The Walton’s cow gives birth to a calf, but it is a bull, and John decides to sell it for money that can be used on a car repair. This is easier said than done, especially when the grieving mother cow moos all night, and the kids don’t act much differently. After selling it to a rather unsympathetic farmer, John proposes to buy it back, but the farmer raises the price. Elizabeth and Jim Bob (the youngest boy) go off on their own to steal the calf back after learning that it is scheduled to be slaughtered.
A simple plot with a heavy “aw” factor, this episode still feels firmly rooted in the reality of the times. Despite the farmer’s unwillingness to buy back his calf, he is not demonized, and still comes off as a hardworking man trying to make ends meet. The episode is resolved with involvement by the sheriff, but also through fair-minded negotiation conducted by John and Grandpa.
Pop Culture Reference Alert: Searching for Jim Bob and Elizabeth in the woods at night echoes (no pun intended) the search for Cindy and Bobby in the Grand Canyon on The Brady Bunch!
Little things: Veteran actor Will Geer is lovably affable in his role as grandpa Walton (John’s father). I’ve even noticed little character quirks he’s picked up, like drinking coffee from his saucer before the cap. Ellen Corby superbly plays his wife, grandma Walton; she is so good, it really does seem like she’s a real grandma (she even won an Emmy the first season).
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