Hi everyone,

Thanks to all of you who heard my plea for letters! I'm very pleased to be able to include some with this digest. :-)) I can understand that most of you have probably been very busy with one thing or another as you move into summer. It's been very busy here lately too. Well I'll let you get on with reading the letters now.

Till next time, Karen.

From Lee:

I found a web site for the museum in Virginia, perhaps you could link it to your page Karen. Address http://xroads.virginia.edu/~VAM/Walton/exhibits.html, give it a look!

Now these are just a couple of articles I found on the Internet. For a list of back articles, visit TheLibrary@newsday.com.

The Waltons: A Refreshing Change of Pace

By Steve Parks. STAFF WRITER
Look out, Al Bundy. The Waltons are back. Just as the tackiest marriage in television history is crumbling before our eyes on "Married ... With Children," the Waltons counter with a TV movie celebrating the birth of John-Boy's first child and the 40th wedding anniversary of his parents. Oh, it's always been easy to sneer at the ultra-conventional morality and the unrelenting wholesomeness of Earl Hamner's television fable about the sturdy country folk of Walton's Mountain, who gathered Emmys like a bumper crop of corn from 1972-1981. Since then, they've returned with the old cast pretty much intact for periodic TV-movie reprises: "A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion," in 1993, and "A Walton Wedding" (John-Boy's, of course) in 1995. "A Walton Easter" tonight at 9 on CBS/2 is a natural sequel to the last movie.

John-Boy, played as earnestly as ever by Richard Thomas, is, of course, still married to Janet (Kate McNeil), the woman he wed two years ago. Eight months pregnant and not due to deliver until after she and John-Boy return from their visit to Walton's Mountain for the anniversary celebration, Janet is apprehensive about the baby she's so evidently carrying.

His homecoming, however, makes John-Boy unaccountably insensitive to his wife's concerns. A country girl from Iowa, Janet's a determinedly converted big-city denizen now and can't imagine why her husband longs to return home to live after they've shared so much together in their dual-career life in Manhattan. John-Boy even makes an offer to buy a Walton's Mountain cabin as a vacation retreat - without consulting his wife.

And, in a bit of Waltons heresy, a marital fight actually ensues. Can you believe it, John-Boy shouting at his pregnant wife? The scene, tame as it is, does strain credulity and John-Boy and Janet soon return to their amiable senses and all is right, as usual, on Walton's Mountain.

As for John and Olivia (Ralph Waite and Michael Learned), their love remains as uncomplicatedly natural as ever. On the eve of their departure to Virginia Beach, on a trip to celebrate their 40 years of marriage, John even makes a suggestive remark to Olivia in bed before the camera fades to a commercial break.

But as idyllic as their life together remains, they do have real lives apart from each other. Olivia now teaches at an elementary school where her daughter - apparently a shameless nepotist - is principal. Olivia's nurturing of a shy new student provides one of the movie's more diverting subplots. Meanwhile, John, already worried about financing his anniversary trip, is swindled in a furniture deal that he and his partner - daughter Elizabeth's unfaithful beau - have crafted.

Among the other returning cast members are Judy Norton, Mary McDonough, Kami Cotler, Eric Scott, Jon Walmsley and David Harper as the other Walton children and Ellen Corby, a severe stroke victim in real life, who plays the silenced-by-stroke Grandma Walton. Lynn Hamilton reprises her role as neighbor Verdie Grant, while Mary Jackson and Helen Kleeb, as the eccentric Baldwin sisters, feel it's time to pass on the family bootlegger's recipe.

True, this is a rather busy two hours with the Waltons, with a few extraneous threads left annoyingly unresolved. But the genuine reunion quality of this television event (Just imagine, Al Bundy, two hours of family time together without a single wisecrack or insult!) makes "A Walton Easter" a television novelty and a refreshing change of pace.

Today, when it is a rarity for a TV movie to be devoid of incest, rape, murder, abortion, drug dealing or even a high-speed car chase, Walton's Mountain in many ways is prime-time television's paradise lost. Even though times have been hard for the Waltons from the start. With the original series set during the Depression and, later, World War II, here was a family that perhaps needed all the strength they could muster to hold it together. But, wholesome and unreal as the Waltons may seem, there are families like that out there. More than Al Bundy could possibly imagine.

Wednesday, April 17, 1996

Albee 's Tall Women a prize-winner at the Alex Tri it, you'll like it!

