THE WIDOW FRIETCHIE - ZONK IF YOU MUST.....

'DEATH VALLEY DAYS'
"RENO"

BARBARA FRITCHIE

portrayed by

FLORENCE AUER

From Wikipedia:
Barbara Fritchie (née Hauer) (December 3, 1766 – December 18, 1862), also known as Barbara Frietchie, and sometimes spelled Frietschie, was a Unionist during the Civil War. She was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and married John Casper Fritchie, a glove maker, on May 6, 1806. She became famous as the heroine of the 1863 poem "Barbara Frietchie" by John Greenleaf Whittier, in which she pleads with an occupying Confederate general to "Shoot if you must this old gray head, but spare your country's flag."

The flag incident as described in the poem likely never occurred at the Barbara Fritchie house, although Barbara Fritchie was a Unionist and did have a Union flag. Friends of Barbara Fritchie stated that she shook a Union flag at and insulted Confederate troops, but other neighbors said Barbara Fritchie, over 90 years old, was ill at the time.

The woman who inspired the poem was likely Mary Quantrell who lived on Patrick Street. In addition to confusing Barbara Fritchie with Mary Quantrall, the poem was likely embellished by a distant poet working from second or third hand accounts of the incident and other flag incidents. The Confederate general in the poem most likely was not (Stonewall) Jackson, but another Confederate officer since none of the men with General Jackson that day remembered the incident. Gen. Jackson and Barbara Fritchie both died before publication of the poem. Historians and reporters noted other discrepancies between the patriotic poem and witness accounts. 

Well, it looks like this is a discrepancy between the real world and Toobworld.  I mean, who are you going to believe - Frietchie's neighbors and Stonewall Jackson's officers?  Or 'Death Valley Days'?

In this episode, the Widow Frietchie is presented with the flag by Lt. Jesse Reno, who would have the Nevada town named after him in tribute to his service in the Civil War (during which he was killed in action.)  Reno was played by the hardest-working man in television, William Schallert.*

As the identity of the woman from Whittier's poem is in dispute, but positively identified in the episode, we're going to stick with Barbara Frietchie.  It certainly doesn't cause any Zonkish repercussions in the TV Universe.

And as Florence Auer and William Schallert appear to be the only actors to assay the roles of Mrs. Frietchie and Lt. Reno (respectively), then I think this episode may remain in the main Toobworld.

BCnU!

* That's not just me saying so.  That was a declaration made by TV Land, back when it was an archive for our television heritage.