The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (TV Series) Jonathan Tells It Like It Was (1969) User Reviews

Jonathan's Troubling Essay

[JordanThomasHall · 7/10 · 11 October 2017]

Jonathan's (Harlen Carraher) history essay over Benjamin Franklin and John Adams has won and he will be honored with a banquet at Norrie's Lobster House where he will be given an encyclopedia by Rutledge Adams (Tom Palmer), a descendant of John Adams. The runner-up is Danny Shoemaker (Danny Bonaduce, "The Partridge Family", in his TV debut that is written by his father Joseph Bonaduce). Danny's mother Jane (Anne Barton) tries to work over the PTA and chamber of commerce to reconsider the award for Danny. Meanwhile, the Captain (Edward Mulhare) tells Jonathan that Franklin and Adams weren't the buddies that his history book portrayed. Jonathan now changes his essay from "Patriots and Pals" to "The Scholar and the Schemer" and puts John Adams in a bad light, upsetting Rutledge and those in attendance. Jonathan insists on keeping his changes and is sent home from school where the children give his sister Candice (Kellie Flanagan) a hard time. Jonathan wonders if his essay was factual then why doesn't everyone else like it. Mrs. Muir (Hope Lange) explains that "some people like to image the great people of history as perfect." He says that it isn't fair, but Mrs. Muir explains that it is simply reality and he must decide between sticking with his composition or rewriting it to keep his first prize win. He finds solace in the Captain's compromise. A nice dramatic conflict offering.