The Waltons (1971–1981): Season 8, Episode 24 - The Valediction - full transcript
Jim-Bob's class is graduating and he has the high grade. He is the valedictorian. His class prepares a graduation ceremony that is fitting for war time. (June 1944)
- Hey, how's it feel to be graduating?
- It feels okay.
Corabeth said that he might
be able to be valedictorian.
- Is that true?
- I'm not surprised.
Why didn't you tell us?
I'm proud of you, Jim-Bob.
That's a real honor.
I told her I didn't want it. All I
have to do is fail this science exam.
You're going overseas, aren't you?
That's why they gave you the pass.
Yeah. We're shipping
out tomorrow night.
Oh, Ben.
MAN O VER RADI
O: Closer now, more
antiaircraft fire inboard
towards the shore.
The smoke hangs in the air.
You can see a fiery glow along the
French coast where our troops are landing.
My God, it's here.
We've invaded France.
Sometimes it seemed as if
we ha d alwa ys been at war.
The quiet of our lives on Walton's
Mountain was interrupted daily
by hea dlines and bulletins
that took us to far off deserts,
and island outposts
with impossible names.
O ur da ys swung between
hope and despair, but somehow
we went forward, meeting the
demands of life in a troubled world,
proving at home what the
war was proving on every front.
That a crisis can make lea
ders of the most ordinary of men.
- I see it, but I don't believe it.
- Let me guess, a costume party.
I'm having my picture
taken for graduation,
and I only need to look
good from the waist up.
Jim-Bob, I don't think
the world is ready for you.
My graduation was so romantic.
The girls wore long white dresses
and we all carried red roses.
Well, I had a made-over
dress for mine, but it was still
one of the most
wonderful days of my life.
Figures out of all the
graduations in this family,
mine would come in
the middle of a war.
It doesn't help that you've had four
substitute teachers this semester either.
There's a new one coming today.
I hardly know anybody
in my graduating class.
Most of the people I grew up
with have moved off the mountain.
Some new ones have moved in.
- Yeah, like Roland Piper.
- He calls Jim-Bob "cornpone."
Worst of all, nobody will be here
to see me graduate. Mama's gone,
John-Boy's back in the
Army, Ben's at Camp Perry.
We'll be there, Son. Just think
of it as a Victory graduation.
Sure.
- Hurry up, Elizabeth. We'll be late.
- Don't wait for Elizabeth, Serena.
She's walking to
school with Drew Cutler.
That's why she's taking
forever to get ready.
- Wonder who the new teacher will be?
- Probably someone awful.
Corabeth, you got new glasses.
They're for planning lessons and grading
papers, the slightest magnification only.
Oh, I don't like to tell you this,
but they make you look a little older.
Precisely the point. When one has a
tendency to look younger than one's age,
sometimes one does not receive
the proper respect one deserves.
Corabeth, don't you think
you're taking this all too seriously?
I mean, you haven't
any teacher training
and the only reason the board hired
you is they couldn't get anybody else.
A situation I intend to remedy
this summer at Boatwright College.
- You're not going into school teaching?
- My mother was an educator, you know.
Your mother ran a boarding house.
And she taught piano on the side.
Many is the time I have been
relieved that she did not live to see
what it is that I have become, the
cash and carry queen of a country store.
Corabeth, you don't want to leave
here. Deep in your heart you love it.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Well, you love being right here in
the crossroads of our community.
One smelly bus a day
does not a crossroads make.
Well, you have to
admit that you like it
when our friends and
neighbors drop by for a chat.
The size and shape of
Zuleika Dunbar's gallstones
is hardly a matter of
all-consuming interest.
But, however, to shape young minds,
to quench the thirst for knowledge.
Corabeth, teaching
is not a breeze.
I mean, some of those kids,
I mean, they're holy terrors.
The key is discipline, firmness.
And I intend to establish
my authority immediately.
You won't last out the week.
Oh, it simply makes good
common sense, Mr. Godsey.
A husband and wife should
never, I repeat, never work together.
It is a miracle to me that our
relationship has survived at all.
In the future, you will
thank me for this decision.
All right, go. See if I care. One
can get along just fine on one's own.
How do you do? I
am your new teacher.
Now, some of you may know me
as the assistant proprietress
of Godsey's Mercantile.
A position for which I
am sadly overqualified.
However, from now
on, I am Mrs. Godsey,
and I will be with you
till the end of the term.
Young man.
Your gum.
Oh, I don't think you'd like my gum,
ma'am, but I've got a fresh stick here.
- What is your name?
- Roland Piper, ma'am.
Well, we have certain rules in this
school, Mr. Piper. No whispering,
no note-passing
and no gum-chewing.
And no laughing. Now, you
are not here to enjoy yourselves,
you are here to feed your
minds. It is a serious business.
Now, I understand that there have been
no formal plans made for the graduation.
This is a situation which
must be remedied immediately.
Time is of the essence.
Now, what we need is
something memorable,
something uplifting.
A theme. We need a theme.
Where I went to school before, there
were over 300 kids in the graduating class.
It hardly seems worth
it with just six of us.
I just want to get my
diploma and get out of here.
- Yeah.
- That will be quite enough.
'Cause when school's over, I'm
going to start having myself a good time,
and I'm never going to
stop until I get drafted!
Yeah!
Silence! Silence! Now, this
classroom will come to order.
Here is the photographer.
You may set up your equipment
in a corner of the cloakroom.
The seniors are dismissed
to freshen up for the photos.
- Hello, Daddy.
- John-Boy!
- What are you doing home?
- I got furlough. Ten days.
Good to see you, Son.
How have you been?
All right. You writing
a novel or what?
I don't do too bad on that
old typewriter of yours, do I?
I'd say about six words a minute.
Is it anything I can help you with?
No, it's just a
note to Matt Sarver
explaining why I can't get
his order to him on time.
- Nonfiction, huh?
- Little fiction thrown in.
So, is the Army keeping you busy
writing in the Stars and Stripes?
Daddy, I asked to be
reassigned to overseas duty.
John-Boy, don't you think
you've done your share?
No, as soon as my papers
come through I'll be leaving.
- That's why I came home, to tell you.
- Oh, Son.
You know, I don't do
much mill work anymore,
now that Ben's
gone to the Seabees.
I kind of miss hearing the
sound of this machinery,
the sawdust and the
smell of new cut wood.
Nothing stays the same.
Pa would say
it's like the woods.
I look at John Curtis and I believe
it. He's nothing but a seedling now.
Pretty soon he'll take up as
much room as a yellow pine.
I guess if it's something
you got to do, Son,
you might as well
go ahead and do it.
Sometimes, I wish I could
keep time from passing.
Yeah, that's a sure
sign you're getting older.
There, 40 times. You can count.
- "Spitball" should be one word.
- Do I have to do it over?
Will you promise to
behave in the future?
It says so right there. "I
will not throw spit balls."
Very well, but if you
cause any more trouble,
I will keep you in after school
the entire month of June.
Corabeth's gonna be a lot tougher
than that last substitute we had.
You just thought you could get
away with more 'cause you knew her.
- What are you doing?
- Cleaning out my desk.
- Is that a ham sandwich?
- Yeah, but you wouldn't want it.
It's been there since October.
Jim-Bob, I have just made
the most astonishing discovery.
While averaging the
grades of the graduates,
I find that you are in a very good
position to be class valedictorian.
What?
Your grades have
improved enormously
in the last two years. Although, I
dare say, had not Brinya Kohler
moved to Middletown and
Bernard Dylan joined the Army,
- it would be an entirely different story.
