The Waltons (1971–1981): Season 7, Episode 5 - The Changeling - full transcript

Hope you've thought it
over and changed your mind.

I've thought it over, but I
haven't changed my mind.

Going into your teens
is an important occasion.

Mama, it's my birthday.

If I don't wanna have a party, I don't
see why we even have to talk about it.

It's past your
bedtime, Elizabeth.

Maybe you'll change
your mind in the morning.

The approach of a
birthday in our family

has always been a time
of excitement and joy,

but there was one
notable exception.

On Elizabeth's 13th birthday, it
seemed that she wasn't quite sure



whether she wanted the clock
to turn forward or backward.

Ow! Rats!

I twisted my ankle. I thought I
was going to set a new record.

You did, you are the oldest girl in
the world to still play silly games.

Didn't you ever
feel, all of a sudden,

like doing things you used
to when you were a little kid?

- No.
- Well, I do.

Well, by the way
you are behaving,

no one would believe that
you're going to be 13 soon.

What do I care
what people believe?

Okay, but until you start acting
grown-up, I'm going to walk home by myself.

See if I care!

I'll act the way I want to act!

Having fun?



Enjoy it while you can.

You don't know how
fast the years go by.

Jason, could you do me a favor?

Don't talk to the driver
while the car is in motion.

Come on, Jason, stop playing.
I've got a big test to study for.

- Study upstairs.
- It's cooler down here.

Elizabeth, I have a great
idea for a radio program

and I have to get the music
down pat. I audition tomorrow.

Mama's opening the
apple cider, come and get it.

Come on, Elizabeth.

I have to go up and study.

- Why don't you take some with you?
- I don't want any.

There's one for Ripley.

A girl who'd rather
do her homework

than have a glass of
homemade apple cider.

Elizabeth coming?

- She said she doesn't want any.
- Dibs on her share!

Did she say anything
about not feeling well?

Well, she hasn't said much
of anything to me lately.

Hardly see her except at meals. She's
kind of keeping to herself, isn't she?

She's in one of her moods.

She says she doesn't
even want a birthday party.

Well, she hasn't even
dropped a hint to me

about what she wants for a
present. Last year, she made up a list.

It's hard to believe a
whole year's passed.

Sometimes she seems
like a different person.

Of all my children, Elizabeth
manages to be the most mysterious.

Hey, wait a minute. I know what
we can get her for her birthday,

a Shirley Temple doll.

That time when we were in
Rockfish, she saw one in a store.

She couldn't take
her eyes off of it.

Girls at 13 don't
play with dolls.

Thirteen isn't exactly
middle-aged, you know?

Yeah, but I think we should get her
something that makes her feel older.

I've embroidered
her some pillowcases.

Seems to me like Ben and me should
finish up that hope chest we started.

The baby of the family
turning into a teenager.

That's what's bothering her.

You all remember
being 13? It isn't easy.

Yep, I wouldn't wanna
be 13 again for anything.

All the things you
have to put up with.

Worrying about your face and
feeling like you have two left feet.

Being taller than all the
boys. Those are hard years.

It's like being on
a roller coaster.

I'm amazed you can
remember that far back, Liv.

No more apple cider
for you, John Walton.

Wonder what that was.

- I didn't do it.
- How did it happen?

I don't know.

Well, you were
right here, Elizabeth.

Yes, but I didn't see
anything, I just heard it crash.

It sure didn't fall off
the mantel by itself.

Well, doesn't matter how it
happened, get a broom and sweep it up.

I told you the truth, Daddy. I don't
know any more about it than you do.

"The bower where we
met for kisses sweet

"Did shower gentle
blossoms at our feet

"And in its shade we
pledged undying love

"While warblers trilled..."

Organ music and mushy poetry.

Big hit with lonely old ladies,
big flop for everyone else.

What we need is something
to get the young and the old.

"And as once more I stood
there Thought how strange

"The passing years had
brought such little change"

Boy does sound like
someone you'd trust.

Denby, remember that half-hour
script I bought last month?

The Uncle George Show?

Now that's something
for all age groups.

Of course, he's a little
young to play an uncle.

Maybe if we called
him Cousin George.

Too bad, Jason. I knew all that
love poetry would lay an egg.

They did?

You are?

