A License to Drive

Eugene Meltsner can quote the entire county penal code, but he can't drive a car - and Connie, who dreams of becoming a teacher, gets him as her very first student. The lessons at Whit's End go about as well as you'd expect: stalled engines, a flattened garbage can, and a road test so disastrous that Eugene backs into Mr. Lagrange's petunias and the examiner quits on the spot. Eugene declares himself unteachable, Connie decides she's no teacher, and both are ready to give up... until Whit hands them the keys and sends them out to practice one more time. In the park they find a stranded car - and inside, a woman in labor who can't drive herself to the hospital. With Connie keeping the mother calm, Eugene must take the wheel, talking himself through every turn and conquering the very hill stop that beat him on his test. By the end, there's a healthy baby girl named Connie Eugenia, a brand-new licensed driver in Odyssey, and proof that a good teacher - and a stubborn student - should never quit.

Found on Meanwhile, in Another Part of Town Album 14 · 13 episodes

The run See every episode

0188 The Courage to Stand A girl's shot at joining the popular cheerleading crowd hinges on one party - and one condition her mother won't bend on.

0189 No, Honestly! The town's least trustworthy kid becomes convinced a charming newcomer is up to no good - but who's going to believe Rodney Rathbone?

1 of 2 0190 Moses: The Passover On his son's birthday, a workaholic father chases the boy into an Imagination Station adventure and finds himself trapped in ancient Egypt on the eve of the tenth plague.

2 of 2 0191 Moses: The Passover Trapped in different corners of ancient Egypt on the night of the first Passover, a father and son each discover that finding their way back to one another will take more than their own strength.

0192 Modesty is the Best Policy When her father vetoes her trendy new dress, a teenage girl discovers that turning heads at school is easier - and more complicated - than she expected.

0193 A Tongue of Fire When aspiring kid broadcaster Jimmy Barclay takes career advice from Odyssey's most notorious shock jock, his quest for laughs puts his friendships - and his show - on the line.

0194 A License to Drive When Connie is challenged to prove she has what it takes to be a teacher, her first pupil is the last person she'd choose: Eugene, who needs to learn how to drive.

0195 Father's Day When Connie's estranged father breezes into town for one night with an invitation and a suspicious hesitation, she hatches an elaborate scheme to rekindle her parents' old flame.

0196 Harlow Doyle, Private Eye When a girl at Whit's End confesses she's lost her faith, Odyssey's eccentric new private eye takes the case - determined to find it like any other missing item.

0197 The Midnight Ride At Whit's End, Whit sets the record straight on Longfellow's famous poem, telling Marsha the fuller, stranger, and truer story of Paul Revere's midnight ride.

0198 Treasure Hunt A charity treasure hunt turned water-pistol war game collides with a manhunt when an escaped convict stumbles back into the one town he swore he'd never see again.

0199 The 'No' Factor When everyone in Odyssey suddenly wants Connie Kendall at once, her enthusiastic yeses pile into a schedule no one could survive.

0200 Feud for Thought When Eugene discovers he's related to Bernard Walton, his first family reunion turns sour as a fifty-year-old grudge over a pig deal puts his grandfather's honor - and his newfound family ties - on the line.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 1 more roles

1 supporting role

Mother of Connie Eugenia Chris Anthony

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Phil Lollar Writer · Director Bob Luttrell Sound Designer · Producer Paul McCusker Producer Chuck Bolte Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 2 min

Connie and Eugene are at it again. In the Bible Room at Whit's End, Connie has shared her dream of one day becoming a teacher, and Eugene has laughed out loud at the idea. Connie fires back with the one thing she knows will sting: at least she has a driver's license. Whit makes them apologize, then decides the two of them can help each other for once. Eugene needs coaching for his driver's examinations, and Connie wants to teach. So Whit introduces the new teacher to her first pupil.

Eugene does not make it easy. Instead of the driver's manual Connie gave him, he studies a stack of books about fuel systems and memorizes the entire county penal code, and he can tell her the fine for dancing with your horse but not the first thing a driver should do after getting in the car. Two missed questions from the manual later, he admits the tutoring session might be necessary after all. Once he buckles down he aces every practice test, but the driving lessons in Whit's delivery car are another matter. Connie starts at the very beginning, holding up the key and making Eugene say its name, and by the end of the afternoon he has lurched, stalled, flattened a garbage can that turned out to be full of glass bottles, and learned a bonus lesson in changing a flat tire.

On the day of the test Eugene passes the written exam and fails the road test spectacularly. He signals with the wrong hand and nearly slaps the examiner, tears the trim off the door while parallel parking, and rolls backwards down a hill into Mr. Lagrange's petunia garden - while Mr. Lagrange is standing in it. The instructor drives back to the office and resigns. Eugene declares himself unteachable, and Connie decides she would not make a good teacher after all. Whit refuses to let either of them quit. Would Eugene abandon a science experiment after only two failures? And what would Connie tell one of the kids at Whit's End who wanted to give up? He hands them the keys and sends them out to practice around McAlister Park.

That is where they spot a car stopped by the road with its door hanging open. Inside is a woman in labor, her contractions too strong for her to drive herself the rest of the way to the hospital. Connie stays beside her to keep her calm, which means Eugene has to drive. He talks himself through every turn, and when the route ends at the very thing that beat him on the test - a stop on a hill, with traffic ahead - he holds his nerve and pulls away without stalling, right up to the emergency entrance.

The story closes at the hospital, where Whit joins Connie and Eugene to admire a healthy baby girl named Connie Eugenia, after her two rescuers. Eugene has gone back and passed his road test, making him Odyssey's newest licensed driver, and when Connie jokes that maybe he can teach the baby to drive someday, he tells her he will leave the teaching to her - which, coming from Eugene, is quite a compliment.