Original subtitles

- I can't believe I'm home. - Let's get you settled. Then I'll believe it.

[ALL LAUGH]

I got a call from the Army this afternoon.

It seems that Tommy Satterfield has gone AWOL.

I didn't know Tommy was old enough to be in the Army.

There's only one place for him up in the hills.

- I ain't going back, Mr. Walton. - Stay right where you are, boy.

You can't hide out, Tom. They'll come get you one day.

There's not much breathing room in them prisons.

If anything happens to my boy, John Walton...

...it'll be on your head.

Liv, I--

[SIGHS]

I was the one who drafted him.

I sent him off, or he'd be alive today.

I hate this draft-board job, Liv.

I can't stand playing God to my neighbors' sons.

You're gonna be sorry for the day you took my boy off to die.

- You and your local draft board. - I know how you feel, Calvin.

Drinking isn't gonna do any good...

...and taking it out on me isn't gonna bring Tommy back.

That depends on how I do it, I'd say.

I'm gonna make you a trade, Walton.

You'll be paying for the life of my son with the life of one of your own.

You hear me?

JOHN-BOY: It was one spring day during the war...

...that our mother came back to us.

And with her arrival, it seemed that everything began to look brighter.

In Europe and North Africa, the Allied forces were gaining strength...

...giving new hope to those of us on the home front.

There were dark days still ahead...

...but for now it was peaceful on the mountain...

...and my family rejoiced in being together again.

[ALL CHEERING]

I'd forgotten how beautiful you all are. Oh!

Welcome back, Mama.

Elizabeth. My, how you've grown. What have you been feeding them?

[ALL LAUGH]

OLIVIA: Jason. Jim-Bob, you're so thin.

- Erin, you're a young woman. ERIN: Ha, ha.

Elizabeth, you too.

BEN: Mama, this is Cindy. - Mrs. Walton.

[CINDY & OLIVIA CHUCKLE]

So pretty.

- I can't believe I'm home. - Let's get you settled. Then I'll believe it.

ALL: Ha-ha-ha. JOHN: Jim-Bob, get the bags.

ELIZABETH: Wait till you see the living room.

- I hope you haven't changed everything. JASON: Oh, no. We painted a little bit.

I was so anxious to get your mama home that I was halfway here...

...before I realized we'd left the luggage on Aunt Kate's lawn.

The longest part of the trip, going back for them.

MARY ELLEN: Grandma's gonna be sorry she went when she hears you're home.

She needs a vacation, knowing how well you all behaved while I was gone.

Oh, Mama, here. It took a week to save up ration points to get that roast.

- In that case, I'll have another piece. - You eat up now. Keep your strength up.

Nothing wrong with my strength. The doctor says I'm good as new.

ELIZABETH: Somebody else is coming home.

- Aimee Godsey. - That's good news.

Seems like she's been at boarding school forever.

Elizabeth's been marking the days off the calendar.

Boys don't understand about friends. All they know how to do is pow.

- Pow? - Pow. Ha-ha-ha.

JASON: You're gonna notice a lot of changes on the mountain.

ERIN: Mama, it is almost impossible to get stockings around here.

I'm down to my last pair.

What you ought to try and find is a new spare tire.

ALL: Ha, ha. BEN: There's a lot of new people here.

Zuleika's boarding house is filled with defense workers.

Mostly women. All the men are being drafted.

ERIN: I hired Mary Ellen last month.

She is the official resident nurse of the Pickett Defense Plant.

John Curtis hardly recognizes me without my uniform on.

Aw. He's a sweet baby...

...and we all love him extra hard when his mama's gone.

That'll be good experience for you, Cindy, when you have your own baby.

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

ELIZABETH: I'll get it.

That'll be Corabeth coming over to give us all the latest gossip.

- This is good. JOHN: Yeah, it's very good.

- Elizabeth, is your daddy home? ELIZABETH: Sure, come on in.

JASON: You could use a little gossip, Jim-Bob.

- Oh, it's Ep. Well. BEN: Hi, sheriff.

