Hi everyone,

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend. No doubt the weather would be starting to get better (I hope!) for many of you, especially for those of you who have been through some quite severe weather this winter. It's starting to get very cold here now, and winter is definitely on the way.

It's been Mother's Day over here this weekend, so I would like to wish all the Mum's on the list a very happy Mother's Day, even if it isn't Mother's Day where you are. I should get out my Mother's Day on Waltons Mountain video to watch again.

Just a small piece you might all be interested in, from my Blue Ridge Chronicle which arrive here just recently. John McGreevey, who we would all know from his writing of many Waltons episodes, was awarded the Producers, Writers, Directors Distinguished Writers Award on January 11, 1998. A wonderful honor to a most wonderful writer. Our congratulations, even if they are a little belated, go to this wonderful man.

Goodnight everyone,

Karen.

Hi Karen -

I was just searching for an e-mail greeting card to send to family and ran across this site. It's a gallery of TV Guide covers that can be sent as postcards and the site has two Walton's covers....one from 1974 and one from 1977 (I believe). Check it out! http://www.tvgen.com/tv/covers/cgi-bin/cover.pl?cover=740413

Bridget Ellard

KAREN'S COMMENT: Thanks for the tip Bridget. I checked this one out, then added the link from my site. There are two covers, as Bridget says. One is a photograph, but the other one seems to be an artist illustration, something that I have never seen before. Did many of your magazines have these? There are lots of shows and I'm sure many of your favourites will be there.

Hi Karen,

I just wanted to add a short note about what Alan said in the last digest regarding TNN shortening their broadcasts of The Waltons. I was wondering if anyone else had noticed it. I had taped "The Hunt" a few years ago but it was a poor copy so I decided to retape it from TNN. I had the original one clocking in at 49 minutes while the new one only had 44 minutes. I wondered if there were scenes cut, but then I noticed that whenever people were moving they looked jerky, like a mild version of old Chaplin movies. Also, the speaking is noticeably faster while being a little garbled like a tape that isn't tracking properly. It dawned on me that TNN has removed frames from the shows. I have a VCR that can do this so you can playback tapes at twice the speed while still being able to hear the sound. The voices don't sound like chipmunks but they do get a little garbled sounding. The picture also looks a little jerky. This is exactly what is happening with the new airings of The Waltons, not twice as fast but 5 or 6 minutes faster per show. I'll bet anybody who hasn't noticed the effect certainly will now. It seems a shame that TNN would butcher the shows like this. It is very difficult to watch and listen to. Whenever the children are walking or playing together they look like a bunch of clowns and anyone that was talking fast at the original speed is very hard to understand at the new high speed. While I'm glad to be able to rewatch the episodes, I'm very disappointed with TNN's underhanded tactics. Unlike Alan, I think the technology is old and poor (my VCR is 9 years old). If you couldn't see the difference, I wouldn't have a problem with it. Oh well, I guess some people (me) are never satisfied. :^)

Also, someone wondered if TNN will be airing the specials. According to their schedule, they won't even be airing the numerous 2-part episodes, so the special movies seem unlikely.

I guess this mail wasn't so short after all. Keep up the good work Karen!

Goodnight Grandpa,

Rob

KAREN'S COMMENT: It does seem to be a shame that TNN is messing around with the show like this. 15 minutes of ads also seems to be excessive. I wish more episodes were available to buy.

Several comments on this Digest:

I agree the Waltons did very well on the subject of race in an episode called the Outrage. I have mentioned it several times.

There is a place where you can order on line the entire set of the Waltons series and I believe the specials too. Its called Critics Choice Video, located in a Chicago suburb. I may have given the wrong on line address before but the correct one is: www.ccvideo.com

Please make sure what type VCR you have when you order. I am sure when the Walton Legacy arrives they will like it. I certainly enjoyed it.

Best of wishes

Donald F Nelson and Erin the cat

KAREN'S COMMENT: Thanks for this address Donald. The set of videos which they have listed contains the following titles: The Hunt, The Scholar, The Gift, The Townie, The Triangle, The Love Story.

Hi, everyone!

