Hi everyone,

As I've promised, I am including a biography on Jerry Goldsmith, the music man behind The Waltons this week. Brian sent me some information a couple of weeks ago, and I've added it to information from an article which was in the newsletter from The Waltons Mountain Museum recently, and some that I found at the Internet Movie Database. Hope you enjoy it, and thank you to Brian for his input.

Now I was doing a little research on The Waltons this week and I came across a couple of interesting things that I thought I'd share with you all. Firstly, I was searching for Waltons related books and came across one by Ellen Corby. Did anyone know she was an author? I knew she had suggested stories for The Waltons, but didn't know she also wrote fiction. I don't know how many were published, but this is the one I found:

"Ellen Corby: The Pebble of Gibraltar : An Autobiography as Told to Ellen Corby ; New York: Vantage Press, 1988.

Chronicles the journey of a small adventurous pebble through France, Italy, and Spain.Fiction"

I confess to being a little confused though. Is it her autobiography, or a fiction story? I might need to do a bit more investigating for that one.

The other thing was that The Waltons is apparently referenced in the following movies, according to the Internet Movie Database:

"Bad Taste" (1987)

"Dazed and Confused" (1993)

"'Til There Was You" (1997)

"Lost in Space" (1998)

It's also spoofed in the following:

"Van, The" (1996)

"Lost in Space" (1998)

Does anyone know of these references? I haven't seen any of them, but would love to know more.

Well that's about it for now. Enjoy the "spotlight" on Jerry Goldsmith. Talk to you all next week.

Goodnight everyone,

Karen.

JERRY GOLDSMITH

Jerry Goldsmith was born Jerrald Goldsmith, in California, on 10^th February, 1929. He studied piano, theory and film composition, before taking a job in the music department at CBS. Whilst here, he wrote a variety of music for radio shows, before moving onto The Twilight Zone. Looking through his vast filmography, he also wrote music for many very well known films and television shows such as: Have Gun, Will Travel; Ben Casey; Take Her, She's Mine; The Man From UNCLE; Room 222; Barnaby Jones; Police Story; Star Trek: The Motion Picture; Gremlins; and more recently Dennis The Menace (the movie) and Mulan. You need to check out his credits yourself on the Internet Movie Database, and I'm sure you'll find many listed that you know.

Did you know though, that he also appeared in a few movies. Have a look at "Gremlins 2: The New Batch" (1990/I), he was theYoghurt Customer; "Gremlins" (1984) .... the man in telephone booth staring at the camera; and "In Harm's Way" (1965) where he was a Piano Player.

He is the proud owner of an Academy Award, which he won in 1976, for The Omen, and he has received 15 other Academy Award nominations. He has also received nominations for many other awards, and has won several Emmys as well.

Apparently Goldsmith was called in to be the composer for The Homecoming. He had previously worked with director, Fielder Cook, on Playhouse 90. His approach to the music was to write "a simple, spare score for "The Homecoming," imbuing the music with regional flavor by using two guitars, banjo, accordion, harmonica, and recorder as his instrumentation."

The producers apparently thought the theme of The Homecoming was "too gentle" and they asked for another theme. Goldsmith says that "Today, I would have argued with them. I like the theme for 'The Homecoming' better. It was certainly more authentic."

The theme for The Waltons had a similar feel with guitars, accordion, harmonica, and an autoharp but Goldsmith added a solo trumpet as the main part of the melody.

Jerry Goldsmith was not the only musician to work on The Waltons though. Arthur Morton added a lot of the music to the first season and scored most of the second season and later, Alexander Courage took over the series in its third season and wrote 123 individual scores.

References Used:

"TV's Biggest Hits" by Jon Burlingame

"The Amazing Music Makers on the Waltons" taken from Blue Ridge Chronicles, Volume 6, Number 4, Spring 1999

Internet Movie Database

Hi Guys, perhaps you can help me? My husband signed me up for the International Fan club for Christmas this past year. The *only* thing I have received from it at all was two flyers, one on the get-together at the Museum for May 1 and another for something I can't remember. Cruise maybe? They came in the same envelope.