- Hey, it's good to see you home. OLIVIA: It's good to be here, Ep.

- Pull up a seat, join the celebration. - No, John, I can't stay.

Uh, and I apologize for breaking in on you folks like this...

...but I tell you, I got a call from the Army this afternoon.

It seems that Tommy Satterfield has gone AWOL.

OLIVIA: I didn't know Tommy was old enough to be in the Army.

JASON: They're drafting them at 18 these days, Mama.

JOHN: There's only one place for him in the hills.

I just got back from there, talked to his daddy.

He claims he hasn't set eyes on him. I don't believe that for a minute.

But, John, you were pretty close to that boy.

If you run across him, I wish you'd tell him his outfit's shipping out...

...and if he isn't in Norfolk by 6:00 tomorrow night, he's in trouble.

All right, Ep, I'll do that. Thanks for coming by.

- I gotta go. - All right.

Sorry to interrupt your homecoming.

- I'll see you folks. - So long, Ep.

ALL: Bye, Ep. EP: Bye.

That's a pretty serious offense, going AWOL in wartime.

JIM-BOB: Mr. Satterfield didn't want Tommy in the Army in the first place.

I guess I'll have to try to find that boy, have a talk with him.

Good luck. They sure don't welcome people nosing around up there.

John, I don't understand. What has this got to do with you?

Liv, I'm the head of the draft board. I drafted him.

It sure was nice having you next to me last night.

I didn't hear you come out.

How could you, the way you're standing here staring off?

I was thinking about Tommy Satterfield.

How he's gonna sail across an ocean to fight a war...

...and he's never even seen an ocean.

It's a wonder more of them don't run away.

We sure are lucky having Jason stationed nearby.

He's been coming home most weekends, you know.

I wish John-Boy were as close.

At least the Army has him writing about the war instead of fighting it.

Doesn't matter. He's still in the thick of it.

I don't wanna think about it just now.

Aren't you two ever gonna get over that?

Not if I can help it.

It's your mama's fault. She can't keep her hands off me.

[OLIVIA & ELIZABETH CHUCKLE]

- Bye. - You forget what you came down for?

Well, you weren't in your room.

I wanted to make sure you were somewhere.

I was afraid I'd come home and nobody would need me.

[OLIVIA CHUCKLES]

JASON: Hup, two, three, four. Hup, two, three, four, hup.

Stay in step, Lapinsky.

Hup, two, three. To the rear, hup.

Two, three, four, hup. Stay in step, men.

To the rear, hup.

By the left flank, hup.

[CAR APPROACHING]

JASON: Stay in step there.

By the left flank, hup.

Detail, halt.

Right, ho.

You're daydreaming again, Lapinsky. Snap out of it.

Sir, I'm sorry. I get mixed up.

- Don't you know right from left? - It depends on what I'm doing already.

Like, I shake hands with my right...

...and I signal for a turn with my left, like so.

I'm sorry, Harry.

But for the marching, I forget which is which.

Let me see if we can give you something to help you remember.

Put this in your right hand, Lapinsky.

- Your other right. - Oh, yeah.

Walton! I wanna see you.

At ease, men.

Yes, sergeant?

BARNES: You'll never be a DI, Walton. You're too soft on those dummies.

- It's not easy for them, sergeant. - We know that, Walton.

That's why they're in the awkward squad...

...while the rest of their outfit's going on with basic.

They're getting better, I think.

We need good, tough drill instructors around here, corporal.

Now, if you have any ideas about making your third stripe...

...and staying on here at Camp Rockfish, you better shape up.

- And get that goon squad shaped up too. - I'm doing the best I can, sergeant.

BARNES: Well, maybe your best just ain't good enough.

You gotta chew them out.

Blister their eardrums. Blast the cobwebs out of their skulls.

- You get what I'm driving at? - Yes, sergeant.

BARNES: Then get going, Walton.

[ENGINE STARTS]

JASON: All right, you dog-faced goof-offs...

...let's get with it!

Right face!

You notice anything, Lapinsky?

I dropped my rock.