I've been happy reading items recently in the Digest about Lynn Hamilton. She is a wonderful actress, and Verdie Foster is one of my favorite non-Walton characters on the show. I just wanted to report that I spotted her on "The Practice" on ABC last Monday night, playing a judge. It was my first time watching the show, so I don't know if she is a regular, recurring, or one-time-only character, but it was wonderful to see her and she looks just fantastic!

Goodnight all,

Claire Natola

Portsmouth, NH, USA

KAREN'S COMMENT: She does look fabulous. She was the one who presented John McGreevey with his award and there's a lovely picture of them both.

Hi Karen and Fellow Walton Fans,

I hope that you are all having a good week. Arthur, if you are reading this, I hope that

you are feeling much better!

When Grandpa Walton died, I felt like I had lost a good friend. My family is all in Holland and I never had a chance to spend time with my own grandparents, so Will Geer became very special. The show was dealt a huge and difficult loss with his passing. I used to love the scenes with Grandpa and Grandma... the way he would say, "old woman" with such affection... the way he would relate to his grandchildren. He always understood how the children felt and had this incredible ability to put himself in their place.

But of all the happy memories that I have of Grandpa, his love of the land is what I treasure the most. His love of family, tradition and sense of friendship was always an inspiration to me, and now has become the same for my little girl.

I have one more Walton sighting! Joe Conley, (Ike), played a beat musician on an episode of Dennis the Menace which aired in 1961. He was very funny!

Thank you for your help with finding information on Robert Wightman, Karen, and thank you for this wonderful digest. I am really enjoying it.

Take care everyone.

Silvia from California

KAREN'S COMMENT: As I promised Silvia, I did do some checking up on Robert during the week. Below is the information which the Internet Movie Database has on him, and also another link which is a database from E-News (I think). Interesting that he was an art director in his early days. I don't think that I've seen him in anything else though, except for the Matlock movie.

Actor filmography

(1990s) (1980s) (1970s)

1.Box of Moonlight (1996) .... Dex

2.Living in Oblivion (1995) .... Gaffer

3.Stepfather III (1992) (TV) .... Keith Grant

... aka Stepfather 3: Father's Day (1992) (TV)

4.Opposing Force (1986)

... aka Hellcamp (1986)

5.Impulse (1984) .... Howard

6.Day for Thanks on Waltons' Mountain, A (1982) (TV) .... John-Boy Walton

7.American Gigolo (1980) .... Floyd Wicker

8."Waltons, The" (1972) TV Series .... John Boy Walton (1979-1981)

Filmography as: Actor, Miscellaneous crew

Miscellaneous crew filmography

1.Amazing Grace (1974) (art director)

2.Parades (1972) (art director)

The E-News address is <http://e1.eonline.com/Facts/People/0,12,23586,00.html>

Filmography:

Box of Moonlight (1996)

Matlock: The Final Affair (1993)

Stepfather 3 - Father's Day (1992)

Impulse (1990)

Opposing Force (1986)

Hellcamp (1986)

A Day for Thanks on Walton's

Mountain (1982)

American Gigolo (1980)

While I was searching for his information, I found a site with a couple of quotes from The Waltons too.

<http://www.physics.helsinki.fi/~lamminjo/wltnquotes.html>

Good evening, Karen -

This evening I watched the episode of the Walton's that introduced the character of Reverand Fordwick (John Ritter). Something I picked up on that I'd never heard mentioned on the list - Matthew Fordwick was a cousin of the Baldwin Sisters! I know we've had talk of all the "cousins" those two ladies had, and maybe I just missed this entry. Had you known that?

I've been enjoying the Walton's on TNN at 6 pm here, then at 7 pm (when I'm allowed to be the master controller of remotes) I change to the Family channel to watch "Christie". If they had to take the Walton's off, at least they replaced it with another good show!

That's all for now,

Robin

KAREN'S COMMENT: I didn't know that Rev. Fordwick was a Baldwin cousin. What episode was this mentioned in?

Does anyone know when The Easter Story will ever again be aired and, if not, where I could get a copy of this episode?

Thanks.

