Airdate: 1/18/73
A young girl named Jenny Pendleton has run away from her Richmond home to Walton’s Mountain, in a house her father used to own but is now under the watch of John Walton. The family takes her in and she immediately falls in love with her new environment… and with John-Boy. As romance blossoms, her father returns, and we learn that she had run away when he remarried. It seems as though she is ready to give her stepmother a chance when she gets the tragic news that her father was killed in an automobile accident; they must now both return to Richmond, leaving behind a heartbroken John-Boy.
Second episode in a row written by series creator Earl Hamner is the first in which John Boy is truly in love. His love interest, Jenny, is believably portrayed by prolific TV actress Sian Barbara Allen, whose warm soul and active imagination beguiles the audience as well as John Boy (her plain but pretty appearance also makes her a credible presence in 30s Virginia). I’ve discovered that love scenes in dramas are often difficult to write without sounding tinny or maudlin, but Hamner writes some sharp yet emotional dialogue here, and even the inevitably heartbreaking finale is less melodramatic than it could have been. A few demerits though for Richard Thomas’ lack of singing ability; regrettably, it’s played during said final scene!
Cute subplot involving Mary Ellen’s plan to start a bullfrog farm for frogs legs restaurants; what ultimately happens to the plan is just as cute.
No comments:
Post a Comment