Touchy/Feely

[pony]

No doubt about it, Joe was by far the most physical Cartwright ... I mean, what a touchy/feely guy! He never seemed self-conscious about reaching out for his Pa or brothers, and they in turn seemed very comfortable with sharing hugs, arms around shoulders, back-slaps, whatever. (I'm sure that's partly from being the youngest. My youngest boy of three sons is also extremely affectionate with me, his dad and his brothers, and is not the least bit shy about it. The older two boys almost never touch one another, but are always hugging, wrestling and playing around with the youngest.)

Anyway, what are your favorite "reach out and touch someone" Joe moments?

I like the spontaneous ones that appear to be totally unscripted; for example, the scene where Joe is kneeling next to Ben and telling him he's going to marry someone (I think it's Tirza in 'Dark Star') ... anyway, Joe rests his hand on Ben's leg, and Ben reaches over and covers his son's hand with his own. It's just a small detail in the overall scene, but never fails to touch my heart.