Scott McCartor

Opie must either learn how to box or lose prestige among his peers when a new boy moves into town.

Tragedy strikes the life of a young girl befriended by the Waltons when her drunken father burns the schoolhouse in the name of religion after he learns the children are being taught the theory of evolution.

Trouble begins in the Monster household when Herman tells Lily he intends to attend an Army reunion banquet wearing his old uniform. Lily is against the idea since Herman would have to spend the night away. However, she agrees, providing Herman will lose enough weight in the ten days remaining until the reunion to fit into his old uniform.

Reuben comes up with the idea for a contest - the Booper Beat Magazine Contest - in which the winner would spend a week with the Partridge Family. Keith is hoping the winner would be young and beautiful. Reuben comes up with Gloria Neugast, the winner of the contest...a 60-year-old Jewish mother. In no time at all, Mrs. Neugahst is cleaning the house, mowing the lawn, helping the kids with their homework and teaching Laurie how to knit. She even talks Keith into taking her to Muldoon's Point where he takes his girlfriends - and his friends drive up and tease him mercilessly. When Mrs. Neugast brings home a nice single Jewish doctor for Shirley...the family decides to that they can't take any more of it. But they don't want to hurt her feelings. During a recording session, Mrs. Neugast interrupts each time the Partridges are about to begin. She tells Keith his hair is out of place...then stops the session again to tell Shirley the sheet music is blocking her face. They finally finish, but after 73 takes! On the day she is to leave, Mrs. Neugast feigns illness, and Shirley decides to let her stay a few more days. Reuben comes up with the perfect solution - he finds her a job with a child daycare center so that she can worry about many people. She is delighted and leaves immediately. A week later, a letter arrives from Mrs. Neugast...and the Partridge family realizes she is not out of their lives. She tells Tracy to stop biting her nails, Keith to dress nicely...and she tells Shirley she has arranged another date for her with the nice Jewish doctor.

Wendell is 16 years old, skinny, unsure of himself, and a real klutz. He is a student at Laurie and Keith's school and also delivers groceries to the Partridges. The family suddenly realizes that he has flipped over Laurie, but he is much too shy and awkward to ask her out. Danny goes to the store where Wendell works and asks him if he'd like to have a date with Laurie. He drags Wendell back to the house and recruits Keith to give him a few lessons concerning girls. Both Partridge boys take Wendell into the house and hold him there until he finally stammers out an invitation for Friday night. Laurie accepts. Later, the Partridge Family realizes that they will be doing a concert in Phoenix Friday night, so Laurie has the difficult job of breaking her date. Meanwhile, Wendell has gained such confidence from her acceptance that it is doubly hard for her. She tells him and he immediately slips back to his former self...stumbling and clumsy. Laurie wants to make it up to him the next week, but Wendell avoids her and the other members of the family. Finally, Laurie goes to the store and tells him she would like him to take her to the football party that Saturday night. Once again, he is overwhelmed. The evening goes beautifully, and Wendell is eating it up. Everyone pays attention to him, even the girls, and he is full of pride and confidence. It is the greatest evening of his life. The following day he wants to see Laurie, and she is afraid he will ask her to go steady. Instead - much to her surprise - he tells her they are too young to get serious and he would like to take out other girls (even those who are not "nice" girls). Shirley tells her family the latest...Wendell has asked her out for Friday night.