- 8.2/10155 votes
#1 - The Sermon
Season 4 Episode 1 - Aired 9/11/1975
Reverend Fordwick asks John-Boy to deliver the Sunday sermon, and Miss Hunter asks Olivia to act as the substitute teacher. It proves to be an interesting experience for both as Reverend Fordwick and Miss Hunter plan their wedding and honeymoon
Director: Harry Harris
Writer: Kathleen Hite
- 8.2/10171 votes
#2 - The Genius
Season 4 Episode 2 - Aired 9/18/1975
John-Boy's Dean asks him to take care of a 16 year old genius college student for the weekend. It seems that Lyle is wonderful with science and math, but woefully lacking when it comes to dealing with people.
Director: Harry Harris
Writer: N/A
- 7.6/10158 votes
#3 - The Fighter
Season 4 Episode 3 - Aired 9/25/1975
Young prize fighter James Travis Clark from Richmond arrives on Walton's Mountain looking for work. He lives in the Walton's barn while training for his next fight. Grandma and Olivia are upset with the whole idea until they find out that James is a minister.
Director: Ivan Dixon
Writer: N/A
- 8.4/10174 votes
#4 - The Prophecy
Season 4 Episode 4 - Aired 10/2/1975
Father and son struggle with personal crisis: John approaches his 25-year high school reunion regretting he is not a greater success; and John-Boy fears he will never be able to make a living as a writer.
Director: Harry Harris
Writer: Marion Hargrove
- 7.4/10133 votes
#5 - The Boondoggle
Season 4 Episode 5 - Aired 10/9/1975
Porter Sims, a reporter from New York, comes to get material for a guide book on Virginia. John-Boy takes him to see the Baldwin sisters who allow him to look through the late Judge Baldwin's private papers. These reveal that their father was accused of treason for harboring Yankee soldiers during the Civil War. Deeply shocked and hurt, they decide not to leave their house ever again.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.7/10142 votes
#6 - The Breakdown
Season 4 Episode 6 - Aired 10/16/1975
Jason is attending Klineberg Conservatory while playing with the Haystack Gang & the Sunrise Gospeleers. He is not doing too well and decides to slow down. John-Boy takes a new job in Boatwright's library.
Director: Ivan Dixon
Writer: N/A
- 7.9/10165 votes
#7 - The Wing-Walker
Season 4 Episode 7 - Aired 10/23/1975
John-Boy is doing a story on a female wing-walker who is performing at the local fair. He invites her to stay at the Walton home. Jim Bob is soon madley in love with the flyer. Maude Gormley gives Mytrle the goat to the Waltons.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.9/10155 votes
#8 - The Competition
Season 4 Episode 8 - Aired 10/30/1975
A handsome forestry student name Chad Marshall arrives on Walton's Mountain. Both Erin and Mary Ellen are smitten and a competition delelops between them. Each is sure that she is the chosen one. Mary Ellen realizes that it is Erin thats truly in love.
Director: Alf Kjellin
Writer: N/A
- 7.6/10140 votes
#9 - The Emergence
Season 4 Episode 9 - Aired 11/6/1975
John-Boy's old girlfriend Marica Woolery returns to Walton's Mountain with her fiance to sell some inherited property. She plans to invest the money in her fiance's proposed business. John-Boy exposes the fiance as a braggart and not in love with Marcia. Olivia subs. A student obtain a pair of much needed eye glasses.
Director: Alf Kjellin
Writer: N/A
- 7.8/10158 votes
#10 - The Loss
Season 4 Episode 10 - Aired 11/13/1975
Olivia Hill, Olivia's young cousin, returns to Walton's Mountain to grieve the sudden death of her husband. The family attempts to cheer her up. It does not work until Elizabeth's cat, Calico, gives birth to kittens.
Director: Alf Kjellin
Writer: N/A
- 7.8/10150 votes
#11 - The Abdication
Season 4 Episode 11 - Aired 11/20/1975
John-Boy renews his friendship with A.J. Covington who is working with a movie company. The Walton family intently follows the abdication of King Edward while following the activities of a movie company fliming on Walton's Mountain.
Director: N/A
Writer: Matt Robinson
- 7.2/10136 votes
#12 - The Estrangement
Season 4 Episode 12 - Aired 12/4/1975
Vera Walton has left her husband Wade and moves into the Walton home. Wade has been abusive and is running moonshine. John gives Wade a job at the mill to help the young couple get on their feet and get back together.
