The Homecoming: A Christmas Story

ANNOUNCER:

Tonight, CBS proudly presents

The Homecoming:

A Christmas Story

by Earl Hamner, Jr.,

a warm and inspiring

all-family movie

made especially for television.

Starring Patricia Neal.

The story of a family

and a Christmas Eve

that changed their lives

forever.

NARRATOR:

My grandfather used to say

that nobody owns a mountain,

but getting born and living

and dying in its shadow,

we loved Walton's Mountain

and felt it was ours.

The Walton family had endured

in that part of the Blue Ridge

for over 200 years,

a short time in the memory

of a mountain.

Still, our roots had grown deep

in its earth.

When I was growing up there

with my brothers and sisters,

I was certain that no one on

earth had quite so good a life.

I was 15, and growing

at an alarming rate,

each morning I woke,

convinced I'd added

another inch

to my height while I slept.

I was trying hard

to fill my father's shoes

that winter.

We were in the middle

of the Depression,

and the mill on which our

village depended had closed.

My father had found work

in a town 50 miles away,

and he could only be with us

on weekends.

On Christmas Eve,

early in the afternoon,

we had already started

looking forward

to his homecoming.

Go on, girl!

I'll tell you, I don't know

what's the matter with you.

You think it's springtime

or something?

That's the last time

you're going

to get out of there

and run up in the hill.

You some kind of rabbit?

Now move.

Get up.

Get up, girl.

I'm going to give you

some of the best hay

you ever cracked

your shins on.

Open the door.

( harmonica playing

"Happy Days Are Here Again" )

Why don't you play

something Christmasy, Jason?

It's not Christmas yet.

Well, it's Christmas Eve.

When will it really be

Christmas, John-Boy?

Tonight at midnight

when Grandpa rings

the church bell.

Grandpa says

at midnight on

Christmas Eve,

cows get down

on their knees

and pray.

You believe that,

John-Boy?

Wouldn't that be a wonder?

I'm going

to find out.

Going to come

up here tonight

and keep watch.

I'm coming with you,

Mary Ellen.

Me, too.

Me, three.

Well, now, you better

ask your mama

before you go prowling around

the place at midnight.

How'd you like

to bump into Santa Claus?

I already asked Mama,

and she said she'd

think about it.

Well, I want you

all to listen

to me a minute.

Try not to worry

Mama today.

Something wrong, John-Boy?

Well, she's got a lot

on her mind.

Like what?

Well, Daddy promised

he'd be home early today,

and he's not here yet.

Daddy'll get here.

You know he'll get here.

Oh, sure he will,

but first

he's got to pick up

his paycheck,

get it cashed and

take a bus to

Charlottesville,

and take another bus

to Hickory Creek.

And from there he's got

to hitchhike six miles.

It's going to take a while.

Sure.

Meanwhile, let's

get this wood

in the house

so we'll have a nice warm fire

when he gets here.

Yeah, I got it.

PARAMOUNT PICTURES

WOMAN:

...Heard the bells

on Christmas Day

Their old familiar

carols play

And wild and sweet

the words repeat

Peace on Earth,

good will to men

( humming )

Peace on Earth,

good will to men.

Now, you all come and eat

before your soup gets cold.

I'm hungry

enough to

eat a horse.

Yeah. This Depression gets

any worse, you may have to.

Yuck!

Oh.

Eww.

It'll never

come to that.

Franklin D.

Roosevelt's

going

to put this

country on its

feet again.

You watch

my words.

( dramatically ):

Ah, friends,

and you are my friends...

Now, you hush

with that

disrespect.

He's your president.

Get the cow in

the barn, son?

Yes, sir.

Storm's going

to hit here

anytime now.

How do you know that, Grandpa?

Well, I can feel it

in my bones.

You pulling my leg, Grandpa?

No, ma'am.

My bones feel one way

for good weather,

and another way for bad.

How do you

explain that?

Well, it's-it's a science,

Mary Ellen,

like anything else.

JOHN-BOY:

What you asking Santa Claus

to bring you, Grandma?

GRANDMA:

Well, I-I think

I'd like a little canary bird.

I could catch you a wild one

next spring, Grandma.

GRANDMA:

I don't want anybody

catching any wild things.

Now, you eat your soup.

I heard the bells

on Christmas Day

You want some more?

No, thank you.

Their old familiar

carols play

Mama's got the Christmas spirit.

What's she doing

down in the basement?

And wild and sweet

the words repeat

Went after apples.

Peace on Earth,

good will to men

Decided to make

her applesauce

cake after all.

Well, she told me

she didn't have enough sugar.

She claims she's going

to buy sugar.

It's her money.

Well, it wouldn't be Christmas

without Livy's applesauce cake.

There's too much nutmeg

in it for my taste.

Who wants

to see something pretty?

Me!

I do!

My Christmas cactus.

I'd practically forgotten

about it.

Just stuck it downstairs

in the basement last fall.

And, uh, would you look?

How can a plant

know it's Christmas?

Maybe it feels

in its bones like Grandpa.

( laughter )

I rooted this plant

from one my mama used to have.

It's 17 years old.

Oh, I vow, Livia.

Has it been

that long?

Oh, I planted it the same year

John and I were married.

GRANDPA:

I recollect.

Before the

World War.

Why did you marry Daddy, Mama?

Oh. Same reason

anybody gets married, baby.

Love.

( giggling )

MARY ELLEN:

How did you know

you loved him?

Oh, I just knew.

Oh, he was a

handsome thing

in those days.

Wasn't he, Grandma?

All my boys

were handsome.

They took after their daddy.

( laughter )

GRANDMA:

Listen to the old man.

My family didn't approve

of me marrying your daddy.

Did you all

know that?

What did they

have against

Daddy?

Well, my family were

big Baptists,

and your daddy, in those days,

wasn't exactly religious.

He was religious.

He just wasn't

a churchgoer.

OLIVIA:

Anyway,

when my family said

we couldn't get married,

your daddy and I sneaked off

one night

and went to see the

Baptist preacher.

John said,

"We're here

to be married."

And Preacher

Hicks said,

"Does your mama

know about this?"

And I said,

"No, sir."

And he said,

"Well, then I

can't marry you."

Oh, I was scared to death.

Ready to run

right straight home.

But your daddy

spoke up and said,

"Mr. Hicks,

"you are not the only

blankety-blank

preacher in the world--

we'll get us another preacher."

( laughter )

Mr. Hicks turned

red as a beat.

And then he said,

"Under the circumstances, then,

I will marry you."

And so he did.

( laughter )

What does Daddy have

against going to church?

Oh, he never

had the time.

Mama, this morning

there was a red bird

in your crabapple tree.

Oh, I'd love to

have seen it.

That red bird's going

to freeze tonight.

GRANDPA:

He won't freeze.

The redbird has a knack

of surviving winter.

Otherwise, he would have

headed south

with the gold finches

and bluebird

when the leaves started

to turn.

I wish my daddy

could fly.

( laughter )

Elizabeth,

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