Hi, I hope everyone had a terrific Easter and enjoyed A Walton Easter immensely. We have had a very quiet Easter, catching up on family time and some well needed rest and relaxation as things have been quite hectic here just lately. Tonight it is absolutely pouring over here, but it has been a beautiful day and as the weather has been incredibly dry this year we can't complain about a bit of rain.

Well some of you have been really busy and quick to send me some mail so keep reading. I will be compiling the letters into digest form and sending them out probably about twice each week, so you will get two big letters each week hopefully.

There are quite a few members added to this mailing, so feel free to write and introduce yourselves to others on the list, and welcome. I think the telemovie has re-generated interest in The Waltons.

From Brenda:

I am responding to Karen's suggestion that we all introduce ourselves. My name is Brenda Irby. I live in Huntington, West Virginia, a pretty town on the Ohio River located at the point where three states meet: Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia. I have been married for 25 years and we have 3 kids who are all almost grown up now. I am a Special Education teacher at a small elementary school and I enjoy my job. I like to read, especially Christian fiction and historical fiction. I also like to travel, especially to sites I have read about and to historical sites. And I like the Internet, which I discovered about one year ago. I have to wait in line for the computer at my house, too, just as Karen does.

I have been watching The Waltons since it first came on the air many years ago. I think it was about the time I got married. I was living in California then because my husband was in the Navy. Watching The Waltons made me homesick for my own mountains in West Virginia. I later found out that The Waltons was actually filmed in California, not Virginia. Anyway, it quickly became my favorite TV show and has remained so ever since. My favorite character is Grandpa. Will Geer did a wonderful job portraying him and the show was never quite the same after his death. My favorite among the children was Jason.

I watched the show the entire time it was on the air through the 1970s and early 1980s. I also watched the various TV movies that came on after that. Then, a few years ago when we got Cable, I was happy to find that The Waltons is on twice a day on the Family Channel. Now I am looking forward to the new TV movie on Easter night. Last year I heard about the Walton's Mountain Museum in Schuyler, Virginia, about 300 miles from our home. So I persuaded my husband to take me there. The museum is located in the actual building where Earl Hamner attended school. They have lots of interesting memorabilia and replicas of some of the rooms on the TV show. And the scenery is worth the trip. The Blue Ridge Mountains are beautiful.

I want to thank Karen for all the work she has done in creating her webpage and for starting this mailing list. I look forward to 'meeting' all of you who share my love for The Waltons.

KAREN'S COMMENT: Thank you for your kind comments Brenda. :-) I have often wondered what the countryside is like around the real "Waltons Mountain". Is it like we see in the show? A lot of you have mentioned to me that they have visited the Waltons Mountain Museum, and if we ever get to USA it will be a must visit for our family!

From Ethel:

When Richard Thomas was on Rosie he said that in the beginning he just wanted to bury John Boy in the backyard but now he really enjoys it. He told a story about when he and Grandpa were filming a piece in Druscillas pond and they decided to moon the film crew, but it happened that a bus of people had stopped to watch and they got an eyeful! He looks just like he did on the show. Rosie kept wanting to call him John Boy. It was a short interview but worth it.

KAREN'S COMMENT: Thanks for this Ethel...we don't get the show over here. I must say that I have always admired Richard Thomas's acting but he will always be John Boy to me. I suppose it is a credit to his craft that he made John Boy such a memorable character.

From Eric:

Greetings from the basketball capital of the world, Indianapolis, In. My name is Eric. I have all the episodes on tape except one, as they were shown on the Family Channel, and seeing how they practice censorship they are not complete. The only episode that I am missing is, The Changeling. I have just joined the Walker Video club. I have received my first two tapes (two episodes per tape) and they are wonderful!

I have compiled a Walton Data base of sorts, containing all the episodes, directors, producers, writers, special guest stars etc. It is fun to watch the series and try to find little interesting things, such as bloopers, like calling Miss Emily Miss Mamie and so on. Keep watching, there are little things like that to be found.