Director: Harry Harris
Writer: N/A
- 8.1/10148 votes
#13 - The Nurse
Season 4 Episode 13 - Aired 12/11/1975
As Mary Ellen nervously awaites word on her acceptance to nursing school, the rest of the Waltons prepares surprise good-bye gifts. Mary Ellen is accepted, but she needs more work in math and science and ends up studying with John-Boy and Miss Nora Taylor, the county nurse.
Director: Alf Kjellin
Writer: Kathleen Hite
- 7.9/10155 votes
#14 - The Intruders
Season 4 Episode 14 - Aired 12/18/1975
Ben gets angry and leaves home at the same time Grandpa and John enter a competition with another lumber mill for the big contract. Without knowing, Ben goes to work for the other firm. Grandpa devises a clever scheme to get their lumber to market first.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.1/10172 votes
#15 - The Search
Season 4 Episode 15 - Aired 1/1/1976
Olivia and the two youngest children, Jim-Bob and Elizabeth, go up on Walton's Mountain and become lost. They experience many challenges. Jim-Bob saves the day using woodsman skills taught to him by Grandpa.
Director: Harry Harris
Writer: N/A
- 8.5/10163 votes
#16 - The Secret
Season 4 Episode 16 - Aired 1/8/1976
Jim-Bob thinks he was adopted. He searchs his birth records and finds out he's a twin. Jim-Bob's twin brother died at birth.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.8/10127 votes
#17 - The Fox
Season 4 Episode 17 - Aired 1/15/1976
Grandpa enjoys telling tales of his days with Teddy Roosevelt in the Spanish Amercian War, but he balks about attending a reunion of the Rough Riders. Ben decides to go into to business trapping and selling animal skins.
Director: Richard Thomas
Writer: Max Hodge
- 8.5/10188 votes
#18 - The Burn Out
Season 4 Episode 18 - Aired 1/22/1976
The Walton's house is nearly destroyed by fire and the children must live temporarily with friends. John-Boy has a difficult time to begin the task of rewriting his lost novel.
Director: Harry Harris
Writer: N/A
- 7.5/10136 votes
#19 - The Big Brother
Season 4 Episode 19 - Aired 1/29/1976
John-Boy meets up with a runaway girl named Muffin who's 12 years old. Muffin tells him that she was abused and is trying to find her mother. John-Boy takes her home and she fools everyone but Grandpa.
Director: N/A
Writer: John McGreevey
- 7.8/10124 votes
#20 - The Test
Season 4 Episode 20 - Aired 2/5/1976
Olivia gets a job as a dress maker.She does very well & soon she gets full time work.She is pleased with the attention but realizes she wants too be home more than at work .Maude Gormley is put in an old folks home and loses her zest for life
Director: N/A
Writer: Kathleen Hite
- 7.7/10130 votes
#21 - The Quilting
Season 4 Episode 21 - Aired 2/12/1976
A quilting is to announce that a woman is of marrying age. Grandma is determined to have one for her granddaughter Mary Ellen who is just as determined not to participate in what she considers an insulting custom.
Director: Lawrence Dobkin
Writer: N/A
- 7.9/10139 votes
#22 - The House
Season 4 Episode 22 - Aired 2/19/1976
Esther wants to save an old house from being torn down. Grandpa wants the contract to destroy it for the old wood. They both argue until Zeb realizes that house holds sentimental memories for grandma.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.4/10145 votes
#23 - The Fledgling
Season 4 Episode 23 - Aired 2/26/1976
John-Boy sure trys to raise the down payment for an old printing press to publish his own newspaper
Director: Harry Harris
Writer: Earl Hamner, Jr.
- 7.1/10136 votes
#24 - The Collision
Season 4 Episode 24 - Aired 3/4/1976
Selena Linville comes back to Walton's Mountain & lights a fire under John-Boy to go to Spain & write all about Rebel cause
Director: Richard Thomas
Writer: John McGreevey
The Best Episodes of The Waltons Season 4
Every episode of The Waltons Season 4 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Waltons Season 4!
The Waltons live their life in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II.
Genre:Drama
Network:CBS
Season 4 Ratings Summary
"The Sermon" is the best rated episode of "The Waltons" season 4. It scored 8.2/10 based on 155 votes. Directed by Harry Harris and written by Kathleen Hite, it aired on 9/11/1975. This episode is rated 0.0 points higher than the second-best, "The Genius".