Reviews

"The Beginning" opens with the new Reverend finding his way into the old Walton's Mountain church and ringing the church bell, waking and alerting all the people of Walton's Mountain to attention. He informs them that he is the new Reverend and that they will be fixing up the church. As the church is slowly repaired, Jason invites Toni (played by his then bride-to-be-someday Lisa Harrison) to eat and divulges a secret about her to the family that not only greatly embarrasses Toni but causes her to reevaluate her life and values. "The Beginning" ends in true Walton fashion, a happy ending that does not turn out sappy like sitcoms.

"The Pearls" is a great Walton episode for many reasons. The main part of the episode centers around Corabeth and her estranged sister Orma Lee, who has come to visit when Corabeth heads to Doehill because of her mother, Cordelia's, death. (As a side note, Ronnie Claire Edwards does a fine job of performing dual roles, Corabeth and Orma Lee.) Orma Lee is able to give helpful insight to a struggling Elizabeth, who, now 15, is finding it hard to grow up without Grandma, Grandpa, Mama, or Daddy. "The Pearls" shows in a way how much the Waltons have changed from Season 1 to Season 9, through the Depression and World War II, and how the younger Walton copes with the change. A great episode worth watching.

"The Gold Watch" is a touching and heartwarming episode that really shows what human kindness is, and exemplifies the true morals of "The Waltons". Rose's Stanley Perkins arrives at the Walton's, much to Rose's delight, but brings with him a mystery that is slowly unraveled. The solving of the mystery is a heartwarming gesture by the Walton's and the many people of Walton's Mountain. Also, Jason and The Dew Drop Inn have fallen upon some hard times, and need something to perk up business. With the help and creativity of Toni, the entertainment they hire to help draw in customers, will cause a sight change of events, that will, as always, turn out to be right in the end, but maybe not in the way you would guess! A truly heartwarming, touching, loving episode that will bring you an hour of enjoyment.

"Miss Millie" is the first episode of "The Rifleman" that I have seen completely. I think it is an excellent episode. Lucas and Mark return from a two week hunting trip only to find that storekeeper Hattie Denton, played by Hope Summers (of The Andy Griffith Show fame) has left and in her place is a young woman named Millie Scott. Miss Scott runs her store much different than Hattie, and the townspeople do not agree with her or her business keeping ways. When Millie turns, in her naive ways, to two slick outlaws for help,what results is an excellent episode. " Miss Millie" is a fine "Rifleman" episode and is worth watching.

The regular TV westerns usually revolve around the same formulas, good guy meets girl, outlaw comes to town, does something bad, possibly hurts/kidnaps girl, good guy kills/captures outlaw, and girl and good guy fall in love. Not so with this exciting episode of "The Rifleman". On her deathbed, Sarah Caruthers claims that Lucas McCain will die within 7 days of herself. When her will is read, the town of Northfork finds out that each person will get a share of old Mrs. Caruthers' money. But there is a catch! Lucas McCain, our hero, must die within 7 days. No one in Northfork would hurt the McCains, but doubts soon arise. Great episode, the 2nd featuring the lovely Joan Taylor as Miss Milly Scott.

"The Carousel" is one of the best Waltons episodes I have seen that doesn't feature Ralph Waite, Michael Learned, or everyone's favorite Richard Thomas, as John Boy. The Carousel is Cindy Walton's personal quest to find who her real parents are after she finds out that she was adopted. Dreams begin to haunt her, and memories long hidden away in the depth of her mind begin to come back. Her road to finding her true roots is a ling, twisting path. Along with the seriousness of Cindy's journey, we see conflict arise between Elizabeth and Drew's relationship when Drew stays with the Waltons for a short time. This lighter drama, along with the heavier events of Cindy's journey, accompanied with a haunting music score make "The Carousel" an excellent example of the greatness of The Waltons. Also, listen carefully to a funny reference to a great comedy classic, "Abbott and Costello in Hollywood."

