looking
farmhand I ever saw.
Don't flirt with me.
I'm a truck driver.
Ouch!
Mr. Brendamore.
Sure is good to see you.
Isaac, I haven't got
the best news for you.
- There's Ike.
- Looks unhappy.
John, it's the end of the world.
Easy, easy.
Nature, I think, intended my
father to be a dreamer and a poet.
Instead, he became the head
of a large, hungry household.
The one thing he feared
and despised was debt,
and yet it clung to him as devotedly
as it clung to all of his neighbors.
He tried never to borrow,
never to buy anything on time,
and never to fall behind on
things like taxes and doctor bills.
A s careful as he was,
there came a day in 1940
when he looked at his finances
and was astounded by what
he found looking back at him.
John?
John?
Liv, I've got to go to
Rockfish. Anything you need?
Nothing we can afford.
Is anything wrong?
No. No.
Afternoon, John.
Yo, John Walton.
Fine, Reverend, how are you?
- John Martin.
- Talk about a sight for sore eyes.
- How are you, old fellow?
- I'm pretty good for a fellow our age.
Looks to me like you've
got a problem on your mind.
John, I've looked at
these at least 18 times
and they don't make
any sense to me.
You were saying that when
we were in the first grade.
- How's your mother?
- Never better, thanks.
They dried her out
real nice this time.
- Good Lord!
- You see what I mean?
This is the beatingest
thing I ever heard of.
What it looks like,
you've got a payment due in two weeks on
your bank loan for the sawmill equipment,
and another payment
on the first of the month,
which retires the loan.
That's what I mean.
Johnny Walton, of all people,
teetering on the rim edge of being
totally free and clear of debt.
It's unusual. That's a fact.
It almost never happens.
Country people like us,
everybody owes the storekeeper,
and he's in debt to
banks and wholesalers,
and they're in debt to
people further up the line.
Do you remember
that poem Miss Monteith
used to recite in
eighth-grade Latin?
I don't even remember Latin.
"Big fleas have little fleas
Upon their backs to bite 'em
"And little fleas have smaller
fleas And so, ad infinitum"
I don't know.
Pa always says a reasonable
amount of fleas is good for a dog.
It keeps him from
brooding about being a dog.
Johnny Walton, out of debt.
I'll bet that's never even
happened to my mother.
Your mother's still in business
since her last treatment?
Yeah, tearing around Jefferson
County, foreclosing her mortgages,
calling in her loans.
My goodness, Johnny,
if it weren't for the people she
owes and the people that owe her,
she wouldn't have
anybody to talk to but me.
I sure wouldn't want that.
You're scaring me now. I'm
already beginning to feel lonesome.
Just don't let it get you down.
There's nothing incurable about it.
You've still got two more
payments due to the bank,
and a lot can
happen in six weeks.
I'd sure like to trim
those six weeks.
- How can you do that?
- Let me think.
- John Martin, take care of yourself.
- All right.
- Marcia Woolery.
- Mr. Walton. Hey!
What are you up to these days?
Oh, I'm still clerking down
here at the dry goods store.
How's everybody out your way?
- Couldn't be better.
- You still hear from John-Boy right along?
Yeah, well, he writes.
- Is he married yet?
- No, he's mostly writing books.
Well, you talk to him. You tell
him it's still Miss Marcia Woolery.
All right, Marcia,
good to see you.
Okay, bye.
Come in, Mr. Walton. Sit down.
What can we do for you today?
Best thing you could do for me is
order a great big mess of crossties.
We don't need
any crossties today,
but I am in the market for a
good number of fence posts.
Let's you and me
talk some business.
Do you remember the old
paper mill down by Riddleton?
Uh-huh.
That's reopening
as a defense plant.
And we're gonna
run a siding in for it,
and we're gonna have
to fence the entire area.
Sounds like a big order.
I'll be glad to fill it for you.
Glad is one thing,
Walton, but able is another.
Trouble is, I need more posts
than you can cut, shape and
creosote in the short time I've got.
