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 3.05 [065]
"Felicity's Spring"
Original NBC Broadcast - 14 October 1964

Revue Studios
Executive Producer Frank Price
Produced By Winston Miller
Written By John Holloway
Directed By Don McDougall
#
Starring:
(shown on ride-in)
Lee J. Cobb as Judge Henry Garth
Doug McClure as Trampas (not in this episode)
Clu Gulager as Emmett Ryker (not in this episode)
Roberta Shore as Betsy Garth
Randy Boone as Randy Benton
and
James Drury as The Virginian
#
with
Gary Clarke as Steve
(A previous regular cast member, 
Gary Clarke was being phased out of the series in early season 3.  He appeared in this episode as well as 3.07 "Big Image...Little Man" with his final appearance in 3.09 "The Girl From Yesterday")

#
Guest Stars (credited during ride-in)
Katherine Crawford as Felicity Andrews
Mariette Hartley as Kate Andrews
#
Full ending credits:
Co-starring
Carl Benton Reid as Jonah
L.Q. Jones as Belden
Norman Leavitt as Joe Mapes
Adrienne Marden as Mary Mapes
Jennie Lynn as Tessie
#
Casey Peters as Robbie
Frank Sully as Danny
Christine Matchett as Mary
and
Dean Harens as Reverand Haggarty
#
Virginian Theme
Percy Faith
#
Director of Photography
Benjamin H. Kline A.S.C.
#
Story Editor
Cy Chermak
#
Art Director . . . George Patrick
Film Editor . . . Edward Haire, A.C.E.
Assistant Director . . . John Clarke Bowman
Set Decorators . . . John McCarthy and James M. Walter, SR.
Sound . . . David A. Moriarty
Color Consultant . . . Alex Quiroga
Color By Pathe
#
Editorial Dept. Head . . . David J. O'Connell
Musical Supervision . . . Stanley Wilson
Costume Supervisor . . . Vincent Dee
Makeup . . . Bud Westmore
Hair Stylist . . . Larry Germain
The title "The Virginian" by Permission of EMKA, LTD.

Series regular characters appearing in this episode:
Judge Garth, Betsy, Randy, The Virginian

Brief Synopsis:
Everyone loves Felicity. Her love of life and the way she embraces it with
such vibrato. After trying all he could not to fall under the same spell
as the entire town of Medicine Bow, the Virginian falls in love with the
beautiful good-hearted Felicity Andrews, unaware that her sister and
grandfather are hiding an important truth~this is Felicity's last spring!

Detailed Synopsis:
The Virginian steps off of the Saturday evening train in Medicine Bow. When
he doesn't see Steve whom he telegraphed to meet him, he walks over to
Danny's saloon. Noticing how quiet it is, he reassures himself it IS
Saturday night.
He wonders aloud where his Shiloh hands are. Danny tells him they are over
at the schoolhouse taking dancing lessons. Miffed that Steve forgot to pick
him up at the station, he picks up his suitcase and walks over to the
schoolhouse to find out what is going on.

The Virginian arrives at the schoolhouse and steps into the foyer. Steve
spots his boss and quickly ends his dance and walks over looking sheepishly
as Randy quickly turns away from his partner and hides his face over by the window.

While Steve and the Virginian are talking, Felicity walks over and joins
them informing the Virginian her class is full. Steve introduces the
Virginian to Felicity and the Virginian informs her he is not there to learn
how to dance, that he already knows how to waltz.
Not pleased with Steve at all, he tells both of them sarcastically,
"Students are a little older than they were in my day. I like the
curriculum better though, all we learned was to read and write, and buy and
sell pieces of apples." Sensing Steve wasn't ready to leave the dance class
just yet, he tells him to catch his own ride home saying, "I'm taking your horse."

The Virginian walks up to the main house to see the Judge and to tell him
the herd he saw was a good investment and worth the money if it were his.
Sensing something different with the Judge, and Betsy, he asks about
it. The Judge explains, "It's the new school teacher." Not understanding
what the Judge means despite the fact he did meet her, the Judge continues,
calling the aura that surrounds her, "Sheer unadulterated goodness."
Doubtful, the Virginian tells the Judge, "Maybe I'm just immune." "It will
hit you. You just haven't been properly exposed to her," the Judge assures him.