This is a great Andy Griffith Show episode because it has, of course, a clever storyline and it elaborates on Gomer Pyle's character, who is hilariously played by Jim Nabors. Wally, who is played this time by Trevor Bardette instead of the regular Norman Leavitt, has had enough of Gomer's "innsufficiency on the job", and fires him. Gomer goes to Andy to ask to stay in one of the jail cells. Andy, being the good person, that he is, helps him out even more by letting him stay with Opie and Aunt Bea. What ensues is mayhem, and, not to give away the comedy of the episode, The Taylors will remember this house guest for a long time.

As a happily zany Twilight Zone fan, I have enjoyed Mirror Image many times. I first saw it at 11:45 one night, and it gave me the chills! Vera Miles, the lovely and talented actress who appeared under the direction of Alfred Hitchcock played Lila Crane in "Psycho" plays Millicent Barnes, a girl "with her head on her shoulders" and who apparently does not have much of an imagination. She is stuck in a bus station waiting for a bus and it is, of course, raining. As she goes to ask the ticket seller when the bus will come in. His reply will begin a long road of craziness, and horror for Millicent Barnes, and the man that will come to help her, and eventually succumb to the same horrific events, Paul Grinstead, played by Martin Milner. A terrific, perfect, and amazing episode!

The Jackpot may not be as serious and have as deep of a message as "It's A Wonderful Life" and it may not be as suspenseful as "Vertigo", but The Jackpot excels as a fine example of classic comedy that doesn't involve the typical exploits of today's comedies. Jimmy Stewart is Bill Lawrence, a typical man, husband, and father who lives a typical life, in a typical neighborhood, in a typical town. Mr. Lawrence is in a rut. But that all changes when he answers a question right on a radio program, his wonderful "rut" of a life turns upside down as the prizes pour in. What results can only be described as comedic catastrophe! A must see movie for comedy, Jimmy Stewart, and movie lovers of all ages!

This episode of Gunsmoke, which only briefly features Festus, Marshall, and Newly is a well thought out and exciting episode. Travis Colter and his family are in between a rock and a hard space. Two of Travis's brothers are on the run outlaws and one has already been hanged. His mother can't stand losing another son. Travis faces discrimination because of his name, and to his chagrin, his mother has to start working in the saloon. Thus begins a long road for Travis, who has his personal obstacles to overcome. Jan-Michael Vincent and the late Kim Hunter give terrific performances, and make "The Legend" a great Gunsmoke episode to watch.

This Bonanza episode, although it only features one of the Cartwright boys, Adam, is a suspenseful and touching episode that many fans will enjoy.As Adam takes cover from a storm at a stagecoach station, he meets with an outlaw, a young girl who wants to travel the world against her stern grandfather's wishes, and many others. Adam uses his smarts and judgment to help bring the outlaw to justice and help the young girl. Dawn Wells, better known for her role as Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island, gives a wonderful performance, as does Robert Vaughn, who is a convincing and somewhat suave outlaw. A classic western show and a great episode.

Recently I watched Children of the Corn. I enjoyed it very much, and I do not like horror movies! The acting is good, the plot is new and interesting, and the eeriness is great.

The movie keeps you entertained the whole time, partially because of the mysterious events and because of the creepy soundtrack. If you are a fan of horror films, classic or recent, this movie is a must see.

A simple summary of the movie is that Burt and Vickie become lost while traveling and end up in the small town of Gatlin. Strange things are going on in Gatlin, and before long they find out what evil really looks like! You will enjoy this movie very much, horror fans.

I recently watched The Christmas Box and loved it! Maureen O'Hara gave a great performance, the story truly had me interested, and the overall mystery of the movie kept me guessing.

Maureen O'Hara, now in her older years, gave a great performance as a stern, sensible woman. She plays her character so convincing that I now have a hard time watching Miracle on 34th Street the same way! The story is not like a Hallmark movie where something goes wrong, someone fixes it, and everybody lives happily ever after. This movie keeps you on your toes and will eventually teach you something that you can carry with you for the rest of your life.

The Christmas Box is most often referred to as a Christmas story, but I think that it is more than that. It has a bit of mystery mixed in, and just when you think you have the "question answered", the story takes a little twist.

This is a family fun movie with a great theme. Although younger children will more than likely not understand it, it is a fine way to spend quality time with your older kids.