I'm just wondering is this all that anyone has received so far this year? I thought newsletters or something came along much more often than this.

Thanks,

Larissa

KAREN'S COMMENT: Any thoughts on this?

Karen,

This is just to much of a coincidence not to comment. I was watching the episode today of The Waltons as I had no work today where the Japanese surrender and the War is officially over. Right after the credits I switched channels to catch the news at 6 PM and what should be the top story tonight but, the surrender of the Yugoslavian Army from Kosovo. I just could not help but, think how powerful that was. I have seen this particular episode many times before but, never like this!!!!

Cally!

KAREN'S COMMENT: Isn't it fabulous news Cally? I hope the Peace thing all goes well, but I have heard that it will still be some time before the refugees are able to go back home again. I can't imagine being forced out of your country. That was an issue that they did address rather poignantly at times on The Waltons, I thought.

Hi there Karen,

Just a piece of information that may be helpful ...from last week's digest:

<<By the way do you have the same video format that we do ? VHS? I know videos in England aren't the same as we can't play them on our machines in the US.>>

Most video machines around the World take VHS but unfortunately there are at least three types of VHS.

NTSC ( used in USA and Canada)

PAL used in most of Europe including UK, Ireland / Holland and also Australia / NZ

SECAM used in France

So Australian types play quite happily in UK machines ( my brother has just returned from Oz with many tapes and they truly work) and the other way.

However Australian tapes won't work in a USA / Canadian machine. In the UK it is fairly easy, and only slightly more expensive to buy a machine, (VCR) that has the ability to play back NTSC tapes ( they won't record into NTSC but can play back such tapes). This means that you can watch both PAL and NTSC tapes. The quality on the NTSC is not as good as the PAL but it is watchable. Such machines (VCRs) do not seem to be available in North America.

In conclusion a PAL person, with a VCR which can cope with NTSC playback, has nearly the whole World to buy from. So just where can I buy a copy of the video as I don't think it has been shown here in the UK.

Hope I haven't confused you all

Best Wishes

Alison

KAREN'S COMMENT: Thanks for the background Alison. I found it very confusing when I first investigated the possibility of buying some Waltons videos from the USA. If they had VHS and we had VHS, why wouldn't they play! I have since sorted out the VHS types though, and we are able to buy a video recorder and TV as you mentioned too, with NTSC playback. I'm amazed that its not available over in the States. I wonder if anyone has actually asked though?

As for the video Alison, I'm afraid that I can't buy it either currently as it's only available for "hire" or "rent". Someone mentioned that it took a few seconds to realise what I meant when I said that I hired the video! Isn't the English language weird and wonderful. <g> If it comes out to buy, I'll let everyone know.

Hello Karen,

I would just like to tell everybody that I am compiling a list of web sites for The Walton's. If you go to www.galesburg.net/~atkins/waltons.html you can view my web page titled The Walton's Mountain Community Center. I am currently grouping them according to various subheadings (such as Earl Hamner, W.M. Museum, Richard Thomas, Individuals, Groups). I work on it a little each week so would like everyone to take a look at it. If you find a web page that I don't have listed, would you please email at at mailto:atkins@galesburg.net

If your web page is already there, please email me (atkins@galesburg.net)if you would like me to describe it in a better way. I'd like to be able to give everyone a comprehensive site to find whatever they are looking for regarding The Waltons. If you have comments on ways to improve the groupings, or anything to make the site easier to use, please let me know.

I'm not currently placing commercial web pages on my list. I am do so later. But I would like information on anything pertaining to the characters, actors, and The Waltons in general.

Also, I hope you find the expanded synopses of The Waltons episodes entertaining as shown on The Waltons Mountain Museum's web page www.the-waltons.com/home-b.html. Arthur Dungate and I are working on these synopses describing each and every episode of The Waltons. We are currently writing within season eight. If you find errors or would like to comment about these synopses, please let me or Arthur Dungate know about it.

Thanks,

Bill

www.galesburg.net/~atkins/waltons.html, Waltons web site

KAREN'S COMMENT: It's a great idea Bill, and certainly very comprehensive. You must have spent loads of time coming up with all of those links. Well done.