Maybe so, maybe not.
I can get all the posts I need
at the Roanoke railroad yards,
without any waiting.
Of course, I'll have to
pay a premium for them,
but I can tell
you it's worth it.
Hold on now, before you start
throwing away your money.
How many posts
are we talking about?
Three hundred. And right away.
- Right away when?
- Couple of weeks.
You give me the order.
I'll give you those posts.
- On time?
- On time.
Hey, Rev, how you
like the shine on this?
Looks nice, Ike.
Sure you wouldn't
like a bargain?
Ike, I don't need
a refrigerator.
A good number of people in the
community are without refrigeration,
a situation which
will be remedied,
Mr. Godsey and I having purchased at
auction a number of these fine pieces.
Sure got a good buy
on these at the auction.
I've got 49 more of these
babies over in Godsey's Hall.
Will that be all,
Reverend Buchanan?
No, no. I'll have a can
of corned beef hash,
and a can of sardines and a can of
those little sausages there, please.
Have you purchased a
pet, Reverend Buchanan?
A pet? No, why?
- Well, who's going to eat this food?
- Me. I like this stuff.
Mercy, I'm surprised you're able to
maintain your health on such a diet.
- That will be three dollars even.
- Thank you.
- Ladies. See you, Ike.
- Bye, Reverend.
If I was 50 years younger, I'd give
that preacher a run for his money.
I'm surprised somebody hasn't
snatched him up before now.
Well, young Reverend Buchanan is
just 26 years old and a fine-looking man.
And there is something that
we must all put our minds to.
Finding him a wife, right?
Well, you must agree that the choice
of a wife for the pastor of a church
would be of general concern to
the entire Christian community.
He'll be quite a
catch for somebody.
- Who do you have in mind?
- Oh, I haven't got anybody in mind.
I've already caught mine.
There's that oldest Darden
girl. She's about ready.
Oh, no. Oh, what about...
Oh, no.
Now, there's Marcia Woolery.
She's always looking for a man.
Why, Maude, I am shocked that you
would even mention that kind of girl.
Why don't we leave it up to the
Reverend to pick out his own wife?
There's nothing backward
about Hank Buchanan.
Now that you've
brought it up, Mary Ellen,
that would seem to be
one of the main problems.
Three hundred fence posts?
Well, haggling with
the railroad must be
something like a bug
arguing with a chicken.
That's true too, Pa.
My grandpa taught me
never to drive into any place
where you couldn't turn
around and drive out again.
But three hundred posts?
And they got to be ready by
supper, two weeks from Monday.
Nothing's impossible.
What I don't understand is
why you'd take such a big order.
I mean, we're not rich,
but we're not poor either.
Look at him, Mama. There's
something he's not telling us.
The reason I took that order
is that if we work like
we're putting out a brushfire,
I can walk into the Mercantile
Bank and Trust Company
on the first of the month,
and I can make the final
payment on that new sawmill,
and I can walk out, not owing one
person in this world one red cent.
Hallelujah!
Be the first time in our
married life we'll be out of debt.
Whatever it takes, let's do it.
I don't how it happened,
or how long it's gonna last,
but I want to enjoy that
feeling just once in my life.
If everybody pitches in,
and I mean everybody,
we can meet that order.
Just think of it, not being
beholden to a living soul.
I've been in debt my whole
life, and I didn't even know it.
What's so special
about getting out of debt?
It's very special, Ben.
It's sort of like you might feel if you
had all your chores done for the day.
For once in your life.
Now, does everybody
agree we can do it?
Pa?
"In the bright lexicon of youth,
there is no such word as 'fail'."
Excelsior!
Here's what we're
gonna do, then.
Pa, Ben and Jason, you'll do
the gathering and the hauling.
Jim-Bob, you'll
help me in the mill.
Honey, you can be the water-boy.
- What about me?
As soon as you finish your work,
you can come home and help out.
I'll drive the truck.
- The truck?
