Hi everyone,

After two wonderful, very relaxing weeks of doing nothing, it's back to school for me and James on Tuesday of this coming week. Tim is still on the semester break...they seem to have had about five or more weeks this year. Lucky him. But it will be a very busy term once again. The school musical comes up early in September. This year it's Jesus Christ Superstar and it will be running over two weeks instead of just the one as they've done in the past. Once term 3 has finished its just about straight into final exams for James, so we're almost on countdown already.

Anyway back to The Waltons. I asked last week about coming up with some different cross over shows. We have a few replies this week on that topic. Obviously Touched by an Angel could be a good one with some sort of a crisis happening. Maybe John will come around to church going if he was visited by Monica or Tess. Just imagine if the angels appeared to the Baldwin ladies. Can you imagine their reactions? Maybe the Greene family from The Promised Land might detour via Waltons Mountain. What if they met John Boy on the road? Nathaniel might comment how like his Dad, who's in jail for killing someone, he looks. :-) That could be lots of fun. Or perhaps there might be a medical crisis and the team from ER have to come rushing in...or maybe there's a legal problem like the Baldwin ladies are accused of making moonshine, and have to call in Bobby Donell to get them off. They might even offer the Judge a sip of the recipe, or maybe he knows something terrible about their Papa! There are all sorts of possibilities. You might think of some more fun ones. How about John Boy going to college with the 90210 crowd? Or Buffy??????

That's it from me for this week. Talk to you all soon. Stay cool.

Goodnight everyone,

Karen.

Karen,

Like many I too spotted the the Walton's Home as being the home in Mayberry RFD this weekend. I posted a note on a Mayberry message board and got a confirmation from a Mayberry fan of the fact...

They pointed me to a website of the Walton's house that sits on Warner Film Ranch....

Go to: http://www.1164.com/ranch/photos/waltons/index.html

A big fan of "Bewitched" did the above website..... Don't you just love the photos of the back of the house???? He mentioned that the house they call "The Sheila House" - a character on Bewitched was also used in the Waltons...

Go to: http://www.1164.com/ranch/photos/sheilas/index.html

Whose house was this on the Walton's?????

John

KAREN'S COMMENT: John the photos of the Waltons house are FANTASTIC. They've got the cellar and everything. I wonder if there's anything down there though. Maybe you open it then they flip to a set? As for Sheila's house, I thought at first that it could be the Baldwin's but there doesn't seem to be enough yard around it. Could they just have used it in a few episodes?

A point concerning the question of which came first - The Foundling or The Hunt --- Karen made the interesting comparison of both Intros in her Comment from last time (thanks Karen for the plug!) -

"Maybe the answer to the question is in the intros to both The Foundling and The Hunt. I've just had a look at both intros from Arthur's site http://www.bbctv-ap.freeserve.co.uk/ and it really doesn't help much. Here's the opening from The Foundling:

"When I was growing up during the Depression I lived with my red-headed brothers and sisters, my parents and grandparents at the foot of a mountain which had been in our family for generations. My father used to say that in our house there was always room for one more. And I remember one morning when his hospitality was put to a challenging test".

and from The Hunt:

"A mountain has no need for people, but people do need mountains. We go to them for their beauty, for the exhilaration of standing closer to mysterious skies, for the feeling of triumph that comes from having labored to reach a summit, and I remember a day in the 1930s when I went to Waltons Mountain in search of manhood".

I do know that The Foundling was *not* the first episode filmed (although first to be shown). However, in film production it is quite easy to re-record the Intros, since they are "voice overs" (ie narration over general scenes) so after shooting several episodes it would have been relatively simple to change the narration on what was now to be the first episode shown. Only those in the "post production" crew at the time (and of course Earl) would know for sure.

Perhaps Karen you might like to ask Digest members how a particular Intro could be re-written for a different order of showing? Well, just a thought!

Cheers! from Arthur

Wey & Arun Canal - http://www.weyandarun.co.uk

BBC TV - http://www.bbctv-ap.freeserve.co.uk

Basingstoke Canal - http://www.basingstokecanal1.freeserve.co.uk

KAREN'S COMMENT: I really do find all this production "stuff" fascinating. You're right of course, it would have been very easy to re-record one of the opening narrations. Like I said last week, I think The Foundling was produced about 4th and The Hunt was definitely done first. But who makes the ultimate decision about which order episodes are shown in?

I just read the following in the digest:

"But to keep this Walton related, I was reminded while visiting near the Tetons, that the movie The Homecoming was filmed in the Tetons. I was wondering if anyone knew exactly where? It's funny to think about this, because the Tetons and the Blue Ridge Mountains look so different!! You would never mistake them for each other. But what a gorgeous place to make a movie."

I believe it was "Spencer's Mountain" that was filmed (and set) in the Tetons. Spencer's Mountain made no reference to being in Virginia but did make mention of taking place out west.

"The Homecoming" looks like it was made on a studio back lot.

As far as a crossover series for the Waltons, there are so many possibilities it boggles the mind. How about a crossover with either "Quantum Leap" or "The Twilight Zone"?