[ALL LAUGH]

ERIN & MARY ELLEN: Morning, J.D. - Good morning.

Oh, Erin, you're just the person I'm looking for.

Looks like you found me, J.D.

PICKETT: Harvey Jenkins has quit...

...gone off to California to work at some airplane factory.

- He didn't give you any notice? - Sure he did.

He sent me a telegram on his way out of town last night.

What are we gonna do for a new assistant manager?

I'm off to Charlottesville right now to recruit a new man.

I may have to go all the way to Richmond.

While I'm gone, Erin, you keep an eye on things for me.

But, J.D., I hardly have time to keep things up in the Personnel Department.

PICKETT: Well, get Mary Ellen to help you.

Maybe that'll keep her out of trouble.

Last time I came back from a business trip...

...she had all my lady workers wearing slacks...

...looking like that Rosie the Riveter.

J.D., the workroom is drafty.

Letting the women wear slacks...

...has cut down on your absenteeism by 20%.

Don't you confuse me with figures, young lady.

Erin, I'm putting you in charge. See you in a day or two.

Do you think we'll ever win the war with J.D. on our side?

I doubt it.

[CAR APPROACHING]

[ENGINE STOPS]

- Morning. - Calvin?

JOHN: Calvin.

If you've come out here looking for my boy, you're wasting your time.

I haven't got the power to take him, Calvin.

- Then what you doing here? - Just wanna talk with him.

I already told the sheriff, I ain't seen him since that day you sent him away.

The Army doesn't take kindly to deserters, Calvin.

He's gonna be in trouble if he doesn't show up in Norfolk.

You had no right to make him go in the first place.

I didn't wanna do it. I was just following the law.

Well, we make our own way around here, our own laws.

That war is thousands of miles away.

JOHN: I know how you feel, Mrs. Satterfield.

There's no use him hiding. He'll just be in trouble in the end.

You best get off my property, John.

JOHN: Tommy, I've come alone! You can trust me!

- Now. JOHN: Ah, Calvin, just take it easy.

[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]

- I ain't going back, Mr. Walton. - Stay right where you are, boy.

It's okay, Pa.

Mr. Walton, you took a powerful chance coming up here.

Tom.

Army didn't put much weight on you.

It's no kind of life for me.

Too many rules and not enough breathing room.

You can't hide out, Tom.

They'll come get you one day.

There's not much breathing room in them prisons.

A feeling come over me.

If I get on that boat tomorrow...

...I ain't never gonna come back.

I know how you feel, son.

I felt the same way 25 years ago when I was shipping out.

I had a wife and a son, and I thought maybe I'd never see them again.

I wanted to run too.

Why didn't you?

Because I felt I owed something to my country, my family...

...most especially to myself.

I knew if I didn't go...

...I'd never be able to look another man straight in the eyes.

Mr. Walton, you're getting the boy all mixed up.

You were one of the best men in my logging crew, Tom.

Quick, smart, hard-working.

I had high hopes for you.

Thought you'd get out of these hills, go to school...

...make something of your life.

All right, John, you said your piece. You can go now.

JOHN: Tommy, you went through basic training...

...with a lot of men.

They're all going.

None of them wanna fight this war, but they're going.

The rest of your life, you're gonna think about how you let those men down.

I won't tell anybody I saw you.

Mr. Walton, wait.

I'll go get my uniform and you can give me a lift to the station.

Son...

...are you sure?

He's right, Ma. It can't be helped.

It's something I gotta do.

If anything happens to my boy, John Walton...

...it'll be on your head.

Sure would be a good day to go fishing.

- You got a favorite spot? - Sure do.

A shady hole down along Pickawillow Creek.

There's this big old catfish who lives in the pondweed.

You could eat off him for a week.

I've been trying to catch him every summer since I was 15.

[JOHN CHUCKLES]

Well, if he's that smart, he'll still be there when you get back.

It ain't that I was running away, Mr. Walton.

I ain't scared to fight if I have to.

It just seems like this war has nothing to do with me.

Tommy, a lot of people felt that when Hitler first got started.

What he was doing and saying had nothing to do with them.