Your own show?

Well, what's it all about?

Okay, I'll be surprised.

Well, of course,
I'll tell the family.

Yeah, we'll be listening.

8:30, okay. And,
Jason, congratulations.

My brother, the radio announcer.

My brother, the radio announcer.

"Good evening, everyone.
This is your Cousin George.

"The man you turn to when you
hit a bump on the rocky road to love.

"Here's a letter
signed, 'Desperate.'

"It's from a girl of 1 8 who's
in love with a man in his 40s,

"and he's married."

Listen to this, Jason
giving advice to the lovelorn.

Hurry up, Cousin
George, I can hardly wait.

"Dear Desperate.

"There are almost always good
reasons why forbidden fruits are forbidden.

"Break it off now before
you break your heart."

A star is born.

He sounds so different,
you'd hardly know it's Jason.

You know this program is
just corny enough to catch on.

What are the forbidden fruits?

Hey, Elizabeth, you should
know that stuff by now.

Don't laugh.

Hey, Elizabeth, peaches,
pears and apples.

Jim-Bob.

I'll get it.

Hello?

Hello?

That's strange, no one's here.

Leave it off the hook, Cousin
George is about to talk again.

Dear Cousin George,

how come you always hit
the bumps on the road of love?

"Dear Miserable, when
you've lived as long as I have,

"you'll know that perfection
is an unattainable ideal.

"Since you believe that,
in spite of everything,

"your husband still loves you,
you're way ahead of most people

"whose marriages haven't
lived up to their hopes.

"Don't give up. Try harder.

"Do everything you
possibly can to work it out."

And that's all we
have time for tonight.

If you have a problem,
write to Cousin George...

- It's time for bed, Aimee.
- Oh, can't I finish this chapter?

You mean "May I?" And the
answer is, "No, you may not."

It is important that a young girl of
your age follow a precise daily routine.

- Oh, well, good night.
- Good night, precious.

- Good night.
- Good night, sweetie.

Corabeth, you
should hear this one.

This guy in a defense plant,
he says to this other guy...

I haven't the slightest interest in
the crude humor of your cartoons.

"Dear Cousin George,

"is it unreasonable
for a lady of breeding

"to expect her husband to
improve himself culturally?

"We are no longer young,
and have few interests..."

"We are no longer young,

"and have absolutely
no interests in common."

- That was great, Cousin.
- Really sounded good, Son.

You really think so?

You were wonderful. I wish
you could've heard yourself.

It didn't even sound
like you were nervous.

Thanks. I was nervous.

There's a lot riding on this.

If enough people write in to Cousin
George, I'll be on three times a week.

Otherwise...

Three times a week?
Once a week is plenty.

- John.
- Thanks a lot.

- What was that?
- Sounds like something hitting the roof.

Probably squirrels.

If it was, the acorns
are getting bigger.

Mama! Mama!

Mama!

What is it, sweetie?
Are you okay?

A stone floated
through the window.

- Somebody throwing stones at the house?
- No, Daddy, it floated.

It floated onto the chest and then
onto the floor where you are standing.

Honey, there's
nothing over here.

But I saw it.

I tried to touch it
and it moved away.

- You must have been dreaming, Elizabeth.
- It wasn't a dream.

Well, Elizabeth, you were sound
asleep just a few minutes ago.

Stones don't float, honey.

Sometimes you wake up from a bad dream
and you think that it really happened.

But it did, Mama.

It floated through the
window, onto the chest,

and then there on the floor.

And then, it slipped under
the bed. I can prove it to you.

Who's right?

But I saw it.

I did, Daddy, I saw it.

I saw it, Daddy.

There's not a thing in the world
wrong with this phone, Mr. Walton.

Did you check all the wiring?

He's taken the
whole thing apart.

How do you explain it
ringing at least 10 times a day,

when you pick it
up, no one answers?

Must be somebody
playing tricks on you.

What are those?

Found these on the roof
outside Elizabeth's window.

Wonder where Ben and
Jim-Bob were last night?

- They were asleep in bed.
- As far as we know.

Well, I guess that explains it.

Elizabeth must have heard those
hitting the roof and dreamed the rest.

You answer it.

Hello, Walton House.

Hello?

- Hello?
- No one there.

