Waltons 1.2: "The Carnival"

The Walton children can’t go to the local carnival since their money would be better used to fix grandma’s glasses, but after the carnival manager absconds with all the money, four members of the carnival troupe are left behind and take refuge in a nearby barn. When the Waltons invite them over for dinner, they dazzle John Boy with tales of the city and their travels. The dwarf (played by Billy Barty) even bequeaths to John Boy a copy of Moby Dick, stirring his imagination even more. The family helps them get on a train back to town, but not before they reciprocate the Waltons’ generous hospitality by giving them a private show.

A very effective story, beginning, in essence, the recurring motif of John Boy’s wanderlust and writing ambition. It also continues the idea of the outside (wayfaring strangers) coming into contact with the inside (Waltons abode) and how both parties are somehow edified in the process. The Waltons, of course, do what is right in sacrificing their carnival money for grandma’s glasses, but in so doing they get a better show than any paying customers could have dreamed: a “reap what you sow” idea that is part of the enduring message for the entire series.

Actor Billy Barty guest starred in episode 2.1 of The Waltons