Until all of a sudden, it was too late.

It wouldn't be so bad if I knew where I was going...

...but they won't even tell me that.

They can't tell you, son.

The Army's gotta keep troop movements quiet.

Will you look in on my folks while I'm gone?

Yes, I will.

I don't know when I'll be seeing them again.

You're doing them right proud, son.

You're doing us all proud.

- You should be wearing gloves. - I'd miss the feel of the dirt.

- Can I help you? - You sure can. I'm weeding.

Not that I have anything against weeds. Some of them are very pretty.

I just wanna keep them on the other side of the fence.

The trouble is, I don't think I can tell the difference...

...between the vegetables and the weeds.

This is lettuce, those are beans. Anything in between is an intruder.

You must like the garden.

You've spent a lot of time out here since you've been back.

The newspapers are so full of war and killing...

...I like to remind myself that things still grow.

Grandpa used to say...

...you could almost hear a garden breathe in the springtime.

I feel like that myself this morning.

Mrs. Walton?

"Mrs. Walton" sounds so formal. Is it hard for you to call me Mama?

Well, it just seems like there's a lot of people already calling you that.

Then call me Olivia.

How long was it before you knew that you were expecting John-Boy?

About two years, but everybody's different.

You're not worried already, are you?

- Well, Ben wants a baby very much. - Do you?

I don't know anything about babies, but I want what Ben wants.

The doctor says that I'm just fine, but it just seems like it's taking so long.

You can't rush nature. You and Ben are young and healthy.

You'll find out you're pregnant when you least expect it.

Here, better take care of that pretty young skin of yours.

BEN: How many more deliveries today? - One more, late this afternoon.

You know, I sure feel funny with those GIs around here.

You shouldn't. You're doing the same kind of work they are, son.

I know, but maybe us so-called essential workers...

...should get some kind of uniform.

Then we wouldn't be thought of as slackers.

Now, look, the same draft board that gave them 1-A...

...gave you a deferment.

I didn't have anything to do with it. I didn't talk for you and I didn't vote.

Well, I know that, but when I'm wearing civvies, people don't.

Would you stop worrying about it? You're gonna be in uniform soon enough.

BEN: Cindy and I have been thinking, uh, of starting our own family.

Oh, that's nice, Ben.

In times like these, men often do that. I know I did.

The trouble is, it seems like it's taking Cindy a lot of time to get pregnant.

JOHN: I wouldn't worry about it. Just keep working at it.

Before you know it...

...we'll have another grandchild running around here.

- And it'll be the first one named Walton. - What do you mean, "it"?

You mean he'll be the first one called Walton.

I'll drink to that.

What do you want me to do with these cans of grease?

Just stick them over there on that counter.

I still don't see how saving bacon grease can help the war effort.

They use it to make explosives, that's how.

Where are some tacks? I'll help you put this up.

Yeah, right there.

- You alone here? - Yeah.

Ike and Corabeth went to pick up Aimee.

- Do you think she'll like this sign? - Sure, why not?

It's not as good as a brass band, but it'll do.

- Hey, here they are. - Oh, help me clean off that counter.

Well, here we are, Aimee.

Welcome home.

Not the same sort of estate that some of your friends...

...at Miss Holcomb's Finishing School for Girls are accustomed to...

...but home nevertheless.

You see the sign Elizabeth made for you?

How sweet.

Hi, Aimee.

ELIZABETH: Hi, Aimee. - How wonderful to see you.

ELIZABETH: Thought you'd never get here.

What do you think, Jim-Bob? She's really grown up.

Jim-Bob. I thought you were Jason.

- You look so much older. - Yeah, it has been a long time, hasn't it?

Let's get you settled in, then you and Elizabeth can have a visit.

ELIZABETH: Everyone at school's been asking about you.

Mama says I can have a slumber party and invite all the girls.

I'd rather not, if you don't mind.

I've had enough of life in the dormitory for a while.

Besides, I don't think I'd have much in common with those girls anymore.

IKE: Aimee, you're talking about your friends.

