- Welcome back to another segment
of "Behind the Scenes of The Waltons."
Today, I'm going to be talking about an episode
from Season 5, Episode 10, "The Great Motorcycle Race."
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This episode was directed by our very own Richard Thomas.
So always fun when Ralph or Richard directed episodes
in this case, it's about a motorcycle race.
And early in the episode
there is reference made to Jim Bob riding
Ike Godsey's motorcycle, and it references back -
Mama talks about “ how can he get on a motorcycle
after what happened to you?“
Speaking to John-Boy, of course, as early in Ep 5
John-Boy was walking with a cane
because Richard had had a real life accent filming
a movie about the death of James Dean
and his character was riding a motorcycle, had a crash
and Richard broke his ankle.
So, but I thought in that initial episode
that John-Boy said something about that his ankle was going
or his foot was going to heal faster than I thought he said
Ike's motorcycle, but maybe I'm wrong.
And maybe he just said the motorcycle, but in this case
Jim Bob is riding Ike's motorcycle.
So I was trying to remember exactly
how much actual motorcycle riding David Harper did in this.
And he clearly had to be able to ride this motorcycle.
And of course over the seasons, Jim Bob built a motorcycle.
He built a car
or he would've loved to have built an airplane.
And perhaps if the series had lasted longer
he would've built an airplane
but he was our mechanical genius around the house.
So in this case
David did actually do a lot of the motorcycle riding
but not when we get to the actual race at the end,
there he did have a stunt double.
In some of these early scenes
where David is riding the motorcycle.
Jim Bob's like circling it around the front yard.
And I found myself wondering how this was filmed
because it's kind of close on David.
And yet it would be hard.
I was trying to envision how the camera was doing this
because it was kind of keeping the same proximity to him
and yet they were circling around and I could tell
that it was the actual background.
So it wasn't like a fake process shot, but it seems to me
that the motorcycle was potentially rigged to a vehicle
that was maybe towing it
so that they could keep that distance in a shot.
It would be much harder for David possibly
to stay the exact same distance from the camera
the whole time if the two were separate.
And of course, the camera has to be able to be moving
in the same sort of circle that the motorcycle is.
So I think it was perhaps rigged and the camera
was potentially in the back of some sort of a truck
and they may have very well been towing, David,
but yeah, interesting
that I look back at these and go, how did we shoot that?
Maybe if I get a chance to talk with David
I'll ask him about that and see if he remembers.
The main subplot in this episode
is that Ike and Corabeth are planning to adopt a baby.
So for many scenes early in the episode
they are awaiting a phone call
from the agency that they have a baby available for them.
So there's a lot of anticipation
of this big moment coming up.
So it's kind of fun to see their excitement
and Corabeth keeps showing
off the nursery that she has created, which is just covered
with wallpaper and fluffy stuffed animals.
And there's like a little tiny crib.
And then, like a cradle little swing
and then there's a crib and then there's a bed.
So this room is already set
up for three stages of this child's life.
I don't know about you
but when my son was a baby, I mean, I had his crib.
And then when he got older, he had a bed.
I didn't put 'em all
in the room at the same time, but Ike and Corabeth
very excited and a little perhaps
over the top about how they are preparing for this child.
Something caught my attention early in the episode
because I noticed that Jon Walmsley in scenes kept standing
with his hand kind of behind his back.
Or he kind of seemed to be doing everything
with his left hand.
And I went, you know what?
I know there was a point when Jon Walmsley
had like a broken hand or something like that - broken wrist,
and he was wearing a cast
and the unusual body language caught my attention.
And so I started watching as the episode went
on thinking, ah, I bet this might have been
during one of those episodes when Jon was hiding a cast.
So there's a few different points that I noticed.
So early on, he's kind of, he keeps kind of keeping his hand
behind his back or his hands in his pockets.
At one point he walks into Ike's store
and you see his hand hanging down
but he's got his sleeve down over his hand.
I went well, that's also sort of unusual.
And then another point where he has his hands in his pocket.
And then when we get to the actual motorcycle race
when he's standing around with Jim Bob
everybody else is cheering him and applauding him.
And he's kind of again, just using the one hand.
And then I did catch little places
where that cast showed right at the end
where they're all congratulating, Jim Bob
we actually do indeed see the cast.
And I went back.
I literally like went back through some episodes
before and some episodes after to see
'cause I couldn't remember exactly how long a period
of time Jon wore this cast.
But as early as the episode, The Wedding,
I could see that he was again, sort of hiding that hand.
And there's a point in a dance, the hard luck dance
in The Wedding where you see him playing
and he keeps - he's hiding behind a music stand.
So, but the hand is strumming.
And so every once in a while, if you were to freeze,
it you'd probably catch a bit of this cast.
So I saw it was in that episode and then the following one,
The Cloudburst, I caught it at times.
And then by the time we got to The Pony Cart
which was after The Great Motorcycle Race, the cast was off.
So that was sort of the arc of Jon's hand in a cast
kind of like watching Richard and how long he had that cane.
By this episode, he's not using the cane.
He didn't really use the cane for very long
but mostly in The First Edition episode.
This is the episode that introduced
Rachel Longaker as Aimee Godsey.
So instead of adopting a baby, an infant
they think they're gonna get an infant, a little boy
but the mother decides that she's gonna keep him.
And so while they're there, they see
and fall for Aimee and they bring her home.
So this episode is when we first meet her.
And when Rachel first came to join our cast,
of course she recurred as the character of Aimee
for episodes throughout the rest of the regular series.
