The Waltons (1971–1981): Season 6, Episode 8 - The First Casualty - full transcript

That's a nice fat one, Reverend.

I know you're a good fisherman,

but aren't you supposed to bait
that hook before you throw it in?

I didn't load it up?

You've got something else on your
mind besides hauling in catfish, Hank.

It'll be the first time I ever said
the words over a grave, John.

The first time I
ever buried a man.

In the fall of 1939, the
people on Walton's Mountain

were becoming increasingly affected
by the spreading war in Europe.

- Hey, Ike!
- Ike!

It's not like Ike to go by
without stopping to say hello.



He must be having an
important delivery somewhere.

Why would he be wearing his
air-raid helmet to make a delivery?

Oh, he was, wasn't he?

In our family and others,
despite our rural isolation,

it was to cause immediate
and profound change.

- Good morning, Ike.
- Hello, Curt.

- Hi, Ike.
- Oh, the baby's up.

- Yeah.
- Has he been good?

Uh-huh.

What brings you by, Ike?

Well, a letter came for you.
It's from the war department.

I hope it isn't
what I think it is.

Thank you, Ike.

I appreciate you taking
the trouble to come by.



If I can do anything for
you, you let me know.

- Bye-bye, Ike.
- Okay. Bye.

Well, they're calling
me up to active duty.

What? How can they do that?
You're a husband! With a baby!

Well, when you're in the reserves,
they're bound to call you sooner or later.

Especially if you're a doctor.

Where are they sending you?

I'm going to Camp Lee.
That's a lucky break.

That's only about
140 miles away.

- When?
- Monday.

Well, they sure didn't give
you much time to think about it.

Do they know you have a
family, or don't they care?

Honey, I guess they need me.

I never saw such a
cold, impersonal letter.

It's a form letter with
your name filled in.

Mary Ellen, they have to
send out hundreds of them.

So what does that make you?
A statistic they pull out of a file?

You're a husband and a father,
and a doctor who's needed here.

I hate this letter.

After the shock wore off, we
realized that we're lucky in one way.

At least I'm gonna be close enough
to get home on weekend passes.

Mmm-hmm. You never
can tell with the Army.

Might have been sent
to Texas, even Wyoming.

- You gonna get any rank?
- Yep. First lieutenant.

You know, when I joined
the ROTC in medical school,

we never thought it
would come to this.

- What's the ROTC?
- Reserve Officers' Training Corps.

A bunch of us would meet
for a half hour on Saturdays,

we'd shoot the breeze
and pick up our checks.

If I was old enough, I'd go
to Canada and join the RAF.

- What's the RAF?
- The Royal Air Force.

They'd probably start me off
ferrying bombers across the Atlantic.

You'd do anything
to fly a plane.

I'd do anything to fly
one of their airplanes.

I can see myself flying
around in one of those Spitfires.

They've got a cannon that fires
through the propeller of the airplane.

I might even be Walton's
Mountain's first air ace.

Come home with so many
medals, I couldn't even walk straight.

Listen to that James Robert.
He's half bird, half boy.

Jim-Bob, until now, I
enjoyed your imagination.

Mama, it's a good chance
to learn to fly for free.

I'd just as soon you paid for
your lessons and stayed right here.

I'd never join up. They'd
have to come and drag me.

With me, there isn't
any choice, Ben.

You sound as if you want to go.

No. No, it's just gonna take
some getting used to, Mary Ellen,

and you're gonna
have your whole family.

I won't have my whole
family. You won't be here.

Why is it that men like
marching off to war?

I'm not gonna be marching off.

I'm gonna be taking care
of people, the same as here,

except they'll be
soldiers doing their duty.

I don't understand why
a man can't stay home

and take care of his wife and
baby, even if he is a doctor.

We're not even at war!

Not too far off, Livie.

England's at war with Germany.

They are not us.

England is being bombed.

Some say our days of
peace are numbered.

Well, that's the
feeling that I have, too.

And I know how short of doctors
they were during the last war.

I just want to do
whatever I can.

