Ep 9. Happy Trails to You

In the episode "Happy Trails to You," from season 3 of the show Newhart, viewers are treated to yet another hilarious and heartwarming glimpse into the lives of the quirky residents of the town of Clairborne, Vermont.

As the episode begins, Dick and Joanna Loudon (played by Bob Newhart and Mary Frann, respectively) are hosting a group of elderly tourists at their inn, the Stratford. The tourists are there for a cowboys and Indians-themed weekend, and soon the inn is awash with cowboy hats, feathers, and fringes.

While the guests are having a grand old time, Dick is feeling a bit left out. As a child, he never got to experience the joys of cowboy life and riding horseback through the wilderness. So when a group of the tourists offer to take him on a horseback ride through the nearby woods, he eagerly accepts.

Meanwhile, Joanna is busy trying to manage the inn and keep her guests entertained. But when she discovers that her chef has run off with the food and the only available meal for the guests is MREs (Military rations), things begin to go downhill quickly. In true Joanna fashion, she manages to save the day with her quick thinking and resourcefulness, serving up a feast of local delicacies including maple syrup and apple pie.

As Dick and the tourists ride out into the woods, they quickly realize that things aren't going as smoothly as they'd hoped. The horses are misbehaving, the trail is treacherous, and soon they're lost in the woods with no compass or map.

Back at the inn, Joanna is dealing with a new problem: the cowboys and Indians are starting to get a bit too into character, and things are getting rowdy. She enlists the help of her handy-man, George Utley (played by Tom Poston), to try to calm things down.

As the day wears on, Dick and the tourists grow more and more lost in the woods. But just when things seem hopeless, they stumble upon an old cowboy camp that offers some much-needed shelter and supplies.

Meanwhile, back at the Stratford, Joanna and George have managed to quell the cowboy and Indian conflict and are beginning to wind down for the night. But just as they're settling in, they discover that the elderly tourists have returned from their adventure in the woods, and they're not happy.

In the end, the tourists are appeased, Joanna and Dick share a happy reunion, and all is well in the town of Clairborne once again. "Happy Trails to You" is a classic episode of Newhart, filled with humor, heart, and just a touch of adventure.