Why don't we get together, Elizabeth, just the two of us?

- Um, how about a picnic? AIMEE: Anytime.

[BOTH SPEAKING IN FRENCH]

Of course, Jim-Bob would be welcome to come too, si vous vous voulez.

- What does that mean? AIMEE: "If you like."

Yeah, I'll think about it.

- Elizabeth, you want a ride home? ELIZABETH: Sure.

Okay, I'll gas up and meet you out front. 50 cents' worth, Ike.

IKE: Okay. Thanks, Jim-Bob.

Elizabeth, thank you very much for watching the store.

- Sure. Aimee's changed a lot. - Yeah.

But she sure has learned how to talk French.

She and Corabeth were jabbering all the way home.

I couldn't understand a word they said, ha, ha.

It was probably just girls' talk.

- Bye-bye, Ike. - Uh, bye.

Well, all right, general.

Thank you. Goodbye, general. And keep them flying.

Freddie, I hope that Air Corps shipment goes out today.

MAN [OVER INTERCOM]: Yes, ma'am, so do I.

- See that it does, Freddie. MAN: Yes, ma'am.

[ERIN SIGHS]

If J.D. would spend less time trying to find an assistant manager...

...and more time tending the business...

...I wouldn't be stuck doing these things he should be doing.

On the other hand, if he did it himself, things would go a lot slower.

- I should ask for a raise. - Don't ask for one, demand one.

Erin, here are some government forms I haven't had a chance to take care of.

Look them over, will you?

Well, I hope this has our request for more gasoline this week.

- We can't meet deadlines without it. - Well, you can handle it, Erin.

You know how to wrap those bureaucrats...

...right around your pretty little finger.

I'm meeting a man in Charlottesville right now...

...who just might turn out to be our new assistant manager.

Check with you later.

[ERIN SIGHS]

You shouldn't just ask for a raise.

You ought to be the new assistant manager.

Oh, Mary Ellen, J.D. would never hear of it.

I'm too young and I'm also a woman.

You know the whole operation. You'd be crazy not to try for it.

- Are you serious? - Oh, I give up on you, Erin.

You've been told you're pretty for so long...

...that you've forgotten you've got brains too.

[PHONE RINGING]

Your phone's ringing.

[PHONE CONTINUES RINGING]

JASON [SINGING]: When shadows fall

And trees whisper day is ending

My thoughts are ever wending home

When crickets call

My heart is forever yearning

Once more to be returning home

Don't stop, please.

Come in, Lapinsky. Have a seat.

Thought all you guys went to the post movie.

Well, I didn't wanna go with....

I was trying to write some letters. Heard you singing here.

- Where are you from? - Albany Park, Illinois.

Chicago's one of its suburbs. Ha, ha.

I guess you're wishing you could be back there right now.

Where else?

All the guys are probably down at Fat Irving's...

...checking out the girls and eating the best hot dogs on the North Side.

It sounds great.

I guess I'm kind of lucky...

...being able to go home on a weekend pass.

I just finished writing Mama about you...

...how you kind of took it easy on us and didn't holler like the other noncoms.

[JASON SIGHS]

Who else is back home in Albany Park?

Oh, well, there's Papa. He runs a deli and we live over it.

And my three sisters, crazies like you wouldn't believe.

I might. I got three sisters of my own at home.

[BOTH CHUCKLE]

That song, Uncle Morris had a record of it on his old Victrola.

He came to live with us after Aunt Minnie died...

...and he played it all the time.

Took me back.

- You wanna finish it maybe? - Sure, if you'll join in.

Why not? I sing in the shower.

[SINGING] When the hills conceal the setting sun

[SINGING] Hide the setting sun

Stars begin a-peeping one by one

Peeping one by one

Night covers all

And though fortune may forsake me

Sweet dreams will ever take me

Home

[DOOR OPENS AND BELL DINGS]

Hey, Ike, glad you're open. Just had another draft-board meeting.

I've got some more greetings for you to send out.

Yeah. Sure, be glad to, John.

Something the matter, Ike?

Oh, Corabeth, I didn't see you.

