The Waltons

Infobox Television
show_name = The Waltons


caption = Cover art for the DVD release of "The Waltons" first season. Bottom row from left to right; Ben, Mary Ellen, Jim Bob, John-Boy, Olivia, John Sr. Top row from left to right; Grandma (Esther) Walton, Jason, Erin, Elizabeth, Grandpa (Zeb)
genre = Family Drama
creator = Earl Hamner, Jr.
starring = "See cast list below"
narrated = Earl Hamner Jr.
country = USA
language = English
num_seasons = 9
num_episodes = 221 + 6 TV movies
list_episodes = List of The Waltons episodes
producer = Robert L. Jacks
Andy White
runtime = 60 minutes
network = CBS
first_aired = September 14 1972
last_aired = June 4 1981
website =
imdb_id = 0068149
tv_com_id = 1279

"The Waltons" is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book "Spencer's Mountain", and a 1963 film of the same name, starring Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara. The show centered around the titular family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television movie entitled "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story", broadcast in 1971. The show originally aired in the United States on CBS from 1972 to 1981. After the series left the air, three television movie sequels were broadcast in 1982, with three more following in the 1990s.

Inspiration

Earl Hamner's rural childhood, growing up in the unincorporated community of Schuyler, Virginia, provided the basis for many of the storylines of "The Waltons". The setting of the series was referred to as Walton's Mountain. The closest town, Rockfish, is frequently mentioned on the show, as are the larger towns of Charlottesville and Scottsville.

Plot summary

A family, consisting of John and Olivia Walton and their seven children, as well as John's aging parents, Zebulon "Zeb" and Esther, struggles to make a decent life during the Great Depression and World War II. The family's story is seen through the eyes of John-Boy, the eldest son and an aspiring novelist. John Walton and his father operate a lumber mill, with the Walton sons helping out in the business as they grow older. Occasional strangers needing temporary shelter for various reasons periodically stay with the hospitable Walton family. The mountain has several colorful townsfolk which include the Baldwin sisters, (two idle spinsters who distill moonshine which they endearingly term, "Papa's recipe"), general store owners/postmen Ike and Cora Beth Godsey (Cora Beth, a distant Walton cousin, fancies herself a refined socialite and can be compared to Mrs. Olsen in Little House on the Prairie), Sheriff Ep Bridges, Verdie Foster (a hardworking black woman), and Yancy Tucker (a Gooberesque figure with big plans but little motivation).

In the signature scene that closes almost every episode, the family house is draped in darkness, save for one light in an upstairs window. Through voice-overs, two or more characters have a very brief conversation, often humorous and related to the episode, then bid each other good-night.

After completing high school, John-Boy attends (the fictional) Boatwright College in Charlottesville. He later goes to New York City to work as a journalist. Richard Thomas, the original John-Boy, left the series in 1976 in an effort to expand his repertoire (his farewell episode aired March 17, 1977). He would make two guest appearances before the role was recast.

For the latter half of the 1976-77 season, Grandma Esther Walton was not seen because actress Ellen Corby had suffered a stroke, which was written into the storyline. In mid 1978, Corby and Will Geer shared one final episode together as Grandma returns from rehabilitation. The following September, it was revealed that Grandpa had died (actor Will Geer had died during the summer hiatus). Subsequent episodes featured Grandma dealing with her diminished ability to move and speak. (In an early episode dealing with Grandpa's illness, the narrator mentions that in coming years, Grandma would be the first to die. This inconsistency was not edited from reruns.)

During the later years of the series, several of the Walton children marry and begin having families of their own.
World War II deeply affects the family. All four of the Walton boys enlist in the military. Mary-Ellen's physician husband Curtis "Curt" Willard is sent to Pearl Harbor and is reported to have perished in the Japanese attack on December 7 1941. Years later, Mary Ellen hears of sightings of her "late" husband, investigates, and finds him alive (played by another actor), but brooding over his war wounds and living under an assumed name. This was the last time Curt was seen on the show.

