Waltons 2.21: The Ghost Story

Airdate: 2/14/74

The Waltons look after a young boy, Luke, whose father is searching for work and whose mother had died years earlier during the Influenza Epidemic. While John Boy visits Ike he notices that he and the Baldwin sisters are attempting to foretell the future with an Ouija board. Ike begs John-Boy to take the board home with him, and when he does, he uses to try and conjure up spirits. Despite Grandma and Olivia’s Baptist disapproval, he and Jason continue, and when the board spells out Luke’s name and “train,” suspicions run wild. Add to that a series of circumstances that cause Lucas to miss his train, along with a freak accident involving the train itself, and the family (and viewers) is led to believe that perhaps Lucas’ mom is still protecting her child from the grave!

A real humdinger of a ghost story, perhaps more suited for a Halloween episode, that feels like it might have come from the pen of my favorite horror writer, Stephen King. Our TV old friend, the Ouija board (though called a spirit board here), makes its appearance here, and the show features the obligatory moment when nonbelievers think someone is pushing it, that it’s not moving by itself (of course, that person denies it). A fairly predictable outcome, but chilling, and surprisingly touching, nonetheless.