Well, Curt, I'll bet you'll look
real good in your uniform.

Yeah, but not too good.

I don't want those
nurses getting any ideas.

What are you talking about? What
am I supposed to do if I get lonely?

Well, you could sit down
and write a letter to me.

Curt, I hope you'll forgive
me if I don't see you off.

I vowed I'd never see another
member of this family off to war.

Here comes the
bus, late as usual.

- Bye.
- Bye.

- Good luck, Curt.
- Bye. Okay. Thank you.

Okay, say goodbye, now. Let
them say goodbye. Come on.

See you soon.

- Take care.
- Goodbye, Zeb.

It's not the end of
the world, honey.

It is to me.

You write to me.

- You, too.
- I'll see you soon.

Bye.

- Bye-bye.
- See you later, Curt.

- Hey, it's G.W.
- Yeah. He looks good.

G.W.!

Hey, Erin.

I didn't know you
were coming home.

Me and my buddy got a furlough.

I don't think they could stand
us any longer at Camp Lee.

- Aren't you a good soldier?
- Worst you ever saw.

- Your folks know you're coming home?
- I'm going to surprise them.

Well, come on.

- Welcome home, G.W.
- Good to see you, son.

- Put her there.
- Good to see you.

Daddy, can I borrow the
coupe to take G.W. home?

Fine with me. Hop in
if you can find room.

All aboard.

I'm thinking of this road and
remembering how pretty it is

sometimes when
I'm falling off to sleep.

I haven't heard
from you in weeks.

I'm not much of a
hand at writing letters.

You got to write one in
order to get one. You owe me.

Okay, here's a letter.

"Dear Erin, I'm sure glad
you met me at the bus."

That's a letter?

"And that I'm away
from Camp Lee."

You sure came back
at a beautiful time.

It's always beautiful here.

- Bye-bye.
- Thanks.

George.

- You'll be hungry.
- Yes, ma'am.

Why, you look
taller. Did you grow?

I believe I have. Yes, sir.

Come on, let's have some coffee.

Uh, I'll be in soon. I wanna
get used to home again.

All right, Son.

There you go, sleeping again.

You don't care what's
going on, do you?

Well, it's just you and me
now, John Curtis Willard.

I'll tell you one thing,

I'm sure not gonna raise
you to be any soldier.

What's the use of having a war anyway?
They just finish one and start another.

And then all the men go
marching off and they leave

people like you and me sitting
around talking to ourselves.

But you and me,

we're gonna make out just fine.

Mary Ellen?

- Could you use a mama?
- Sure could.

- How about a daddy to boot?
- I'm not very proud of myself.

Until Curt gets back, you and my
grandson are coming home with us.

I'd love that.

Mmm, sure do feel good, Sissy,
darling. Just like a dog scratching fleas.

If you've got fleas, Yancy
Tucker, our engagement's off.

How long has it been on and off?

It's been more on than
off. Five or 10, give or take.

Hey, looky there.

There's G.W. Haines in his
uniform. Come on over here and sit.

Hey, G.W.

- Howdy.
- How are you? Good to see you.

What will you men have?

- Beer will be fine.
- Yeah, beer.

Yeah, bring us four beers,
Sissy. And I'm buying.

G.W., you look right
fine in your uniform.

- Thanks.
- And you, too.

- Thank you.
- Now, you remember, Sissy, I'm buying.

You said that, Horace.

And Yancy here, he's
buying the second round.

I didn't say that.

North Atlantic waters.

Jason, would you stop playing
the music, so I can hear the news?

Despite England's
protective move,

figures tonight reveal
that German raiders

capture or sink cargo
ships almost at will,

with thousands of tons of vital supplies
lost at sea beyond the U.S. security zone.

The German U-boats are
winning the Battle of the Atlantic.

Toda y, they were sighted off
Iceland by a British patrol plane,

and depth charges were dropped.

Thus, the 1,000 year isolation
of Iceland has been broken

by a war it did not bargain for.

