The Waltons S05E23 The Go Getter

I'm gonna go into Rockfish tomorrow and do some shopping. Maybe Sarah'd run into Epp. It's possible. I thought you didn't like matchmaking. Huh? There's no use me beating around the bush. Sarah's got her eye on you, Epp. John boy, I'm in love. May I point out that you're being paid to work here, not to be daydreaming about Darlene Jarvis. I don't need this job. I can get a job with Mr. Jarvis tomorrow if I want. Well then, why don't you just do that? In the spring of 1938, I began to feel the burden of publishing the Blue Ridge Chronicle and finishing my novel. It would be the newspaper which would create a crisis affecting the entire family. Hey! Hey! What are you all doing making that much noise? I'm trying to work in here. Do you all mind keeping the noise down, please? What's the matter with him? Oh, he's always a little edgy when he's working on his novel. He's down to the last chapter. He's been working on it a long time. Well, I don't see why that gives him the right to be so grouchy. I'm pooped anyway. Listen, I gotta finish my deliveries. Better luck next time, Jimbo. Oh, well, come on. Let's give her a shove. Back to the shed. Come on, everybody. Come on. Give her the old heave-ho. Steer her, Bob. Don't run into Libby's flowerbed. Here's the new Wrinkle, Mr. Jarvis, exclusively for you. Five dollars off any of your used cars on your lot with this ad. Ben, are you suggesting I should advertise to lose money? No, sir. To increase traffic. And traffic means sales. And people are gonna come to you to get five dollars off. More traffic, more money. Well, this ad's twice the size I usually take. Well, I want you to make twice as much money. Maybe even three times as much. Ben, you're a go-getter. Write him a check, Darlene. Um, I already have, Daddy. Oh. Thank you, sir. And I'm gonna come by to see how our campaign brings in all those customers. You do that, Ben. Spending all my money in advertising. I'd do a lot better if you weren't for me as a salesman. Hi. Hi, Ep. Come on in. I found a 1934 Green Dodge, Ben. It wasn't sold off this lot, was it? Thank you, no, Ep. Ben here has me selling them faster than people can steal them. Attaboy, Ben. Well, I better be going. I could go hitch a ride on home. Oh, no, Ben. Why don't I drive you home? I'm all caught up in the books. Can we take the blue Chevy, Daddy? Sure. Make sure there's plenty of gas in it. Thanks. Thank you, sir. Bye, Ben. See you later. Um, Ben, why don't you drive? Sure. Bye-bye. Bye, Daddy. Bye, Sheriff. Bye, Ben. Makes you wish you were young again, doesn't it? Why, Sarah Griffith. I didn't know you were in town. Olivia. Can I give you a lift? What brings you way back up here? Vacation. How's Ep? I did ask you what brings you all the way up here, didn't I? Yes, but you didn't answer my question. Ep is Ep. He doesn't change much, but we like him the way he is. Dear, sweet Ep. Just may change soon. I like the way you've set your hat. Do you think I'm being too bold? A faint heart never won a good man. You're way ahead of me, Olivia. Why don't you come in and say hello, then? Oh, I can't. I have to unpack over at Mrs. Brimmer's. Be nice to have you back on the mountain. Well, as long as I'm here, that's a happy possibility. Bye. Now, that's what I call traveling in style. Thanks for the ride, darling. Oh, that's okay. Will you be in tomorrow? Well, I ought to show your daddy the ad in print. Oh, I'd like to see it too, Ben. I'll be by for sure. Maybe even tonight, okay? Okay. Bye-bye, Ben. Bye-bye. Well, hey. Oh, our secret, huh? Our secret. Well, you know how the guys are. You won't tell Kurt, will you? Not unless I talk in my sleep. Well, you do talk in your sleep. I've heard you before. It's okay. Kurt doesn't listen in his sleep. Good. Thanks. So anyway, Grandma said to thank Ike and Cora Beth. The Baldwin sisters and Mrs. Brimmer and everybody else from all over have sent her get-well cards. He gets many more get-well cards. I'll have to build another room to put them in. Pass the beans, Ben. Well, I hope your mood has improved from this morning. Grandpa was just trying to concentrate this morning, that's all. It appears you're still trying to concentrate. I'm afraid my table talk isn't very good when I'm writing under a deadline. Excuse me. I think I'll have dessert when I've finished working. Okay, Mama. Come on, Ben, let's go. Hey, John boy, can I use your car tonight? Ben, we got work to do. We got a newspaper to put out, you remember? Sure, sure. Excuse me. You look like you're busting to tell me something. Remember Sarah Griffin? She nursed at Bridges when he was wounded