Mary Jo learns that an old friend, Daryl Morton, is coming to Atlanta for a visit. Needing someone to talk with her son Quint about sex, Mary Jo decides to take advantage of the timing of Daryl's visit and have him discuss the matter with Quint. While remodeling the basement, Anthony discovers some documents indicating the Sugarbaker house is a historical site.
After his talk with Quint, Daryl suggests to Mary Jo that they get married. Although concerned there is no romantic spark between them, Mary Jo agrees to his proposal. Meanwhile, Julia has arranged for her house to be included in a tour of historic Atlanta homes.
Although she tries to avoid him, Mary Jo finally tells Daryl that she has reconsidered his proposal and has decided not to get married. Finally, guiding disrespectful and obnoxious tourists through her house is too much for Julia and she calls a halt to the tours. However, when one last group arrives, Julia tells them off in a classic rendition of Scarlet O'Hara, much to the delight of the tourists and their guide.
Additional Comments:
Daryl's suggestion that he and Mary Jo get married is actually based on a pact that the two had made that if they were both still single when they got old they would marry each other -- at the time having defined "old" as age 35.
This is also the episode where Charlene drives Suzanne crazy with all the new words she learned from her real estate agent -- such as "yutz" and "schmuck".
Delta Burke asked Mary Ann Mobley, a former Miss America, to bring her Miss America crown to the set so that she could wear it during rehearsals. Having spent her late teen years in the pageant circle competing for the biggest crowns she could find, it had always been Delta's dream to wear the Miss America crown.
James Keane, Michele Buffone, Armand Asselin and Frank DiElsi all appear as tourists in this episode.
Classic Scenes:
SUZANNE: I never use catalogs. I'd rather go in the store and see all the salespeople people groveling and sucking up to you.
JULIA: Pardon me, I never knew they were so solicitous at the K- Mart.
The snooty director from the Tour of Homes arrives at Julia's home with the tourists.
KAREN: Where is Julia please?
MARY JO: She's upstairs.
KAREN: Are you the one who's going to help her give the tour?
MARY JO: Yes, that would be me.
KAREN: Well, c'mon. Let's get started. Skidaddle. Hippity hop!
MARY JO: (putting on Southern airs and yelling upstairs to Julia in a snooty immitation of Karen) Julia! The tour is here! Karen wants us to "skidaddle and hippity hop!"
Julia house is placed on a Tour of Homes and she is enforced to open her home to inconsiderate tourists.
TOURIST: Y'know, the other houses were much nicer than this one. This is boring.
KAREN, THE TOUR GUIDE: Well, this isn't one of our better ones. In fact, the only reason it's on the tour is because this was the home of Lucifer T. Stonewall Sugarbaker. He was a very famous horse thief and Yankee spy. Who's seen Gone With the Wind? Do you remember Belle Watley's house? Well this was the original that it was based on.
TOURIST: This used to be a whore house?
JULIA: Alright!! That's it. This is not a whore house, this is my house. And I've had all I'm gonna take of you. You don't care about history, you just want to sell it. You don't even sell it honestly. You just want to sell the myth.........the myth of the Old South. You all know that myth, don't ya? Happy darkies singing in the field while Miss Scarlet primps around throwing hissy fits. Well that's an insult. It isn't the South. It's an insult to all the people who lived and died here not so very long ago. We Southerners have had to endure many things. But one thing we Southerners don't have to endure is a bunch of bored housewives turning historical homes into theme parks, not to mention ill-mannered tourists with their Big Gulps, Mysties, Slurpees, and Frosties, their dirty feet overflowing rubber thongs, and babies who sneeze fudgecicle juice! Out!! Out of my house!! As God is my witness..........I will burn it down myself before I let you in again!!
(The tourists applaud........)
TOURIST: Wow! Just like the movie!
TOURIST: This is the best house on the tour!
KAREN: (nervously trying to hurry them out) Well.........we aim to please. And wasn't that a wonderful piece of theater.
MARY JO: Well......
JULIA: Well......
MARY JO: Julia, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I don't think you're gonna be invited to be on the tour of homes next year.
JULIA: Frankly my dear...I don't give a damn.
Designing Women Online, Designing Women Tribute, Women of the House Magazine
and Belled Online ©1998-Present. All Rights Reserved.
