User Reviews

Poor John Boy can't get any stories published if they're handwritten. No matter how good they are, a publisher won't read them. Grandpa inadvertently tips him off about a typewriter the Baldwin sisters have. Trouble is bound to happen, when John Boy types his story out in a tool shed, so his disapproving ( of the Baldwins) mother won't find out. The Baldwins like that John Boy writes about their moonshine recipe in his story. Too bad Mary Ellen sells it to a junk dealer played by venerable character actor George Tobias. One thing this episode does is reference the superior pilot episode Homecoming. Homecoming is well worth seeing for the uninitiated. This episode gets a one star increase for the moving moments with John Boy and Mary Ellen.

This episode aired on October 12 1972, with this opening. From the very beginning, when I thought of writing, it was about my family, our home and Waltons Mountain. This was my world, the only kind of life I knew well enough to tell people about. I remember a day in the 1930's when I finally felt ready to show one of my stories to someone for the very first time. John Boy is sitting in the schoolhouse with Miss. Hunter, while she reads his story that he wrote. After talking to John Boy, Miss Hunter suggests that John Boy send the story into a magazine for printing. So with the help of Grandma John Boy puts the story in and envelope and puts in the mail. So now, the wait is on and it's driving John boy and the family crazy. Meanwhile, Mary Ellen decides to put a dollar down on a beauty kit that she thinks can make her a movie star. Days later John Boy gets a letter in the mail that tells him that they don't accept hand written manuscripts. Therefore, Grandpa tells John Boy that there's a typewriter in Jefferson County and it belongs to the Baldwin Sisters. Therefore, John Boy goes to the Baldwin Sisters and asks them if he can see and then use the typewriter to rewrite his manuscript on the typewriter and send it back to the magazine company. Therefore, the Baldwin Sisters give John Boy the typewriter to use and John Boy hides it in the shed outback so Olivia doesn't find it. After John Boy finishes his story, he puts the typewriter in an old box and Leaves in the shed. He takes the type written story, shows it to Miss Hunter, and then resubmits the story to the magazine. Meanwhile Mary Ellen is looking for money to help buy her beauty kit. Therefore, Olivia tells Mary Ellen that she can start cleaning out the tool shed. In addition, sells things to the junk man for $1.00. When John Boy goes to get the typewriter to write some more he finds the typewriter is gone. Now they have to go find it or tell the Baldwin Sisters that they loss it. I wasn't impress with this episode so I give this episode 6 weasel stars