- How about Roland? He's smarter than me.
"Than I," Jim-Bob.
Well, actually, your grade
averages are exactly the same.
And whoever makes the best
score on the science exam next week
- will be class valedictorian.
- Science is your best subject, Jim-Bob.
Let Roland do it. I'm no
good at making speeches.
But it's something more
than oratory, Jim-Bob.
This whole school has been
turned topsy-turvy by the war.
What we need is a leader,
someone to rally the students
to a strong and unifying force.
And while I should not
take sides, I cannot but hope
- that you will be that person.
- I wouldn't count on it.
Oh, but have you no
loyalty to your alma mater?
You've gone to
school here all your life.
And that bumptious Piper
boy just moved in last semester.
He's nothing but a buffoon,
a demoralizing influence,
and totally inappropriate
to the responsibility.
And I myself would find
him impossible to work with.
I'm sorry.
- All I want is what's best for the school.
- Sure hope he changes his mind.
I hope so, too.
- Elizabeth, are you still at it?
- Drew, I got to go now. Bye-bye, okay.
You gotta make an appointment
around here to use the phone.
I can't help it. We're in love.
Serena, I found you some lace
to use for Eudora's bridal veil.
Thanks, Mary Ellen. Have you
ever been to a doll wedding?
No, this will be my first.
She'll make a beautiful bride,
just like Erin one of these days.
Don't bother talking to her. She's
writing to Ashley, she'll never hear you.
Even though he hasn't
written to me in over a month.
Looks like Rome will be falling in a couple
of days. And Italy's only the first step.
You reckon we'll be
invading the continent soon?
That's the rumor.
It'll be do or die then. And all I been
doing is training men to go over there.
Where have you been, Jim-Bob?
Out in the mill.
Me and Daddy are trying to decide
what color I should paint my car.
You've been threatening
to paint that car
for two years. I'll
believe it when I see it.
Hey, how's it feel
to be graduating?
It feels okay.
Corabeth said that he might
be able to be valedictorian.
- Is that true?
- I'm not surprised.
Why didn't you tell us?
I'm proud of you, Jim-Bob.
That's a real honor.
I told her I didn't want it. All I
have to do is fail this science exam.
It sure seems like a
lot of trouble for nothing.
It's just one of those things you've got
to do to keep the rest of the world happy.
My son's graduation day was
one of the proudest days of my life.
He may have been at
the bottom of his class,
but he managed to get
that diploma anyway.
- Ow, be careful.
- I'm sorry.
Oh, I made over a suit
of his father's for him,
and we bought him
a new pair of shoes.
Oh, boy, I tell you. He looked
as shiny as a Buffalo Nickel.
And I thought it would be a turning point
but he just never seemed to take hold.
He drifted and went from
one scrape to another.
Not like you, Jim-Bob. We're
expecting big things out of you.
I hope you're not counting
on me being President.
Only if you run on
the Democratic ticket.
- You want some help?
- Not from you.
- What's got her starch up?
- Beats me.
- Here you go, Rose, thanks.
- Okay, dear.
Did I do something wrong?
Your science notes.
You meant it, didn't you?
You're going to fail
the test on purpose.
I don't need this, I already
know everything that's in it.
If I want to fail the test, all I have to
do is put down the wrong answers.
- What difference does it make?
- I don't like cheaters.
- Who's cheating?
- You are.
Putting down the wrong answers
when you know the right ones
is cheating, just as much as
looking on someone else's paper.
- That's not true.
- Jim-Bob, you're cheating yourself,
and you're cheating the whole
class. And I'm ashamed of you.
- You know, I got some mail for you.
- All right.
In fact, there is one letter here
that should be very important to Erin.
- That one.
- Oh, it's from Ashley Longworth.
Oh, thank heavens. I was
beginning to get worried
- something had happened to him.
- I guess he's okay.
- Oh, good.
- So, what else can I do for you?
Well, I'm looking for a present
for Jim-Bob's graduation.
Oh, I'm going to give
him a card and put a
couple of very fresh
new dollar bills in it.
- Well, maybe something to wear.
- Some socks, a new shirt?
You know, Jim-Bob is convinced
that this won't be much of an occasion,
on account of the war and all.
I want to give him something
that will remind him it was special.
I got it. I got the perfect thing
for you, some gold cuff links.
And I'll make a good
deal for you, five bucks?
A salesman by the name of
Matthews was passing through town,
gave me a deposit on it, and then
he moved on without picking them up.
Ike, they're just beautiful. But
they've got the man's initials on them.
Sure "M." But you turn it
upside down and it's a "W."
For Walton. Dollar down
and a dollar a week?
You got a deal.
- Hi.
- Hi.
- Hi, Rose. Is John Curtis in bed already?
- I just tucked him in and he was asleep
- before I turned the light out.
- Have you heard the news?
The Allies have taken Rome.
President Roosevelt
announced it tonight on the air.
That's why we're late. J.D. had the radio
on in his office and we stayed to listen.
Oh, that's wonderful news.
Well, I've got something else
that ought to give you a lift.
V-mail, from Ashley.
- No.
- What is it, Erin?
"Dear Erin, I wanted you to hear this
from me. There is no easy way to say it.
"I'm married. Her
name is Margaret.
"She is a lovely English girl I met
during a weekend leave in London.
"It seems whirlwind, I know, but we
fell very much in love, very quickly.
"Do not think badly of me. I loved
you once, but you are so far away.
"Wish us happiness, as I wish
all the best for you. Ashley."
It's this war. It's
this damn war.
I wonder if I should
take a tray up to Erin.
When I came down, she was
awake. She was just lying there.
I wouldn't do that, Rose. She likes to
be by herself when she's got hurt feelings.
Been that way ever since
she was a little bit of a thing.
She'll be a long
time getting over this.
I just wish she'd cry
or scream, anything.
I'd like to punch that
Ashley in the face.
You hold him, I'll help you.
I'll go by Pickett's this morning and
tell them she's not going in to work.
Who's not going to work?
There's a government
official coming today,
and J.D. is counting on me to
sweet talk him through the plant.
- We saved you some scrambled eggs, Erin.
- No, thank you, Rose.
- I heard about Ashley, honey. I'm sorry.
- Don't, Daddy. I'm trying real hard.
Oh, I'll get it.
Hello. All right,
yeah, sure. Bye.
Daddy, that was Ike. He said
something big is happening on the radio.
MAN O VER RADI
O: Closer now, more
antiaircraft fire inboard
towards the shore.
The smoke hangs in the air.
You can see a fiery glow along the
French coast where our troops are landing.
My God, it's here.
We've invaded France.
You know, next year, you'll
be the only Walton left in school.
I mean, besides
Jeffrey and Serena.
I think I'm going to like it,
won't feel like the baby anymore.
You want to go to the
graduation dance with me?
- I already said I would.
- No, I mean ours.
That's three years from
now. Maybe you won't like me.
- And maybe you won't like me.
- Well, then, we better wait and see.
You know, I wish I was
graduating this year.
I mean, if I had been born
just a few years earlier,
- I could be on my way to France.
- John-Boy said the announcer last night
was using one of those
new wire recorders.
Oh, I know, that's weird. I don't
see how they get so much noise
on such a little piece of
wire. It's pretty exciting.
It was awful, I felt like I
was right in the middle of it.
Yeah. Well, I sure hope the war doesn't
end before I get a chance to go over there.
You're kidding.