Concerned that there could be
U-boats lying off American shores,

President Roosevelt has issued
naval orders to search and patrol.

This has been Arthur
Wells, reporting...

It's getting close to home.

Iceland?

Ain't that on our
side of the ocean?

Before you know it, they'll be
shelling New York and Norfolk

and the whole East Coast!

- To our boys!
- To our men!

This round's on me.

This country has
been good to me.

I'm going to fight the Hun.

Oh, Yancy, that's
just the beer talking.

No, no, it is not. I've
given it a lot of thought.

I'm signing up!

Yancy, you'll come back a
bigger hero than Ep Bridges.

Sissy, would you be
proud to marry a soldier?

It's the patriotic
thing to do. Yes.

Then we're going
to do it right now!

We'll drive to Rockfish,

and Justice Farrell can marry us right
now! In 10 minutes, he can do the job!

Oh, no, Yancy Tucker.

We're getting married
in the Baptist church.

And Jason's going to be
playing the wedding march,

and I'm going to be
wearing a long, white trail

and be carrying
mountain laurel and violets.

But, Sissy, I get
nervous in a church.

Oh, precious, all
bridegrooms get nervous.

You're hooked, Yancy.

Jason, play something
for the bride and groom.

And drinks on the house.

- Come in.
- I did.

Oh, I can't see yet, Ben.

That's okay.

Jason told me that you and Sissy
are getting married on Sunday.

- When's Sunday?
- Well, it's tomorrow!

Don't scream.

Congratulations.

Thank you, thank you.

I also came by to tell
you that I'll take care

of all your animals
when you're in the Army.

Oh, Ben, that was
worrying me sick,

who'd take care of my pets
while I was at camp and over there.

That's why I'm here.

I mean, Sissy can
take care of herself,

but what about
Tiger and Earl here?

Down, Earl.

And the piglets
and the little ducks.

They need a home.
They need family.

Ben,

you're family.

I'm proud you feel
that way, Yancy.

So we'll just crate them all up
and take them down to your house.

I was gonna take
care of them right here.

No, no, they need a
home. They need a family.

Oh, confound it, Ben,
you got a good heart.

Here are his blankets.
Sun-dried, just like you said.

Mmm, they're still warm.
He'll love them, Elizabeth.

Can I try? I used to
practice on my dolls.

Why don't you let me show
you first? And then you can do it.

See, you put your hand here
between the cloth and the baby's skin.

So, that way, if you stick
something, it'll be you instead of him.

Hi, Mama, here's the mail.

You know, it's much
easier on my dolls.

But not half as
satisfying. How is Curt?

Oh, he's fine. He misses
us and sends his love.

It's your turn, Elizabeth.

Here you go.

He wrote it and mailed it to
me on the way to Camp Lee.

Ow!

I'll get it right, don't worry.

- Hey, John.
- Hi, Yancy.

Daddy, you know how I asked
permission to take care of Yancy's pets?

Uh-huh.

Yancy is so grateful that
they'll have family here with us,

I just couldn't turn him down.

You know Yancy's animals
sleep in the house with him, Son?

I know, Daddy, but he's going into
the service. I can't turn him down.

Well, I can. Yancy.

Now, you be a good little nipper until
your daddy gets back from over there.

- Yancy.
- Yeah, John?

Bring him along, he
can stay with Chance.

Liv, you're sure you won't change
your mind and come to the wedding?

I think I'll stay here
with Mary Ellen.

Yancy and me been through a lot
together. I got to see him through this.

I wouldn't miss seeing Yancy get
hitched for anything. Serves him right.

- It just might straighten him out.
- It straightened me out.

- Bye-bye, Mama.
- Goodbye, Erin.

Erin!

- I thought I'd walk you to the wedding.
- All right.

Weekends are the hardest.

I love you truly Truly dear

Life with its sorrow
Life with its tear

Fades into dreams
When I feel you are near

For I love you truly Truly dear

Marriage is an institution
of divine appointment.

It is the most
important step in life.

And as such, it should not be
entered into unadvisedly or lightly,

but rather discreetly
and soberly.