in France. I do. She's here. She's spending a week staying at Mrs. Brimmer's. How did her engine sound? I don't know, Jim Bob. We were talking. I bet you were. Well, couldn't you listen? I did fix it, you know. I know, Jim Bob. Well, why couldn't you listen? What kind of mother are you? Jim Bob, she's going to be here a lot. You can discuss it with her. Jim Bob's still infatuated with her. Whatever that means. It means you like her a lot. Well, who wouldn't like a lady ambulance driver? Mama, can we eat our desserts by the radio? I want to listen to Charlie McCarthy. I don't see why not. Easy get along with tonight. I do wish Sarah would settle down here. You two get along, don't you? I'm going to go into Rockfish tomorrow and do some shopping. Why not Charlottesville? There's better stores there. Who thought we'd go into Rockfish? Maybe Sarah would run into Epp. It's possible. Liv, this isn't like you. I thought you didn't like matchmaking. I'm just going along for the ride. That's all. I wonder what I should wear. That innocent look is what you should wear. Oh, Ben, listen. I got an idea. I want to write down. Could you run one of these off and proofread it for me? Sure. What happened? It was just a little paperweight I made. It dropped into the press? Yeah. You could have broken the press. There's Darlene on it. It's for her desk. Ben, I don't understand you. You spend an hour making a paperweight? You know we're already behind schedule? John boy, I'm in love. Is there some law against that? Oh, and there's work to be done whether it's my car or your car. I would have gone and I would have come back and done my work later. May I point something out to you? May I point out that you're being paid to work here not to be daydreaming about Darlene Jarvis? John boy, may I point out to you that you've been pretty hard to get along with lately? Oh, yeah? Well, then, just don't cross me and do the work, all right? John boy, I don't need this job. You what? I don't need this job. I can get a job with Mr. Jarvis tomorrow if I want. Well, then, why don't you just do that? You look spiffy. Thank you, Grandpa. John tells me you and Sarah Griffiths are heading to town on a shopping spree. That's right. Are you sure there isn't something else that Sarah Griffiths has got in mind? You know, I think your prejudice had better look out. I don't know what you're talking about. Well, Sarah Griffiths is the sort of girl, once she gets her eye on a man, he's as good as hog tied rope and Brandon. Oh, no, just hold on there. I'd like to say hello to her before she changes her name. You behave yourself. No, I don't. Miss Griffiths, am I glad to see you. Good to see you again, Jim Bob. This hand isn't greasy. I've been keeping it clean. Welcome back to Waltham's Mountain. Nice to be here. Your engine sounds pretty good. Had it fixed lately? No, I didn't need to. You're such an excellent mechanic. My, Len, you look positively, radiantly beautiful, Miss Griffiths. Goodbye, you two. See you. I think I can find what I'm looking for at Barton's dry goods store. Olivia! You told me you were coming to town and you weren't going to say hello to me. Hello, Ed. Why, Sarah, when did you get back? I just got in yesterday. Oh. Well, I've been meaning to get over to Richmond. I would have liked that. Yeah, well, ladies, come on in. I've got the coffee on. Oh, no, thank you, Eppa. Sarah was kind enough to drive me in to do some shopping. I think I'd better do it. Well, just as you say. I'll either meet you back here at Barton's. Ain't this a surprise. Come on in. I've got coffee on. I've given it a lot of thought. I'd like to take you up on that job offer. I know I can sell. I know you can, too. When does the big ad come out? I don't know. I'm going to give you a try. Well, you won't regret it, sir. There's a list of the cars that are for sale and the prices. You take a look at that and see what you can do. Okay. I already know a lot about cars from home. Dan, good luck. Thank you. You ran into Ab. Take you long? He and Sarah talked for a while, but Sarah said nothing happened. You immediately proposed to her right there in the middle of the street? Sarah invited him over to Mrs. Brimmer's for supper, but Ab said he had a pool game. Do you think he had a pool game? Probably does now. Why, when she came all the way from Richmond? Olivia, I've known Ab a lot of years. I've hunted with him, I've fished with him, had an off-duty drink with him, and I've played pool with him. You should see the way he plays pool. He looks at that shot from every angle while you're just standing there, chalking, waiting for him to shoot. I