- Uh-oh.
Who's going to do the cooking?
You are.
All right, everybody.
Come on, let's go to work.
Timber!
I used to think when I got older and
bigger this type of work would get lighter.
As I understand it, when you
get older it just gets slower.
There must be an easier
way to make a living.
We're not trying
to make a living.
We're just trying to help
the family get out of debt.
Easiest way isn't
always the best, boys.
First thing I'm going to
do when I leave is get rich.
Ha! Good luck.
I'm tired of being
poor. Dirty all the time
and grubbing all the time.
Griping all the time.
Water, everyone.
Well, now. Thank you.
Grandpa, Daddy says when
you've got more logs, he's ready.
I'll be right with him as
soon as I wet my whistle here.
I was about to dry
up and fly away.
I heard of some
miners, out in the desert,
they give away as much as 100-dollar gold
nuggets just for one little drop of water.
See? You can be poor
in more ways than money.
Come on, Elizabeth, we'd better
get that log up to your daddy.
Can I ride Blue?
Well, I guess Blue
would put up with it.
I'm gonna start over here.
Here we go.
Grandpa, I can't get it straight.
Am I poor people or not?
I'd say you scarcely
qualified for hard times.
Me, I've had lots of hard times,
including one time that I was really poor.
And the one that was particularly
hard hit every year was Santa Claus.
As I remember one
particular year, 1877,
this year Santa Claus brought
us in our stockings something else.
- Must have been pretty exciting.
- Yes.
Something I had seen once before
over at Charlottesville,
but never expected to have.
What was it?
The way it looked and
the way it felt in my hand,
that's the first and the last
time that I was ever rich.
And I felt something else, too.
I knew that I was never
going to be poor again.
And I was right.
What was it?
It was
an orange.
Something wrong?
You're wearing pants.
You don't think I'm going to haul
fence posts in a housedress, do you?
Best-looking
farmhand I ever saw.
Don't flirt with me.
I'm a truck driver.
Ouch!
First left, past the
depot, ask for Taggart.
Yes, sir.
Be careful, now.
You've got a big load.
Olivia, is that
you? In male attire?
I'm doing a man's job, Corabeth.
Well, I suppose it's for a good
cause. I'm glad to see you.
I'm on my way to the parsonage
to measure the curtains,
and I really would appreciate it if you'd
give me a few minutes and come with me.
I'm kind of pressed for time.
Olivia, it would only
take a few minutes.
And if I'm seen there alone
with the young minister...
Well, you know how people talk.
All right, Corabeth, but
we will have to hurry.
Good afternoon.
We're here to measure for
the new curtains, all right?
Sure, go on in. It's not locked.
Excuse me, sir?
Didn't you use to be
Mrs. John Walton?
You want those new curtains?
Sure do.
Then watch your step.
Yes, ma'am.
Well, one thing becomes
increasingly clear.
It is up for us to find someone for that
boy who is matrimonially suitable for him.
You got a tape measure?
You may be just as
laissez-faire as you like,
but it behooves you to
keep one fact in mind.
Young Reverend Buchanan is
in the fullness of his manhood.
And he possesses a
remarkable degree of...
Three feet wide by...
Well, I might as well just
come right out and say it.
Animal magnetism.
Six feet.
Good for him. Did
you write that down?
Yeah, six feet.
But he just flits around
like a bee in buckwheat.
And you know, it's up to us,
those of us with cooler heads,
to see to it that we place
his feet on the right path.
Corabeth, when I run across a
bee that's flitting around, I let it flit.
I figure it knows where it's
going a lot better than I do.
And I'll see you.
John Walton.
John Walton, what a
pleasant surprise, John.
Mr. Brendamore, who's
watching the bank?
Well, I'm just up here checking on
my good customer, Isaac B. Godsey.
And for the Mercantile
Bank and Trust Company,
the way we're going,
everybody's watching us.
That couldn't hurt.
I've been hearing rumors about
you, all the way down to Rockfish.
And what's that?