A little more about myself. I was born in 1962 with spina bifida and use a wheel chair. I am employed with Target Stores. My other hobbies include, Genealogy, Computers, Ham Radio, Laura Ingalls Wilder.....

See Ya!

KAREN'S COMMENT: Lots of people have mentioned that they get their episodes from either this video club, or Columbia. Are these ones cut do you know Eric? It's interesting that you mention your Walton database as a couple of others have done that too. One mentioned that guest stars often pop up in more than one role. What bloopers have people noticed? I mustn't be very observant because I don't think that I've seen too many, however it never ceases to amaze me that in season 5 we have two actresses who seem to alternate in the role of Patsy Brimmer...one is a blond and the other a brunette! The blond is Debbie Gunn and the other is Eileen McDonough. Does anyone know if Eileen could be Mary Beth McDonough's (Erin's) sister? I wonder why they had two playing Patsy in the first place?

From Linda:

You were asking where videos are available. Columbia House is now offering The Waltons in their Collectors Edition TV Series videos. There are two episodes per issue. Your first video normally has a special price and subsequent videos cost $19.95. You have no choice about which videos you get. You can check their web site www.columbiahouse.com for more information.

I too would enjoy hearing more about what the stars are doing now.

KAREN'S COMMENT: Thanks for the info. Linda. If anyone wants to catch up on the episodes they have missed they now have two sources. I have checked out Columbia House on the Internet but their offer is only for USA so I'll have to keep looking.

From Dennis:

No Waltons Down Under? You must be going crazy. Although here in N.Y the Waltons air "twice a day" and I could easily hit the button on the VCR to catch all my favorite episodes, I opted to subscribe to the Columbia House Video Club. They feature the Waltons as one of their selections and once every 6 weeks will send a video containing two episodes to your door. Unfortunately the collection is a compilation of "favorite episodes" and you never know what you will receive. Columbia House can be reached online and orders can be placed also.

For all the fans in the U.S. who want to start their own collection via VCR, The Family Channel is due to start the series from episode one sometime next week. Of course nothing is guaranteed but according to all the episode guides I've read it's next in the rotation.

PS I'm the married father of two beautiful girls, Nicole and Olivia. My wife was very relieved to have girls as she hates the name Zebulon!

KAREN'S COMMENT: Oh I think I'll have to emigrate to the USA! Over here we will be seeing the last two episodes for season 5 next weekend then The Waltons is disappearing off the screens for a while! Poor me! Dennis I think I agree with your wife...I wouldn't name a child Zebulon either, however I do have a James. At least she agreed to Olivia.

From Shirley:

In regards to Erin's little girl, I knew she was about 18 months old when she appeared on the Walton's Thanksgiving. She played one of Erin's children in the movie. What a cute little girl too.

KAREN'S COMMENT: Thanks for this info Shirley. I haven't seen A Waltons Thanksgiving yet, for some reason we seem to have missed it over here, although we saw A Walton Wedding last year. Erin had three children to Paul didn't she? Whatever happened to Paul anyway?

From Marlene:

About myself: I am a mother of three boys (includes twins) and Grandmother of one. Our main hobby, at this stage in life, is Motor homing. At various stages it has included oil-painting--appliqué--and I am still hanging in there with genealogy. I have never been interested in watching daytime soaps and have been mainly interested in Current News, C-Span and Politics. But I got so sick of the negatives on TV, that out of desperation last winter, instead of the 6:00 news, I started watching the Waltons on the Family Channel, and so did my husband. This was my first time watching the Series. The children are so uniquely different in looks and personality than the typical children on TV, that I became fascinated. Dainty red headed, Elizabeth----- bashful Jim Bob with his sly smile----- perky, redheaded, energetic Ben----wistful, freckled face Erin with her beautiful eyes---- brash and sassy tomboy Mary Ellen---- gentle Jason, the picture of innocence with those adorable ears and freckled face smile and enthusiastic John Boy who seems to bounce on the screen and then off again.

