The Waltons
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	Drama
Created by	Earl Hamner, Jr.
Starring	See cast list below
Narrated by	Earl Hamner Jr.
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	9
No. of episodes	221 + 6 TV movies (List of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)	Robert L. Jacks Andy White
Running time	60 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	CBS
Original run	September 14, 1972 – June 4, 1981
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

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 series pilot was a TV 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 TV movie sequels were broadcast in 1982, with three more following in the 1990s. The Waltons may refer to: The Waltons, an American television series which ran from 1972 to 1981. ... Image File history File links Waltonsdvd. ... Earl Hamner Jr. ... Earl Henry Hamner Jr. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... // Category: ... Two notable musicians have been named Andy White: An American session drummer best known for The Beatles Love Me Do; see Andy White (drummer). ... CBS Broadcasting, Inc. ... is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 4 is the 155th day of the year (156th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... Earl Hamner Jr. ... Spencers Mountain is a 1963 family film written, directed, and produced by Delmer Daves from a novel by Earl Hamner. ... Spencers Mountain is a 1963 family film written, directed, and produced by Delmer Daves from a novel by Earl Hamner. ... Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was a highly acclaimed Academy Award-winning American film actor, best known for his roles as plain-speaking idealists. ... Maureen OHara Maureen OHara (born Maureen FitzSimons) on August 17, 1920 is an Irish film actress. ... CBS Broadcasting, Inc. ...

Inspiration

Earl Hamner's rural childhood, growing up in the unincorporated community of Schuyler, Virginia, provided the basis for many of the story lines 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. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with unincorporated. ... Schuyler is a town in Albemarle County, Virginia, close to Charlottesville. ... Charlottesville is an independent city located within the confines of Albemarle County in the state of Virginia. ...

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. For other uses, see The Great Depression (disambiguation). ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

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. A voice-over is a narration that is played on top of a video segment, usually with the audio for that segment muted or lowered. ...

After completing high school, John-Boy attends (the fictional) Boatwright College. He later goes to New York to work as a journalist. Richard Thomas left the series in 1976 in an effort to expand his repertoire (his farewell episode aired 3-17-77). 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 rehab. 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, but brooding over his war wounds. This was the last time Curt is seen on the show. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... This article is about the actual attack. ... is the 341st day of the year (342nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ...

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 (Peggy Rea) moves in to watch the brood. Two years later, John Sr. moves to Arizona to be near Olivia. Tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB for tubercle bacillus) is a common and deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacteria, mainly Mycobacterium tuberculosis. ... Peggy Rea (born March 31, 1921) is an American character actress known for her many minor roles in television series, commonly playing overbearing, matronly characters. ...

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. The Primetime Emmy Award for best drama has changed names many times in its history. ... This is a list of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series winners: 1974: Telly Savalas - Kojak 1975: Robert Blake - Baretta 1976: Peter Falk - Columbo 1977: James Garner - The Rockford Files 1978: Edward Asner - Lou Grant 1979: Ron Leibman - Kaz 1980: Edward Asner - Lou Grant... This is a list of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series winners: 1974: Michael Learned - The Waltons 1975: Jean Marsh - Upstairs, Downstairs 1976: Michael Learned - The Waltons 1977: Lindsay Wagner - The Bionic Woman 1978: Sada Thompson - Family 1979: Mariette Hartley - The Incredible Hulk 1980... This is a list of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series winners: 1974: Joanna Miles - The Glass Menagerie 1975-78 No Award Given 1979: Kristy McNichol - Family 1980: Nancy Marchand - Lou Grant 1981: Nancy Marchand - Lou Grant 1982: Nancy Marchand - Lou Grant 1983: Doris... This is a list of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series winners: 1959 - Dennis Weaver, Gunsmoke 1960 - no award 1961 - Roddy McDowell, Not Without Honor 1962 - no award 1963 - no award 1964 - Albert Paulsen, Bob Hope Presents Chrysler Theater 1965 - no award 1966 - James... Beulah Bondi (May 3, 1888 – January 11, 1981) was an Oscar-nominated American actress, born Beulah Bondy in Chicago, Illinois. ...