By JOHN COULBOURN

Toronto Sun

 In a just world, every actor would get a chance to play a part like the one Marian Seldes plays in Edward Albee's Pulitzer Prize-winning Three Tall Women -- at least once in her or his career.  And in a perfect world, each would play it as well as Seldes does.  As the dying dowager in Albee's complex drama, which opened last night at the Royal Alex, Seldes seems to have been born for the part and then spent a lifetime in training for it. As regal, as funny, as tragic and as lethal as an absent-minded falcon, Seldes is nothing short of brilliant.  But then, that seems to be the kind of work that Albee's script demands. And gets.  Set in the upscale bedroom of an ailing, 91- (or possibly 92)-year-old widow, Three Tall Women opens on a rather confused conversation between Seldes' character, her hired care-giver (played by Michael Learned), and a young lawyer on a professional visit (played by Christina Rouner).  It is not a happy time.  Seldes is in pain and confused, wandering aimlessly through her past, an occupation that unnerves the young lawyer and ccasionally offends her as well. The old, it seems, have not been sufficiently schooled in the conventions of political correctness for her taste  As for the caregiver, she is forced into the role of a philosophic peacemaker between the other two women. Funny and macabre, it is, at its best, uncomfortable comedy.  Then at the end of the first act, Seldes' dowager is felled by a stroke, and Albee, director Lawrence Sacharow and his troika of talent, take us through a looking glass that not even Lewis Carroll could have imagined.  It is not a smooth transition, however, and that is the play's only flaw. Disorienting and confusing at first, it is a voyage you won't soon forget as we are led into the heart and the memories of this dying woman.  From a life composed primarily of disappointment, grief and minor defeat, they sculpt an earthy, often profane monument to greatness -- dedicated to a woman who rarely endeared, but chose to endure instead.  In King Lear, Shakespeare gave us the seven ages of man. In these leaner, contemporary times, Albee gives us only three ages of women.  But thanks to Seldes, Learned and Rouner, it is difficult to imagine any woman feeling short-changed.

 SUN RATING: 5 STARS

 April 3, 1996

Olivia Walton to star in Three Tall Women

 TORONTO (CP) -- Four-time Emmy Award-winning actress Michael Learned stars

in the stage play Three Tall Women which will be mounted at the Royal Alexandra

Theatre from April 16 to May 25.

 In the show, she plays a middle-aged woman who is the paid caregiver for a rich 92-year-old matriarch (Marian Seldes). Throughout the 1970s, Learned was perhaps the most famous mother on TV, playing Olivia for eight years on The Waltons.  For Learned, Three Tall Women marks the latest role in a theatrical career that has included the heroines of Shakespeare, George Bernard Shaw and Chekhov, as well as leading ladies by Edward Albee, Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard, Tennessee Williams and Brian Friel.  She last performed at the Royual Alex in 1964 in Return to the Mountain.

Some one was asking about seeing Michael Learned, Ralph Waite and Richard Thomas on stage. This isnt current, but it gives an idea of where to keep an eye out for up coming news.

Also I found an article that mention Jon Walmsley was no longer with Richard Marx, but playing with Strawberry Alarm Clock since 1992. Any one know for sure?

KAREN'S COMMENT: I haven't checked out the links Lee mentions, but I will as soon as I can. Thankyou Lee for the articles. Michael Learned is obviously a very versatile actor.

From Raeann:

Hi my name is Raeann Schoudt and I live in the Eastern part of the United states. I've been a Waltons fan since I was very little(since the very beginning I guess)

Let's see, favorites. Humm... Well Fave regular-A tie between Elizabeth and John-Boy(the REAL one not fake John boy that came back from the war) I love Kami Cotler! I liked her so much as Kid that I tried to change my name to Elizabeth. Anyway I love John-Boy because I always wanted to have an older brother. Oh, as I watch reruns I really like the character of Jason.

Favorite guest star- Oh there's no contest, William Frakes aka Ashley Longworth Jr, AKA RIKER!!!!!! Id forgotten that he was a guest star till I started watching the reruns. He looks so young! But it's still my Riker! he's so cute!

Favorite episode- As a youngster, any with Elizabeth and Aimee Godsey, now, Jason trying to write his final composition for the conservatory. And I really laughed the other night when the "fastidious wife" one was on, Corabeth is such a hoot!

KAREN'S COMMENT: Thanks for this and welcome Raeann. If we did a poll on favorite characters I think Jason and Elizabeth might come out on top as many have said that they like them both. John Boy too of course. Now am I missing something down here? Who is Riker? I suspect William Frakes is on a show that we don't get down here. Please fill me in! :-)

From Joe:

Tell me a little about your seasons. I know our North American summers are your winters, but how cold does it get? Do you get snow?