No, I've been thinking
about the tank corps.
Mary Ellen's husband
was killed at Pearl Harbor,
I've got three brothers in the
service, and you want the war to go on?
Oh, I don't want anything
to happen to them.
But you know, I've
been reading about it
- and watching newsreels.
- Hasn't that convinced you?
Elizabeth, come on. I just want
a chance to get at those Nazis.
That's the most immature
thing I've ever heard.
I want to prove I can go fight like a
man and you're calling me immature?
And selfish, and stupid.
Yeah, well, that just about
covers everything, doesn't it?
If I think of anything
else, I'll tell you.
Yeah, well, don't
bother! I get the point.
Hey, Jason.
- So, you really are painting your car.
- Well, she deserves it.
Still runs as good
as the day I built her.
Hey, Elizabeth, what color
you think I should paint my car?
Yellow.
She calling you a sissy?
She's still mad at me because I
don't want to be class valedictorian.
I was hoping you'd changed
your mind about that by now.
Yeah, well, I haven't.
I have a feeling someday
you're going to regret
that you passed up
an opportunity like that.
I'd fall flat on my face.
I'm just not a natural leader.
I suppose you think it's something
you're born with, like freckles.
Okay, well, maybe she is
right. Maybe I am yellow.
I remember something
Grandpa used to say.
He used to say, "When
you come up to a mountain,
"there's two things you can do.
Either go around it, or climb over it.
"The first way is the easiest, but
you miss the view from the top."
I never figured you to be
afraid of heights, Jim-Bob.
Almighty God, our
sons, pride of our nation,
this da y, ha ve set
upon a mighty endea vor,
a struggle to preser ve our republic,
our religion and our civilization,
and to set free a
suffering humanity.
Lea d them straight and true.
Give strength to their arms,
stoutness to their hearts,
stea dfastness in their faith.
They will be sore tried by
night and by da y, without rest,
until the victory is won.
They yearn but
for the end of battle,
that all return to
the ha ven of home.
Some will never return.
Embrace these, Father,
and receive them, Thy heroic
ser vants, into Thy kingdom.
And for us at home,
fathers, mothers,
children, wives, sisters
and brothers of bra
ve men overseas,
whose thoughts and pra yers
are ever with them, help us,
Almighty God, to bear
sorrows that ma y come,
to impart our
courage unto our sons
wheresoever they ma y be.
Thy will be done, Almighty God.
Amen.
This war's starting to turn in our favor.
We just need to give one extra push.
I'm gonna cut some wood.
- Me too.
- I'll help you.
What about the women?
What're we supposed to do?
We wait.
- Elizabeth, where is Jim-Bob?
- He's in his room with the door shut.
Doesn't he know today is
the science examination?
That's the reason he's in
his room with the door shut.
Oh, dear. I'm
afraid we can't wait.
Now, your attention, please. Now,
all of you have your assignments.
Now, the younger
students will work quietly
while the seniors will proceed
with the science examination.
Now, there will
be no whispering,
and I expect you all to keep
your eyes on your own paper.
Now, I will grade the
examinations promptly
and let you know the results
after lunch. Ready? Begin.
- Jim-Bob, you are tardy.
- I'm sorry.
This is only a Wednesday
and it feels like Friday.
- It's been a hard week.
- Yeah, it sure has.
We had to replace two people
on the assembly line this morning,
and then we got an hour behind
because the main stamping machine broke,
and J.D.'s been impossible.
That's not what I meant. I know you
have to work, but don't you ever let up?
I'm afraid to. That's
when it starts to hurt.
I used to love to have you to myself,
although it didn't happen very often.
I'm a little out of practice
playing big brother.
I thought I'd come by and
sharpen up my techniques.
If you mean talking about
Ashley, don't, John-Boy.
'Cause I'm not gonna
cry about that anymore.
- Have you given up eating, too?
- I'm going to devote myself to my career.
After the war's over,
I'm going to New York
and I'm going to get a job
with an advertising company.
Erin, you're not
fooling anybody.
I'm not the only girl in this
war to get a Dear Joan letter.
I didn't lose my husband
like Mary Ellen did,
and I didn't almost die like
you. So, I'm really very lucky.
Okay, that's just what I told myself
when I was lying there in the hospital.
Guys kept coming in, they
couldn't see, they couldn't walk.
But all the same, there were
times when I felt pretty bad.
There was this orderly. The biggest,
toughest-looking guy I've ever seen.
He used to bathe me, he used
to wheel me out into the sunroom.
One day, when I was
really holding it all back,
I looked over at him
and he was crying.
I asked him why and he said he was crying
for me because I wouldn't cry for myself.
That's when I finally let go.
There're a lot of ways
to be a casualty of war.
Us veterans, we
got to stick together.
I must say that I am
most pleasantly surprised
by the results of
the examination.
No one made under an 80 and
two of you made a score of over 95.
Roland Piper and Marvella Sue
Littleton. I congratulate you both.
And one of you
made a score of 100.
James Robert Walton,
will you please rise?
What this means,
James Robert, is that
you will be valedictorian
of the class of 1944.
Good going, cornpone.
You're smarter than you look.
And I do hope, Jim-Bob,
that you would give me
your fullest cooperation.
Now, as you all know,
tomorrow is the last day of school.
Quiet. Quiet, please. I
must have your full attention.
I know that you are
all most eager to hear
what it is that I have
planned for the graduation.
Now, these flowers, in
assorted sizes and shapes
will be stapled to the trellis,
through which the graduates
make their entrance into the room.
Ah, no.
Following the
processional, there will be a
musical selection,
Virginia, We Love Thee,
which I have prevailed
upon myself to render.
Swell.
And, Jim-Bob, here's the outline
of a speech you are to deliver,
praising the founders of
the Virginia Academy system,
and a brief history of
education in the Commonwealth.
- Now, are there any questions?
- I'm not gonna say this, Corabeth.
Oh, well. I can
understand your shyness,
but all you have to do is read it. Surely,
you can prevail upon yourself to do that.
If I'm gonna be valedictorian,
I'm gonna write my own speech.
I don't think any of us want the
kind of ceremony you're talking about.
When I think of my graduation,
I don't want to remember
that I walked through
- a trellis covered with fake flowers.
- Why, I am appalled.
All I had hoped to do was to introduce a
little style into an ordinarily dull event.
I don't know about
the rest of you,
but this is probably gonna be the
only graduation I'm ever gonna have.
It may be wartime, but I think if we all
cooperate, that means all of us, Piper,
I don't see why this can't be the
best graduation this school's ever had.
I also think we should
call a meeting after school
to decide what we're gonna do.
You can come if you
want to, Corabeth.
Where're you going
today, Uncle John?
I got a little errand to run
and I'm late. Bye, honey.
- Bye-bye, Daddy.
- Can I come with you?
Not this time.
- I get it. Business.
- Sort of.
Are you gonna be back
in time for the graduation?
I sure am, and I'm bringing
Jim-Bob a little surprise, too.
I sure hope people give
me presents when I graduate.
You graduate and we all will.
- Bye, honey.
- Bye-bye.
No more pencils, no more books,
no more teachers' dirty looks.
Jeffrey, I'll give you a
nickel if you'll quit saying that.
Not worth it. I'm going to say
it every day, all summer long.
Can you say it quieter
then? Ginny's trying to sleep.
Sorry.
Elizabeth, do you want me to iron
that dress for your graduation dance?
I don't think I'm
gonna be going.
- Trouble with Drew?