Take Care,

Mark

KAREN'S COMMENT: Now according to the Internet Movie Database www.imdb.com the filming locations for Spencer's Mountain were Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA. The filming location listed for The Homecoming was Teton National Forest, Wyoming, USA. I had thought of the Quantum Leap crossover too, but The Twilight Zone would be terrific since Earl Hamner did write episodes for them too.

Touched by an angel/promised land is one, and The Practise/Gideons Crossing

Hmm.. Touched by an Angel would probably center around some tragedy or major decision for the family. The Practice: well maybe Johnboy needed a lawyer in New York! In past episodes he did get into a fight there. Gideons Crossing: Hospital episode where Mom gets cured!

Ted Lapinsky: I see him on a lot of commercials!

Cindy

KAREN'S COMMENT: Thanks for the update on the actor playing Ted Lapinsky.

Hi, Karen,

All this talk about Karen and Paul's divorce got me thinking. And the more I thought, the more I got mad at this Hollywoodizing of The Waltons. In the real life Hamner family, Erin's counterpart never divorced. I think this was just the Hollywood way of trying to put a modern spin on The Waltons and making people think that they are just as "typical" as the rest of America. It's very out of character, and I'm a bit disappointed that Earl Hamner didn't make a stand against it.

Jim

KAREN'S COMMENT: Once again Jim, interesting thoughts. It doesn't sit too well with me either because I think the Walton Way would have been to try to make the marriage work. Mind you though, plenty of womanizing was done by some men, and no doubt vice versa, so it was a fairly good reason for a divorce to happen.

Hello Karen and all!!!

Well....... I survived last week's heat wave, and I think it's actually helping to think of your winter break Karen!!! Just a short note.... did anyone get to see "A Father For Brittney" on CBS last night at 9:00 PM est??? not sure when you'll get it Karen, but keep an eye out for it.... busy night so I was only able to get glimpses.. but Michael was excellent in it, and a serious role. Take Good Care everyone!!!

Goodnight, Viv

KAREN'S COMMENT: Viv I went back to the Internet Movie DB for this one to find out more about it. Here's the summary:

"Keith and Kim Lussier are a childless couple who are given custody of a 3-month-old foster child, Brittany. However, tragedy strikes when Kim dies of cancer in the middle of the adoption process, leaving Keith to fight for Brittany's custody alone."

Guess what? I've already seen it! It was a 1998 movie and it aired on cable out here and was called A Change of Heart. It was a great film and ML was terrific in it. I also like Andrew McCarthy's work and he played the father. It did tug at the heartstrings.

Hello Karen, How are you and thank you for the work you have done with the digest. I really enjoy it. If it okay with you I wanted to tell your readers that I have two copies of Ronnie Claire Edward's (Corabeth) book, The Knife Thrower's Assistant, Memories of a Human Target, they are autographed by her.

When I went to the Hollywood Reunion I thought she looked just great. She is going to write a book about The Walton's and she asked us for our help.

She said: I would appreciate any stories or thoughts about what the series has meant to you. If I use them in my book, I will give you credit. If you could please send me copies of personal photos, I would like to enclose them also.

Thank you,

Ronnie Claire

please mail to:

R.C.E.

c/o Kaufman

852 Curson

Los Angeles, Calif. 90046

Karen, I thought it would be interesting to hear what your readers would say?

Thanks to you all,

Another Walton Fan,

Jeanne

KAREN'S COMMENT: Thanks for this again Jeanne. It was also mentioned in last week's digest, or maybe the week before. Has anyone written yet? What sorts of things did you mention?

Hi Karen and everybody,

First off, can someone send some rain out west, as it's gotten quite hot and not a drop of rain for well over a month, and temps are rising as well.

Secondly, I saw Michael Learned in the movie A Father for Brittany, on July 8, the movie was very good, and Michael's role as a baby seller was quite good.

Well, that's all for this week from me, and no luck in finding a job yet. :o(

Good night Everyone!

~Nicole

KAREN'S COMMENT: Hope you get some rain soon Nicole.

Karen,

While Marcia Woolery sometimes didn't understand Johnboy's poems you might also recall The Spoilers episode where the girl told Johnboy that his stories didn't have any quality that would sell and were totally implausible for the literary market.

Yes Rose was working at the Northridges in the 1993 reunion.

Donald

KAREN'S COMMENT: Yes, the young knowall in The Spoilers (played by Linda Purl) didn't know much at all in the end.

Hi all,

Okay this is a stretch, but this is what I came up with for a "cross-over" from the Waltons. Back in the 1960s Marlo Thomas played a young single girl that goes to New York City to live and work. It's a comedy but she portrays a girl living and working in the Big Apple. I thought about how John Boy went off to New York to live and work, and in that respect it is similar. I don't know....maybe Marlo left six brothers and sisters behind in a small town somewhere!! Another show I thought of was "Eight Is Enough" which was aired in the 70s and was about the everyday life of a widower and his eight children. It was a cute show, and had a variety of funny and dramatic episodes in it.