Like you are about
ready to cut us adrift.
Come the first of the month,
I hope to come in and
make my last two payments.
Now, no hurry.
We'd hate to see
you do anything rash.
Like getting your money back?
Well...
We're in the
business to lend it out.
Get it back, it just sits there
not doing anybody any good.
- In fact... Cigar?
- Thanks.
In fact, when you
come to pay it back,
I'd like to see you
borrow a little more.
Well, Joe,
don't stand on one foot waiting.
All right, you
think it over, John.
- Goodbye.
- Mr. Brendamore.
- Ike, got a match?
- Oh, yeah, sure.
I don't know. If I was
you, John, I'd listen to him.
Maybe you're right, Ike. I'm
gonna need some more creosote.
Those fence posts
are really eating it up.
- Five-gallon?
- Uh-huh.
You know, Ike, I think I'm
just a country boy at heart.
When I see the town banker grinning
and joking and passing out cigars,
I figure it's time
for me to back up.
Well, I must say, John,
that the bank was very helpful
to us in our recent investment.
Yeah, you didn't
see our latest special.
- The Arctic Queen. Ain't she a beauty?
- Pretty fancy.
I think we made a
very astute purchase,
buying in quantity as we
did, at the auction sale.
And I'll let you in
on something, John.
I stand to make $75 on
every one of those beauties.
I paid $14 apiece for them.
This information is not to
be passed around, of course.
And I got 50 of them.
That's quite a sizeable
investment, Ike.
Prosperity is back.
The US War Department is
buying up everything, left and right.
Maybe they'll buy
your 50 iceboxes.
I think you're poking
fun at me, John.
What do you care,
Ike? You're rich.
Well, we really
put in a day today.
Pull yourselves
together and wash up.
What's for supper?
I'm not going to tell you.
You'll eat it and like it.
Grandpa, you sure
you're not doing too much?
Why don't you let the
boys do the heavy work?
Give Jim-Bob or Ben a turn, Pa.
I always say, "If you want a thing
done good, you do it yourself."
Take advantage, Grandpa.
A new broom sweeps clean.
Yes, but it's us old brooms
that dust out all the corners.
Oh, no, you're not going
to help me that way.
Working in town, poor thing,
you're missing all the fun.
The smoke, the sawdust, the sightseers.
We had seven or eight of those today.
- What is there to see up here?
- Ben working,
Daddy getting out of
debt, Mama in overalls.
Mama, I told Corabeth
you couldn't help her today.
I ran into her on the way
home. I helped her anyway.
Did you have fun?
She did all the talking,
I did all the listening.
Are she and Corabeth
up to something?
Corabeth's decided they should
pick out a wife for Hank Buchanan.
Now, what would Hank
Buchanan do with a wife?
It's what a wife would do with
him that's got Corabeth into a stew.
She doesn't want the wrong
kind of girl getting a hold of him.
Are you serious?
Well, he's a good-looking
man, with a good future.
Oh, sure he's good-looking,
but there's no such thing as a
Baptist preacher with a good future.
Better not let your
mama hear you say that.
She'll drum you
out of the church.
Mama would like nothing better than if all
seven of us kids became Baptist preachers.
Any preacher around here is as
poor as Job's turkey and always will be.
As long as Hank lives, he'll
probably have someone like Corabeth
looking over his shoulder,
trying to run his life.
From what I've seen, nobody
runs Hank Buchanan's life.
Come on, you two. Let's eat.
Sit down, sit down.
- Pa?
- Simmer down, everybody.
Father in Heaven,
we thank thee for the food upon our
table, the good health and appetite.
We thank thee for the work
and the strength to finish it.
Oh, and Lord,
when we do finish it, let's
have a real nice celebration.
Amen.
- Amen.
- Amen.
Amen.
- Getting tired, Daddy?
- No.
They say hell is made
out of fire and brimstone.
I wonder how that
compares with creosote.
Brimstone is nothing but sulfur,
and creosote is nothing but coal tar.