What's wrong?

IKE: We got word late this evening.

The troopship carrying Tommy Satterfield to England...

...was fired on by a German submarine.

He was killed by a shell fragment.

Seemed like only yesterday he was here asking for bubblegum.

[DOOR OPENS AND BELL DINGS]

You've been working on that clock for a week.

What makes you think you're gonna fix it in the middle of the night?

- What are you doing out of bed? - Worrying, grieving. Same as you.

I think I've figured out what's wrong. I just can't find the right tool.

We're in a war.

Our boys are gonna go on getting killed till it's over.

Liv, that boy trusted me.

I sent him to his death.

There's no way you could know that would happen.

You see, he said he had a feeling about this thing.

He said he didn't wanna go.

If I hadn't gone to his house that day, Tommy would still be alive.

He'd be out hunting possum. He'd be....

He'd be sitting on his front porch listening to the bullfrogs.

He'd most probably be in jail...

...and you'd be blaming yourself for that too.

Liv, I--

[SIGHS]

I was the one who drafted him.

I sent him off, or he'd be alive today.

I hate this draft-board job, Liv.

I can't stand playing God to my neighbors' sons.

Let's go to bed.

We'll pay our respects to the Satterfields in the morning.

[ENGINE STOPS]

- You heard about Tommy, Mr. Walton? JOHN: Yes, we did.

I'm truly sorry. I wish I could have gone in his place.

I mean that.

OLIVIA: I baked this morning.

I thought some fresh bread might taste good to you.

This here's my married daughter, Pearl.

She come over from Hickory Ridge soon as she got the news.

It's a help to have loved ones near you at a time like this.

Ma's gonna miss Tommy something fierce.

Tommy never even got to fight in the war.

He died before he got there.

It seems like such an awful waste.

I know it's small comfort...

...but at least Tommy never had to take another life.

So many of our boys are coming home scarred in ways we can't even see.

Oh, I wouldn't care how he came back, Mrs. Walton.

Can I get you folks something? A glass of cider?

JOHN: Some other time, Pearl.

You ever come after my Joe, Mr. Walton...

...I'm gonna hide him so deep in the woods...

...a hound dog couldn't find him.

Calvin around?

I ain't seen him since early morning.

He took the news hard.

I'd like to have a talk with him.

You'll have to come back, then.

Sometimes he goes off two, three days at a time.

Would it help to have us stay and keep you company for a while?

No need.

Pearl will stay long as I need her.

She's a good girl.

I wish there was something we could say...

...something we could do.

There ain't nothing.

The Lord giveth and he taketh away.

I just hope you never have to find out what the taking away is like.

[SOBBING]

Boy, every time I read this newspaper, I wish I studied geography a little more.

Where the heck is Tunisia?

I don't know. Today I don't care. Aimee and I are gonna go on our picnic.

- Tunisia is someplace in Africa. - Yeah, that I know.

There's a whale of a battle going on right now.

Wow, marshmallows. Hot dogs. Where'd you get this stuff?

They're fringe benefits. You forget, sometimes I work for Ike.

I also remember Aimee invited me on this picnic too.

ELIZABETH: She was just being polite.

Besides, we wanna be by ourselves. We got a lot to catch up on.

I'll be happy to leave you alone after we're done roasting marshmallows.

What are you talking about, Jim-Bob, tagging along with all these little girls?

Well, Aimee's not so little anymore.

Besides, Tanya started going out with soldiers from Camp Rockfish...

...so I thought I'd get myself a younger woman.

You and Errol Flynn, huh?

If you're gonna force yourself upon us, you might as well carry that.

- With pleasure. BEN: Bye.

Hi, Cindy. How you doing?

None of your business.

What's the matter?

I'm just getting tired of people wondering whether or not I'm pregnant.

Jim-Bob only wanted to know how you're feeling.

Well, it isn't just family anymore. Now it's friends.

You know what Ike said to me?

He wondered when we would be getting ready...

...for a little stranger.

[BEN CHUCKLES]

I could throw up, only he'd think it was a symptom.