Cast

• Richard Thomas¹ as John 'John-Boy' Walton, Jr. #1 (1972-1977).
• Robert Wightman as John 'John Boy' Walton, Jr. #2 (1979–1981; 1982 movie)
• Ralph Waite as John Walton, Sr.
• Michael Learned as Olivia 'Livie' Walton (1972-1979)
• Ellen Corby¹ as Esther 'Grandma' Walton (1972-1977; 1978-79)
• Will Geer as Zebulon 'Zeb/Grandpa' Walton (died 1978)
• Judy Norton Taylor¹ as Mary Ellen Walton Willard
• Jon Walmsley¹ as Jason Walton
• Mary Elizabeth McDonough¹ as Erin Walton
• Eric Scott¹ as Ben Walton
• David W. Harper¹ as James Robert 'Jim Bob' Walton
• Kami Cotler¹ as Elizabeth Walton
• Joe Conley as Ike Godsey
• Ronnie Claire Edwards as Corabeth Walton Godsey (1974→1981)
• Rachel Longaker as Aimee Godsey (1976 -1979)
• 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 (2 guest appearances)
• John Ritter as Rev. Matthew Fordwick (1972-1976)
• Mariclare Costello as Rosemary Hunter (1972-1977)
• Lynn Hamilton as Verdie Foster
• John Crawford as Sheriff Ep Bridges
• Robert Donner as Yancy Tucker
• Tom Bower as Dr. Curtis Willard (1976-1978)

¹ These actors were also in 1971’s The Homecoming: A Christmas Story. Richard Thomas (born June 13, 1951) is an American actor, best known as John-Boy on the TV series, The Waltons. ... Robert Wightman is an American actor, whose career started when he took over the role of John-Boy Walton, in The Waltons. ... Ralph Waite (born June 22, 1928 in White Plains, New York) is an American actor whose most famous role was John Walton Sr. ... Michael Learned (born on April 9, 1938 in Washington, D.C., but lived on a farm with her 5 sisters for the first 10 years of her life) is an American actress, best known for her role as Olivia Walton on The Waltons, which she played from 1972 to 1979. ... Ellen Corby (June 3, 1911 â€“ April 14, 1999) was an Oscar-nominated American character actress. ... TV Guide August 21, 1976, featuring Will Geer (center) with his Waltons costars, Richard Thomas and Ellen Corby Will Geer (born 9 March 1902 in Frankfort, Indiana – died 22 April 1978 in Los Angeles) was an American actor. ... Judy Norton Taylor is an American actress. ... Jon Walmsley (born February 6, 1956 in Lancashire, England) is an actor best known for his role of Jason Walton in the series The Waltons. ... Mary Elizabeth McDonough is an American actress (born May 4, 1961 in Van Nuys California), most famous for her role as Erin Walton in the series The Waltons. ... Eric Scott (born October 20, 1958 in Los Angeles) is an American actor. ... David W. Harper (born October 4, 1961, in Abilene, Texas) is an American actor. ... Kami Cotler is an American actress (born June 17, 1965, in Long Beach, California). ... Joe Conley (born March 3, 1928) is an American actor. ... Ronnie Claire Edwards is an American actress (born February 9, 1933, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma). ... Helen Kleeb was an American actress (January 6, 1907, South Bend Washington - December 28, 2003, Los Angeles California). ... Mary Jackson (born November 22, 1910 - died December 10, 2005) was an American actress. ... Earl Henry Hamner Jr. ... Beulah Bondi (May 3, 1888 – January 11, 1981) was an Oscar-nominated American actress, born Beulah Bondy in Chicago, Illinois. ... This article is about the American actor. ... Mariclare Costello (born February 3 in Peoria, Illinois) is a television, stage, and movie actress. ... Lynn Hamilton (born April 25, 1930 in Yazoo City, Mississippi) is an African-American actress, who made her film debut in John Cassavetes Shadows (1959). ... John Crawford is: Sir John Crawford (1910-1984) – Australian economist John Crawford (b. ... Robert Donner (born April 27, 1931 in New York, New York) is an American actor who has made hundreds of appearances in television series and films in a career spanning more than 40 years. ... Tom Bower is a British writer. ...

Three of the major characters were played by different actors in the 1971 movie pilot. John Walton was played by Andrew Duggan, Olivia Walton by Patricia Neal, and Grandpa Walton by Edgar Bergen. Though all of the child actors who appeared in the original Homecoming movie carried their roles over into the series, Ellen Corby was the only adult actor who made the transition. Andrew Duggan (1923-1988) was a tall and authoritative character actor who appeared in 70 movies and over 140 television shows between 1949 and 1987. ... Patricia Neal (born January 20, 1926, Packard, Kentucky) is an Academy Award winning American actress. ... Sam Bermans caricature of Charlie McCarthy and Edgar Bergen for 1947 NBC promotion book Edgar John Bergen (February 16, 1903 – September 30, 1978) was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist. ...

Episodes

Main article: List of The Waltons episodes

// Category: ...