People do that sometimes, keep
ringing just to bother a person.

I can't think of anyone who
would want to do that to us.

You never know.

I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can
do. This phone's in A-1 condition.

I wish there was
more, but that's it.

Bye, Mr. Walton, Mrs. Walton.

Bye.

Phone's acting up,
vase breaks by itself,

Elizabeth sees a rock that isn't
there. What's going on around here?

Come in, Aimee.

I came to make
up with Elizabeth.

I didn't know you two
had had a falling out.

Yes, ma'am, we did.

I got kind of mad at her.
She was acting babyish.

Would you like some cookies
and milk before you go upstairs?

- Yes, please.
- Have a seat.

Erin said I'm too old to play
with you, Katie. Isn't that just silly?

- What is it?
- Mama, I'm scared.

- What is it? What happened?
- What was all that noise?

Well, the chair, it...

It jumped up and down on
the floor, and then it fell over.

Elizabeth, chairs don't
fall over by themselves.

But it did!

It fell over all by itself?

There's no use talking about it
if no one's going to believe me.

Elizabeth, we
want to believe you.

Why would she make
up a story like that?

I suppose she's not getting
enough attention lately?

This... The leg is broken, too.

If that's her way of asking for attention,
I'll give her some she doesn't like.

John, we have been
kind of busy lately.

I'll talk to her.

Pretty good response.

And I've read enough of these to know that
it's about just a perfect cross section.

All ages, all kinds of problems.

Jason, I'm putting you on three
times a week, starting tonight.

That's great, Mr. Larkin. I'll
start studying the script now.

Script? No, there
isn't any script.

You just pick out the best letters,
and dream up the good answers.

You expect me to give
advice to the lovelorn?

Of course. The script you
read was just to set the pattern.

From now on, you write
your own, Cousin George.

But, Jason, I just
don't have the time.

All right, one more.

How about this?

A girl of 23 says her
husband's jealous of their baby.

What should she do?

Tell him to go jump in a lake.

Oh, come on, Mary Ellen, I've
got to have some good answers.

You know how much I know
about romance and marriage.

Jason, I'm sorry, but I
have to go up to John Curtis.

- Put Mama on.
- She's not here. Good-bye.

A girl of 23.

Dear Wondering.

Elizabeth, Jason's radio
show is about to start.

- You gonna listen with us?
- It's a dumb program.

All about people's problems.

You and Aimee made
up your differences yet?

We always do.

You know, honey,

some of the things going on
around here got us kind of worried.

We don't know what to think.

Daddy, that chair fell over.

You're telling me. I'm the one
who fixed the leg, remember?

Elizabeth, something
bothering you?

I don't know who I am anymore.

Well, that happens, you know.

You are about the age when you
are gonna be going around a corner

and you're not quite
sure what's around there.

It's weird, I feel
all different inside.

Well, your outsides
look the same.

Same beautiful
red hair, same nose.

Yeah, same freckles.

'Course, that smile's a little
different. It's more like this now.

Aimee says Corabeth
calls it puberty.

Well, Corabeth's likely to
know about those kind of things.

I guess I'm going to go
downstairs and listen to Jason.

That's my girl.

Come on.

Good evening, everyone.
This is your Cousin George.

The man you turn to

when you hit a bump
on the rocky road of love.

What happened to the radio?

Jim-Bob, check the aerial.

Maybe it's a bum tube.
Why don't you check for it?

Couldn't be. I
just checked them.

Fine time for it to quit. Just
when Jason was getting started.

Jim-Bob will fix it.

Elizabeth, would you
get me a screwdriver?

Get it yourself.

I'm doing the work. Why
don't you get me what I need?

Turn blue.

- Would you just go get him a screwdriver?
- Come on.

"We are no longer young

"and have absolutely
no interests in common.

"Can you suggest
anything short of divorce

"which might improve
this deplorable situation?

"Signed, Frustrated."

Dear Frustrated,

my advice to you is to
expose your husband

as much as possible to
the better things in life.

Tune in classical music
whenever he's at home,

read poetry aloud to him.

Encourage him to attend
night classes in the arts.

In my experience with others
who've had the same sort of problem...

Fine time for it to act up.

Somebody hit it.

We can go up to my room,
my radio's been working fine.

