"I believe that in our family all of us children were sparked to
do our best whatever we tried, for two reasons. There was the personal
satisfaction we felt, of course, but, just as important we knew that the whole
family would take pride in the success of any one of us. But then a day came
when I had to face the fact that a goal I had set for myself, was threatening to
disgrace and divide the family".
The Blue Ridge Chronicle is
headquartered in the Walton shed. John-Boy and Ben go into Rockfish so that
John-Boy can visit Sheriff Bridges. He is looking for a “grabber” article for
the inaugural issue. Ben is selling ads when some of his friends ask him to
shoot some pool. Suddenly, a car erratically drives through the streets and
careens into a local business, the soda shop. People come from everywhere to
find out what happened to Judge Thornbury, the driver of the car. The Sheriff
and John-Boy get there first, while Mrs. Brimmer tells them what happened.
John-Boy takes notes from Mrs. Brimmer. Ep tells the Judge that John Walton has
just started a new paper. John-Boy talks with Ep about the situation, where
John-Boy thinks he was drunk. Ep says that he shouldn’t be too rough on the
judge, since he has a lot of things on his mind.
Olivia and Grandma visit Ike’s store. Olivia
wants ten cents worth of cloves, but Ike can’t figure out where Corabeth moved
the spices. They have a mild argument in front of the Walton women. Corabeth
says she is being humiliated in front of her family. Corabeth says she doesn’t
always know what she is doing these days. Ike thanks Olivia and Grandma for
having tea with his wife because she is happy one moment and then crying her
eyes out the next. Corabeth tells the ladies that she is pregnant. Esther
giggles a bit, not quite believing it. But, Corabeth tells her she is very sure
about it, after saying that Dr. McIvers is almost sure she is having a baby.
Olivia says that she envies her, and Grandma says that she be careful, being so
high-strung.
Grandpa doesn’t believe that John-Boy should
announce to the community about the incident with Thornbury. John-Boy says he
has to honestly print the news. John and Grandpa agree that thinking that the
truth is simple has another thing coming. John-Boy tries to coordinate his
helpers: Jason, Ben, Jim Bob, Elizabeth, and maybe even Reckless. Jim Bob wants
to be called James Robert. Erin comes in with an article, wanting it to be in
the front page. But, John-Boy says world news and more important local news will
be on the front page. They run into Reckless and spill the letters of the press.
The family discusses how the Godsey’s life style will change with a new baby.
Ben announces that he is going over to Rockfish with his friends. Olivia and
John think that Rockfish is a bad influence for a young boy. Ben wants to know
why Rockfish is so evil. Grandpa pipes up that he has been trying to answer that
question for sixty years. John-Boy decides to use the quote of Marcus Aurelius
for the newspaper’s masthead: “The search for the truth by which the good man
never gets harmed.” John says, “of course, finding the truth, that’s another
matter.” John-Boy says, “They can’t shoot me for trying, but John responds,
“We’ll see about that.”
John and Grandpa see Judge Thornbury drive up
to see John-Boy. He inspects the home of the Blue Ridge Chronicle, and wonders
if they can spare a few minutes. Thornbury says that John-Boy is ambitious and
practical, hoping that he will not waste any space on the paper for his little
mishap. John-Boy stands by he view that any unusual occurrence by a public
figure is important news. Thornbury thinks he is taking himself too seriously,
knowing he is not the New York Times or even the Charlottesville
Progress. John-Boy tells him that he is not in their league but has
something in common with them: integrity. Thornbury asks him to do him a
personal favor and to forget the story. John-Boy asks him if the driver were a
farmer, would he be here asking the same thing of him? Thornbury silently walks
away, and asks John to talk some sense into him. But, John says he isn’t going
to tell him what to write in his paper. Zeb goes along with his family’s stand.
Corabeth tries on a maternity smock for
Olivia and Esther, saying she has put on some weight. She was spent hours
looking over things for the baby, and redoing the baby’s room. Ike, John, and
Zeb talk about names for the baby, such as Ginger (for Ginger Rogers), and Ike
Junior. The family sits in the living room on Saturday night as two boys (Wally
and Joe) wait for a double date for Mary Ellen and Erin. Ben and John-Boy go to
Rockfish. Elizabeth wonders why she has to stay with the old people when all the
others get to go out.