The second John-Boy (Robert Wightman) made his debut in "The Waiting" in a storyline involving John-Boy's military plane being shot down. Olivia and John hold a bedside Thanksgiving vigil at the veterans hospital. While reprising the John-Boy character, this was also the last episode Michael Learned had as a contracted regular player. Olivia becomes a volunteer at the hospital and is seen less and less. Eventually, she develops tuberculosis, and must enter an Arizona sanitarium. Olivia's cousin Rose Burton (Peggy Rea) moves in to watch the brood. Two years later, John Sr. moves to Arizona to be near Olivia.

Emmy awards

"The Waltons" won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 1973. Also in 1973 Richard Thomas won the Emmy for Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Michael Learned won the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Drama Series three times (1973, 1974, and 1976). Ellen Corby was also a three-time winner in the Supporting Actress category, winning in 1973, 1975, and 1976. Will Geer was awarded the Supporting Actor Emmy in 1975. Beulah Bondi also won an Emmy in 1977 for Lead Actress in a Single Performance for a guest appearance on the series.

Cast

Major Characters

*John Walton,Sr.
**Actors: Ralph Waite (seasons 1–9), Andrew Duggan (pilot)
**Profile: The family patriarch, John is a hard-working, industrious man who runs a small family sawmill on his acreage at the base of Walton's Mountain. He is normally very good-natured and wise, but is also fearless, ready to stand up to a challenge and tell it like it is. This personality sometimes causes him to get very brash, even towards his children and wife on occasion, and he can also get into the mindset of a workaholic when heavily stressed. He is a World War I veteran. Despite his Baptist upbringing, John is somewhat non-religious (the main point of focus in a few episodes) in contrast to his wife, Olivia.

*Olivia Walton
**Actors: Michael Learned (seasons 1–9), Patricia Neal (pilot)
**Profile: While John is the tough-skinned, opinionated husband, Olivia is his soft-spoken, patient and loving wife. She is gentle by nature (but unafraid to discipline when needed), and, like Grandma, a devout Baptist who is often involved with activities surrounding the church. This element of her character is probably one of the reasons why Olivia is usually the first person to take in a friend or stranger in need of help. It should be mentioned that Olivia's background and heritage were never really examined closely in the show, whereas John's was often observed in great detail, and one of the most common elements of episode plots.

*Zebulon "Grandpa" Walton
**Actors: Will Geer (seasons 1–6), Edgar Bergen (pilot)
**Profile: The oldest of the Walton patriarchs, Grandpa Walton (affectionately addressed as "Zeb" by his wife, Esther) likes to spend his time working with John in the sawmill, and fishing, teaching and hanging out with the kids. While he is still a hard worker like his son, Grandpa is much more easy-going in general, and has a mischievous, yet wise and vibrant personality. He especially cherishes his wife (and vice versa), although he can often be found alone relaxing with the Baldwin Ladies and happily sipping their "recipe" (which is really moonshine). He is a Spanish-American War veteran and, like the real Will Geer, an amateur botanist. In the 6th Season, owing to actor Will Geer's death, the show's writers had Grandpa's character pass away as a result of a heart attack. Along with G.W. and Martha Corrinne, this makes him the only character to die as part of the show.

*Esther "Grandma" Walton
**Actors: Ellen Corby (seasons 1–7)
**Profile: Grandma is an old but feisty and quick-tempered woman who makes a strong effort to stick to the straight and narrow and get done what needs to get done. Despite this element of her personality, Grandma, like her husband, has lots of wisdom to dole out among her family and friends. Throughout the show's long run, she was known for often uttering two exclamations: "Good Lord!" (mainly said when surprised, indignant, or both) and "You old fool!" (said as a cheekily loving remark towards Grandpa). She is the church organist. In 1977, actor Ellen Corby suffered a stroke, which the writers incorporated into Grandma's character. This meant her missing the latter half of the 5th Season.