am not interested in a pool game. I like to make fast moves. He probably likes Sarah a lot, but he's not going to be pushed into anything. Well, you're his friend. You've known him a long time. I suggest you get over to Ab and tell him to make his move. No, no. I may grouse him about not getting off the dime, but I am not going to push him into matrimony. He may enjoy his freedom. You think freedom is better than marriage? I didn't say that. Well, it sounded like it. Liv, this whole thing is beginning to get out of hand. Maybe you'd like to go play pool tonight, too. Liv. Any salesmen around? Well, I'm the salesman. Ben, Benjamin Walton. A truck gave up. Haven't got much in the way of money. Any bargains? Gee, I'm sure sorry to hear about your truck, but lucky for you, we're famous for our bargains. People come as far as Charlottesville, even Richmond for our bargains. Mr... Arnie Shimmerdy. Mr. Shimmerdy. Let's see what we can do for you today. Hurry. Here you go. The upholstery's shot. Well, Mr. Shimmerdy, that all depends on where you want to put your money. Fancy upholstery or just down-to-earth transportation. Now, you can look like a man that can smell goodbye. How much? You can drive your truck home for under $100. How much under? Ten. Mr. Shimmerdy, I know you want this truck. Now, if I talk to Mr. Jarvis, I'm pretty sure he'll knock a few dollars off because of the upholstery. I know a man that put a rug on his seats and it lasts for over five years. Now, if you do that, Mr. Shimmerdy, that's just money in your pocket. Where is this Jarvis? Oh, he's right over there. Where is that boy? He's probably watching the moon come up over Rockfish with Darlene. His supper's ruined. Mom, you don't think about food when you're in love. John, do you think you ought to drive over there and look for him? Take care of himself. What happened to your typewriter? Last chapter isn't coming easy. You sure you're not thinking about the run-in with your brother? Well, it has been on my mind. Well, since you're not doing anything, can you think of a five-letter word that means to tell all? C-O-N-F-E-S-S, that's seven. Well, you're no good at crosswords, but at least you can count. Spell. Well, if I was to help you out, it wouldn't be your puzzle, would it? No, John boy. Maybe you should have written the last chapter first. How can you write the last chapter first? That's the way I read a book. If I like the way it turns out, I go back. You're crazy, Mr. Potts. Oh, it saves waiting through a dumb book. Ben's home. Well, it's about time. I sure hope he's done some thinking. Hey, everybody, I'm home. Hey, son. Hey, Ben, where'd you get the fancy car? Well, it's one of Mr. Jarvis's used cars. Your mother had you supper in the oven, son. You better hurry up and eat. If it gets any colder, I'm going to have to feed it to the pigs. I'm going to go out to the shed. Wait a minute. I have some good news to tell everyone, maybe of some importance to a few of you, especially you, John boy. I'm not the little brother anymore. I got a job today. I'm going to be working as a car salesman for Jarvis's used car lot. And what's more, I sold a pickup truck today and I made a commission of $8. There's a lot of respect around here, son. Well, Ben, we've always treated you with full respect around here, all of us, haven't we? Son, was that truck you sold, the one that Jarvis had out back, the white one that Mort Sellers used to own? Yeah, that's the one. I hope you told whoever bought it everything that was wrong with it. He never asked. It's a lot of truck for the money. Well, it was. My Fenster, you got more knots than shoelaces, you know that? My feet are going too fast. I know, Fenster, but look. Look at it this way. You could logically become the world's champion shoelace buster. You ever think about that, huh? Makes you blink, doesn't it? Thanks, Sheriff. Hi, John. How's the world treating you? Can't complain, Hep. That's good. You know, Sarah Griffith's up from Richmond. Yeah, I hear she's over at Flossie Brimmer's, right? Mm-hmm. Yeah? She really surprised me when she showed up at Honor Day like that. The memories that she brought back. She and Liv had it all right from the start. You'd think they'd known each other for years. You would. You really would, for sure. Hep, I'm supposed to talk to you about something. Yeah? Oh, well, let's go inside here. I got some coffee on. Gotta wash up some cups. Now, Hep, I'm gonna get right to it. An unmarried man, you know, walking around loose, Hep, gives women ideas. Oh, well... Huh? There's no use me beating around the bush, Hep. Sarah's got her eye on you, Hep. She