Ben finds his friends standing outside the
pool hall. One suggests a game of poker, and using the Garrettson’s house while
they are away on vacation. He is mowing their yard, and has the key. He finally
convinces all the boys to go to the house. Back home, John finds Olivia is
feeling a little bit like Elizabeth. They hug and kiss. The boys enter the
house, but Ben is hesitant to do so. John-Boy drives up to the pool hall in a
carriage pulled by a horse and driven by Ed. Across the street is the bakery,
which is next door to the soda shop. John-Boy finds that Ep is going out on a
report of a possible break-in, and goes along with him. Ike and Corabeth work on
the baby’s room. Ike asks Corabeth to start calling him “Ike”, instead of “Mr.
Godsey”.
Ep and John-Boy caught the boys coming out of
the house. John-Boy spots Ben. Ep tells John-Boy and John that breaking and
entering is a felony, possibly earning a man one to five years in the state
penitentiary. John signs papers to release Ben. At home, the family question Ben
about what happened. Olivia is furious, saying that Ben has been put in jail
like a common criminal. Olivia tells Ben that he will come straight home from
school, and will not be going out on school nights, and will not be selling
advertisement to the paper. John-Boy thinks it is unfair to blame
him.
John finds Corabeth walking along the side of
the road with her suitcase. She is crying, wanting to be taken to see Esther and
Olivia. She settles down as she explains that she is not really pregnant, and
never will be pregnant. Olivia reaches out to Corabeth, who says she is no use
to Ike. She decides to leave and go back to Doe Hill. Just then there is a knock
on the front door. Olivia finds Ike at the door. He says that the doctor told
him what happened. Olivia says that she doesn’t want to see him right now.
In the morning, John-Boy finds Ike sleeping
on the porch. He finds John, Olivia, Grandpa, and Grandma having coffee. Zeb
fetches Ike inside for coffee and biscuits. Zeb wonders if Corabeth is up yet.
John says that she wants to be taken to the bus station for Doe Hill. Olivia
goes upstairs for a talk with her. Olivia questions how she is treating Ike,
someone who loves her. He is going to be hurt and alone, and so will she. Olivia
said that when they got married they agreed to share the good and the bad.
Corabeth agrees to see Ike, and Olivia tells Ike to go upstairs. Ben says it is
his fault. Ben passes the biscuits to Grandpa, and Ben and Olivia kiss (he is
forgiven). Ike says that they still have what they have before, it wasn’t
perfect, but it could be made better. Ike pleads with her not to leave him,
doesn’t want to face being alone again. She comforts her husband.
John-Boy tells his mother and father that he
is going to compromise on the two articles (Ben’s arrest and the Judge’s car
accident). He is going to place both articles on the back of the paper (bury
them). John tells Olivia that they have raised their children not to hide the
truth. They take a walk, John telling her that, “they have been through fire,
pestilence, drought, Civil War, and the World War. I don’t think some story in a
backwoods newspaper is going to finish us off.” John-Boy finds Ben testing the
front-page stories on him and Thornbury. Ben tells John-Boy that he thinks both
stories should be on the front page.
The first edition of the Blue Ridge
Chronicle is born.
"In spite of all the obstacles and handicaps my brother and I
finally did manage to put the first edition of The Blue Ridge Chronicle 'to bed', as
they say in the newspaper business. With the publication of that first edition I
embarked upon a whole new adventure in my life. As usual, I had the help and
support of my family. They shared my pride and my sense of accomplishment. But
most of all, we shared the knowledge that rather than dividing or estranging our
family, the conflict we had just come through seemed to give us a new respect
for the different ways each of us could work for what all of us
wanted".
Elizabeth:
Daddy?
John: What is it honey?
Elizabeth: I'm thinking
about next Saturday night.
John: Fretting about being the only one
with no place to go?
Elizabeth: Uh hum.
John: Tell you
what. Maybe you and me and your Mama could go into Rockfish for an ice cream
soda. Would that help?
Elizabeth: Oh yes Daddy, and there's one other
thing - I wish all the other children would stay home while I get to go
out.....
John: You're gonna have to speak to them about that,
honey.
Elizabeth: Goodnight Daddy.
John: Goodnight
Elizabeth.
Notes:
Michael McDonough, who plays Joe, might be a brother of Mary (Erin Walton) McDonough.
John-Boy is limping with a cane, saying it was caused by a motorcycle accident.
Information about Marcus Aurelius can be found at: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02109a.htm.
Also appearing:
Ike & Corabeth Godsey (Joe Conley & Ronnie Claire Edwards); Graham Thornbury (Conrad Janis); Mrs. Brimmer (Nora Marlowe); Sheriff Bridges (John Crawford); Mr. Lowenthal (Hal Riddle); Louie (Meegan King); Tinker (Laird Fenwick); Joe (Michael McDonough); Chuck (Brad Rearden); Wally (Rick Meyer).