What's going on?
We were just talking about hell.
I decided not to go.
Good.
You all look kind of tired.
Let up and cool off for a
while. Everybody take a swim.
What a great idea.
Make it a short one, now.
Come on right back to work.
Come on, boys. The
first one in's a rotten egg.
You're not going?
I like it right here.
This celebration you
were talking about?
You mean, Elizabeth
was talking about?
What do you want to do about it?
I would just keep
it kind of quiet.
I think the children are expecting
some kind of celebration.
Maybe we could have a few
friends in, burn the mortgage papers.
How about a Sunday picnic?
Everybody brings their own basket.
All right.
The sun disappears,
it'll be back tomorrow.
I thought you were as interested
in getting out of debt as I am.
I am.
Most of all, I'll be glad not
to see that look anymore.
What look?
You probably don't
even know you're doing it.
You get all these
wrinkles on your forehead,
little worry lines
around your eyes.
Like your mind's running
around, asking questions.
"Will there be enough
food on the table tomorrow?
"Can I meet the payments?
Will I be able to pay the taxes?"
I always pay the taxes.
At least we won't have to
worry about that anymore.
That's right. Gonna have
some money left over.
We won't have to
give it all to the bank.
You've been wanting a new truck.
I aim to get one.
What about you?
You want something?
I'd kind of like to have
the house painted.
What about a trip to
Europe? The Grand Tour?
The Grand Canyon.
Just get in that car and go.
I've always wanted to
see the Grand Canyon.
Liv, what are you talking about?
Natural Bridge is less
than sixty miles away,
you've never even been there.
How about something
for the house?
You could buy one of Ike's
new electric refrigerators,
or we could get you a phone.
Nope. Thanks anyway.
All right. Don't say I
didn't give you the chance.
What are we gonna worry
about now? Growing old?
You don't have to worry
about growing old, Liv.
The older you get,
the prettier you get.
Flattery will get you just
about anything you want.
Horace, let me
show you something.
Well, Ike, ain't that
an electric icebox?
That is a big deluxe
family-size Arctic Queen.
It has six-and-a-half
cubic feet.
It's got two drawers.
It's got almost 14
feet of shelf space.
And it's got four ice cube trays, and it
makes seven pounds of ice at a time.
- And it's got another feature...
- Hold on, Ike.
This is real nice.
We got no electricity
up where we live.
Oh, well, I'm sure it's
easy enough to hook up.
The Rural Electrification Administration
is dispelling darkness everywhere.
Well, I'll tell you.
We kind of like the
old spring house.
Me and Amy, we walk
down there in the evening,
and maybe get a cold
dipper of buttermilk,
or maybe we just sit and watch the
little frogs hop in and out of the pond.
Ah, we like the
old spring house.
What do I owe you, Ike?
Just a nickel, Horace.
Y'all come up and
see us, you hear?
Yeah, we'll go up
and see you, Horace.
- Hello, Horace.
- Hiya, John.
Say, tell me, when you going
to give up all this foolishness?
What foolishness is that?
Work.
Make an old man out
of you before your time.
Now, hold it. You look
out in there, you hear me?
If you ain't careful, they'll be selling
you one of them electric refrigerators.
All right, Horace.
Hello, Ike.
Oh, John, how are you?
Boy, these refrigerators,
they're just going like hotcakes.
- Is that so?
- I bet I could save one for you.
Oh, no thanks, Ike.
If I were gonna
buy a refrigerator,
I'd go to Charlottesville,
buy it from a chain store.
Here's the money
for the gas, Ike.
What's the matter?
It's bad enough I have to
take this from customers.
But from kinfolk, taking
their business to strangers?
If it wasn't for people like you, I
wouldn't be in the mess that I'm in.
Here they come.
Jason? Where'd he go?
Well?
Well, what happened?
Say something.
You look like a couple
of Cheshire cats.
Anybody for Rockfish?
We got a couple more
loads to deliver tomorrow.
Then we're done?
