My wife and I agree on this one. "Wally", from Season 3, with Dick Van Dyke playing the homeless puppeteer.
What a sad episode ! He gives such a moving performance, as all of the people around him die, and then eventually, he dies, himself.
This was the one about the young girl that is dying, then is in remission and then becomes terminally ill. Very well acted by all.
This is the main problem with the series for me. It was so heartbreaking and sad in many episodes that it was very draining to watch. Great acting and stories but a little more of the happy episodes would have made it more enjoyable for me. Still like the series though.
Victor French and Landon had amazing chemistry.
It is really strange but when this show was shown on NBC I never really watched it at all, but then when the local TV station where I live started to air Highway To Heaven in reruns I watched it when I was in high school and loved the show. I am surprised that this show is still not shown in reruns.
The last time I caught an episode or two of Highway To Heaven was when I lived in Wisconsin and I just happened to catch it on TV Land. I was so happy to see the show on. I wished more networks would rerun this show. That is why I bought the first three seasons for my mom for this Christmas because she loved watching this show when it was on.
Dedicated to USA UP ALL NIGHT and the fans! www.usaupallnight.webs.com/
For the Love of Larry (#3.3)
Original Air Date: 8 October 1986
A dog leads Johnathan and Mark to his owners, who are trapped in a car.
Found many episodes online at:
http://tv.blinkx.com/show/highway-to-heaven/bIITlQdt1WGT1wlD6izlNd9oXo 4#s3e3
With my favorite episode about the dog here:
http://www.megavideo.com/?v=74S3SIRC
This episode is especially touching as my dog, Koko, looked just like the one from the TV show. The last 15 seconds of the show really get to me.
I miss shows like this on TV.
Thanks for the websites for me to be able to watch the shows! I appreciate that! I will have to watch some of the episodes or I just might go and borrow the box sets of the first three seasons from my mom that I got her for Christmas. She even complains that they do not put shows like this on TV anymore. That you have to blame these networks because they would rather have on crime and drama shows along with reality TV shows as well.
That is why I am trying to get back a TV show on USA Network that they use to have on the weekends late at night.
Dedicated to USA UP ALL NIGHT and the fans! www.usaupallnight.webs.com/
"Wally" is certainly one of the most poignant episodes, but one of the most uplifting as well, because it's one of the few that emphasize that heaven isn't just a bureaucracy where you earn gold stickers for wings, but a place of transcendent peace.
One HUGE problem with this episode: when we first meet Van Dyke/Wally, he is keeping a dog in a suitcase during the day. Small dog, yes, but small suitcase, too. He says it's to keep the dog safe, but for how many hours is the pup without food, water, a place to relieve himself, or even room to move around?? It's flagrantly inhumane and I'm surprised it got past the writers. Jonathan does bring Wally a leash for the dog so "he won't have to keep him in the suitcase anymore," but by that time the episode had lost *some* credibility, in spite of what I said at the beginning.
"I've loved you my whole life."
"You've only known me three days."
"That's when my life began."
Still the episode was a very good one to watch though. You were reading into things too much instead of enjoying the show. I understand that it was not right the way that the show was written, but it was not real though. It was a story written to enjoy.
Dedicated to USA UP ALL NIGHT and the fans! http://usaupallnight.webs.com
I agree with everyone here all these episodes definitely do tug at our heartstrings . It just can't be helped for such a wonderfully moving and unique show . I'm very glad to see it on TV again after all these years too . I just recently started watching this show again on the inspiration channel . I watched this past Thursday the episode " For The Love of Larry " . Boomer was the dog's name ( according to the opening episode credits ) he seemed so smart and sweet . I was wondering what breed of dog he was ? He almost looked like the dog Dreyfuss ( played by Bear the Dog ) from the TV Show " Empty Nest " . Duddley the dog in the beginning of this episode looked like a great yet silly dog too . Another wonderful set of episodes ( as a two part episode ) was with Jake the dog called " Man's Best Friend " . It was somewhat sad but gladly it did have a very happy ending . Thanks mistermycroft for your subject post .
shareThe saddest episode had to be The Squeaky Wheel (#5.7) not so much as the story but the first time this show was aired was the day after Victor French had been called home.
"I'm not afraid of heights, I'm just afraid of falling from them." - George Carlin
My two, that I can remember are, For the Love of Larry, yes the dog episode, and the one with Eddie Albert as the politician. Jonathan Smith Goes to Washington
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"A Dolphin Song for Lee" was very sad for me. Especially because at the end of Part 1, it appeared to be a happy ending, then you see the fateful words on the screen, "to be continued." I knew then things would turn for the worse in Part 2.
shareI wish we had still had quality TV shows like HTH to watch. I think I cried in every episode.
shareSome more sad ones for me...
1. The episode where Jonathon pretends to be a homeless "Bird Man" and "dies", thinking he really dies, Mark gets angry and tells the employees of the toxic waste company Jonathon was protesting that Jonathon was just trying to help them...he was crying and so emotional.
2. Jonathon and Mark are on "vacation" at a fishing lake, it turns out there's an assignment for Jonathon to unite two people but he ends up falling in love with the woman and gets jealous. There's a moment after his outburst that Mark comforts him and explains maybe God did this so Jonathon wouldn't forget what it's like to be human...I tear up everytime.
Wayne Enterprises buys and sells companies like Stark Industries
I liked the previous post...
Another and might have already been mentioned - a young Helen Hunt played the role of a dying ranch hand/equestrian competitor in a two part episode...
That was and is a common story line, but the way it was shown was pretty good...
Galdes2
Wow, i cannot belive no one has mentioned this one, but the one episode that gets me all teary eyed is the one where Jon and Mark go back in time and stay with Marks grandpa, that episode really touched me.
shareThere was one episode which was called "Fly To The Moon" (not sure about the title) about a little boy who was terminally ill with cancer and had always dreamed of becoming an astronaut. Broke my heart.
"When we make mistakes, it's evil. When God makes mistakes, it's nature."
I agree with the people who said "A Dolphin Song for Lee." I just watched that two-parter on TV last night and I'm pretty sure I was crying through the entire last 45 minutes. Maybe it's because I was a pediatric oncology/bone marrow transplant nurse for 10 years, but that would actually probably make me less likely to cry about the show when you think about it. I think the show(s) were just REALLY well made. And the actresses (especially Lee and her little sister) were excellent!
FYI if you get Rural TV (or I think it also goes by RFDTV) they show Highway to Heaven every night :)
I know they're a great episodes, but I simply can't watch "To Touch the Moon" or "Man to Man," as they're just too sad. In fact, I have something of a guilty secret: I really prefer those episodes that deal with serious but not life-threatening issues. Examples would be "That's Our Dad," "Catch a Falling Star," "Friends," "Dust Child," and "The People Next Door."
shareIt was called To Touch the Moon
shareThat episode was Touch the Moon.
"When we make mistakes, it's evil. When God makes mistakes, it's nature."
God doesn't make mistakes. Nature is nature.
I think that's the only episode I ever saw! Sure it was pretty sad. I don't know Dick Van Dyke very well or remember the actor so much, sorry.
shareThe saddest was the last one because it was the last one!
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