(23
March 1978)
Writers: D.C.Fontana and Richard Fontana.
Director: Gwen Arner.
Music: Alexander Courage.
"When
I was a boy I dreamed of what I would make of my life when the time came to
leave the mountain. My journey took me to New York City where I became reporter
for a press service, began work on my second novel and fell in love. I knew
that the days of my life would be played out elsewhere, but as always, the
events that took place on the mountain would shape and change the rest of my
life"
John-Boy walks to the back of the theatre where his girlfriend, Daisy Garner, has finished a performance. She meets him at the top of the stairs and they proceed to their favorite restaurant. Inside the piano player asks John-Boy to sign his copy of the book Walton’s Mountain for his mother. The couple orders red wine while Daisy reminisces about how her life has changed since they first met at the marathon dance. John-Boy tells Daisy he wants to be with her all the time and proposes marriage. Daisy is hesitant to say yes because there are things about her that he does not know. But she finally consents.
John-Boy calls home but is unable to reach the house when Erin says Mary Ellen is speaking to Curt who is at Camp Lee. He tells his sister to inform the family that he and his new fiancée will be arriving at the bus station tomorrow. Mary Ellen announces the big news to the family. Elizabeth’s friend George Simmons is asked to have supper with the Waltons. The two are setting up a lemonade stand at Ike’s store for five cents a glass.
Mr. Johnson speaks with John-Boy about an assignment in London as a civilian correspondent for the newspaper Stars and Stripes. The young author cannot believe he is being offered the job after just asking Daisy to marry him. Knowing she cannot go with him, Mr. Johnson suggests they wait for a more opportune time.
At the bus station, John and Grandpa greet the couple. Grandpa warmly introduces himself to the young woman who says he was accurately described to her as ‘very handsome’. They stop at Ike’s store where Elizabeth meets her future sister-in-law. Daisy knows that if she can pass her inspection the rest of the family will accept her, too. Elizabeth gives Daisy a glass of lemonade, but tells John-Boy he owes her five cents. Grandpa stays behind to inspect the lemonade stand. The entrepreneurs are disappointed about only selling two glasses so far (while drinking six). Grandpa suggests advertising the pink lemonade at a special price of four cents and says he will ponder about what to do with the regular lemonade.
After supper, the family talks on the front porch with the couple. Daisy does not think her mother will attend the wedding because of a dispute resulting in them not speaking for three years. Jim Bob asks his father if he is going to give John-Boy a man-to-man talk before the wedding. John asks his eldest son if it is needed. John-Boy agrees ‘for old time’s sake’. John tells John-Boy that there is no secret to marriage. He recommends showing her that you love her, keeping the marriage fresh, and finding ways to surprise her.
Grandpa visits the Baldwin sisters to ask them for some of the recipe even though he stopped by for some only last week. At Ike’s store Zebulon secretively pours the recipe into the regular lemonade and instructs Elizabeth and George to sell it only to men. After telling the children to add extra sugar to the pink lemonade, Grandpa also instructs them to advertise it only to women and children.
John-Boy admits to his parents that he wishes Daisy’s mother could attend the wedding. They advise him to talk with her to see if he can bring mother and daughter back together. While Olivia and Daisy begin sewing the wedding dress Mary Ellen brings her son downstairs. He is hot and cutting a tooth for which a remedy from Grandma is being applied. Daisy is visibly sad about seeing the mother and baby together. John-Boy drives up to Mrs. Garner’s house and introduces himself as Daisy’s fiancée. He explains that she has been a successful dancer in New York City and attempts to mend their problems. Mrs. Garner realizes that the young man does not know the real reason why Daisy left. She does agree to see her tomorrow if Daisy wants to see her.
While showing Daisy his old printing press John-Boy tells her what happened. Although uncomfortable about what he did, she agrees to visit her mother. The next morning Daisy and her mother greet each other. It is a tearful moment for Daisy when she sees a little girl at the foot of the staircase. She realizes it is her daughter that her mother has been raising, after she put the child up for adoption. She had given birth to the baby out of wedlock. Daisy had not seen her daughter, Melissa, since the argument she had with her mother about whether to marry the baby’s father whom she did not love.
Business is booming for the regular lemonade as men arrive in droves to buy the spiked beverage. Miss Emily and Miss Mamie sample the lemonade and find it somehow reminiscent of their papa. Corabeth decides to taste the drink much to the chagrin of Ike and Zebulon. She realizes what has happened and shouts, ‘Mr. Godsey! Zebulon Walton! Really!’
Daisy emerges from the house to tell John-Boy what has happened. She tells him three months before the marathon dance she had given birth. Now, Daisy has decided to remain with her mother in order to raise her daughter. She knows their marriage will not happen because she cannot stand in his way. John-Boy says he is willing to grow with her. But Daisy knows they now have responsibilities that go in different directions. John-Boy says good-bye to the woman he loves. Later, he calls Mr. Johnson to find the job still available. He must return tomorrow to New York City for the new assignment. With sorrow in his voice, John-Boy asks his parents to look in on Daisy.
"Ahead
of me lay all the fabled cities of the world. I was to come to know London,
Paris, New York, and Rome as intimately as I knew the small Virginia towns. I
would walk the streets of the great cities of Europe, visit their monuments and
museums, and come to know their people. And with every step, the shadow of
Daisy would walk beside me".
Jim
Bob: Think John-Boy will remember about those magazines?
Jason: He usually remembers.
Erin: Goodnight you two....
Elizabeth: Yeah I got to get up early tomorrow.
Erin: Why?
Elizabeth: I just thought of a great new business I'd like to try.
Grandpa: Do you need any help Elizabeth?
John: Goodnight Pa....
Notes:
Hasting’s House published John-Boy’s first novel Walton’s Mountain. (In reality, Random House of New York published his first novel Fifty Roads to Town in 1953 and Dial Press of New York published Earl Hamner’s second novel Spencer’s Mountain in 1961.)
John-Boy and Daisy first met in the episode entitled The Marathon (season 3, episode 9). Daisy remembers the song Whispering that the band continued to play over and over again while they were dancing.
Mrs. Garner lives in Lynchburg.
John-Boy mentions to Daisy about the carpetbagger he exposed during the reelection of Sheriff Bridges and the excerpt of Mein Kamph by Adolph Hitler. Both articles were published in The Blue Ridge Chronicle. The article on the carpetbagger appeared in The Last Mustang (season 5, episode 12) and the story about Mein Kamph appeared in The Fire Storm (season 5, episode 5).
Also appearing:
Ike Godsey (Joe Conley); Corabeth Godsey (Ronnie Claire Edwards); Mr. Johnson (Walter Brook); Daisy (Deirdre Lenihan); Mrs. Garner (Rachel Bard); Miss Emily Baldwin (Mary Jackson); Miss Mamie Baldwin (Helen Kleeb); George Simmons (Steve Shaw); The Piano Player (Tommy Leonetti); The Reporter (Will Parker).