SEASON GUIDE <<< SEASON >>> <<< EPISODE >>>  

 

Ep.6 - The Ring

 
  Original Airdate: October 17, 1974
Writer: Nigel McKeand
Director: Philip Leacock

Prologue:

 
  "Sometimes when we were children all the love and attention we got at home just wasn't enough. For each of us there came a time when something from the outside was needed to give us a sense of self-confidence. It was a need of this kind that got my sister Mary Ellen into a lot of trouble, and gave me a whole new way of looking at women."

 

Synopsis:

  John-Boy is working with Mike West in the print shop at the college. They talk about the up and coming college hop. John-Boy is taking the very attractive Audrey Butler and Michael is taking John-Boy's sister Mary Ellen to her first college dance. John-Boy though is not as convinced about his date who keeps asking and expecting him to run her errands. When is notices the time he leaves in a hurry to pick up Mary Ellen who he brought into town to buy silk stocking for the dance. She also has hopes of buying a evening purse but knows that she cannot afford it. On the way home she sees Vernon Rutley the junk man and buy an old purse that belong to Mrs Breckenridge for $0.20 When she gets home she discovers a forgotten ring in the bottom of the purse. She decides to keep the ring until the dance is over before returning it to Mrs. Breckenridge.

  As the men re-tar the roof of the barn and mill John-Boy expresses his uncertainty about taking Audrey to the dance. John tells him that when he was first dating Olivia he was working as a mechanic in a factory but when he was laid off Olivia came to visit him for a talk and it was then after they talked that John realized that he could trust her with his feelings. He says that is what is most important finding someone you can trust.

As Mary Ellen and John-Boy prepare to leave for the dance Grandpa asks if he can have the pleasure of dancing with her first. He spins her around the living room a few times before they leave. At the dance Mary Ellen sees her adversary from school Martha Rose who confronts Mary Ellen in the bathroom and queries her about the ring. Martha Rose knows that she couldn't possible afford such a nice ring and she knows that there must be a story behind it. As Mary Ellen leaves the bathroom though the ring is accidentally knocked from her grasp and falls unnoticed to the floor.

After Mike drops Mary Ellen off at home she realizes that she has lost the ring. She enlists Erin help in trying to find it. Eventually though she is compelled to tell John-Boy and ask for his help. Meanwhile Martha Rose come upon Olivia on her way to Ike's store. It's obvious that she has heard about Mrs. Breckenridge misplacing her ring and has come to cause trouble for Mary Ellen. John-Boy takes Mary Ellen and Erin to the college to look for the ring in the auditorium. They run into Audrey who volunteers to sneak into the open window of the bathroom. She finds the ring but the security guard has found them. Audrey is written up for trespassing which results in her ineligible to qualify for the sorority she was planning to join. Back at home Olivia only gives Mary Ellen 5 bible verses to memorize. She then returns the ring and tells the truth to Mrs. Breckenridge.

Epilogue:

 
  "Our lives are measured not by birthdays but by the events that fall between them. Mary Ellen's first grown-up dance was a landmark in her passage from girlhood into the beautiful and engaging young woman she was to become. Yet, for a while in her dresser drawer, a reminder of the cocoon from whch she had emerged, there remained a beat-up and much treasured old baseball glove, which she eventually passed on to her brothers."

Episode Notes & Interesting Facts:

 
 
  • Mary Ellen's silk stockings cost $0.35

Additional Cast:

 
 

Kathleen Cody (Audrey Butler), Ted Eccles (Mike West), Adrienne Marden (Mrs. Breckenridge), Cindy Eilbacher (Martha Rose), Roy Engel (Vernon Rutley), Jason Johnson (Arthur Jackson), Deborah Newman (Girl Student), Alpha Blair (Girl Student), Leigh Webb (Tedrow), Jay McKenna (Boy Student)




Follow us on Facebook YouTube Pinterest

About this Site / Links Contact Us FAQ
             
 

Main Menu
------------------
The Episodes

- Season One
- Season Two
- Season Three
- Season Four
- Season Five
- Season Six
- Season Seven
- Season Eight
- Season Nine

------------------
The Movie Specials
------------------
Spencer's Mountain
------------------
The Homecoming
------------------
The New Waltons
------------------
Search Site
------------------

The Cast
- John
- Olivia
- Grandpa
- Grandma
- John-Boy
- Jason
- Mary Ellen
- Erin
- Ben
- Jim-Bob
- Elizabeth
- The In-Laws
- Extended Family
- Kinfolk
- Pets & Critters
- Locals
- School Friends
- Town Folk
------------------
The Guests
- Season One
- Season Two
- Season Three
- Season Four
- Season Five
- Season Six
- Season Seven
- Season Eight
- Season Nine
------------------
The Show
- The Waltons
  Cast Today

- FAQ
- Themes
- Timeline
- Articles
- Thanksgiving - The Garden Shed
------------------
The Music
- Season One
- Season Two
- Season Three
- Season Four
- Season Five
- Season Six
- Season Seven
- Season Eight
- Season Nine
- Movie Specials
------------------
The Fans
- Fan Clubs
- Facebook Groups
- The Walton   Museum
- Reunions

- Autographs
- Trip to Schuyler
------------------

The Merchandise
- Home Video
- Paperbacks & Books
- Music Albums
- Sheet Music
- Lunchbox
- Action figures
- Playsets
- Trading Cards
- Boardgame
- Dinky Truck
- Paper Dolls
- View master
- Children's Book #1
- Children's Book #2
- Activity Books
- Foreign Products
- Unofficial Products
- Biographies
- Walton's Bird House
- FOTONOVEL
------------------

The Production
- Awards
- Behind the Camera
- Bloopers
- Cast off the Set
- Crew Listing
- Design of the Show
- Directing The Waltons
- Filming Locations
- Influences on Culture
- In Memoriam
- Interviews
- Kami's Memories
- Lorimar Productions
- Sets, Structures
- Specials & Docs
- Water Fountain
------------------
The Creator
- The REAL John-Boy
- The REAL Waltons
- The REAL Mountain
- Apples's Way
- Earl Hamner Storyteller
- Earl Hamner Memorial
------------------