As far as the Waltons go, what different countries do you have "members" from? Are the Waltons as popular overseas as they have been here? Do you have any interactions with any of the cast on a regular basis?

KAREN'S COMMENT: As far as our members go, Joe, we now have members from England, Malaysia, Germany, The Netherlands, Canada and of course, Australia. Apologies if I've left your country out...write and let us know because it's a bit difficult to tell just by the email address. Most members, however, are from the USA though. Lucky you get to see The Waltons twice a day. I'm not sure how many countries have actually had The Waltons over the years. Does anyone know? I can only speak for how popular the show was over here, and although it did well and had a regular TV spot, it never really took off as some shows did. Shows like The Brady Bunch, Little House on the Prairie, Happy Days and Eight is Enough all did extremely well over here at the time. They all seemed to have a lot of magazine coverage which The Waltons seem to have missed. When I was researching for the page, I found very little about the show in our Australian magazines, but lots about the other shows. At the moment Friends is doing incredibly well here, along with ER, Beverley Hills 90210, Melrose Place and Party of Five.

Unfortunately we don't have any members on the list who were in The Waltons. It would be nice if we did wouldn't it.

As for our seasons Joe, we have just entered winter here. Where I live we don't get snow usually, although there is the occasion day when it has snowed, but it usually melts fairly soon after. Some of our mountains in Victoria get snow, along the Great Dividing Range, if you look at the atlas. Some of the mountains are quite high. In winter our days reach about 12 degrees Celsius and the nights go down to anywhere between 0 and 5 or 6 degrees Celsius. Since your weather is in Fahrenheit, I'm not sure how it converts but it is fairly mild mostly. The wind can get really cold though and we can get some heavy frosts and fog. Most houses over here don't have central heating only space heaters in individual rooms. In our house we have a heater in the lounge, and another in the kitchen/family room. If we are cold in the bedrooms we use small portable heaters. Rarely are the heaters left on overnight though. Hope this gives you some idea of our winters, I'll tell you about summer next time unless I get a deluge of letters telling me I'm boring everyone!!!

From Marie:

Another pet of the Waltons! In The Battle of Drucilla's Pond, Chance has a calf. Jim-Bob names her Dynamite because she was born during Army maneuvers in which they blow up a blockade. I don't recall hearing about Dynamite again.

Interesting to note the place names they mention. I find most of them on the map of Virginia. One is Esmont which is mentioned in A Decade of the Waltons (in a flashback). In the Celebration, Riddleton is mentioned but haven't checked on it yet.

Rose's sayings have a sing song way about them. The latest was something like "The girl who skips breakfast as a matter of course - Will end up marrying a cat or a horse." They always give me a chuckle....any other fans of Rose's Wisdoms?

Karen asked for our favorite guest star. One of mine is Ron Howard who played Seth Turner in The Gift. He is Jason's friend who is dying of leukemia. Another is Jonathon Frakes as Ashley Longworth, Jr.

KAREN'S COMMENT: I have only seen the episodes with Rose once and wasn't able to tape any of them so I'd love to hear more about her sayings. If anyone can think of anymore, please send them on. It looks as though Jonathon Frakes has a few fans...I loved the character of Ashley Longworth Jr. I agree with you about Ron Howard too. He has always been a favorite of mine and I loved him in The Gift. Was this during his Happy Days time or a little bit before?

From Julie:

Hi Karen! Just time to dash off a quick note before taking my daughter to school! One of my very favorite guest stars had to be Mary Wickes, who played the Baldwin sisters' kleptomaniac cousin! She was a real classic character actress, and only recently passed away. I believe her last role was the voice of one of the gargoyles in Disney"s "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." She was in hundreds of things, but may also be remembered as that strict ballet teacher in that episode of "I Love Lucy." Well, anyway, I loved the Waltons episode she was in, and I loved how Ike thought she was trying to do away with her cousins! They were so funny together!

From Lisa:

Can you tell me the name of the gray haired gentleman that pops up every once in a while? In the Battle of Drucilla's Pond he looks at Olivia's painting and in the Hot Rod he is at the bar. In the Revel, the last episode, he ends the party at the Baldwin's house.

KAREN'S COMMENT: Well does anyone know who this actor is and maybe the characters he has played? Thanks again to all of you who sent letters for this digest. I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I did.