- Boys are just impossible.
I sort of remember it
that way. What happened?
- We had a fight about the war.
- I hope you're not on opposite sides.
He talks like it's a big, exciting
adventure, a game or something.
If he does, he's bluffing. I'd hate
to be a boy growing up right now.
Reading all about the battles and
knowing I might be in the thick of it soon.
If it were up to women,
there wouldn't be any wars.
I don't think anybody
had any choice in this one.
Hey, look what I found
along the roadside.
- Hello.
- Hi.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Cindy!
Cindy, could you come
down here for a minute?
- Yeah, what is it?
- It's over there.
Ben. Why didn't you call me?
My whole outfit got a pass and I didn't
want to wait in line for the telephone.
So, I just started hitchhiking.
Jim-Bob will be glad.
He's graduating today.
Yeah, I know. Where is he?
He and Roland Piper went off early
this morning. Haven't seen him since.
- When can I see my baby?
- Right now.
- She's losing her hair.
- It'll grow back.
- I hope it's red.
- Better be.
I want to spend some
time with her mama first.
- Is there something to eat around here?
- Yeah. Let's go find something.
You're going
overseas, aren't you?
Yeah. We're shipping
out tomorrow night.
Cindy, we don't know
where we're going.
The scuttlebutt is that it's
somewhere in the South Pacific.
Oh, Ben.
It's okay. You'll be
fine here with the family.
It's not myself
that I'm crying for.
It's everything that you're gonna
miss with Virginia growing up.
That's why I got
something from PX.
It's supposed to take
really good color pictures.
If she's a redhead, I can tell.
First, I want to take
a picture of you.
No, I can't. Not like this.
- Just sit right there.
- I can't.
Cindy, at the count of
three, give me a big smile.
One.
Two.
Three.
Jim-Bob home yet?
Well, I can't believe he'd
miss his own graduation.
Well, there's no telling what kind of
trouble Roland Piper could get him into.
- Yes, and John isn't home yet either.
- Serena, when's Eudora's wedding?
- I called it off.
- I was really looking forward to it.
I tell you what. If you call it
back on, I'll help you with it.
Hello? Oh, Corabeth.
No, he isn't here. No,
he hasn't called either.
Oh, I hope there hasn't been an accident.
Really? Well, now, that is puzzlement.
- Thanks, Rol. See you soon.
- Here he comes.
Oh, Corabeth, he's here. Be
patient, dear. We'll get him there.
- Why, hello.
- Hey, Ben. When did you get in?
This afternoon. I thought you
were gonna stand us all up.
Rolly and I had something
to do in Rockfish.
There's something
funny going on.
Corabeth said the whole
graduating class disappeared today.
Come in.
Here. Let me help you with that.
Haste makes waste, as
my Aunt Martha used to say.
Thanks, Rose.
Oh, Jim-Bob, this
is a big day for you
and I just want you to know how
thrilled I am to be a part of it. Here.
- What's this?
- Well, open it and see.
They're beautiful, Rose, but you
shouldn't have got me anything.
Try and stop me.
I'll never forget
you, or this day.
- You better not.
- Thanks, Rose.
I'll get out of your way now. I don't think
you need any help putting on your pants.
Now, as soon as the processional begins,
I want you to be sure and signal me.
Okay, I'll whistle. I'll go...
No, no. Like this.
- Corabeth, I can't do that.
- Oh, dear.
This is not at all what I had
in mind for the graduation.
I never should have
tolerated Jim-Bob's mutiny.
What's wrong, Corabeth? You're not
getting one of your headaches, are you?
Just the slightest
throb at my temple.
This is too much for you. I
should never have let you take it on.
Oh, well, it's not the work that I
object to, it's the lack of appreciation.
I had such high hopes
for those young people,
and was there one word of
praise? Not a modicum of gratitude.
Corabeth, you're not gonna be
school teaching next year. That's final.
Well, perhaps my nervous system is just
not as suited for teaching as I thought.
But what if they should need me?
Well, they'll just have to get
somebody else. I'm putting my foot down.
Oh, Mr. Godsey, sometimes
you can be very masterful.
- May I come in?
- Oh, dear.
It's that crazed Piper boy.
Yes?
Mrs. Godsey, on behalf
of the graduation class, I...
Uh...
Well, here. You were the
best substitute teacher we had.
- No hard feelings?
- They're lovely.
Here, honey. I'll
pin it on for you.
To the friends and families
of the Walton's Mountain
graduating class of 1944, welcome.
I know that you share my pride in
the achievement of these young people
upon the completion of their
secondary school education.
Although I have
played only a small part
in the final act
of their schooling,
when the curtain comes down,
I will remember these days.
It is with great pleasure that I
introduce to you the class valedictorian,
James Robert Walton.
I didn't prepare a long speech.
All of us, not just me, have
worked really hard for this day.
Five years ago, we might have
gone on to college or gotten jobs.
There's a war out
there that's not over yet.
Just this week, a whole lot of
kids, not much older than we are,
found themselves right in the middle
of it on the beaches of Normandy.
And it was because of them we wanted
to do something special, this graduation,
that would be our gift to the
community and to the school.
So, we all got
together this morning
and went into Rockfish,
and enlisted in the Army.
That is, the boys enlisted
in the Army, all four of us.
The girls came along for moral support.
They've promised to write every week.
I know it's not going to
be easy saying goodbye,
but it helps that
we're going together.
And it helps, knowing that you'll
be here running things for us,
because we need you
now, and when we get back.
That's all I have to say, except
I'd like the other graduates to rise,
'cause I'm very proud
to be part of this class.
- Eat up, you two.
- I'm not hungry.
- It's hard to swallow this morning.
- I know.
Yeah, I know, too. I'm
having the same problem.
I'm not gonna
cry. I refuse to cry.
All set to go?
Rose, will you hold on to my cuff
links for me till I get back? Thanks.
Here, Grandma, this is till I can
send you a picture of me in my uniform.
Take good care of my
model airplanes for me, okay?
There's a good chance I'll be transferring
to the Air Corps. I'll let you know.
All right, everybody.
Here we go.
- Hey, where's John-Boy?
- He's gonna meet us out front.
Daddy.
Something you ought to know.
I'm putting in a transfer for
a unit that's going overseas.
It seems to be catching on.
I'm proud of all my children.
Look at that yellow.
Here you go, Elizabeth.
Lemon-yellow, just like you ordered.
Time for us to get going.
You sure you don't want
a ride as far as Ike's?
No. We'll walk, Daddy.
- Bye-bye, now.
We got plenty of time
before the bus gets here.
It might be the last chance we
have to be together for a while.
All right. BEN:
Bye-bye, sweetheart.
- Bye-bye, Daddy.
- Take care, Son.
- Bye-bye, Mary Ellen.
- All right, behave now.
- God bless you.
- See you later.
- Bye-bye, Daddy.
- Bye.
- Take care now.
- All right.
Y'all take care.
My brothers and I knew, as
we walked a wa y that morning,
that things would never
again be the same.
The war would teach us how
small Walton's Mountain was,
and how ordinary
our lives there.
And yet, from the foxholes of
France, in the skies over Germany,
on the reefs and atolls
of the South Pacific,
wherever the war was to take us, we
returned to the Mountain in memory,
over and over again. That
wooded earth, that frame house,
that weathered porch where
our loved ones waited. Home.
Isn't anybody gonna say good night?
- Good night, Daddy.
Good night, Jim-Bob.
- Jim-Bob can't hear you.
