Airdate: 11/4/76
Mary Ellen comes
home from a date with her recent love interest, David Spencer, with some sudden
news: they’re getting married. John and Olivia are taken aback at first, but
soon the whole family is excited about the impending nuptials. The engagement
party is interrupted by a mystery guest – the new doctor (replacing Dr. Vance),
a single man from a coal-mining town in West Virginia named Curt Willard. He
begins his practice by ruffling more than a feather or two; it seems that his
straight talk is a bit much for some of the more genteel citizens of the
community, so he enlists the aid of Mary Ellen to help him with his bedside
manner. Antagonists at first, they gradually develop respect for each other,
which turns to love, and Mary Ellen starts having second thoughts about her
engagement to David.
Curt’s past is
still a bone of contention for some, even after he organizes a fundraising
dance to raise money for a new clinic so folks won’t have to drive all the way
to Charlottesville for emergency treatment. Immediately, he leaves town, with
the clinic funds, and now everyone is more suspicious than ever, but the letter
he leaves for Mary Ellen is burned by a spiteful Erin, who saw the two
lovebirds kissing at the dance. When John Boy goes after Curt, he finds that
the doctor had to return to the coal mining town to back up his claim that the
coal mines were unsafe and hazardous; John-Boy winds up being a character
witness, and Curt’s accusations are validated, his reputation cleared. He returns
to Waltons’ Mountain and professes his love for Mary Ellen, and asks her hand
in marriage; she accepts.
Hooray for
turning what could have been a mawkish two hours worth of sentimental filler
into a sharp, plot driven, fine work of entertainment (with more than a
few surprises along the way). Just when you think Mary Ellen might marry that drip David, along comes
Curt, quirkily played by Tom Bower, who made his Waltons debut in a different role in “The Wing Walker.” Bower
brings charm and charisma, but also an idiosyncratic demeanor that reminds me
of Jack Nicholson. He’s an unusual choice for a Waltons groom –that’s why I like him. Welcome aboard, Curt!
Nice stock
footage from The Homecoming episode
during John’s flashback. Oh,and keep your eyes peeled for Debbie Gunn, who
plays Patsy Brimmer and Jim Bob’s love interest - she is a dead ringer for Kirsten Dunst! (Although sadly sans
her acting ability.)
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