wants you to ask her to marry you. Uh... Look, John, I, uh... Liv put me up to this, Hep. She'd like nothing better than to have her friends staked out up here for good. All the women in my family are kind of soft on you anyway. You know that, Hep. Well, I'm... I'm pretty soft on them, too. But, uh... Now, that's Sarah. A man could do a lot worse. Oh, look, look, John, John. I know, uh, you could... See, uh... I've always been the... kind of a fellow that, uh... You've got to kind of go by my, uh... With me, John, it's just hard to figure in my case. And yet... Hi, Ben. Well, hello, Darlene. Well, what's the matter? Well, I've never seen you wearing a hat before. Well, how do you like it? It's real cute. It goes with your tie. Well, good. I figured since I'm going to be the best car salesman in the country, I might as well wear a hat. You got style. Thanks. You know, Mary Ellen, these have gone up to 30 cents. 30 cents a dozen for eggs? Yeah, you and Kurt ought to start raising chickens. It would never work. He can't stand to see anything penned up. You mean even chickens? Kurt's weird. Hi, Flossie. How are you, Mrs. Brimmer? What's the matter with the feet? I'd like a pound of sugar and a bag of cornmeal, please. Okay. Sugar and cornmeal. Come on. I'll bet anything Kurt would tell you to stay off your feet for a while. Honey, if you run a boarding house, you can't stay off your feet. Well, why don't you buy a car? You know, I've thought of it. Well, Ben is working over at Jarvis's. You ought to go over there and see what he's got. That's 38 cents. Put it on the bill. Imagine me with a car. Why not? Bye-bye. Did you see Epp Bridges in town? We talked. What did he say? Not much. Did you bring up the subject of Sarah? Uh-huh. Well? He said Sarah was a fine woman. Is that all? Mm-hmm. Doesn't sound like much of a conversation to me. Mm-hmm. Epp's not much of a talker, you know. Well, what did you say? I told him the truth. Epp understands straight talk. Sarah would die a thousand deaths if she knew you said that to him, and I wouldn't blame her. How could you? What are you getting so riled about? You're the one who's dead set on telling the truth. This is something entirely different. What's so different? It doesn't matter. You'll probably spoil the whole thing anyway. Why? Because there's nothing that scares a man off faster than knowing that a woman is after him. I don't know. I knew you were after me. Everybody would just leave him alone. If everybody left Epp alone, he'd probably never get out of bed. This car is just right for you, Mrs. Brimmer. Used to belong to Preacher Parker over in Scottsville. Took real good care of it. It's a nice-looking car. All the tires are just fine, and the valves were just ground last year. I wouldn't know a valve from a hubcap. Hey, Ben, could I see you a minute? Sure, one moment. Excuse me a moment, please. Sir? Mrs. Brimmer's out there. I think she's gonna buy the car. Yeah, she's gonna buy something. Now, look, Ben, we can sell that little coupe she's looking at any day of the week. Why don't you see if you can get her interested in another car? That Studebaker sedan, for instance. That needs work, doesn't it? It could use a little cleaning up. Might need some work later on. But it's quality. It's big. It's heavy. It's safe. I don't know. She's a friend of my family's, so you could point out the difference in size. With the big back seat, she can take her friends with her. You sell that sedan, Ben, there's a $5 bonus in it for you. Mrs. Brimmer, Mr. Jorvis has a good idea. Why don't you take a look at the sedan? It carries five passengers and it costs less than that small coupe. It's awfully big, isn't it? I'm not that good a driver. Oh, you will be in no time at all. There's a lot of advantages to a big car. You can take all your friends for a ride or you can go pick up your boarders at the bus station. Get a fancier car every day. Well, Mr. Jorvis says I can use any car I want off the lot. Did Mr. Jorvis lend you the hat, too? Well, the hat's mine. The logging road cuts along the valley right about here, I think. Oh, it'll be far shorter if they go along the ridge route to Saddle. Well, you know how steep that hill is, though. I'm home, everybody. Well, look at my handsome son. What are you doing? Well, no, I'm selling cars. I sold another one today, Daddy. Made $12 commission plus a $5 bonus. You look pretty funny in that hat. Well, Darlene likes it. Take it off in the house, Ben. You try that on. Heh. Well, Mr. Jorvis says I'm the best salesman he's ever had. Born to it is what he says, and I believe him. It just comes natural to me. Big