- I can pretend, can't I?
Good night, John-Boy.
Good night, Ben.
Good night, Jason.
- Good night, everyone.
English -SDH
- It feels okay.
Corabeth said that he might
be able to be valedictorian.
- Is that true?
- I'm not surprised.
Why didn't you tell us?
I'm proud of you, Jim-Bob.
That's a real honor.
I told her I didn't want it. All I
have to do is fail this science exam.
You're going overseas, aren't you?
That's why they gave you the pass.
Yeah. We're shipping
out tomorrow night.
Oh, Ben.
MAN O VER RADI
O: Closer now, more
antiaircraft fire inboard
towards the shore.
The smoke hangs in the air.
You can see a fiery glow along the
French coast where our troops are landing.
My God, it's here.
We've invaded France.
Sometimes it seemed as if
we ha d alwa ys been at war.
The quiet of our lives on Walton's
Mountain was interrupted daily
by hea dlines and bulletins
that took us to far off deserts,
and island outposts
with impossible names.
O ur da ys swung between
hope and despair, but somehow
we went forward, meeting the
demands of life in a troubled world,
proving at home what the
war was proving on every front.
That a crisis can make lea
ders of the most ordinary of men.
- I see it, but I don't believe it.
- Let me guess, a costume party.
I'm having my picture
taken for graduation,
and I only need to look
good from the waist up.
Jim-Bob, I don't think
the world is ready for you.
My graduation was so romantic.
The girls wore long white dresses
and we all carried red roses.
Well, I had a made-over
dress for mine, but it was still
one of the most
wonderful days of my life.
Figures out of all the
graduations in this family,
mine would come in
the middle of a war.
It doesn't help that you've had four
substitute teachers this semester either.
There's a new one coming today.
I hardly know anybody
in my graduating class.
Most of the people I grew up
with have moved off the mountain.
Some new ones have moved in.
- Yeah, like Roland Piper.
- He calls Jim-Bob "cornpone."
Worst of all, nobody will be here
to see me graduate. Mama's gone,
John-Boy's back in the
Army, Ben's at Camp Perry.
We'll be there, Son. Just think
of it as a Victory graduation.
Sure.
- Hurry up, Elizabeth. We'll be late.
- Don't wait for Elizabeth, Serena.
She's walking to
school with Drew Cutler.
That's why she's taking
forever to get ready.
- Wonder who the new teacher will be?
- Probably someone awful.
Corabeth, you got new glasses.
They're for planning lessons and grading
papers, the slightest magnification only.
Oh, I don't like to tell you this,
but they make you look a little older.
Precisely the point. When one has a
tendency to look younger than one's age,
sometimes one does not receive
the proper respect one deserves.
Corabeth, don't you think
you're taking this all too seriously?
I mean, you haven't
any teacher training
and the only reason the board hired
you is they couldn't get anybody else.
A situation I intend to remedy
this summer at Boatwright College.
- You're not going into school teaching?
- My mother was an educator, you know.
Your mother ran a boarding house.
And she taught piano on the side.
Many is the time I have been
relieved that she did not live to see
what it is that I have become, the
cash and carry queen of a country store.
Corabeth, you don't want to leave
here. Deep in your heart you love it.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Well, you love being right here in
the crossroads of our community.
One smelly bus a day
does not a crossroads make.
Well, you have to
admit that you like it
when our friends and
neighbors drop by for a chat.
The size and shape of
Zuleika Dunbar's gallstones
is hardly a matter of
all-consuming interest.
But, however, to shape young minds,
to quench the thirst for knowledge.
Corabeth, teaching
is not a breeze.
I mean, some of those kids,
I mean, they're holy terrors.
The key is discipline, firmness.
And I intend to establish
my authority immediately.
You won't last out the week.
Oh, it simply makes good
common sense, Mr. Godsey.
A husband and wife should
never, I repeat, never work together.
It is a miracle to me that our
relationship has survived at all.
In the future, you will
thank me for this decision.
All right, go. See if I care. One
can get along just fine on one's own.
How do you do? I
am your new teacher.
Now, some of you may know me
as the assistant proprietress
of Godsey's Mercantile.
A position for which I
am sadly overqualified.
However, from now
on, I am Mrs. Godsey,
and I will be with you
till the end of the term.
Young man.
Your gum.
Oh, I don't think you'd like my gum,
ma'am, but I've got a fresh stick here.
- What is your name?
- Roland Piper, ma'am.
Well, we have certain rules in this
school, Mr. Piper. No whispering,
no note-passing
and no gum-chewing.
And no laughing. Now, you
are not here to enjoy yourselves,
you are here to feed your
minds. It is a serious business.
Now, I understand that there have been
no formal plans made for the graduation.
This is a situation which
must be remedied immediately.
Time is of the essence.
Now, what we need is
something memorable,
something uplifting.
A theme. We need a theme.
Where I went to school before, there
were over 300 kids in the graduating class.
It hardly seems worth
it with just six of us.
I just want to get my
diploma and get out of here.
- Yeah.
- That will be quite enough.
'Cause when school's over, I'm
going to start having myself a good time,
and I'm never going to
stop until I get drafted!
Yeah!
Silence! Silence! Now, this
classroom will come to order.
Here is the photographer.
You may set up your equipment
in a corner of the cloakroom.
The seniors are dismissed
to freshen up for the photos.
- Hello, Daddy.
- John-Boy!
- What are you doing home?
- I got furlough. Ten days.
Good to see you, Son.
How have you been?
All right. You writing
a novel or what?
I don't do too bad on that
old typewriter of yours, do I?
I'd say about six words a minute.
Is it anything I can help you with?
No, it's just a
note to Matt Sarver
explaining why I can't get
his order to him on time.
- Nonfiction, huh?
- Little fiction thrown in.
So, is the Army keeping you busy
writing in the Stars and Stripes?
Daddy, I asked to be
reassigned to overseas duty.
John-Boy, don't you think
you've done your share?
No, as soon as my papers
come through I'll be leaving.
- That's why I came home, to tell you.
- Oh, Son.
You know, I don't do
much mill work anymore,
now that Ben's
gone to the Seabees.
I kind of miss hearing the
sound of this machinery,
the sawdust and the
smell of new cut wood.
Nothing stays the same.
Pa would say
it's like the woods.
I look at John Curtis and I believe
it. He's nothing but a seedling now.
Pretty soon he'll take up as
much room as a yellow pine.
I guess if it's something
you got to do, Son,
you might as well
go ahead and do it.
Sometimes, I wish I could
keep time from passing.
Yeah, that's a sure
sign you're getting older.
There, 40 times. You can count.
- "Spitball" should be one word.
- Do I have to do it over?
Will you promise to
behave in the future?
It says so right there. "I
will not throw spit balls."
Very well, but if you
cause any more trouble,
I will keep you in after school
the entire month of June.
Corabeth's gonna be a lot tougher
than that last substitute we had.
You just thought you could get
away with more 'cause you knew her.
- What are you doing?
- Cleaning out my desk.
- Is that a ham sandwich?
- Yeah, but you wouldn't want it.
It's been there since October.
Jim-Bob, I have just made
the most astonishing discovery.
While averaging the
grades of the graduates,
I find that you are in a very good
position to be class valedictorian.
What?
Your grades have
improved enormously
in the last two years. Although, I
dare say, had not Brinya Kohler
moved to Middletown and
Bernard Dylan joined the Army,
- it would be an entirely different story.
- How about Roland? He's smarter than me.
