The Waltons

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The Waltons

"The Waltons was an American television series about a family living at Walton's Mountain in the Blue
Ridge Mountains in the state of Virginia. The show ran on CBS from 1972 to 1981, with a TV movie pilot The Homecoming A Christmas Story
in 1971, three TV movie sequels in 1982, and three more during the 1990s (1993, 1995, 1997).

The family, consisting of Olivia and John Walton and their seven children, as well as John's aging parents, Esther and Zeb,
struggles to live a decent life during the Great Depression and the Second World War (roughly from the early 1930s to the mid-1940s
in the continuity of the series).

The audience follows this family's existence through the eyes of John-Boy, the eldest son and an aspiring novelist.
The signature scene that closed each episode conveyed the warm, wholesome family values that the show promoted.
The viewer sees the family house draped in darkness, save for one light in an upstairs window. Through voice-overs, each
character bids the other good-night: "Good night, Mary-Ellen." "Good night, Jim-Bob." "Good night, Elizabeth."
"Good night, Ben," etc., until the last good-night from John Walton, Sr. to his son: "Good night, John-Boy." "Good night,
everyone" -- and the last light in the house clicks off.

The series depicted a mountain hamlet whose residents cared for one another. For example, the day the Waltons
celebrated getting out of debt, they made a loan to Ike Godsey. The local merchant had been cheated with a shipment of
faulty refrigerators. The Waltons were always low on money. On occasion this caused John Walton, Sr. to work extremely hard
until he collapsed. At another time he took up a part-time job in an office; however, the harsh conditions did not agree with him
and he soon quit the job.

Occasionally, the Waltons would make the acquaintance of people who had a very different view of the world. They
encounter gypsies, a group of acrobats from a circus and an actress who is absolutely broke. Another connection to the world
outside Walton's Mountain is John-Boy who first attends (the fictional) Boatwright College (most likely modeled after
The University of Richmond where Earl Hamner attended) and later goes to New York to work as a journalist.

Actor Richard Thomas left the series in 1976 in an effort to expand his repertoire. He would make two additional guest
appearences before the role was recast. For much of the 1976-77 season grandma Esther Walton was not seen on the
series due to a stroke actress Ellen Corby suffered (which was also written into the storyline). In mid 1978, Corby &Geer share
one final episode together as Grandma returns from rehab. The following September we learn that Grandpa passed Will Geer.
(In reality the actor died during the summer hiatis). Esther experienced some difficult moments coping without Zeb. Subsequent
episodes featured the character dealing with her diminished ability to move and speak.

World War II deeply influenced the family. Mary-Ellen's physician husband Curtis "Curt"Willard is drafted.
He is sent to Pearl Harbor and dies during the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941. Years later, Mary Ellen hears of
sightings of her late husband, investigates, and finds him physically alive but living a brooding existance due to war wounds.
This is the last time Curt was ever seen on the show. In "The Waiting", the "second" John-Boy (played by Robert Wightman
from 1979-82) makes his debut in a storyline involving John Boy's military plane being shot down. Olivia and John hold a
bedside Thanksgiving vigil at the veteran's hospital.

"The Waiting", while reprising the John Boy character, also marks the last episode Michael
Learned had as a regular contracted player. Olivia is recruited as a volunteer at the hospital and her
character is seen less and less. Eventually, the matriarch developes TB, and must enter an Arizona sanitarium.
Olivia's cousin Rose moves in to watch the brood. Two years later, Ralph Waite's character John moves to Arizona
to be near Olivia.

All four of the Walton boys enlisted in the military. In addition to World War II, a number of other historic events
were incorporated into various storylines, including the explosion of the Hindenburg.

The show was created by Earl Hamner Jr., after his book Spencer's Mountain
and a 1963 film of the same name starring
Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara. After a long television run, some additional made-for-TV movies aired between 1993 and
1997 showing the Walton children's own children as well as most of the surviving stars of the original show.
The first of these movies was set in 1963, during the weekend of President John F. Kennedy's assassination
(John-Boy is a reporter covering the event). The most recent movie brought the story up to 1970."

Cast

Richard Thomas as John 'John-Boy' Walton, Jr. #1


Robert Wightman as John 'John Boy' Walton, Jr. #2 (1979-1982)


Ralph Waite as John Walton, Sr.


Michael Learned as Olivia 'Livie' Walton


Ellen Corby as Esther 'Grandma' Walton


Will Geer as Zebulon 'Zeb/Grandpa' Walton (died 1978)


Judy Norton Taylor as Mary Ellen Walton Willard


Jon Walmsley as Jason Walton


Mary Elizabeth McDonough as Erin Walton


Eric Scott as Ben Walton


David W. Harper as James Robert 'Jim Bob' Walton


Kami Cotler as Elizabeth Walton


Joe Conley as Ike Godsey


Ronnie Claire Edwards as Corabeth Walton Godsey (1974?)


Helen Kleeb as Mamie "Miss Mamie" Baldwin


Mary Jackson as Emily "Miss Emily" Baldwin


Earl Hamner Jr. as Narrator


Beulah Bondi as Aunt Martha Corrine Walton


John Ritter as Rev. Matthew Fordwick


This information found:

Wikipedia Encylopedia

Find more on The Waltons Here:

The Waltons