Waltons 4.22: “The House”

Airdate: 2/19/76

The old Whitley house in Rockfish is about to be demolished, and Grandma wants it saved for the sentimental value it has for her (it’s where she and Grandpa kissed and danced for the first time). Unfortunately, Grandpa just got the contract to tear it down, which pays nothing but would yield excellent quality lumber. John-Boy finds himself between a rock and a hard place when he is assigned to write an editorial on whether or not to save the house. Realizing it poses a safety hazard and would be cost-prohibitive to restore it, the city goes ahead with the demolition, but Grandpa surprises Grandma by saving the stained glass window and installing it in their bedroom.

Subplot: Jason arouses his professor’s scorn by improving a classical piece for the upcoming recital. Swayed by Grandma’s love for the passion of backwoods music, he foregoes Haydn for a church spiritual – and earns his teacher’s favor for his “Virginia classical music.”

Grandma is featured in both plots here, and it’s the second episode in a row to spotlight her. Again, I admire the way the show treats the grandparents not as peripheral characters but as real flesh-and-blood figures, with histories and personal lives no different from their younger counterparts. You’d be hard pressed to find any stories focusing on the elderly, without calling attention to their age, these days.