*John "John-Boy" Walton ,Jr
**Actors: Richard Thomas (seasons 1–5/cameo in 6), Robert Wightman (cameo in seasons 8 & 9)
**Profile: John Walton,Jr., better known throughout the show as "John-Boy", is the oldest of John's and Olivia's seven children. A full-blooded country boy through and through, John-Boy is a prolific writer and thinker, often writing down thoughts about his family, friends, and circumstances. While normally a docile, quiet sort, John-Boy does have a titch of his father's fiery temper, and he can get very defensive and uptight if frustrated. As for the show, John-Boy is arguably its main character, as the beginning and closing of each episode are narrated by him in a flashback style. In later years, he ends up moving to New York, enlisting in the military and having his plane shot down. Eventually (in a 1995 movie), he marries a fellow writer named Janet.
*Jason Walton
**Actors: Jon Walmsley (seasons 1–9)
**Profile: Jason is the introverted musical prodigy of the family, who is generally good-natured and likes to spend his time making up songs on his guitar and the family piano, some of which were sung throughout the show. Starting in Season 3, Jason starts going regularly to the Virginia Music Conservatory, and in Season 4 he gets a job as the honkey tonk player at a local tavern called the Dew Drop Inn, much to Grandma's and Olivia's chagrin. In Season 5, Jason joins the National Guard.

*Mary Ellen Walton
**Actors: Judy Norton Taylor (seasons 1–9)
**Profile: Mary Ellen is the third oldest of the children and the oldest daughter. Throughout the first few seasons, she is somewhat of a rebellious tomboy, but also able to become vain and typically girlish. In the early seasons, David Doremus played her boyfriend, G.W. Haines. In the later years of the show (probably because of her marriage to Curt and her nursing job), Mary Ellen lost some of this childishness and started to mature into a woman. It should also be mentioned that a rather important part of her character, particularly in Seasons 1 and 2, involved her rivalry with the rich girl of the town, Martha Rose, and her part-time love interest G.W. In Season 5, Mary Ellen is married to the aforementioned Curt Willard, the new town doctor. By the last season she is seeing a college professor named "Jonesy".

*Erin Walton
**Actors: Mary Elizabeth McDonough (seasons 1-9)
**Profile:Erin is very close to her sister Mary Ellen and although they have many fights, they continue to be very close. Erin is considered to be the pretty one in the family, not the scholar. She falls in love many times. She works for Mrs. Fanny Tatum as a telephonist early in season 5 and later finishes high school in season 5. She later becomes a secretary, and eventually meets Paul Northridge, whom she marries and finds happiness with.

*Ben Walton
**Actor: Eric Scott (actor) (season 1-9)
**Profile:Ben seems to be the one in the family who is always trying to make money by some type of scheme, and usually gets himself into trouble and has to be bailed out by his father or John-Boy. Even as an adult, running the mill in partnership with his father, he continues to make deals which sometimes do not work out well. He elopes to marry Cindy and together they have two children, Virginia and Charlie, to whom he is devoted. He continues to work at and run the timber mill with an assortment of people: his father, Paul Northridge, Erin's husband and Drew.

*Jim-Bob Walton
**Actor:David W. Harper (season 1-9)
**Profile:James Robert is the youngest Walton boy and is better known as Jim-Bob. He is a young man who is fascinated by flying and planes, and aspires to be a pilot; however, a need for glasses forces him to give up his dream. He eventually becomes a motor mechanic and opens his own business just opposite Ike's general store. He has a particularly close bond with Elizabeth, although he has several girlfriends including Elizabeth's friend Aimee Godsey. Jim-Bob had a twin brother Joseph Walton who died at birth.

*Elizabeth Walton:
**Actor:Kami Cotler (season 1-9)
**Profile:We see Elizabeth grow from a very young child into a young woman through the course of the series. She is very sensitive, and seems to share John-Boy's love and talent for reading and writing. Her best friend is Aimee Godsey, Ike's and Corabeth's daughter and Elizabeth is often given the chore of babysitting for her young nephews and nieces.