That's probably the way it
got broken, people hitting it.

- Look, I'll go tune in the station, okay?
- I'll do it.

Figure I'd better before
somebody ordered me to do it.

I wish it would
make up its mind.

That was what was
happening on John's other wife.

You know, you talk
about nutty things.

Every time Elizabeth walks
into the room, the radio turns off.

And every time she goes
out, it comes back on.

I forgot the number
of the station.

The minute Aimee told me
of the strange occurrences

in the Walton household,

I was reminded of a similar
situation back home in Doe Hill.

Stones falling out of the sky,

crockery flying, strange noises.

Don't you find Mozart
so very precise?

Yeah.

Would you mind turning it down?

I keep getting the creamed
corn mixed up with okra.

Of course, I don't believe
in such things myself,

but the manifestations
were said to be a poltergeist.

A poultry who?

It's a mean little spirit that
invades the home of a young person

and plays nasty
tricks on everyone.

Now here they are.

Now, not a word of
what I have been saying.

Ike, here's a list of
things for the baby.

Okay, Mary Ellen.

- Olivia?
- Elizabeth and I

are just along
for the walk, Ike.

Oh. Baby powder?

Going to use it on
the poultry-ghost?

Mr. Godsey, the
word is "poltergeist,"

and I specifically asked
you not to bring it up.

Well, Aimee told us about
the chair banging around

and all those other things.

And Corabeth thought
that you've got a polter...

A poltergeist in your house.

Well, whatever it is, there's got to
be a better explanation for it than that.

Corabeth, tell
them about Doe Hill,

and the stones going through
the air and those other things.

Superstitious nonsense.

I'm sorry I even mentioned it.

It seems to me
I've read about that.

What is a poltergeist?

Oh, you don't have to
be frightened, Elizabeth.

It's... Corabeth says
it's just a little spirit.

There is no such thing and
we will not talk about it anymore.

Elizabeth and I will be waiting
outside, Mary Ellen. Come on, Elizabeth.

Well, Olivia, I don't think
Elizabeth believes in ghosts anyway.

Should have left a
forwarding address.

I just wanted to be
alone for a while.

You've been alone
quite a bit lately.

Mama, do you
believe in poltergeists?

No, I don't. I'm glad you don't.

Do you?

Well, I thought
about it a lot today.

Do you think all those things I told
you I saw, I could've just made up?

Well, you always did have
a pretty good imagination.

It's different.

It's like I'm going crazy.

It's a real scary feeling.

That's the way I felt when I
went to visit Aunt Kate in Alberene.

I was coming into
a new time in my life

and it seemed like
everything was just flying apart.

Adolescence is like that, too.

When does it stop?

It will be over
before you know it.

I just hope you don't
look back and feel sorry

that you couldn't enjoy a
very special time in your life.

Mama,

I think I might like to have
a birthday party after all.

I was hoping you'd
change your mind.

But not with party
hats and balloons.

I'm too old for that.

How about a slumber party
the night before your birthday?

You and your girlfriends can
stay in the living room all night.

You can stay up till
midnight if you want to.

How old was Erin when she
had her first slumber party?

Thirteen.

So was Mary Ellen.

Okay.

Jason.

Ike, what are you doing here?

Ah, I thought I'd run into
you if I come over here.

Listen, you know all
about college classes.

They don't have those music
appreciation classes at night, do they?

Every night, except
Saturday and Sunday.

I was afraid of that.

They're probably
filled though, huh?

Not a chance. Those classes
are held in the auditorium.

I guess I'm in for it.

Boy, I really dread coming
over here two nights a week.

Corabeth says one night
a week is not enough.

Well, Ike, maybe

while Corabeth's in the classes you can go
to a movie or visit friends or something.

No, I'm the one
that's in the classes.

Slow torture, two nights a week.

Why does Corabeth want you to
take music appreciation classes?

Well, there's this
joker on the radio,

and he gives advice to people
who write in and ask questions,

and he told Corabeth
that I should be exposed

to the better things in life.

And so, she's got me listening to
long-hair music in the store all day long

and she's spouting poetry aloud.

She's got me
reading Shakespeare.

Well, Ike, why don't you just
refuse to go along with all that?

Sometimes a guy's got
to give in on a few things

if he wants his
marriage to work out.