"Than I," Jim-Bob.
Well, actually, your grade
averages are exactly the same.
And whoever makes the best
score on the science exam next week
- will be class valedictorian.
- Science is your best subject, Jim-Bob.
Let Roland do it. I'm no
good at making speeches.
But it's something more
than oratory, Jim-Bob.
This whole school has been
turned topsy-turvy by the war.
What we need is a leader,
someone to rally the students
to a strong and unifying force.
And while I should not
take sides, I cannot but hope
- that you will be that person.
- I wouldn't count on it.
Oh, but have you no
loyalty to your alma mater?
You've gone to
school here all your life.
And that bumptious Piper
boy just moved in last semester.
He's nothing but a buffoon,
a demoralizing influence,
and totally inappropriate
to the responsibility.
And I myself would find
him impossible to work with.
I'm sorry.
- All I want is what's best for the school.
- Sure hope he changes his mind.
I hope so, too.
- Elizabeth, are you still at it?
- Drew, I got to go now. Bye-bye, okay.
You gotta make an appointment
around here to use the phone.
I can't help it. We're in love.
Serena, I found you some lace
to use for Eudora's bridal veil.
Thanks, Mary Ellen. Have you
ever been to a doll wedding?
No, this will be my first.
She'll make a beautiful bride,
just like Erin one of these days.
Don't bother talking to her. She's
writing to Ashley, she'll never hear you.
Even though he hasn't
written to me in over a month.
Looks like Rome will be falling in a couple
of days. And Italy's only the first step.
You reckon we'll be
invading the continent soon?
That's the rumor.
It'll be do or die then. And all I been
doing is training men to go over there.
Where have you been, Jim-Bob?
Out in the mill.
Me and Daddy are trying to decide
what color I should paint my car.
You've been threatening
to paint that car
for two years. I'll
believe it when I see it.
Hey, how's it feel
to be graduating?
It feels okay.
Corabeth said that he might
be able to be valedictorian.
- Is that true?
- I'm not surprised.
Why didn't you tell us?
I'm proud of you, Jim-Bob.
That's a real honor.
I told her I didn't want it. All I
have to do is fail this science exam.
It sure seems like a
lot of trouble for nothing.
It's just one of those things you've got
to do to keep the rest of the world happy.
My son's graduation day was
one of the proudest days of my life.
He may have been at
the bottom of his class,
but he managed to get
that diploma anyway.
- Ow, be careful.
- I'm sorry.
Oh, I made over a suit
of his father's for him,
and we bought him
a new pair of shoes.
Oh, boy, I tell you. He looked
as shiny as a Buffalo Nickel.
And I thought it would be a turning point
but he just never seemed to take hold.
He drifted and went from
one scrape to another.
Not like you, Jim-Bob. We're
expecting big things out of you.
I hope you're not counting
on me being President.
Only if you run on
the Democratic ticket.
- You want some help?
- Not from you.
- What's got her starch up?
- Beats me.
- Here you go, Rose, thanks.
- Okay, dear.
Did I do something wrong?
Your science notes.
You meant it, didn't you?
You're going to fail
the test on purpose.
I don't need this, I already
know everything that's in it.
If I want to fail the test, all I have to
do is put down the wrong answers.
- What difference does it make?
- I don't like cheaters.
- Who's cheating?
- You are.
Putting down the wrong answers
when you know the right ones
is cheating, just as much as
looking on someone else's paper.
- That's not true.
- Jim-Bob, you're cheating yourself,
and you're cheating the whole
class. And I'm ashamed of you.
- You know, I got some mail for you.
- All right.
In fact, there is one letter here
that should be very important to Erin.
- That one.
- Oh, it's from Ashley Longworth.
Oh, thank heavens. I was
beginning to get worried
- something had happened to him.
- I guess he's okay.
- Oh, good.
- So, what else can I do for you?
Well, I'm looking for a present
for Jim-Bob's graduation.
Oh, I'm going to give
him a card and put a
couple of very fresh
new dollar bills in it.
- Well, maybe something to wear.
- Some socks, a new shirt?
You know, Jim-Bob is convinced
that this won't be much of an occasion,
on account of the war and all.
I want to give him something
that will remind him it was special.
I got it. I got the perfect thing
for you, some gold cuff links.
And I'll make a good
deal for you, five bucks?
A salesman by the name of
Matthews was passing through town,
gave me a deposit on it, and then
he moved on without picking them up.
Ike, they're just beautiful. But
they've got the man's initials on them.
Sure "M." But you turn it
upside down and it's a "W."
For Walton. Dollar down
and a dollar a week?
You got a deal.
- Hi.
- Hi.
- Hi, Rose. Is John Curtis in bed already?
- I just tucked him in and he was asleep
- before I turned the light out.
- Have you heard the news?
The Allies have taken Rome.
President Roosevelt
announced it tonight on the air.
That's why we're late. J.D. had the radio
on in his office and we stayed to listen.
Oh, that's wonderful news.
Well, I've got something else
that ought to give you a lift.
V-mail, from Ashley.
- No.
- What is it, Erin?
"Dear Erin, I wanted you to hear this
from me. There is no easy way to say it.
"I'm married. Her
name is Margaret.
"She is a lovely English girl I met
during a weekend leave in London.
"It seems whirlwind, I know, but we
fell very much in love, very quickly.
"Do not think badly of me. I loved
you once, but you are so far away.
"Wish us happiness, as I wish
all the best for you. Ashley."
It's this war. It's
this damn war.
I wonder if I should
take a tray up to Erin.
When I came down, she was
awake. She was just lying there.
I wouldn't do that, Rose. She likes to
be by herself when she's got hurt feelings.
Been that way ever since
she was a little bit of a thing.
She'll be a long
time getting over this.
I just wish she'd cry
or scream, anything.
I'd like to punch that
Ashley in the face.
You hold him, I'll help you.
I'll go by Pickett's this morning and
tell them she's not going in to work.
Who's not going to work?
There's a government
official coming today,
and J.D. is counting on me to
sweet talk him through the plant.
- We saved you some scrambled eggs, Erin.
- No, thank you, Rose.
- I heard about Ashley, honey. I'm sorry.
- Don't, Daddy. I'm trying real hard.
Oh, I'll get it.
Hello. All right,
yeah, sure. Bye.
Daddy, that was Ike. He said
something big is happening on the radio.
MAN O VER RADI
O: Closer now, more
antiaircraft fire inboard
towards the shore.
The smoke hangs in the air.
You can see a fiery glow along the
French coast where our troops are landing.
My God, it's here.
We've invaded France.
You know, next year, you'll
be the only Walton left in school.
I mean, besides
Jeffrey and Serena.
I think I'm going to like it,
won't feel like the baby anymore.
You want to go to the
graduation dance with me?
- I already said I would.
- No, I mean ours.
That's three years from
now. Maybe you won't like me.
- And maybe you won't like me.
- Well, then, we better wait and see.
You know, I wish I was
graduating this year.
I mean, if I had been born
just a few years earlier,
- I could be on my way to France.
- John-Boy said the announcer last night
was using one of those
new wire recorders.
Oh, I know, that's weird. I don't
see how they get so much noise
on such a little piece of
wire. It's pretty exciting.
It was awful, I felt like I
was right in the middle of it.
Yeah. Well, I sure hope the war doesn't
end before I get a chance to go over there.
You're kidding.
No, I've been thinking
about the tank corps.
Mary Ellen's husband
was killed at Pearl Harbor,
I've got three brothers in the
service, and you want the war to go on?