In this estate, these people
come now to be joined.

If anyone present knows of any cause
why they may not be lawfully joined,

let him speak now or else
hereafter forever hold his peace.

Do you, sir, take this
woman to be your lawful wife?

And do you promise,
before God and witnesses,

to love her, honor her, comfort her,
and keep her in sickness and in health,

and forsaking all
others, keep thee only

unto her for as long
as you both shall live?

I do.

From those trees to the fence over
there. This is land my parents gave me.

This is rich land.

I wish you never had
to go back to Camp Lee.

Are you scared?

We're all scared. But it's
something we have to do.

The other day before furlough,

as bullets and grenades
blew the land apart,

I thought, "This land
will never be the same."

I wondered who first
owned it, who first worked it.

Who used it as God
wanted it to be used.

And what farmers, like my father
and me, could do with it even now.

I've hunted since I was a
boy. Put meat on the table.

Now I know what a bird or a
rabbit feels like when it's hunted.

Now it's as if it's a real war.

G.W., do you ever wish
you hadn't joined up?

I don't believe in war, but
I want to do what's right.

I love my country.

You better hurry if you
wanna see G.W. off on the bus.

I know, Mama.

It's kind of hard seeing
him off again, isn't it?

Mama, have you noticed the way
G.W. carries himself in his uniform?

- He sure changed a lot.
- He's scared.

When I used to look at
photographs of your daddy in uniform,

I was the one who was scared.

But Daddy signed up
because he thought he had to.

- G.W. signed up because of me.
- Now, don't you go feeling guilty.

- Boys join up for a lot of reasons.
- He was trying to impress me, Mama.

He won't say it, but I know
he wishes he hadn't joined up.

I heard Mr. Kaltenborn say on the radio
that this is only gonna last six months.

I'm going to cling to that.

- Who's doing that?
- Jim-Bob.

He says he's gonna drive you and
G.W. to the bus, so you two can talk.

He'll do anything
to drive a car.

- Jim-Bob, that's enough.
- Sorry, Mama.

I'd drive you in my car,
but it has three flats.

Say goodbye to G.W.
for me. Wish him luck.

- I will, Mama.
- Bye, Mama.

Mama, will you feed
these to the pigs for me?

You're the one who
volunteered to feed Yancy's pigs.

But I got to see Yancy off.

Today's the day he goes
to Richmond to enlist.

Besides, Daddy said I
could borrow the truck.

- Just this once.
- Thanks, Mama.

Mama, can I go, too?

Well, I guess I won't get too
lonesome. I've always got Yancy's pigs.

Thank you. Ben, wait for me.

Hello, piggies.

Here we go. Are you
hungry? Come on.

Come here. There you go.

You'll get your
turn. Just hang on.

Come on.

Here.

Behave yourself. Come
over there. Come on.

Come on.

It doesn't seem that long ago.

Your ninth birthday,
when we gave you Red.

Yeah, he came right
up to me on the field.

He probably remembers you slept
in the barn with him for a full week.

He was the prettiest foal
old Nellie ever gave us.

I can still see the two of them
running, kicking up their heels together.

- Goodbye, Mama.
- Goodbye, Son.

I'll be home on
my next furlough.

Son, take care of yourself.

- I bet your folks were glad to see you.
- It seemed awful short.

Hey, G.W., are there
any secret military bases

down where you are?

I'm in the infantry.
I wouldn't know.

But you got eyes.
You must hear a lot.

Men in the service aren't
supposed to talk about such things.

President Roosevelt
says on the radio

that we're going to build
50,000 airplanes a year.

It's got to be for the war.

You must hear more than we do.

Don't you see a lot of airplanes
flying over? Fighters, bombers?

They got an amphibian that
can land on land and water.

They say it's for wildlife surveys, but
I'll bet you it's for submarine lookout.

Did you see any
of those flying over?

Jim-Bob, I don't think G.W. is as
interested in airplanes as you are.

If we do go to war, when do
you think you'll be shipping out?