business and progress and all that. And the money I'm making, I've made $25 already this week. Well, I hope you're putting some of that aside, son. It's a warm feeling to have money in the bank. I was thinking, Daddy, why don't you get rid of that ratty old truck of yours? I can get you a great deal on this beautiful LaSalle Roadster we've got. I can just see your daddy driving a load of lumber to Rockfish in a LaSalle Roadster. Will you please go outside and tell Jim, Bob, and Elizabeth to wash up the supper? Yes, Mama. Oh, my God. Hi, that boy. Sure is. Elizabeth, come to supper. All right. Jim, Bob, Mama wants you to get cleaned up. Okay. You know what I can't figure out? That's why you spend so much time working on this piece of junk. Well, when it's finished, I'll have a car. Jim, Bob, when it's together, it'll still be a piece of junk. No one will even want to ride in it. Big shot. I'm going into town. Did you bring him back? Uh-huh. You seen at Bridges lately? Saw him last Wednesday. Why? Your idea about letting him make his own moves with Sarah hasn't worked. She hasn't seen him since then. He's probably been busy. Not that busy. Her vacation's over in a couple of days. She'll be going back to Richmond, and that could be the end of everything. I don't know how you're going to get up to move unless you hog time and drag him. There are ways. Here you go. There you go. Thank you. Bye, kids. Morning, Olivia. Hi, Ep. How's everybody out your way? Everybody's just fine, thank you. Except Grandma, and she's improving all the time. I want you to please remember me to her next time you go out to the hospital. I want to get out there this next week. Ep, John and I are having a little sup on Friday night, and none of my friend Sarah would like you to come. It would be enjoyable, wouldn't it? Of course, you wouldn't have to pay. Sheriff and his party always get in free, see? All right. We'll be your guests for that part of the evening. Here's a dandy good show, too. Singing picture, Jeanette McDonald and Nelson Eddy. We'll look forward to seeing you Friday at 6. Oh, I'll be there. Be there. Bye. Good to see you, Olivia. It's just about time for a cup of tea. Oh, I haven't got time. Sarah, Olivia's here. Be right out. She's such a nice one to have around. You know, if Ep Bridges doesn't marry her, he ought to have his head examined. Look at the way she talks to me. You'd think I've been living here for years. You and Ep are coming for supper Friday night. Did you have to threaten him? No, he was pleased as punch. Wear that red dress you were showing me. Maybe I ought to go down and have Cory Godsey do my hair. Just don't let her give you a permanent wave. Is this your new car, Flancy? Did Ben sell it to you? Just the other day. It's a big old thing, isn't it? You must enjoy having a car. Well, I did the first day, but then it made such a racket and the engine stopped and it hasn't run since. I think you ought to take it back and make him repair it. I would, but I might think about that. Kind of a small group, considering the number you folks usually have here. Where is all the family tonight? Liv drove them out. That's not true. She's at the hospital. Aaron's working at the telephone office. Ben is on a date. Jason's working at the Dewdrop Inn. Jim Bob is having supper with Patsy Brimma. Elizabeth is playing with Amy at the Godseys. And that's it. Have I left anybody out? Nope. How do you keep track of all of them? I don't always. This is real good chicken, Liv. Thank you. Would anybody like some more? No, no. Thank you. Good chicken. The people up here on the mountain, the quiet, the people. Yeah, most of us feel that way. These beans are good, too, if I say so myself. You didn't cook them. I grew them. Last time we saw Nelson that day, he was a Canadian Mountie. Yeah, I saw that. Being the sheriff of Jefferson County was pretty dull after seeing that. Boy, you could be a Canadian Mountie if you wanted to be. Nope, can't sing. Put that back. You want this? Sure, I do. Okay, you got it. Good evening, Sheriff. Go right in. Look at me. Ep and Sarah ought to be sitting together. Ep is the host. He sure cooled us off, didn't he? You know, there's something I've always wondered about. You know, there's that Nelson, Eddie, and Jenna McDonald singing to each other out there in the woods, and there's a big orchestra playing. Now, there's nothing around out there for miles, but where'd that big orchestra come from? You're not supposed to notice that, Ep. You're just supposed to rear back and enjoy it. I think it's supposed to be the music in their hearts. I just thought it was real pretty. I