Oh, I don't want anything
to happen to them.
But you know, I've
been reading about it
- and watching newsreels.
- Hasn't that convinced you?
Elizabeth, come on. I just want
a chance to get at those Nazis.
That's the most immature
thing I've ever heard.
I want to prove I can go fight like a
man and you're calling me immature?
And selfish, and stupid.
Yeah, well, that just about
covers everything, doesn't it?
If I think of anything
else, I'll tell you.
Yeah, well, don't
bother! I get the point.
Hey, Jason.
- So, you really are painting your car.
- Well, she deserves it.
Still runs as good
as the day I built her.
Hey, Elizabeth, what color
you think I should paint my car?
Yellow.
She calling you a sissy?
She's still mad at me because I
don't want to be class valedictorian.
I was hoping you'd changed
your mind about that by now.
Yeah, well, I haven't.
I have a feeling someday
you're going to regret
that you passed up
an opportunity like that.
I'd fall flat on my face.
I'm just not a natural leader.
I suppose you think it's something
you're born with, like freckles.
Okay, well, maybe she is
right. Maybe I am yellow.
I remember something
Grandpa used to say.
He used to say, "When
you come up to a mountain,
"there's two things you can do.
Either go around it, or climb over it.
"The first way is the easiest, but
you miss the view from the top."
I never figured you to be
afraid of heights, Jim-Bob.
Almighty God, our
sons, pride of our nation,
this da y, ha ve set
upon a mighty endea vor,
a struggle to preser ve our republic,
our religion and our civilization,
and to set free a
suffering humanity.
Lea d them straight and true.
Give strength to their arms,
stoutness to their hearts,
stea dfastness in their faith.
They will be sore tried by
night and by da y, without rest,
until the victory is won.
They yearn but
for the end of battle,
that all return to
the ha ven of home.
Some will never return.
Embrace these, Father,
and receive them, Thy heroic
ser vants, into Thy kingdom.
And for us at home,
fathers, mothers,
children, wives, sisters
and brothers of bra
ve men overseas,
whose thoughts and pra yers
are ever with them, help us,
Almighty God, to bear
sorrows that ma y come,
to impart our
courage unto our sons
wheresoever they ma y be.
Thy will be done, Almighty God.
Amen.
This war's starting to turn in our favor.
We just need to give one extra push.
I'm gonna cut some wood.
- Me too.
- I'll help you.
What about the women?
What're we supposed to do?
We wait.
- Elizabeth, where is Jim-Bob?
- He's in his room with the door shut.
Doesn't he know today is
the science examination?
That's the reason he's in
his room with the door shut.
Oh, dear. I'm
afraid we can't wait.
Now, your attention, please. Now,
all of you have your assignments.
Now, the younger
students will work quietly
while the seniors will proceed
with the science examination.
Now, there will
be no whispering,
and I expect you all to keep
your eyes on your own paper.
Now, I will grade the
examinations promptly
and let you know the results
after lunch. Ready? Begin.
- Jim-Bob, you are tardy.
- I'm sorry.
This is only a Wednesday
and it feels like Friday.
- It's been a hard week.
- Yeah, it sure has.
We had to replace two people
on the assembly line this morning,
and then we got an hour behind
because the main stamping machine broke,
and J.D.'s been impossible.
That's not what I meant. I know you
have to work, but don't you ever let up?
I'm afraid to. That's
when it starts to hurt.
I used to love to have you to myself,
although it didn't happen very often.
I'm a little out of practice
playing big brother.
I thought I'd come by and
sharpen up my techniques.
If you mean talking about
Ashley, don't, John-Boy.
'Cause I'm not gonna
cry about that anymore.
- Have you given up eating, too?
- I'm going to devote myself to my career.
After the war's over,
I'm going to New York
and I'm going to get a job
with an advertising company.
Erin, you're not
fooling anybody.
I'm not the only girl in this
war to get a Dear Joan letter.
I didn't lose my husband
like Mary Ellen did,
and I didn't almost die like
you. So, I'm really very lucky.
Okay, that's just what I told myself
when I was lying there in the hospital.
Guys kept coming in, they
couldn't see, they couldn't walk.
But all the same, there were
times when I felt pretty bad.
There was this orderly. The biggest,
toughest-looking guy I've ever seen.
He used to bathe me, he used
to wheel me out into the sunroom.
One day, when I was
really holding it all back,
I looked over at him
and he was crying.
I asked him why and he said he was crying
for me because I wouldn't cry for myself.
That's when I finally let go.
There're a lot of ways
to be a casualty of war.
Us veterans, we
got to stick together.
I must say that I am
most pleasantly surprised
by the results of
the examination.
No one made under an 80 and
two of you made a score of over 95.
Roland Piper and Marvella Sue
Littleton. I congratulate you both.
And one of you
made a score of 100.
James Robert Walton,
will you please rise?
What this means,
James Robert, is that
you will be valedictorian
of the class of 1944.
Good going, cornpone.
You're smarter than you look.
And I do hope, Jim-Bob,
that you would give me
your fullest cooperation.
Now, as you all know,
tomorrow is the last day of school.
Quiet. Quiet, please. I
must have your full attention.
I know that you are
all most eager to hear
what it is that I have
planned for the graduation.
Now, these flowers, in
assorted sizes and shapes
will be stapled to the trellis,
through which the graduates
make their entrance into the room.
Ah, no.
Following the
processional, there will be a
musical selection,
Virginia, We Love Thee,
which I have prevailed
upon myself to render.
Swell.
And, Jim-Bob, here's the outline
of a speech you are to deliver,
praising the founders of
the Virginia Academy system,
and a brief history of
education in the Commonwealth.
- Now, are there any questions?
- I'm not gonna say this, Corabeth.
Oh, well. I can
understand your shyness,
but all you have to do is read it. Surely,
you can prevail upon yourself to do that.
If I'm gonna be valedictorian,
I'm gonna write my own speech.
I don't think any of us want the
kind of ceremony you're talking about.
When I think of my graduation,
I don't want to remember
that I walked through
- a trellis covered with fake flowers.
- Why, I am appalled.
All I had hoped to do was to introduce a
little style into an ordinarily dull event.
I don't know about
the rest of you,
but this is probably gonna be the
only graduation I'm ever gonna have.
It may be wartime, but I think if we all
cooperate, that means all of us, Piper,
I don't see why this can't be the
best graduation this school's ever had.
I also think we should
call a meeting after school
to decide what we're gonna do.
You can come if you
want to, Corabeth.
Where're you going
today, Uncle John?
I got a little errand to run
and I'm late. Bye, honey.
- Bye-bye, Daddy.
- Can I come with you?
Not this time.
- I get it. Business.
- Sort of.
Are you gonna be back
in time for the graduation?
I sure am, and I'm bringing
Jim-Bob a little surprise, too.
I sure hope people give
me presents when I graduate.
You graduate and we all will.
- Bye, honey.
- Bye-bye.
No more pencils, no more books,
no more teachers' dirty looks.
Jeffrey, I'll give you a
nickel if you'll quit saying that.
Not worth it. I'm going to say
it every day, all summer long.
Can you say it quieter
then? Ginny's trying to sleep.
Sorry.
Elizabeth, do you want me to iron
that dress for your graduation dance?
I don't think I'm
gonna be going.
- Trouble with Drew?
- Boys are just impossible.
I sort of remember it
that way. What happened?
- We had a fight about the war.
- I hope you're not on opposite sides.