I guess you're right there.

But there ought to be a law
against a radio program like that.

Nobody's got the right to tell
other people how to run their lives.

You know what I mean?

Liv, I've been worried.

I thought you were just
going to the library in Rockfish.

They didn't have the
book I wanted in Rockfish.

I had to go all the
way to Charlottesville.

Must be a pretty important book.

I wanted to look up
poltergeists for myself.

Now, Liv, you're not starting
to believe all that stuff, are you?

I don't know what to believe.

All I know is I don't like
what's been happening here.

I hope that book
relieves your mind.

- Want some coffee?
- Yeah.

They've done a lot of
research on poltergeists.

Scientists all over the world.

How can they research
something they can't even see?

Well, they don't have absolute
proof, but they think they will.

What proof they got of what?

I haven't really had a
chance to read too much,

but from what I can gather,

all those strange things
that are supposed to happen

when poltergeist are around,

they always seem to happen
when there's a child in the house

around 12 or 14 years old.

- Just like Elizabeth?
- Yeah.

I haven't read too much about
it, but it seems like there's...

The child is afraid of
growing up or something.

Afraid of added
responsibility, you know.

That fear turns into anger and
the anger gets all bottled up inside,

and that energy is what causes
all those things to happen.

Liv, you show me a chair
in the air or a poltergeist

and I'll believe all that stuff.

I don't know whether to
believe it or not myself.

But there it is, in
black and white.

Good night, Katie.

Erin. Erin!

Honey, aren't you
gonna be late for school?

No, Daddy.

The refrigerator's full of soft
drinks and I got plenty of snacks.

Potato chips, cookies. Can
you think of anything else?

No, Mama.

You want me to put up some
streamers? Paper streamers?

No, thank you.

For a little girl who's
having a party tonight,

you don't seem very excited.
Did you sleep all right?

Yeah.

Hope you have a nice day, honey.

I wish I didn't have
to go to school.

I wish I could just stay here.

Oh, my goodness.

You're getting to be
quite a lapful, you know?

Pretty soon I'll be
too big for everything.

Thank you.

- Mind if I walk along with you a ways?
- No.

I was just thinking
back to when I was 13.

Wasn't an easy time.

I did a lot of things
I'm not proud of.

Like what?

Picking arguments,
sassing people,

walking around with
a chip on my shoulder.

I was mad at the whole
world, but I didn't know why.

- I know now. I was afraid.
- Afraid of what?

Afraid of not living up to what I thought
grownups expected of a 13-year-old.

I didn't want to grow up, I
wanted to stay a little girl.

- Do you ever feel like that?
- Maybe once in a while.

You know, sometimes when people
are frightened, it makes them angry.

I think that's what
happened to me.

But I didn't keep it
all bottled up inside.

Do you think that's what
could be bothering you?

Nothing's brothering me, Mama.

Elizabeth, we don't
grow up all at once.

We do it a day at a time.

Your daddy and I are going to
be right here while you're doing it.

I'm gonna be late
for school. Got to go.

What about a girl who's living alone
because her husband's in the Army?

Now, an old friend comes to town
and asks her to go out to dinner.

Jason! MARY ELLEN: Jason,

would you keep your
eyes on the road, please?

And stop crawling
or I'll be late to work.

Now they're just good
friends. No romance.

- You think she ought to go with him?
- That depends.

- Depends on what?
- On a lot of things.

That's all I know. She
didn't write anything else.

- Well, then I don't know what to tell you.
- Neither do I.

Oh, come on. I've got
to have some answers.

Jason, I don't like
telling other people how

to handle their serious
personal problems.

I agree with that.

I mean, what if you gave
someone some bad advice

and they followed
through with it?

You could ruin a
marriage or a romance.

That's what's been bothering me.

Now, suppose I tell her to
write to him and ask him if it's...

Jason!

"Wilt thou be gone?

"It is not yet near day:

"It was the nightingale,
and not the lark,

That pierc'd the fearful
hollow of thine ear,

"Nightly she sings on
yon pomegranate tree:

"Oh, believe me love,
it was the nightingale."

Romeo.

"It was the lark, the
herald of the morn.

"No nightingale:

"Look love, what envious streaks Do
lace the severing clouds in yonder east:

"Night's candles
are burnt out, and..."