Well, Ike didn't mean anything by it.

Cindy, people around here, they care for each other.

They wanna share things...

...like, um, marriage or having a child.

They expect to share it.

If it makes you feel uncomfortable, I'll talk to Ike and tell him to lay off.

Well, I might not resent it so much if....

[CINDY SIGHS]

Ben, I want so much to have your baby, but what if it doesn't happen?

Then I'll have you all to myself.

Stupid J.D. I have to do everything.

I have to run the Personnel Department.

I have to make sure the machinery's running...

...get the shipments out on time, listen to everybody's gripes...

...cut government red tape.

I end up doing everything and I don't even get a raise!

[SIGHS]

Well, that felt good.

It's all right, ladies. Erin's filing system is efficient, if noisy.

- Feel better? ERIN: You bet.

Well, then march right into J.D.'s office...

...and tell him you want that job and a big raise.

- I wouldn't know what to say. - I just said it.

- J.D., I want that job and a raise. MARY ELLEN: A big raise.

J.D., I want that job and a big raise.

- Erin-- - Stronger.

ERIN: J.D., I want that job and a big raise!

Do you hear me?

They heard you all over Rockfish, Erin. Of course I heard you.

Well?

- What job? - Assistant manager.

You? Assistant manager? Heh. My right-hand man? Heh, heh.

MARY ELLEN: Come on, J.D., she's doing the job now.

And I appreciate it.

But it's only temporary till I find the right man.

ERIN: J.D., how can you say that?

I've been finding the right women for this plant for months now.

- That's why you've stayed in business. - But you're not like them, Erin.

You're too young and pretty to take on that much responsibility.

It's not her looks and her age...

...that have anything to do with running this tin-plated plant.

It's her ability.

You don't have to insult Pickett Metal, Mary Ellen.

We've got enough bossy women around here as it is.

Now, I will consider a raise for you, Erin...

...but you taking that job is out of the question.

Oh, yes, file these, will you?

[ERIN SIGHS]

Mr. Godsey, I want you to listen to this.

"Dear diary, I have found that life back here at home...

...will not be as dreary as I had feared.

Though Elizabeth seems rather young and quaint now...

...her brother Jim-Bob has grown into a handsome and sexy young man."

Jim-Bob? Sexy?

- You're not reading Aimee's diary? - Oh, it's quite all right.

Aimee has gone to a picnic with Elizabeth and Jim-Bob.

But that's supposed to be private. For her eyes only.

I know.

Uh, what else does she say?

Well, she is obviously very interested in Jim-Bob.

But Jim-Bob's gotta be 3 years older than she is.

Oh, girls develop so much quicker than boys.

I'm sure that Aimee's IQ and social graces...

...are far more advanced than Jim-Bob's.

I wish she'd use her charms...

...on the customers that come into the store.

Now, Mr. Godsey, ahem...

...let us not undo a whole year's training in the social graces...

...by exposing her to these clods in this backwater community.

Well, it's those clods that make it possible...

...for her to go away to a private school.

Please, Mr. Godsey, do not remind her that she is of the mercantile class.

Now, I myself may have to live out a life of drudgery in the business world...

...but my daughter is going to rise above it.

She will have every opportunity to experience everything in life...

...that an educated young lady should.

Like reading other people's diaries?

Well, I wouldn't expect you to understand.

I'm doing this for her own good.

One can't be too careful in guiding a young girl into womanhood.

- How else would I know her thoughts? - You could ask her, Corabeth.

And embarrass us both? Really.

Look out.

I hope everyone's had enough marshmallows.

It was a feast, Elizabeth.

I cried for madder music And for stronger wine

But when the feast is finished And the lamps expire

Then falls thy shadow, Cynara! The night is thine

- Who's Cynara? - She was the poet's mistress.

He had a lot of affairs, but he always came back to her.

- What do they teach you in that school? AIMEE: The classics, mostly. Etiquette.

How to behave when a boy asks you out for a date.

Well, it might come in handy in a couple years.

[AIMEE CHUCKLES]

I've saved all your letters.