Here in Virginia it is summer which means hot and humid. We are blessed with air conditioning, but I wonder what it was like in this climate with no AC???

The Waltons certainly didn't have it. I don't want to find out what it was like!! I imagine life had to be at a slower pace because who could move fast when it's so hot??

Nancy

KAREN'S COMMENT: I think you might mean That Girl? Yes that could be fun. I can imagine John Boy and Marlo Thomas getting together to chat about their homes and families. There were some very hot days on Waltons Mountain. One that comes to mind was the day John Ritter's character arrived on the mountain.

Hi Karen! Haven't written in a long while, but read your digests completely when I get them. I don't know if anyone has seen the game show "To Tell The Truth", its a remake of the old show. The premise is that a panel of "celebrities" has to guess which of three guests, two of whom are imposters, is the actual person with a unique career. Last week, they had the curator of the Walton's Museum in Va! It was quite interesting. I was stumped as I didn't think she answered very well (but what do I know!)...she was asked a fair bit of trivia, but answered incorrectly. Perhaps she was bluffing to throw everyone off. After she admitted to being the curator, she said that the museum has approx. 30,000 visitors per year and growing. I know I would like to be one of them..one day! Just thought you might find this interesting.

Janet

KAREN'S COMMENT: Janet this is the first I've heard of this one so thank you for sharing it. I would love to be one of them one day too. :-))

Thank you for your newsletter. I love sharing anecdotes with other Waltons fans and my love for this beautiful,well-written show and all the people involved grows everyday.

While you try keeping warm in the Australian winter, it's summer on my side of the equator as I swelter through another North Carolina summer but I'm keeping cool thinking about our beloved Waltons and the reunion this October in Lynchburg,Virginia,just two and a half hours north of where I live. Carolyn Grinnell (Walton fan club president) is practically a neighbor as she lives only 15 minutes away.

Even as ardent a fan as I am, I'm still amazed at all the Walton web sites that have popped up the past few years and apparently new sites are being developed almost daily.

Whenever I have a Walton memory or favorite episode(s) to share, I will immediately send an e-mail as soon as I am in the frame of mind to send it. This site should help feed my Walton "fix". Good night and God bless.

Patrick

KAREN'S COMMENT: Welcome to the world of Waltons lovers, Patrick. I'm sure you will have a wonderful time at the reunion.

Hello Karen and All, First, I have a Walton sighting...sort of. I was watching Olivia taking care of John-boy at the hospital this week. I noticed that John-boy's room, whose name was Steve, was actually Paul Northridge. I know we have been talking about reusing actors in other roles, so I thought that was interesting.

In last weeks digest, somebody mentioned that The Homecoming was filmed in the Tetons. I don't remember that, but I do know that Spencer's Mountain was filmed in Grand Tetons National Park, and the BlueRidge Chronicle said that the mountain it was filmed on was named Spencer's Mountain.

Lastly, I have been thinking of shows that the Waltons could have crossed over to. I thought of a funny one like JohnBoy on the American Gladiators show. I also thought of a Walton Relative on Little House on the Prairie. But, I think the one show that they would have crossed with would be Touched by an Angel. Olivia and Grandma are so religious and God-fearing that I think that an angel visit would be cool. Olivia could have used an angel while Johnboy was in the hospital with a head injury, when she had Polio, when John had pneumonia, when Johnboy was missing in action, and when Elizabeth was injured under the logs. MaryEllen needed them when Curt died. Erin needed them when GW died, and Grand ma needed them when Uncle Ben died and when she was ill. I think also, Corabeth could have used Monica when Ike had a heart-attack. So, Monica and Tess would have fitted nicely in the Waltons.

Good-night All, ----Jennifer

KAREN'S COMMENT: Yes, your suggestions about Monica and Tess would have been fantastic. Another thought would be to have Andrew heading down to get Martha Corinne when she dies in The Pony Cart. I particularly like the one when John Boy is missing or when GW dies. Great thoughts.

And now an update on Judy Norton from someone who wrote to me during this week.

Hi Karen,

Just to let you know that "Mary Ellen" from the Waltons, now lives in Vancouver, British Columbia - in a very small town - I know this because my brother also lives there, and has seen her many times. - She is now a school teacher!

She moved to Vancouver to get away from the film life, and now loves the quite life in British Columbia. - anyway, that's the latest on her, I don't have any more info than that.

My brother lives in the same town as her, and the news there goes around fast, - when he moved there, that's one of the first things he found out.

Now he told me that in the newspaper some time ago, she said she finally moved to Vancouver because she was fed up with Hollywood and wanted to move out of the limelight, who really knows, but anyway, the town is about 45 minutes from Vancouver, - and believe me its a small town, - there is a lot of green space there, MANY own farms, - as the town is surrounded with farms and mountains, and there are tons of horse riding places there ( schools etc), yeah it's a really nice town, and the pace is a lot slower than Vancouver.

Mark

KAREN'S COMMENT: I hadn't heard the possibility that she may be a teacher. Does anyone know if that's correct?