We're not supposed to
talk about such things.

Boy, that's really dumb.

Well, Yancy, you ought to
have one more for the road!

For the road? One more for me.

Yancy, you've got to be sober
when you get to Richmond.

Sissy, Richmond's 84 miles away.

Yancy, do you know
how proud we are of you?

Wedding bells

Will ring so merrily Every tear

Will be a memory
So we'll wait and pray

Each night for you
Till we meet again

Horace, that's another war.

That's right, this is my war!

Yancy, you take care, you hear?

It's the Hun better take care!

Yeah!

I love you, Erin.

Hey, Yancy, I'll take pictures of
your pets and send them to you.

Hey, you do that, Ben.

I'll put them in my wallet,
right alongside of Sissy.

Not your pigs.

Okay, Sissy, I'll put you in a special
spot. Right here over my heart.

I'm fine, I'm fine.

Are you writing her two letters?

For her father?
Asking for her hand?

I've been looking
all over for you.

Mama says it's time
to come to supper.

I'll be along, Jim-Bob.

- Who you writing to?
- G.W.

You just saw him. What's
there to write about already?

I'll be along, Jim-Bob.

Besides, he's kind of dull.

He won't even talk about the airplanes
he sees flying up and down the coast.

If you ask me,
G.W. is just dumb.

I've never seen little pigs
eat so much. And so often.

Them little pigs are just trying
to make hogs of themselves.

Yancy's calf needs
feeding too, Son.

Yeah, I'll do that after
I separate the milk.

And don't forget to
feed Yancy's chickens.

- And his dog!
- You don't have to rub it in!

- Say goodbye to everybody for me.
- We will. You give our love to Curt.

I will.

Mary Ellen, I thought Curt was gonna
be able to come home on the weekends.

Does the Army break promises?

When I see his commanding officer,
that's the first thing I'm gonna ask him.

I've never been
away from him before.

Don't you worry, we'll
take good care of him.

Bye, Mama.

Bye, honey.

Bye.

Bye, now.

Now, where have
I seen this before?

I don't know whether to be sad
for Mary Ellen or happy for me.

Well, be happy for Mary Ellen.
She's probably with Curt by now.

It's been a long time since
we had a baby in this room.

It certainly has.

Seems like old times.

Which feeding do you
want? The 2:00 or the 6:00?

Oh, now, Liv, I'm not sure
I still have the knack for it.

Don't worry, I won't
let you have either one.

Look at that. Look at that.

Yancy!

What are you doing back so soon?

Can you get me out of town
before anybody else sees me?

Hop in.

What happened, Yance?

I got turned down,
that's what happened.

How come?

Said I was 4-F.

And if that wasn't bad enough,

that man in the White House
and his social security numbers

claim I was over 32.

Yeah, you are over
32, aren't you, Yance?

What difference does that make, John,
if a man wants to go fight for his country?

I'll never get in now.

Even if I get my
flat feet fixed.

Well, now, Yance, I think you
should be proud of yourself.

Trying to get in, even though you know
you're over 32 and not in tip-top shape.

We wouldn't have to
mention that part about

the flat feet to anybody,
would we, John?

- Even to Sissy?
- Not me, Yance.

Just so long as you take
back your calf and your pigs

and your chickens and your dog.

Oh, I fully intend to do that,
John. I sure miss them critters.

Tell me, how's old Tiger?

Getting along fine, Yance.

You just can't get over what
Ben and I have done, can you?

It'll take a little getting
used to, Sissy, dear.

I tried to fix it up like a picture
I saw in House Beautiful.

It sounds like my little
baby calf is cold outside.

He'll be a cow
before you know it.

Be a cow before you know it.

That's funny, Sissy.

Do you know how long Tiger
and I have been sleeping together?

Yancy Tucker, it's
either me or that dog.

I just can't leave Tiger
out on a cold night like this!

Oh, no, you don't. Oh, no.

Wait a minute, Sissy,
dear, wait a minute.

Now, I've heard that a good
marriage is a pack of compromise.