I've saved all yours, too...

...along with the ones I got from Lieutenant Channon.

You got letters from a lieutenant?

There was a military school on the other side of the river.

Lieutenant Channon was one of the students.

We met at a dance, and afterwards...

...he used to leave letters for me under a board on the footbridge.

- Was he cute? - He sort of looked like Jim-Bob.

My friends said he was too old for me...

...but I've always believed that age isn't important...

...when two people are drawn to each other.

Let's go wading.

- Hey, what are you doing? - Red ant. I didn't want it to bite you.

[AIMEE GIGGLING AND SHRIEKING]

Doesn't anybody wanna go wading?

[AIMEE LAUGHING]

JIM-BOB: Oh, yeah? Red ant, huh?

[AIMEE LAUGHING]

This old table always looks better with lots of places set around it.

I've always envied big families.

That's good, considering where you've ended up.

[CINDY CHUCKLES]

- When did Jason call? - He didn't.

But we're setting a place for him.

Just call it woman's intuition. Or maybe mother's wishful thinking.

Besides, it saves on the phone bills.

[DOG BARKING]

Looks like it still works.

[CINDY CHUCKLES]

Hi, Mama.

Sure makes a difference knowing you're here when I'm coming home.

I know you're close by, but you seem so far away.

- How's it going? - Oh, okay, I reckon.

You gonna get to stay on at Camp Rockfish?

I hope so.

I'm still not very good at doing things the Army way.

You gotta be real tough to get a bunch of recruits through basic.

I know. I raised a family, remember?

Shut up, shape up or ship out. You hear me?

Yes, sir.

[JIM-BOB LAUGHS]

That's all there is to it. Now, why don't you try it, Jason?

Oh, come on, Ben. I get enough of this all week.

You wanna be a sergeant or what?

- Yeah, come on. - Come on.

All right. All right.

[JIM-BOB CHUCKLES]

It's not that hard.

JASON: Detail.

Atten-hut!

Right face!

What's the matter, Lapinsky? You got a right hand and a left hand.

- Don't you know the difference? - Lapinsky?

You gotta know the difference between right and left in this man's army.

Now get with it.

And wipe that silly grin off your silly face.

Hey.

BEN: You're never gonna make it. JASON: You'll wrinkle my uniform!

BEN: Oh, yeah? All right, you're never gonna make it.

JASON: You guys are going to the brig! Aah!

ELIZABETH: If they wanted to get rid of me, they'd say:

"Let's play Blind Man's Bluff," tie a handkerchief around my eyes...

...spin me around, and they'd run off. I mean, off. They'd just ditch me.

Big brothers can sure be mean sometimes.

It wasn't big brothers. It was Mary Ellen and Erin.

[ALL LAUGHING]

It's nice, us being together like this.

- Most everyone, anyway. OLIVIA: Hmm.

I wonder what John-Boy's doing tonight.

He's probably wondering what we're doing.

CALVIN [FROM OUTSIDE]: John Walton, I wanna see you!

It's Calvin Satterfield, Walton! Are you coming out?

Calvin sounds like he's had a lot of mountain dew.

- You be careful, John. JOHN: Don't worry.

Here I am, Calvin. What can I do for you?

CALVIN: Stay right where you are.

You can hear what I gotta say right from there.

I'm real sorry to hear about Tommy, Calvin.

It tears me up for sure.

It's gonna hurt you even more.

You're gonna be sorry for the day you took my boy off to die...

...you and your local draft board.

JOHN: I know how you feel, Calvin, but drinking isn't gonna take it away...

...and it won't bring Tommy back to take it out on me.

CALVIN: That depends on how I do it, I'd say.

I'm gonna make you a trade, Walton.

You'll be paying for the life of my son with the life of one of your own.

You hear me?

- Calvin, you're drunk. CALVIN: Stay where you are.

There won't be no changing me.

Not when it comes to an eye for an eye and a son for a son, you hear?

[GUNSHOT]

MARY ELLEN: Daddy! JASON: Stay down!

[ENGLISH - US - SDH]