We were already finished
truckload before last.
I just can't believe it.
The check paid off the mortgage
and a nice little bit left over.
- So...
- So,
tomorrow we burn
the blamed thing!
Everybody's going to a hoedown
They're coming from miles around
All our friends and
neighbors are gonna be there
Listening to the country sound
Now kick off your shoes,
take a rest for a while
Leave your tears
and worries behind
It's only gonna be
just a matter of time
Till everybody's feeling fine
We're all going to a hoedown
It's a country jamboree
There isn't any
time to slow down
And I want you
all to come with me
Out to the barn,
gonna take m y guitar
You can bring your mandolin
And if we run out of tunes
In the light of the moon
We can start all over again
We're all going to a hoedown
It's a country jamboree
There isn't any
time to slow down
And I want you
all to come with me
Out to the barn,
gonna take m y guitar
You can bring your mandolin
And if we run out of tunes
in the light of the moon
We can start all over again
You know, John,
I've been to a lot of
different kinds of parties.
Three hog-callings
and a county fair.
Never seen the like of this.
Mortgage burning, and
it ain't even a church.
How's a fellow supposed to act?
Just act natural, Horace.
John, there ain't
nothing natural about it.
Imagine a man owing nobody
nothing, nowhere in the world.
- Here you are, Maude.
- Oh, thank you.
Is there anything in this, Zeb?
Well, I'll swear there's nothing
in there but whatever ought to be.
Aw, shucks. I'd hoped it'd
be something with a kick in it.
Me too.
- Hey.
- Hi.
- Hi.
- Join the party.
It's a memorable day, Olivia.
- John Martin, I'm counting on you.
- For what?
If you see John Walton
trying to bolt the premises,
I want you to hang
on to his shirttails.
I think he feels everybody's
making a little too much of this.
I don't know what he's
got to be shy about.
Another man in his position
would want everybody to know.
Not John.
John Martin, how come
you didn't bring your mother?
She's locked in her room.
That means either she's counting her
cash money or she's got a bottle in there.
You bring those papers?
Got the mortgage right here
in my pocket. Stop fretting.
Well, thank you for picking them
up. I just wish this thing were over.
Stop fretting.
Oh, Olivia, I'm sorry I'm late, but
I made my famous English trifle,
and I became so involved
in the creativity of it,
that I simply lost
all track of time.
Where do you want me to put it?
Put it over there on the
table. Thank you, Corabeth.
Where's Ike?
Oh, well, he'll be right along.
He insisted that I come on.
I hope he's coming. You
said you had words with him?
Two words. "No refrigerator."
He got mad. There's
nothing I can do about that.
Mr. Brendamore.
Sure is good to see you.
Isaac, I haven't got
the best news for you.
It's an English trifle I made
especially for the occasion.
Delicious.
Zebulon, behave yourself.
My, it looks like everybody
in the county is here.
Everybody except Ike and
the Reverend Buchanan.
I don't know about Ike,
but I've never heard of a Baptist
preacher that could resist fried chicken.
Who's that woman
with the Reverend?
It looks like Marcia Woolery.
It is Marcia Woolery.
Grandpa, she's fainted.
Corabeth? Corabeth?
Livie! Livie, come
here! It's Corabeth.
- What happened?
- Clear out.
Clear out, everybody.
Give her air, give her room.
Mercy, mercy, mercy.
Now, Corabeth, you
stop this silliness.
The Baptist Church
will never survive...
The Baptist Church has
survived worse than this.
Now you behave yourself or I'll pour
a pitcher of lemonade on your head.
Olivia, I would not
like for you to do that.
Well, nor would I.
But you pull yourself
together or I'm gonna.
Now, come on, I'll take
you over to the porch,
and you can sit down
and compose yourself.
I'm going to Louisiana
My true love for to see
Oh, Suzanna,
don't you cry for me
It's fun, isn't it?
What?
Watching the
grownups carrying on.
Are they carrying on?
Mama's mad at Corabeth.
