Hi everyone,

Not much news today but it seems to have been incredibly busy all the same. Our family's birthday celebrations start this week. We don't have any birthdays early in the year and then we have a few just a few weeks apart it seems and life gets very hectic. We then seem to have another gap until the end of the year, yes, just around Christmas time when life is really hectic! I wonder how the Waltons coped with birthday celebrations with 11 of them living in the house. Now I think about it, I don't seem to recall many birthdays being mentioned during the run of the show.

Sorry that the digest is a bit late this week but it was just that I ran out of time! Hope none of you thought that you'd missed it. It's only now though that I'm catching up on all my email from the last few days. I've also been doing some extra parts to add to my Waltons site. I'll let you know when the new parts have been added. I am preparing a Waltons trivia page too which will be added to the site. If any of you would like to contribute any trivia to this, or would like me to include any trivia questions that you've already sent me, please let me know. I am happy to acknowledge all of you who send any questions.

Well I'll talk to you all again very soon, Karen.

From Shirley:

Jim Bob's Girlfriends: I'm sure Jim Bob had his share of girlfriends. I recall the Catholic girl that was staying at the Baldwin sisters. In fact James Hamner never did marry as far as I know. I could never get over how Jim Bob and my little brother are so much a like. I grew up in a place called South Mountain, which was funny because there wasn't any mountain to be seen. My Mother grew up next to a place called "Walton" which is in Nova Scotia. The other day when I was looking at Bed & Breakfast Vacations, I came across this one called "The Walton's Country Home" here in Ontario, Canada.

KAREN'S COMMENT: Now that you mention it Shirley, I recall that Jim Bob did have a few girl friends on the show, especially Patsy Brimmer and Aimee Godsey. He also seemed to get crushes on older women too. I'm thinking of Sarah, who loved Ep Bridges and I think there was another one who had just lost her husband in the war.

From Lee:

"A boy seldom marries a girl on account of her brownies" John Sr. The Prize.

Laura, I didn't know all that about the ET reporting, sounds wonderful. I wish I had popped a tape in too.

More Trivia: What color were Ashley Longworth's eyes??? What magazine does Ben sell? Who did Grandpa court before Grandma?

I have been noticing John Boy has been in love a great many times or at least had a lot of love interests. Here are the ones I have found so far. Marsha Woollery, of course, Jenny Pendelton, Sarah Simmons, Daisy, Selena Linville, Madelen Bennet. I think I liked Daisy the best. He should have married her, but I guess it is too late NOW! :0)

Just interesting inconsistencies of plot: There was a plot pit fall with Daisy. When we first see Daisy In The Marathon she implies she was an orphan that grew up in foster homes. When she returns she has a mother who has been keeping her daughter that she had 3 months before the Marathon. I also notice that Rose (Peggy Rea) played the part of Mary Ellen and Erin's landlady in The Landlady and not Rose.

Karen you asked about Olivia's family once. Olivia made reference to having brothers in The Woman. I think Olivia had family when it was convenient for the story line.

More Pets: Chirppy was the canary Jim Bob bought for Grandma.

Here are some tidbits I found on Will Geer. I had more but a minor melt down lost them I hope to find them again. This was from famous deaths on a particular day, weird I know!

Geer, Will

Died 22 April 1978

Will Geer died at the age of 76 of respiratory arrest. His real name was Will Ghere.

He was cremated and his ashes scattered.

This was just some note I found posted, where, I don't know: Yesterday during my daughter's daily viewing of "The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh", I noticed that one of the voices was supplied by Jon Walmsley, a name which I recognized as the name of the actor who played Jason Walton on "The Waltons". I looked it up in our Disney encyclopedia and found that Jon Walmsley provided the voice of Christopher Robin for one or more of the shorts included. Does anybody know if this really was the guy who played Jason Walton? I was also surprised to see Clint (Ronnie's younger brother) Howard as Roo.

This was from a web site on American Folk music The "All-American Left-Wing Folk-Song Revival Movement" started, and (Woody) Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Leadbelly were leading the way. Alan Lomax attributed the start to the Grapes of Wrath Evening in Washington, D.C., a benefit concert for California migrant workers (Dunaway, 1981). The concert was organized by actor-folksinger Will Geer and was considered "one of the most significant events of the nascent folk revival" (Parrish, 1995/1996, p. 32). Guthrie, Leadbelly, Burl Ives, Aunt Molly Jackson, Alan Lomax and sister Bess, and others played (Dunaway, 1981; Parrish, 1995/1996).

I thought this sound like a nice place to visit. I have seen that a lot of actors start out working here. Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum

Dusk is the witching hour for a picnic in this fairy-tale glen, with its gentle hillocks and private nooks, home to a local repertory company known for its mix of classic and contemporary theater. At curtain time (a more of less abstract concept, since there is no curtain), take a seat in the amphitheater carved out of the canyonside an watch the play -- or look up at the moon. Even when the critics aren't raving, the effect is magical. 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga. I thought that it sound like some place Grandpa would have loved.

KAREN'S COMMENT: I was never really keen on Marsha Woolery. She seems a bit shallow and certainly not intellectually stimulating for John Boy. Jenny Pendleton was my favorite. Was Sarah Simmons the Sarah played by Sissy Spacek in The Townie? If so there is a line that she says that I just love: "When are you going to stop being John Boy and grow to be John Man!"

What year was the movie you mentioned? Clint Howard starred in a show called Gentle Ben in the late 1960's so I knew he was an actor, but never really did much I don't think. Yes he is Ron Howard's younger brother.

Interesting about "actor-folksinger" Will Geer. I didn't know that he sang although, as Grandpa, he clearly enjoys music. Ellen, Will's daughter, at one stage had something to do with the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum. I don't know if she still does. The idea I believe, was to bring classic drama to the lives of people who might never afford it. A great idea and yes...Will would be proud!

From Lee:

I found this in the Dejanews area: You're right, the Waltons certainly didn't look poor, especially with all that land. My aunt, who grew up in southern Virginia during the Depression, once told me that it was highly unlikely that a family such as the Waltons would have had electricity in such a rural part of Virginia during the Depression. Earl Hamner once admitted in an interview that the house on the show was much bigger and fancier than the one he grew up in (Hamner created and wrote many episodes of the show, and was the narrator). I thought the house part was interesting.

KAREN'S COMMENT: Interesting point...but if the house had been in the family for some time, that might explain it I guess. What do you think?