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John-Boy Walton and an 1879 $20 gold piece
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This episode of the television program "The Waltons" shows a United States Liberty Head $20 gold piece.
 
The CBS and Lorimar Productions television program "The Waltons" is about a large family living in the Appalachian or Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia during the 1930's economic depression.
 
John and Olivia Walton are a married couple who live near the (fictional) town of Walton's Mountain. They have seven children, John-Boy, Mary Ellen, Jason, Erin, Ben, Jim-Bob, and Elizabeth, but not all of the children appear in this episode.
 
This episode is titled "The Journey" and was first broadcast on September 13, 1973. John-Boy Walton, the oldest child, drives an elderly woman, Mrs. Maggie MacKenzie, to a seashore resort so that she can relive her honeymoon visit 55 years before in 1879 before she dies.
 
Mrs. MacKenzie shows John-Boy a United States $20 gold piece dated 1879 which was given to her as a wedding present.
 
The Waltons - The Journey
1. Program title
The program opens with John-Boy, an aspiring writer, giving an introduction.
 
Growing up in a family as large and as close as mine made it hard to realize that there were many people who lived in loneliness and solitude. However, the realization of that sad truth also brought me close to a remarkable woman and sent me on a journey that I was to remember for the rest of my life.
 
The Waltons live in a large house on a farm or ranch. Some members appear in this scene.
 
The Waltons - The Journey
2. The Walton Family
John-Boy has been trying to get a date with the local beauty, Marcia Woolery, for a school dance. She hasn't given him a direct answer, but John-Boy, hopeful, goes to the general store to buy a pair of new pants.
 
The Waltons - The Journey
3. Walton truck at the general store
Inside the store John-Boy looks at clothing.
 
The Waltons - The Journey
4. John-Boy tries on new pants
Marcia happens to be in the store when John-Boy tries on a pair of pants. Later at school he asks her again for a date.
 
The Waltons - The Journey
5. John-Boy asks Marcia again
She plays with him and then agrees to go with him. John-Boy heads to the store to purchase the "imported wool" pants for $2.35. The price illustrates the 1930's depression value of clothing.
 
Dr. Vance, the town doctor, visits Mrs. Maggie MacKenzie, an elderly woman with a heart problem.
 
The Waltons - The Journey
6. Dr. Vance sees Mrs. MacKenzie
Dr. Vance tells her to stop driving (she owns a 1920's Model A Ford). John-Boy's grandmother knows her and she asks John-Boy to come over for a visit and to fix her car.
 
The Waltons - The Journey
7. John-Boy and Mrs. MacKenzie
She shows him a picture album with photographs of her husband and the ship on which she arrived from Scotland in 1879.
 
The Waltons - The Journey
8. Photographs of young Mr. and Mrs. MacKenzie
Mr. MacKenzie, already in America, met the ship and the ship captain married them.
 
The Waltons - The Journey
9. Shipboard wedding
Mrs. MacKenzie shows John-Boy something else.
 
The Waltons - The Journey
10. Mrs. MacKenzie shows John-Boy something
She produces a US $20 gold coin dated 1879 which was given to her as a wedding present by the ship's captain.
 
The Waltons - The Journey
11. The $20 gold piece obverse
Mrs. MacKenzie tells John-Boy that 1879 was also the year of her marriage, that her husband died a long time ago, and that the next day would be her 55th wedding anniversary.
 
The Waltons - The Journey
12. The $20 gold piece reverse
John-Boy asks her "she is in mint condition, isn't she?"
 
Mrs. MacKenzie replies "aye, and I'll never spend it. Even last year when President Roosevelt said we had to hand in all our gold coins I just couldn't bring myself to part with it." John-Boy replies " I'm sure Mr. Roosevelt would understand" and Mrs. MacKenzie answers him with "If not, I'm sure Mrs. Roosevelt would."
 
Actually she would not be breaking the law as the 1933 Roosevelt gold recall order had exemptions for $100 worth of personal souvenir gold coins and coins of numismatic interest.
 
Actor Richard Thomas keeps a finger on the coin's date and it is possible that the prop coin used in this episode was not dated 1879.
 
There also appears to be an 'S' on the lower reverse indicating the San Francisco Mint.
 
A United States $20 gold piece of the period:
 
United States $20 gold coin
13. United States $20 gold coin 1884-S
The San Francisco Mint produced huge quantities of these coins at the time.
 
Back to the program:
 
Mrs. MacKenzie asks John-Boy to drive her to the seashore the next day which would be a full day drive. After some thought he agrees and then goes to the store to return the pants.
 
The Waltons - The Journey
14. John-Boy returns the pants
He receives his $2.35 and tells Marcia that he can't take her her to the dance.
 
The next morning, Saturday, he meets Mrs. MacKenzie and they use her car to drive to the seashore.
 
The Waltons - The Journey
15. Mrs. MacKenzie and John-Boy at the seashore
Mrs. MacKenzie tells John-Boy that 55 years ago she and her husband visited a restaurant called "The Mermaid" and find that it is still there.
 
The Waltons - The Journey
16. Mrs. MacKenzie finds the old Mermaid Restaurant
John-Boy and Mrs. MacKenzie have lunch and she tells him that it looks like it did in 1879 and that even the pianist is playing the same song that was played at her wedding. (Writer Earl Hamner, Jr. previously wrote episodes for the "Twilight Zone" program).
 
The Waltons - The Journey
17. Lunch at the restaurant
The couple have lunch and then dance to the music. Mrs. MacKenzie starts seeing her deceased husband in place of John-Boy.
 
John-Boy then drives Mrs. MacKenzie back home and as they near her house she has a heart attack.
 
Later he visits her and the doctor at her home.
 
The Waltons - The Journey
18. John-Boy sees Mrs. MacKenzie
She thanks him for driving her and hands him the $20 gold piece.
 
The Waltons - The Journey
19. Mrs. MacKenzie gives John-Boy the $20 coin
He refuses the coin but she convinces him to take it.
 
The Waltons - The Journey
20. Mrs. MacKenzie pushes the coin into John-Boy's hand
The coin here looks a little different than the one in the earlier scene.
 
John-Boy keeps a diary and writes up the events
 
The Waltons - The Journey
21. John-Boy writing
Some people are drawn to oceans and others to the shimmering sands of deserts Others feel only at home on land that flows beside a river My people were drawn to mountains And there on Walton's Mountain we were to share the fun and excitement of growing up together
 
The final scene of most episodes is of the Walton house at night.
 
The Waltons - The Journey
22. Walton House finale
Cast, Directors, Writers:
 
Richard Thomas as John-Boy Walton
Linda Watkins as Mrs. Maggie MacKenzie
Tammi Bula as Marcia Woolery
Ralph Waite as John Walton, Sr.
Michael Learned as Olivia Walton
 
Director: Harry Harris
Writers: Earl Hamner Jr., Nigel McKeand
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