And Daddy wishes
they'd just all go home.
Grandpa put some of the
Recipe in Maude Gormley's punch.
Preacher brought
a hussy to the party.
Erin Walton, I just
can't get over it.
You're all grown up and
just as pretty as a peach.
Thank you, Marcia.
- Is she really a hussy?
- That's what everyone thinks.
I always liked her.
Me, too.
Got the fireworks?
Yup, they're here.
Think the fireworks have
already started, though.
Who I'd love to see,
of course, is John-Boy.
They tell me he's all rich and
famous and living in New York City.
Sort of.
Is he dating any of
them New York girls?
Well, he keeps talking about a
dancer named Daisy in his letters.
Marcia, how do you know
Hank Buchanan, anyway?
Oh...
He just came into this dry
goods store the other day.
We got to talking and then one
thing led to another, and here we are.
Do you see him a lot?
I just met him last week.
Isn't he the cutest thing you
ever saw for a preacher, though?
Yeah. He sure is.
Is he dating anybody around
here on a regular basis?
No. Not really.
I can't understand that.
If ever a man was ripe for
picking, it's Hank Buchanan.
- Well, see you, Erin.
- Bye.
What's the matter with Corabeth?
Oh, she fainted when
she saw Marcia with Hank.
Is she afraid Marcia will
be the preacher's wife?
Uh-huh.
Well, she has nothing to worry
about. Because it won't be Marcia.
I suppose you know who it'll be?
Sure I do. I've always known.
- Everything all right?
- I may just murder Corabeth.
She through with her faint yet?
She's all right for the moment.
What's the matter anyway?
Hank Buchanan arrived
with Marcia Woolery.
I always liked Marcia Woolery.
I've got nothing against the
girl, but you have to admit,
she's not exactly the best
choice for a Baptist minister's wife.
- Did I hear my name mentioned?
- Hello, Hank.
I'd sure like to get this
celebration underway.
You got any ideas
on how to speed it up?
Sure, let's get this started. Everybody,
come on up here for a minute!
Come on. Don't be
bashful. Step on up.
Just give me a moment of
your time here. Step on up.
Friends,
did not my Lord deliver
Daniel from the lion's den,
Jonah from the
belly of the whale,
and the Hebrew children
from the fiery furnace?
Amen.
Then, why not every man?
Why not?
Amen, sister.
Today, he has delivered one of our
number from a good-sized mortgage
at the Mercantile
Bank in Rockfish.
Friends, I am proud and
honored to present to you,
perhaps the only man I
know free and clear of debt,
Mr. John Walton.
Well! I can't tell you what this
means to me and my family.
And the mill.
I just wish it could be
happening to all of you.
That's all I got to say,
except, who's got a match?
Now, what does that say, John?
"Paid in Full."
Jim-Bob, now!
For he's a jolly good fellow
For he's a jolly good fellow
For he's a jolly good fellow
That nobody can deny
That nobody can deny
- How does it feel to be out of debt?
- It's going to take some getting used to.
I'm proud of you.
We've worked hard for
this day. Let's try to enjoy it.
For he's a jolly good fellow
That nobody can deny
- There's Ike.
- Looks unhappy.
John, it's the end of the world.
Ike, it can't be all that bad.
The refrigerators don't work.
The bank knows it and
they want their money now.
Or they're going
to take the store.
Easy, easy.
Bring her inside.
Jason, keep everybody
out. And keep on playing.
Buffalo gals, won't
you come out tonight?
Come out tonight,
come out tonight
Buffalo gals, won't
you come out tonight?
And dance by the
light of the moon
A s I was walking down the street
Down the street, down the street
I was dreaming of Doe Hill.
Oh, Olivia.
You're all right, Corabeth.
Just fainted again.
We're destitute.
How'd you get in
this fix anyway, Ike?
Oh, I found an ad in
the paper for an auction.
Refrigerators.
I bought 50 of them.
Now I see why they're
so cheap. They don't work.