How about if Tiger
sleeps under the bed, huh?

Come on, Tiger, under
the bed. Go on, Tiger.

I'll settle for that.

Mary Ellen, what are
you doing home so soon?

What's the matter?
Is Curt all right?

Daddy, can you take the van and meet Curt
at the train station in Charlottesville?

What's wrong?

G.W. was killed in a training
accident at Camp Lee.

- What?
- Curt has to bring him home.

I brought G.W. home.

It was early morning.

Hand grenade
drill, one at a time.

G.W.'s turn first, with other personnel
50 yards away from where he was,

to throw the grenade over this
fence where the enemy was.

They'd practiced for days
with bottles filled with water.

But that particular
morning, it was live.

Offensive grenade.

So, he pulled the pin,

and he stepped up out of the shell
hole, and he swung his arm back,

and there was a rabbit,
feeding along the fence.

G.W. hesitated just
for a split second,

and then he threw the
grenade high, far up into the air

where it exploded.

He was just a baby.

I remember him just as he was.

I'm going to bed.

John, you said to
tell how it happened.

That's right. I want
it out in the open.

There's a lot of young,
impressionable minds here.

I don't like hiding
the truth from them.

- Good night.
- Good night.

You know, I taught
G.W. to dance.

That was a little
before my time.

He seemed like a fine boy.

Boy. Yeah, that's all he was.

He never even got a
chance to be a man.

Jim-Bob, I think I'd
like to ride with you.

You were all mighty quiet
at breakfast this morning.

I feel awful.

I think all of us feel
awful at a time like this.

Grandpa, I called G.W. dumb
and now I can't take it back.

Mmm.

When somebody dies,
we're racked with regret

for fear we've said something
we hadn't ought to have said.

Or left unsaid.

Or wish we had said.
A word of praise or love.

If you love, admire
and respect someone,

it's not a bad idea to tell
them so from time to time.

That way it makes living a
lot better for them and for you.

What I said was awful.
And I really liked him.

I think G.W. knew that.

- You think so?
- Oh, I know so.

Don't worry about John
Curtis. He'll be just fine.

Thanks, Elizabeth.

Mama, who's riding with who?

I'm riding with your daddy.
Erin, you come with us.

Mama, Daddy, I can't go.

- Erin.
- Let her go, Liv.

We find it hard to accept
the loss of one so young.

One whose life had just begun,
at the threshold of his years.

He was a kind and gentle person,

who felt deeply his
love for all living things.

And we who mourn him can
find strength in the knowledge

that he will be warmly accepted into the
sheltering arms of his Lord and Creator.

Loving, grieving
parents, and dear friends,

Walton's Mountain has given
one of its finest young men.

Let us thank God the war
has not reached our shores.

It is happening in England,
France, and throughout Europe.

I'll be back.

Let this loss not be in vain,

may it open our
eyes to realities.

Let us take a moment
in silent prayer.

I thought I'd find you here.

Daddy, he was so scared.
Did Mama tell you that?

There's not much your mama and
me keep from each other, honey.

Erin, there is a letter
I've been keeping for you.

He asked me to give it to you, in
case anything happened to him.

Will you read it to me?

Sure I will, honey.

"Dear Erin, I am writing this on the
bus after we said goodbye at Rockfish.

"I am returning to Camp Lee
and whatever fate may bring.

"This, for legal
purposes, is a will.

"I, George William Haines, on this
date, do bequeath to you, Erin Walton,

"the bottom land acreage

"given to me by my parents

"and recorded in the Jefferson
County Hall of Records.

"I know you will
love it and protect it.

"Thank you for sharing my
thoughts and my dreams. G.W."

Oh, Daddy.

That first casualty brought
the war home to our Mountain.

There were to be many more sacrifices
during the long war years ahead.

But G. W. Haines was remembered
most especially because he was the first

from our area to give the
fullest measure of his devotion.

Where's Erin? - She's outside.

- Is she alone?
- I don't think so.

- Good night, Elizabeth.
- Good night, Mama.

English -SDH