Pat Davidson

Dear Karen:

My name is Abi Worthy and I have joined your mailing list about a month ago. I enjoy it very much. I grew up watching every episode of the Walton's they are very important to me. All the information I receive from the mailing list is so important to me. I wish the episodes could have gone on and on. I do have a question though, the other day I was in a web site where your back digests are and now I can't locate it again. Could you please give me the address, I would really appreciate it. I will write again soon. Thank you!!

KAREN'S COMMENT: Welcome Abi. I added this to the digest, just in case anyone else needed the links. You can find them at:

THE WALTONS MAILING LIST and PAST DIGESTS

http://www.oocities.org/TelevisionCity/Set/4536/index.html

Hi everyone,

For those folks who are relatively new to The Waltons, here's one of the best overviews of the series that I've found on the internet. I've also included a short description of another TV show that featured a younger Richard Thomas. They're both from the Nick At Nite web site.

Alan

THE WALTONS

14 September 1972 - 20 August 1981 , CBS

An unpretentious, low-key dramatic series, The Waltons told the story of a close-knit family living in rural Virginia during the Depression years. Its creator, Earl Hamner, Jr., based the show largely on his own experiences. One of eight children, Hamner grew up near Schuyler, Virginia, and left home in the late 1930s to become a professional writer.

Hamner's first effort at dramatizing his boyhood ended up as a film, "Spencer's Mountain," set in Wyoming, and featured Henry Fonda, Maureen O'Hara, and James MacArthur as Clay-Boy.

The genesis of the TV series was a Christmas special, "The Homecoming'' (19 December 1971), written by Hamner. The telecast was not intended to be a pilot for a series, but it attracted such favorable public reaction that CBS decided to build a series around the Walton family that Hamner had created.

The roles of three of the four Walton adults were recast for the series, but the roles of the seven Walton children were filled by those who had appeared in "The Homecoming'': Richard Thomas as John (John-Boy) Walton, Jr.; the eldest; Jon Walmsley as Jason; Judy Norton as Mary Ellen; Eric Scott as Ben; Mary Elizabeth McDonough as Erin; David Harper as James Robert (Jim-Bob); and Kami Cotler as Elizabeth. The adult roles on the series were played by Michael Learned as Olivia Walton, the mother; Ralph Waite as John Walton, the father; Will Geer as Zeb Walton, the grandfather; Ellen Corby as Esther Walton, the grandmother. In "The Homecoming,'' those parts were played by Patricia Neal, Andrew Duggan, Edgar Bergen, and Ellen Corby.

As a series, The Waltons was given little chance to succeed in 1972 when CBS scheduled it on Thursdays opposite The Flip Wilson Show on NBC. However, the show attracted not only good reviews (and several Emmys), but also a large enough audience to warrant its renewal (it finished twentieth its first season); in its second season it toppled Flip Wilson, finishing second to All in the Family in the seasonal Nielsens. Its popularity remained fairly steady through the 1970s. One reason for its endurance was that, as the show evolved in time (between 1972 and 1980, it moved from 1933 to 1943), its characters were allowed to mature and develop.

A second reason may be that the large Walton family was complemented by a small host of supporting characters. Principal members of the latter category included: Joe Conley as Ike Godsey, proprietor of the general store in Walton's Mountain, the tiny Jefferson County hamlet where most of the action took place; Helen Kleeb and Mary Jackson as sisters Mamie and Emily Baldwin, a pair of spinsters who innocently brewed moonshine in their stately home; John Crawford as Sheriff Ep Bridges; Mariclare Costello (1972-1975) as Emily Hunter, the schoolteacher; John Ritter (1973-1975) as Reverend Fordwick, who married Miss Hunter; Ronnie Claire Edwards (January 1975-1981) as John's distant cousin, Cora Beth, a frustrated socialite who married Ike Godsey; and Rachel Longaker (1976-1979) as Aimee, a little girl adopted by Ike and Cora Beth.

