#110 King of the Road (Original air date: 12/03/96)
 

Written by:	Danna Doyle & Debbie Smith
Directed by:	Jim Johnston
Produced by:	Martha Williamson, Jon Andersen & R.J. Visciglia, Jr.

Guest Cast:

Patrick Shea	Steve Forrest
Don Hale	David Beecroft
Sean Morgan	David Carrera
Erasmus Jones	Ossie Davis

Hattie (Celeste Holm) takes a temporary job at a general store and is charmed by a roofing contractor named Patrick Shea played with elan by veteran actor Steve Forrest. When the first rain betrays a shoddy repair his roofing company performed on Erasmus’ roof, Hattie and Erasmus track Patrick down. He quickly vows to make amends and turns his intentions to courting Hattie. Claire and Russell search for a new trailer (because the Airstream was damaged in a fire in the previous episode). One of the roofing repairmen (named Don Hale) hooks them up with a cousin (named Sean Morgan) who can offer them a good deal on a used trailer, but Russell and Claire sour on the deal when they smell a scam. Josh and Dinah despair over the fate of the Airstream, which held so many cherished memories on the road -- prompting the family to visit the junkyard for one last goodbye. Rather than buy a new trailer, the Greenes decide to salvage their old one. Local authorities inform Russell and Claire that the trailer salesmen are part of a traveling band of scam artists, of which Patrick is a member. Patrick proposes to Hattie over a candlelight dinner and Hattie is swept off her feet until she learns the truth about him. Josh gets a haircut.

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