I live in a suburb of St. Louis. Even though St. Louis is a large City, the suburb, Affton, as it was in the 1930's, still had woods to explore. And well I remember walking barefoot to the corner grocer, much like Godseys. And taking a bus to the End-of the-Car-Line to shop in the city. Of course growing up during the depression years made the Waltons all the more interesting to me.

Here are the Video's that are available in the USA: Specials are: Decade of the Waltons--The Thanksgiving Story---Day for Thanks on Walton's Mountain--The Children's Carol 1977---Homecoming 1971---These are from Blockbuster Video 1-800-800-6767-------

"A Wedding on Walton's Mountain'"(about Erin's Wedding.) is not available. I am looking for this --Does anyone know whether it ever aired again after 1982. It was suppose to air in Sept. 1995, but did not for some reason.

Columbia House: One has to belong to their Club--- call 1-800-457-0866 Dept F1H. They will send you an application along with a list of Videos that are available. There are two episodes on each tape. A singular Video may be ordered over the phone with a credit card. The Video's that are available are the years of 1972, 1973 and partial 1974. There are a couple missing in 1972 and 1973.

On cable TV, here in St. Louis, the 1981 Episodes are shown weekdays at 8:00am in the Morning. The last one shown was "The Hostage" I am hoping they start the series over. They are also showing Evening episodes at 6:00pm and the last one shown was "The Festival". They skipped over "Spring Fever" for some reason.

Looking forward to the Easter Special and hearing from you.

KAREN'S COMMENT: Hi Marlene, I think you have described the Walton children very well, and they certainly are individuals aren't they? You're quite right, they really aren't like any other child characters on TV even today. I have read that part of the shows success was that Earl Hamner allowed the group of children to develop as they grew older...he insisted on them growing up more as each series was made and we now see them as adults with their own family. Every time there is a new movie made it's like going to visit family members. Thanks also for the video info. I hope it helps some of you to get the episodes you need.

Marlene asked if anyone knows about Wedding on Waltons Mountain. Well I'm wondering if anyone has any way of duplicating tapes as I would love to have the new one A Walton Easter (before the year 2000!!!!), and the 1993 one A Walton Thanksgiving. I've discovered that there is a way for me to play your tapes on my machine and I'd be happy to pay for tape and postage etc, just let me know if you can. By the way, for those who don't know, our video system here in Australia and yours in the USA are different and you need a special video and TV to be able to play the videos.

From Joe:

Interesting web page. I live in Chillicothe Ohio and have watched the Waltons all my life. Having lived in Virginia, I have visited Schuyler and was at the Walton's Museum dedication. Your site gave some interesting facts that I did not know.

One interesting fact about the Hammner family, the kids all had red hair and the brothers that are to be Ben, had a very hot temper. In fact, even today, many people from the area will tell you that the father was in fact a "hot head" himself. Bootleg whiskey was also very much a part of the Hammner life.

KAREN'S COMMENTS: Well I, for one didn't know about the red hair. No wonder so many of the actors have red hair!

From Matt:

I received your latest email message. I wanted to take this time to introduce myself to the group. I'm an aerospace engineer currently living in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. I watched the Walton's growing up as a boy and I would have to say that it was my most favorite series because of the warm feelings it gave me about family life. My wife and I are expecting our first child this September and I think my parents and the Walton's have provided me with good models on how to be a parent.

I watched the television special "A Walton's Easter" last night. It was fun to see how each of the cast members had changed throughout the years. John-boy had changed the least. It would have been nice to have seen the Godsey's on the show. I was wondering where does the actual house used in the special stand? I assume its on a back lot somewhere. Did anyone notice how the tree fort had been moved from the side of the house to the front yard. Also my wife was bothered with the inconsistencies with the time span of the special. The special was supposed to be dated around July 1969. John and Olivia were having their 40th wedding making the year of their wedding 1929. This does not match with the TV series.

In the series John-boy was born during the conclusion of the First World War (1918). Apart from these changes, the special was very pleasant. Bye for now.

KAREN'S COMMENT: Interesting comments Matt...what did others think?