Life did not remain static for the several members of the Walton clan. John-Boy, an aspiring writer (like his creator, Earl Hamner, Jr.), graduated from high school, attended Boatwright University, started a local newspaper, finally left Walton's Mountain for New York, and later became a war correspondent in London (in real life, Richard Thomas decided to leave The Waltons in 1977 after five seasons, though he returned afterward for guest appearances); Jason, a musician, also finished high school and got a job playing piano in a roadhouse in order to pay for further studies; Mary Ellen became a nurse, got married (Tom Bower joined the cast in November 1976 as her husband, Dr. Curtis Willard), and had a baby, John Curtis (in real life, Judy Norton was married in 1976, and was billed as Judy Norton-Taylor afterward; John Curtis was played by Marshall and Michael Reed); Ben helped out John-Boy on the newspaper, and later worked for the family lumber business; and Erin found secretarial work.

Other changes affected the Walton adults. Ellen Corby, who played Grandma, suffered a stroke in the fall of 1976 and was absent from the series for a year and a half, returning at the end of the 1977-1978 season. Before production resumed for the 1978-1979 season, Will Geer (Grandpa) died. He was not replaced, and the opening show of the seventh season concerned the family's adjustment to Grandpa Walton's death. During the 1978-1979 season an episode was televised in which Mary Ellen's husband, Dr. Curtis Willard, was killed at Pearl Harbor. Later that season, Olivia Walton learned that she had tuberculosis and left Walton's Mountain for a sanitarium (in real life, Michael Learned's contract with the show's production company expired late in 1978, and she announced her intention to cease appearing as a regular).

In the spring of 1979 Leslie Winston joined the cast as Cindy, Ben's wife, and in the fall of that year more changes occurred. Ellen Corby did not return to the series, but Michael Learned agreed to make a number of appearances. Three new regulars were also added: Peggy Rea as Olivia's cousin, Rose Burton, who came with her two grandchildren to take care of the Walton household; Martha Nix as Rose's granddaughter, Serena; and Keith Mitchell as her grandson, Jeffrey. Robert Wightman appeared as John-Boy in the 1979 Thanksgiving episode. Later that season Ben and Cindy's daughter, Virginia, was born. Lewis Arquette was also featured as Erin's employer, J. D. Pickett.

More changes occurred in the fall of 1980. All four Walton boys had left home-John-Boy was writing for Stars and Stripes in Paris, Jason was also stationed in France, Ben had joined the Seabees and was sent to the South Pacific, and Jim-Bob was being trained at Fort Langley, Virginia. Jeffrey and Serena Burton had gone off to live with their father and his new wife. Mary Ellen's husband, Curtis Willard, thought to have been killed at Pearl Harbor, turned up alive-but not well-in Florida. Rendered impotent by an injury, he refused to return to her.

The Waltons left the weekly schedule in 1981. A few specials were subsequently televised on NBC, such as "A Wedding on Walton's Mountain'' (in which Erin got married; 22 February 1982), "Mother's Day on Walton's Mountain'' (9 May 1982), and "A Day for Thanks on Walton's Mountain'' (22 November 1982). The surviving members of the clan returned to CBS for "A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion'' (21 November 1993), which was set at the time of President Kennedy's assassination in 1963, and for "A Walton Wedding'' (12 February 1995), when John-Boy tied the knot.

The Waltons was the first family dramatic series of the 1970s; its success led to a proliferation of similar efforts, such as Apple's Way, Eight Is Enough, Family, The Family Holvak, The Fitzpatricks, Little House on the Prairie, Mulligan's Stew, and The New Land. It was also the first series from Lorimar Productions, a company founded in 1968 by Lee Rich and Merv Adelson (Apple's Way and Eight Is Enough were also from Lorimar). Lee Rich and Earl Hamner were the executive producers of The Waltons.

1, 2, 3-GO!

8 October 1961 - 27 May 1962, NBC

This educational series for children was seen early on Sunday evenings. Each week co-hosts Jack Lescoulie and ten-year-old Richard Thomas (who would star in The Waltons eleven years later) explored subjects of interest to young people. Jack Kuney produced the half-hour series.

KAREN'S COMMENT: Thanks for this review Alan. The Nick at Nite site is a good one. I think that I have read this before, so it may be possible that it has been taken from a book.