It Happens Every Thursday

The MacAvoys sell everything and relocate to California to launch the Eden Archive. They discover the paper is run-down and underprepared for success. This sets the stage for their ambitious, chaotic campaign to win readers and advertisers.

Jane goes into labor and gives birth to their daughter upstairs in the Eden Archive. The family welcomes a new child while the business is still finding its footing. The event raises the emotional stakes of their risky venture.

To boost readership, Jane suggests a guessing game with baby photos printed in the paper. Readers try to identify the newborns, which drives engagement and subscriptions. The gimmick escalates when a full-page mansion image becomes part of the game.

The mansion pictured on the front page turns out to be a prostitution house run by Mrs. Holmes. Townspeople are outraged, and the edition is flaming, causing a sharp drop in subscriptions. The scandal destabilizes the fledgling paper and deepens the MacAvoys' troubles.

Jane canvasses local businesses to buy ads, where she meets Myron Trout, the town's store owner and antagonist. He makes flirtatious advances that she quickly rejects. His hostility to the couple deepens as a result.

To drum up support, the MacAvoys socialize in town clubs and stage a drawing for a new car to win subscribers. The community response brings in more readers and advertisers in the short term. Meanwhile, Trout remains a looming obstacle to their success.

A drought grips Eden, prompting Bob to promise rain and attempt an aerial demonstration using dry ice and cloud seeding. Rain appears before he completes the experiment, and Jane reports in the paper that Bob caused it. Word spreads, and public scrutiny sharpens.

The rain lingers for days, flooding streets and businesses. The town blames Bob for the disaster, and the MacAvoys' credibility takes another hit. The family faces mounting pressure from skeptical residents.

Myron Trout pressures the mayor to eject the MacAvoys from Eden. A town meeting asks Bob to reimburse the damages and rebuild trust in the paper. The couple braces for a potentially final struggle to stay.

Bob decides to return to New York City and leave the tumult behind. The town's support teeters as residents weigh whether the paper can survive. His departure marks a turning point that hinges on later revelations.

A meteorologist that Jane had phoned explains that Bob did not actually cause the rain. The revelation cools tensions and shifts public opinion to a more forgiving stance. The MacAvoys begin to see a possible future for their newspaper in Eden.

The townspeople decide to keep the Eden Archive and invest in a new press. Bob and Jane commit to staying and rebuilding trust with readers. The paper's prospects brighten as they move forward.

It Happens Every Thursday refers to the recurring trope that the printing press breaks down on printing day. The line frames the film's running joke about the mechanical struggles of a small-town paper. It links the couple's daily work to their stubborn perseverance.

With a new press and renewed community support, the Eden Archive continues to publish. The MacAvoys remain in Eden, rebuilding their lives around the newspaper and the town they chose to serve.