Felicity's older sister Kate comes to Shiloh to purchase a saddle horse for
her sister's birthday. The Virginian asks if Felicity can ride. Kate tells
him that animals just naturally respond to her. The Virginian and the
Judge lock eyes in a "here we go again" look. The Judge tries to hide his
smile but Kate catches it. "Did I say something wrong?" she asks
innocently. He tells Kate his foreman is somewhat of a cynic and is a
little bit puzzled by the affect her sister has on Medicine Bow. Kate
responds assuredly it is because he doesn't know her very well. The
Virginian says, "I'm sure it is," and walks away to catch up the mare. Kate
is not convinced of his enthusiasm and tells the Judge so.
The Judge, serious now, tells Kate not to be put off by anything "I
could have said", telling her pointedly that, "they don't come any finer.
He just likes to make his own judgements."

In town, the Virginian hands Joe, the local storekeeper, a list from Betsy.
He invites the Virginian to supper that night and the Virginian accepts.
Listening to the two children go on about Miss Felicity, the Virginian's
eyes and heart are suddenly opened to the "good-hearted intentions" through
the children, and with a glazed look in his eyes, he asks them if they like
their teacher. Tessie tells him what she would go through for Miss
Felicity, and the Virginian is convinced~ he must get to know this
mesmerizing woman better!

During Felicity's birthday party, the Virginian hangs on to every word that
comes out of her beautiful mouth. With glazen eyes and a soft voice, he
offers to take her riding on her new mare Saturday. Not believing what he is
hearing from his "immune" foreman, the Judge turns his head away and smiles,
knowing his foreman is smitten! Turning back with the smile still on his
face, the Virginian gives him one of his "looks".

During their ride, the foreman freely acts like a little boy, totally
engulfed in Felicity's world, seeing things differently as he never has
before. Seeing them as though for the first time in his life. The more time
they spend together, the more he learns from Felicity and the deeper in love
they fall with each other.

Noticing they are spending alot of time together, Kate pays a visit to the
Virginian, asking him his intentions. She doesn't want to see Felicity hurt.
He avoids her questions asking if she can stand between Felicity and life
forever. She begs him not to wait to ask Felicity to marry him, not
completely revealing her true reasons for this.

Kate tells their grandfather Felicity and the Virginian want to be married.
The grandfather is concerned about hiding the truth from him. From both of
them. But Kate refuses to tell them saying, "This is Felicity's spring.
There will be other springs for him."

As the time of the wedding nears, and Kate realizes the Virginian is going
into debt to buy the Simmons house, Kate breaks down and knows she must
be honest with the Virginian before he goes through with the purchase and
the impending debt it will bring.

She visits him at the ranch and reveals the awful truth. Felicity inherited
the same disease her mother had. "I had a choice to make~~3 years of
living as an invalid in bed or one year living life to the fullest. I chose
life for Felicity. She doesn't know she is ill." Even though his heart is
wrenched by Kate's awful news, he shows the depth of his love for Felicity
by telling Kate he is going through with their plans to marry.

During the rehearsal party, as the Virginian and Felicity waltz together,
Felicity collapses in his arms. By her bedside, with his lips touching
hers, they kiss their last kiss, and Felicity dies. [ARL]

Comments:
The Judge, congratulating the Virginian after hearing the news he and
Felicity are going to be married, "I won't even tell you I told you so."

Betsy shows us just how close the Virginian is to them by the old saying,
"You lose a son when he takes a wife, but your daughter's your daughter all of her life."

The Judge considers the Virginian his son.
In episode 1.10, "It Tolls For Thee", we learn that the Virginian is as
close to the Judge as a son when he calls out to him, "I'm alright, son."

I find it difficult to believe Trampas was not in this episode considering
he and the Virginian were best friends. He would have been the likely choice
to be his best man, although the Judge was also a logical choice.

The Virginian expresses his desire for children.

:Special Note:
This episode contains numerous fluctuations which made it especially
tedious to write. It was impossible to put certain events and feelings into
words. The Virginian, being a cautious man, needs time and space to see
things others more easily see for themselves, before he casts a judgement.

Additional Notes:
You can see Mariette Hartley in episode 2.19, "The Drifter"

We see a similar situation in the episode 5.22, "Melanie". It is Melanie and
her father who hide the truth of her illness and impending death from
Trampas while they make wedding plans. [ARL]

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