And I'm going to be speaking with Rachel in my next segment.
So I thought as a precursor to speaking to her
we would take a look at the episode that introduced her
and she was just adorable,
and so forlorn and she
and Elizabeth start this friendship and I love
how the things that she is experiencing,
Aimee is experiencing
in feeling uncomfortable with Ike and Corabeth
that she doesn't quite know how to say it to them
but she sort of expresses this with Elizabeth.
And I think that's very indicative of how children are
that they often don't feel comfortable speaking to adults
but someone else, a contemporary, they will sort
of voice things and their confusion and their uncertainty.
And so that happens between Aimee and Elizabeth.
And I think helps Aimee through that.
And I think it's a clever tool that a writer
uses sometimes where things might seem awkward
to have a conversation amongst adults or for a child
to say things to an adult, but they can convey a lot
of information through the simplicity
of the way that children speak to each other.
So really well done in this episode, I thought.
Jim Bob has gotten permission from Ike
to ride Ike's motorcycle anytime.
And Jim Bob literally takes the side car off of it
and he's riding it around.
He takes his girlfriend, Patsy Brimmer.
We see him have this little relationship
with Patsy over a few different episodes.
In this case, he takes her for a ride a couple times.
And at one point he picks her up
and she's wearing pants and a shirt.
And then by the time he arrives in Rockfish
she's wearing a dress.
So a little continuity error there
but he goes over there because he's heard
that there's going to be motorcycle races.
And he wants to ask Mr. Stoker,
if - he tells him he wants to race and Mr. Stoker
isn't so sure about this,
but finally Jim Bob talks him into it.
In this case, the character of Mr. Stoker
is played by actor Lewis Charles.
Mama, of course is not at all happy about the idea
of Jim Bob riding in a race
especially after John-Boy having had a motorcycle accident.
So, but Jim Bob has a really sweet scene with her
and just explains that he's different.
He's not like Ben, he's not like Jason.
He's not like John-Boy.
And that he's always gonna want to drive cars
and motorcycles and even airplanes.
And that that's just who he is.
And I think that's really,
we get some insight into the character
of Jim Bob in this episode and what his dreams really are.
And so I loved that and it kind of disarms Olivia a bit
because she's moved by what he has to say.
So, although she's not happy about this
he pretty much puts his foot down
and says, "I am gonna do this."
And as she leaves and he asks
if she's gonna be there and you know, she's just like
she won't, she doesn't answer him.
But then right at the end, as she leaves
she turns and she sort of smiles.
So she softens just a bit.
So that we're left with the sense that all is really okay
between Jim Bob and Mama, which is, I think really nice.
Ralph is only briefly in this episode, early in the episode
we hear that he's off doing a wiring electrical job
for someone and must be a little further away.
So Olivia isn't expecting him back until maybe the weekend.
And he shows up in the evening and surprises her
because he's heard that this thing is going on
with the potential motorcycle race.
And he knows that Olivia will be upset about that
and would like to be there to support her in this.
But he has the one scene.
She explains how it's all resolved.
He teases her about how she really doesn't need him around.
And then we don't see him again.
So I don't remember if Ralph was working on another show,
had something else going on or what the reason was
for him having just a scene or two
in this particular episode.
But it was lovely to see him for this brief period.
Feeling completely uncertain as a parent Corabeth comes
and she's looking for Olivia to get advice
but she ends up talking with Grandma
which I think is great because Grandma is so matter of fact,
it's like, well she's a child, of course,
she like you can't talk to her like an adult
and you have to - Grandma's just so pragmatic,
which is exactly what Corabeth needs. And with all of that. then Amy does go back home
after talking with Elizabeth and she's packing up
because she doesn't think that Ike and Corabeth want her.
And there's a wonderful scene
between Ronnie Claire and Rachel.
And she kind of says to Corabeth that she's kind of prissy
and that he seems kind of nervous
and Corabeth finally shows her softer more vulnerable side.
And it's a lovely bonding.
And just the beginning of finding this relationship
between the mother and the daughter
and she actually calls Corabeth, mama, for the first time.
So we know, although it won't be all smooth sailing
because it is Corabeth, that Aimee is loved
and know she's loved and that they will go forward together.
When we get to the actual motorcycle race
this was filmed the beginning
and the end of it on Western street.
This was the exact same spot where we started
and ended the horse race in The Wager.
And this was this building that we stand
on the balcony of was the building
that they would use for the bus depot
when we saw people get on and off the bus.
I think it may have also been the building
that was used for the train station in The Carnival
and other times so this little area of Western street
was used quite a bit in the Waltons.
Once we get in the actual motorcycle race
it's all kind of around the back lot.
They just picked some spots, set up these hay bales
and did all of that action.
It would've been pretty much all stunt riders.
When we see close ups of David, of course it's David
but mostly we see longer shots
because they have helmets on,
it would've been a stunt double riding
for David in all of those sequences,
just because there was potentially more danger there.
Ultimately, although Jim Bob does not win the race,
he does come in third or fourth
and wins a box of chocolates,
which he gives to his girlfriend, Patsy.
And we see a little kiss here.
We didn't get to see that very often with Jim Bob
but just this little budding romance there.
That's what I have for you
for this segment of "Behind The Scenes of the Waltons"
about The Great Motorcycle Race,
the episode that introduced Aimee Godsey.
So I will be back
with more "Behind the Scenes of the Waltons,"
more "Ask Judy"
and next time I'll be back
with Rachel Longaker who played Aimee Godsey,
thanks for watching.