Movie sequels

• A Wedding on Walton's Mountain, Feb. 22, 1982
• Mother's Day on Walton's Mountain, May 9, 1982
• A Day of Thanks on Walton's Mountain, Nov. 22, 1982
• A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion, Nov. 21, 1993
• A Walton Wedding, Feb. 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 May 2007, the first five seasons have been released. [1] The pilot movie, The Homecoming - A Christmas Story, was released by Paramount Home Entertainment on September 23, 2003. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Paramount Home Entertainment (formerly Paramount Home Video) is a home video company founded in 1981. ...

is the 131st day of the year (132nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 115th day of the year (116th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 128th day of the year (129th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

Current status

The Waltons's currently air on Hallmark Channel weekly at 8:00am and 9:00am. The Hallmark Channel is a cable television network that broadcasts in over 100 countries. ...

Trivia

• On an episode of Good Times, Florida Evans stated that if the family doesn't sell its television, then they will be, i.e. become as poor as, The Waltons.
• In the documentary Madonna: Truth or Dare, as the credits roll, Madonna's backup singers and dancers bid goodnight to each other in the fashion that the Waltons did. In the middle of this, one person asks, "Who farted?"
• 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 re-run on Pro 7.
• In 1974, "The Carol Burnett Show" did a "Waltons" send-up featuring the family sitting around a hot dog singing, "Things can't get much leaner than Thanksgiving wiener."
• Whenever Cracked Magazine parodied the Waltons, they invariably had a celebrity or character as an adopted son, adding the suffix "-boy" to his name.
• 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 Charly McCarthy Show. This was an 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.
• Long after the show was done filming, the set was burned down by serial arsonist John Orr.
• Earl and Mary Frances Hamner actually had 5 sons, but CBS could not afford 8 children, thus Ben is a combination of 2 of Earl Hamner Jr.'s younger brothers.
• The Baldwin Sisters were actually modeled for a Mother and Daughter.
• The most recent reunion movie, 1997's "A Waltons Mountain Easter", featured a serious continuity error: Set in 1969 (around the time of the moon landing), the movie found John and Olivia getting ready to celebrate their fortieth wedding anniversary. This would place their marriage in 1929. However, when the Waltons premiered, the series was set somewhere around 1934, and John and Olivia would presumably have already been married for at least sixteen years since their oldest son, John Boy, was 15. Thus their wedding would have occurred somewhere around 1918. "The Homecoming" also stated that John died in 1969, when Earl Hamner Sr. died, but John is still alive in this movie.
• The reunion movies seem to have sped time up by more than 16 years, even though the actors have only aged 10 years. By 1963, at the setting of the Thanksgiving Reunion movie, John Boy should have been 45, and Elizabeth in her late 30's. It seems as though Jason and Toni were both in their 40's when their 2 daughters were born in the last 2 movies. This should have also placed Esther Walton and The Baldwin Sisters in their late 90's to early 100's in the 3 reunion movies, even though the actresses were in their 80's. John and Olivia were supposedly in their 30's-40's during the show, but were only in their 50's-60's in the reunion movies, when they should have been much older.
• During a speech, then president George H. W. Bush mentioned that he wanted to "make American families more like The Waltons and less like The Simpsons".

Good Times was an American sitcom originally broadcast from February 8, 1974 until August 1, 1979 on the CBS television network. ... Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (Second German Television), ZDF, is a public service German television channel based in Mainz. ... For other uses, see Bavaria (disambiguation). ... Cracked Mazagine issue 31 - September 1963 Cracked was one of Americas oldest surviving national satire and humor magazines. ... Sam Bermans caricature of Charlie McCarthy and Edgar Bergen for 1947 NBC promotion book Edgar John Bergen (February 16, 1903 – September 30, 1978) was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist. ... W. C. Fields (January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946) was an American juggler, comedian, and actor. ... John Leonard Orr (born April 26, 1949) is a convicted serial arsonist who was once a fire captain and arson investigator for the Glendale Fire Department in Southern California. ... Earl Henry Hamner Jr. ... Also: 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12, 1924) was the 41st President of the United States, serving from 1989 to 1993. ... Simpsons redirects here. ...

External links

• A new Friendy Waltons On-line community for discussion about the show
• The Walton's Web Site
• The Waltons Webring Homepage
• The Waltons at the Internet Movie Database
• Encyclopedia of Television
• Walton's Mountain Museum official website
• The Waltons Forum
• A Walk with Grandpa Walton and the Walton family
• The Walton's Mountain Community Center