How much cash you in for?
$750.
We borrowed from
the Mercantile Bank
and put up the store as
collateral for a short-term loan.
Well, if we all put our heads together,
maybe we can figure something out.
Ruination don't bother me the way it
does some, because I see more of it,
being in business
with my mother.
The main thing, Ike, like that
man in the White House said,
there's nothing to
fear but fear itself.
That's true.
And, of course, the Mercantile
Bank and Trust Company.
They can't get
blood out of a turnip.
No, but they can get the turnip.
$750 is a lot of money,
but it shouldn't be
enough to ruin a man.
John Martin, isn't there
some way Ike could
borrow the $750 and
pay back the bank?
Oh, there's no way. I've
got nothing I can borrow on.
He's got no collateral, Liv.
I'm sorry to say, John,
but that's not quite true.
You mean I got
collateral? What collateral?
John Walton.
John Walton?
John?
Whatever are you
talking about, John Martin?
Well, figure two
years at five percent.
No, I couldn't ask John.
That comes to thirty-two
dollars and ninety cents a month.
Even if you were stuck
with the payments,
that's $2.98 a month less than
you were paying on your bank loan.
Are you saying I should
mortgage the sawmill again?
No, I couldn't ask
you folks to do that.
My mother is a mean, tight,
hard-nosed businesswoman.
She's known John longer
than you have, Olivia.
If Ike Godsey signs a note,
and the signature John
Walton is underneath,
that's the soundest collateral she
can get anywhere in the country.
John, we've got to discuss this.
Excuse us.
I do not see why we have to
haul Ike and Corabeth out of debt.
Olivia, I didn't say I
was gonna do anything.
It's the first time you haven't had
that loan hanging over your head.
You should use that money for
yourself. Get some enjoyment out of life.
Liv, how could we
enjoy the Grand Canyon,
knowing that Ike and Corabeth were
ruined and we could have saved them?
It was their greed
that got them into it.
Liv,
if the shoe were on the other foot,
wouldn't they do the same for us?
No, they wouldn't.
Then let's put it this way.
What's the
Christian thing to do?
Well, I guess co-signing a loan isn't
the same as owing the money yourself.
Technically, no.
Technically, yes.
When it comes right
down to the heartburn,
I don't know the difference.
John, I don't know how to say...
It's all right, Ike.
Don't worry about it.
Thank you.
They're waiting for us outside.
Well, it's been a good day.
And it's been nice having all our
friends over to help in this celebration.
But I got to tell you I'm standing
here under false pretenses.
Every dog has his day,
and I guess today I had mine.
It felt good being free, not
owing anybody anything.
I guess that feeling
lasted a good 20 minutes.
But I'm here to tell
you that I'm back home,
and back in debt,
and I don't much care.
I just want everybody to know that
John Walton is back in debt again,
but not without a great
deal of help from me.
Welcome home, John.
John, it's been a fine day.
We've traveled a long way
and we can begin again.
Knock on wood. Reminds
me of an old song.
The bear went over the mountain
The bear went over the mountain
- Erin, who is it?
- Who is what?
Who's going to marry
Hank Buchanan?
Me.
The other side of
the mountain Erin.
The other side of the mountain
The other side of the mountain
And there it was.
Our parents' great occasion
went as quickly as it came.
And this that followed was the moment
of meaning, the time for celebration.
Our parents, like our grandfather on that
Christmas morning a hundred years ago,
were blessed with one
lovely moment of being rich.
And perhaps they
knew, like my grandfather,
that they would
never be poor again.
This time I mean it.
Good night, everybody.
- Hey, Daddy?
- What?
That goony Marcia was
with the Reverend today.
Remember when John-Boy
was chasing after her?
Yes, I do.
Just think. Suppose
John-Boy had caught her.
Good night, Jim-Bob.
You know what she'd
be saying right now?
"Good night, Mama Walton, good
night, Daddy Walton, good night, Jason..."
Goodnight, Jim-Bob.
English -SDH