He talks like it's a big, exciting
adventure, a game or something.
If he does, he's bluffing. I'd hate
to be a boy growing up right now.
Reading all about the battles and
knowing I might be in the thick of it soon.
If it were up to women,
there wouldn't be any wars.
I don't think anybody
had any choice in this one.
Hey, look what I found
along the roadside.
- Hello.
- Hi.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Cindy!
Cindy, could you come
down here for a minute?
- Yeah, what is it?
- It's over there.
Ben. Why didn't you call me?
My whole outfit got a pass and I didn't
want to wait in line for the telephone.
So, I just started hitchhiking.
Jim-Bob will be glad.
He's graduating today.
Yeah, I know. Where is he?
He and Roland Piper went off early
this morning. Haven't seen him since.
- When can I see my baby?
- Right now.
- She's losing her hair.
- It'll grow back.
- I hope it's red.
- Better be.
I want to spend some
time with her mama first.
- Is there something to eat around here?
- Yeah. Let's go find something.
You're going
overseas, aren't you?
Yeah. We're shipping
out tomorrow night.
Cindy, we don't know
where we're going.
The scuttlebutt is that it's
somewhere in the South Pacific.
Oh, Ben.
It's okay. You'll be
fine here with the family.
It's not myself
that I'm crying for.
It's everything that you're gonna
miss with Virginia growing up.
That's why I got
something from PX.
It's supposed to take
really good color pictures.
If she's a redhead, I can tell.
First, I want to take
a picture of you.
No, I can't. Not like this.
- Just sit right there.
- I can't.
Cindy, at the count of
three, give me a big smile.
One.
Two.
Three.
Jim-Bob home yet?
Well, I can't believe he'd
miss his own graduation.
Well, there's no telling what kind of
trouble Roland Piper could get him into.
- Yes, and John isn't home yet either.
- Serena, when's Eudora's wedding?
- I called it off.
- I was really looking forward to it.
I tell you what. If you call it
back on, I'll help you with it.
Hello? Oh, Corabeth.
No, he isn't here. No,
he hasn't called either.
Oh, I hope there hasn't been an accident.
Really? Well, now, that is puzzlement.
- Thanks, Rol. See you soon.
- Here he comes.
Oh, Corabeth, he's here. Be
patient, dear. We'll get him there.
- Why, hello.
- Hey, Ben. When did you get in?
This afternoon. I thought you
were gonna stand us all up.
Rolly and I had something
to do in Rockfish.
There's something
funny going on.
Corabeth said the whole
graduating class disappeared today.
Come in.
Here. Let me help you with that.
Haste makes waste, as
my Aunt Martha used to say.
Thanks, Rose.
Oh, Jim-Bob, this
is a big day for you
and I just want you to know how
thrilled I am to be a part of it. Here.
- What's this?
- Well, open it and see.
They're beautiful, Rose, but you
shouldn't have got me anything.
Try and stop me.
I'll never forget
you, or this day.
- You better not.
- Thanks, Rose.
I'll get out of your way now. I don't think
you need any help putting on your pants.
Now, as soon as the processional begins,
I want you to be sure and signal me.
Okay, I'll whistle. I'll go...
No, no. Like this.
- Corabeth, I can't do that.
- Oh, dear.
This is not at all what I had
in mind for the graduation.
I never should have
tolerated Jim-Bob's mutiny.
What's wrong, Corabeth? You're not
getting one of your headaches, are you?
Just the slightest
throb at my temple.
This is too much for you. I
should never have let you take it on.
Oh, well, it's not the work that I
object to, it's the lack of appreciation.
I had such high hopes
for those young people,
and was there one word of
praise? Not a modicum of gratitude.
Corabeth, you're not gonna be
school teaching next year. That's final.
Well, perhaps my nervous system is just
not as suited for teaching as I thought.
But what if they should need me?
Well, they'll just have to get
somebody else. I'm putting my foot down.
Oh, Mr. Godsey, sometimes
you can be very masterful.
- May I come in?
- Oh, dear.
It's that crazed Piper boy.
Yes?
Mrs. Godsey, on behalf
of the graduation class, I...
Uh...
Well, here. You were the
best substitute teacher we had.
- No hard feelings?
- They're lovely.
Here, honey. I'll
pin it on for you.
To the friends and families
of the Walton's Mountain
graduating class of 1944, welcome.
I know that you share my pride in
the achievement of these young people
upon the completion of their
secondary school education.
Although I have
played only a small part
in the final act
of their schooling,
when the curtain comes down,
I will remember these days.
It is with great pleasure that I
introduce to you the class valedictorian,
James Robert Walton.
I didn't prepare a long speech.
All of us, not just me, have
worked really hard for this day.
Five years ago, we might have
gone on to college or gotten jobs.
There's a war out
there that's not over yet.
Just this week, a whole lot of
kids, not much older than we are,
found themselves right in the middle
of it on the beaches of Normandy.
And it was because of them we wanted
to do something special, this graduation,
that would be our gift to the
community and to the school.
So, we all got
together this morning
and went into Rockfish,
and enlisted in the Army.
That is, the boys enlisted
in the Army, all four of us.
The girls came along for moral support.
They've promised to write every week.
I know it's not going to
be easy saying goodbye,
but it helps that
we're going together.
And it helps, knowing that you'll
be here running things for us,
because we need you
now, and when we get back.
That's all I have to say, except
I'd like the other graduates to rise,
'cause I'm very proud
to be part of this class.
- Eat up, you two.
- I'm not hungry.
- It's hard to swallow this morning.
- I know.
Yeah, I know, too. I'm
having the same problem.
I'm not gonna
cry. I refuse to cry.
All set to go?
Rose, will you hold on to my cuff
links for me till I get back? Thanks.
Here, Grandma, this is till I can
send you a picture of me in my uniform.
Take good care of my
model airplanes for me, okay?
There's a good chance I'll be transferring
to the Air Corps. I'll let you know.
All right, everybody.
Here we go.
- Hey, where's John-Boy?
- He's gonna meet us out front.
Daddy.
Something you ought to know.
I'm putting in a transfer for
a unit that's going overseas.
It seems to be catching on.
I'm proud of all my children.
Look at that yellow.
Here you go, Elizabeth.
Lemon-yellow, just like you ordered.
Time for us to get going.
You sure you don't want
a ride as far as Ike's?
No. We'll walk, Daddy.
- Bye-bye, now.
We got plenty of time
before the bus gets here.
It might be the last chance we
have to be together for a while.
All right. BEN:
Bye-bye, sweetheart.
- Bye-bye, Daddy.
- Take care, Son.
- Bye-bye, Mary Ellen.
- All right, behave now.
- God bless you.
- See you later.
- Bye-bye, Daddy.
- Bye.
- Take care now.
- All right.
Y'all take care.
My brothers and I knew, as
we walked a wa y that morning,
that things would never
again be the same.
The war would teach us how
small Walton's Mountain was,
and how ordinary
our lives there.
And yet, from the foxholes of
France, in the skies over Germany,
on the reefs and atolls
of the South Pacific,
wherever the war was to take us, we
returned to the Mountain in memory,
over and over again. That
wooded earth, that frame house,
that weathered porch where
our loved ones waited. Home.
Isn't anybody gonna say good night?
- Good night, Daddy.
Good night, Jim-Bob.
- Jim-Bob can't hear you.
- I can pretend, can't I?
Good night, John-Boy.
Good night, Ben.
Good night, Jason.
- Good night, everyone.
English -SDH