What's that word?

"Jocund."

"Jocund..." You knew that?

"day stands tiptoe on
the misty mountain tops:

"I must be gone and
live, or stay and die."

Pray, allow me.

"Yon light is not
daylight, I know it.

"It is some meteor that the sun exhales,
To be to thee this night a torch-bearer,

"And light thee on
thy way to Mantua:

"Therefore stay yet, thou
need'st not to be gone."

Listen, Juliet. If I'm going to stay,
we ought to tune in on Cousin George.

Oh, dear me. So soon.

I had allowed
Mr. William Shakespeare

to transport me to
another time and place.

Well, I never thought I'd be
glad to listen to Cousin George.

"break off the engagement

"or accept his excuse and
see if it happens again?"

Dear Worried, I can understand why
it's hard for you to make up your mind.

But it seems
perfectly clear to me...

Well, not perfectly clear.
But it does seem to me...

That is, it did seem to me.

Oh, come on, Jason.

Excuse me.

It seems to me that his
excuse is pretty flimsy

and I think you should
break off the engagement.

Our next letter is from...

No, don't break it off!

I mean, maybe you should
and maybe you shouldn't.

I just don't know.

I'm not qualified to tell
you or anybody what to do.

I'm just a country boy
named Jason Walton,

with hardly any experience in
love and none at all in marriage.

I just hope I haven't hurt anybody
by giving bad advice, and I...

There goes the ballgame.

I'm proud of Jason.

Took a lot of guts
to do what he did.

Well, we're not going to
let a kid like Jason Walton

tell us how to run our
lives, are we, Corabeth?

I don't know what you're gonna
do. I guess you can go back

and read Shakespeare if you
want to. But me, I'm just gonna relax.

Hop on the pillow.
Quick, throw them up.

Until tonight I thought it was
boys that made the most racket.

They seem to be
having a hilarious time.

It'll do Elizabeth
good to laugh.

That's the only reason I'm
not telling them to hold it down.

I gave them till midnight.

Another 20 minutes,
I'll put a stop to it.

Good. Then maybe we can
get some sleep around here.

Run!

- Okay, I've got a great idea.
- Okay.

- Ooh, God.
- I wonder what she's got planned.

I don't know.

I'm going to tell a
story, a ghost story.

I don't like ghost stories.

Oh, but you'll love this one,
it's about a haunted house.

But someone has
to turn out the lights.

How did you do that?

I didn't do it.

They went off by themselves.

Somebody's trying to scare us.

Turn them on, Elizabeth.

They won't work.

Stop!

Stop!

Stop!

Stop! Stop!

Stop screaming.

The chair flew up off
the floor! We saw it!

I can't get this window down.

I can't get these
lights on either.

Ben'll drive you
all home. Ben, Ben.

Ben, you get dressed,
take care of the girls.

I can't move this...

Get dressed, take care
of the girls. I'll get that.

I don't know what's going on
around here, but I want it to stop!

Mama! Daddy! Make it go away.

We can't, Elizabeth,
only you can do that.

I can't!

Elizabeth, honey,
you've got to help us.

I'm afraid.

Honey, we're not going to
let anything happen to you.

- We're here, we'll always be here.
- No, that's a lie!

Elizabeth, what is it?

I don't want... I don't want
to grow up and move away!

I don't want you and
Daddy to get old and die!

I'm afraid!

- And angry!
- Yes!

Yes! Yes!

Yes, I am!

- It's all right.
- It's all right, honey.

Come on, baby. Come on.

We're gonna be with you,
honey, for a long, long time.

Come on.

Come on.

Elizabeth's birthday
came and went

and none of the strange
things that had been happening

ever happened again.

Were there really
poltergeists in the house?

Scientists are still looking for
answers to questions like that.

All we know is that we never
found any other explanation.

Dear Cousin George, I'm
going to be married next week.

Congratulations.

My bride's mother wants to
come along on the honeymoon.

Better find out
first if she snores.

P.S. I forgot to mention
that I'm a midget in a circus,

and the man who proposed to
me is the giant. Signed, Undecided.

Good night, Undecided.

Good night, Cousin George.

Good night, everyone.
- Good night, Elizabeth.

English -SDH