just always wondered about that. Night, Sarah. Night. What are you looking so worried about? Scarcely spoke to each other. Liv, you can't make people talk, you know. He should have driven us home first and then brought her home. What are you looking like that for? Now, Livvy, I sure did appreciate that good supper. I really did enjoy that. Glad you could come by, Ep. We really enjoyed the movie, too. See you in town. That is the most aggravating thing. Those two really love each other. Why is Ep so standoffish? I don't know, but we're never gonna force him. If it's gonna happen, it will. I need help. It's Ep. Ep? I came back. Well, Aaron, if you expect to ride into town with me, you better hurry up and finish that quick. All right. I just wish one morning your children would all be ready to go on time. Seems like somebody's forever being hauled, pushed or shoved out of here. Well, that's due to the fact that certain people wait till the last possible minute before they get out of bed. That's you. Morning. Breakfast is in the oven. Well, Rudolph, Valentino, Walton, what time did you get in last night? What? It's none of your business. You ought to be arrested. What kind of talk is that? Did you see the car he sold Mrs. Brimmer? What about it? Yeah, what about it? Well, it's no good. I hope you didn't know it was in poor condition when you sold it to her. She left it there and then it quit. Timing chain's broken. Yesterday on the switchboard I heard Mrs. Brimmer talking to her sister. She paid $125 for that car. Now it won't run. And she doesn't have enough money to get it fixed. I just hope you didn't know, Ben. Ben? What are you all jumping on me for? I can't know everything about every car I sell. Why are you all jumping on me like I committed some sort of crime? You sold Mrs. Brimmer a rotten car. Hey, Ben. I'm having a bad enough time on this book without you standing there staring at me. John boy, I don't know what to do with Mrs. Brimmer's car. Mr. Jarvis won't fix it and I don't have the money. What about all those big commissions, all that money you were making? I spent most of it. On Darlene? Well, the only thing I can tell you is walking around hating yourself isn't going to help anything. Well, what should I do? Well, I don't know. But you better do something, anything. See if you can fix a car yourself. Maybe Jim Bob will help you with it. Jim Bob's sore at me. I don't know what to tell you, Ben. You wanted your independence. You wanted to be free of this job here. You got that. You've had the good times. Now let's see how you can handle the bad ones. Come on, Blue. Whoa. Come on, Ben. What are you going to do with that? I'm going to fix it. This I got to see. Olivia, you'll be glad to know that Ben came after my car and he's going to fix it for me himself. Ben's not the mechanic in the family but I know he'll do his best. Lossy Corbett told me that Sarah's leaving today. She's going back to Richmond. Well, that could be. Everything in the room's packed and I haven't seen her all day. I was so hoping she and Epp would get together. I guess we all were. Sarah, what's this I hear about your leaving? Yes, I'm going to go back to Richmond this afternoon. Oh, we're all going to miss you. Well, I'll be right back after the honeymoon. Epp and I are going to get married. Sarah. I told you all you had to do was leave those two alone and they would get together. It wasn't leaving them alone that did it. It was the supper and the movie. You remember when Epp dropped Sarah off first? Uh-huh. Well, he doubled back to Mrs. Brimmer. Sarah was waiting and he proposed. You want me to tell you you win? I just want you to know what happened. You know, you sure don't look like a mechanic. Get out of here, Jim Bob. Well, I want to see a real expert at work. I want to come out and get you, boy. What's the matter? You having some trouble? No, I'm not having any trouble. Now, just get out of here, Jim Bob, huh? We got to get the radiator off to get to the timing chain. You're a good brother, Jim Bob. Thank you. Don't just stand there. Grab a wrench. They are grown now, those boys. Men set apart by time and distance. But the patterns that were set in those early years still remain. During the years that followed, my brothers and my sisters came to each other's aid often in time of trouble. And they still do. Are you awake? Yes, Elizabeth. Why do ladies put candles on the table when they invite men for supper? Because candlelight makes ladies look prettier. Well, why is that? Because candles don't put out much light and you can't see too much. Isn't that kind of sneaky? Good night, Elizabeth.