Episodes

One of the most widely remembered episodes is "Grandma Comes Home" (Original Airdate: March 30, 1978) in the sixth season because:

* Ellen Corby, who played the role of "Grandma Walton" returns after suffering a stroke in 1977. And,
* This is the last episode in which Will Geer, who played the role of "Grandpa Walton", appears because he died on April 22, 1978, of respiratory failure at the age of 76.

Ratings

*1972–1973: #20 [ [http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1972.htm ClassicTVHits.com: TV Ratings > 1970's ] ]
*1973–1974: #2 [ [http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1973.htm ClassicTVHits.com: TV Ratings > 1970's ] ]
*1974–1975: #8 [ [http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1974.htm ClassicTVHits.com: TV Ratings > 1970's ] ]
*1975–1976: #14 [ [http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1975.htm ClassicTVHits.com: TV Ratings > 1970's ] ]
*1976–1977: #15 [ [http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1976.htm ClassicTVHits.com: TV Ratings > 1970's ] ]
*1977–1978: #21 [ [http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1977.htm ClassicTVHits.com: TV Ratings > 1970's ] ]

Movie sequels

*"A Wedding on Waltons' Mountain", February 22, 1982
*"Mother's Day on Waltons' Mountain", May 9, 1982
*"A Day of Thanks on Walton's Mountain", November 22, 1982
*"A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion", November 21, 1993
*"A Walton Wedding", February 12, 1995
*"A Walton Easter", March 30, 1997

DVD releases

Warner Home Video is releasing "The Waltons" on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time. As of June 2008, the first seven seasons have been released. The pilot movie, "The Homecoming - A Christmas Story", was released by Paramount Home Entertainment on September 232003 (while Lorimar produced the series, CBS produced the pilot film, which is why Paramount, under CBS Home Entertainment, handles home video rights for "The Homecoming").

All DVDs are in English without Spanish language or subtitles option.

Current status

"The Waltons" currently airs on Hallmark Channel weekdays at 8:00am and 9:00am both EST and PST.

Also seen in Canada on Vision TV weekdays at 4:00pm (eastern)

Notable facts

* In the German dubbing version, the name of Zebulon "Zeb" Walton was changed to Samuel "Sam" Walton. The television network ZDF which first aired The Waltons in Germany was worried that the name "Zeb" could be mistaken with "Sepp" which is a Bavarian short form of the name Joseph and could be seen as being cliché. Also, a few minutes were cut from each episode in the German version so that the show would fit into its designated time slot. There were further cuts when the show was rerun on Pro 7.
* In the very first episode of the series (apart from the pilot) the family assembles around their new radio and listens to the Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show. This was a homage to Bergen who had played Zeb Walton in the pilot (The Homecoming: A Christmas Story). Edgar Bergen was a famous ventriloquist who had vicious dialogues with W. C. Fields in that radio show.
* The Baldwin Sisters were actually modeled from a mother and daughter. In a 1962 episode of "The Andy Griffith Show", two elderly sisters also made moonshine.
* During a speech in January 1992, then-president George H. W. Bush mentioned that he wanted to "make American families a lot more like The Waltons and a lot less like "The Simpsons". Later in a commercial, Bart Simpson responded to the comment, quipping, "We're just like The Waltons. We're praying for an end to the Depression, too."
* "Waltons' Mountain" was built in the rear area of the Warner Brothers Studios. The house is still used as scenery. For example, it served as “Dragonfly Inn” for the TV series "Gilmore Girls".
* In "Mother's Day on Walton's Mountain", Mary-Ellen was in an accident and was told that if she had any more children it could be fatal to both her and the baby.

References

External links

* [http://www.the-waltons.com/ The Walton's Web Site]
* [http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/7604/webring.html The Waltons Webring Homepage]
*
* [http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/W/htmlW/waltonsthe/waltonsthe.htm Encyclopedia of Television]
* [http://www.waltonmuseum.org/ Walton's Mountain Museum official website]
* [http://www.voy.com/167136/ The Waltons Forum]
* [http://www.grandpawalton.20megsfree.com/ A Walk with Grandpa Walton and the Walton family]
* [http://users.galesburg.net/~atkins/waltons.html The Walton's Mountain Community Center]