Hi everyone,

I'm sitting here on Friday evening, putting this digest together, as I think its probably about the only time I'm going to get over the weekend. It's actually not too cold here at the moment in Melbourne. My Mum and Dad rang me during the week from their holiday in Queensland, and said the weather had been just awful. Many retirees from Victoria tend to head up to Queensland for the winter to get away from the cold weather...it always seems to me to be like migrating with the birds. Anyway they said that people have commented that it has been a shocking winter up there, and here we are, right down the bottom, enjoying the most beautiful days still. You never can tell what our weather is going to do.

Over the weekend we will be attending a University open day, taking James with us. Its to get a look at the Uni and also to get a feel of the types of courses that he might like to take there. We have one on at different Universities for the next few weekends. James needs to choose his subjects for his final years of schooling by the end of August, and its a bit hard when he really doesn't have much idea of what he wants to do. Tim on the other hand, really has never been in any doubt as to what he wants to do at the end of this year when he graduates. He has decided which Uni. he wants to go to and has his eye on a double degree course, with several other choices there in case he doesn't get the marks to get into his top one.

Over here, to get into most courses at university, you apply through a central place which looks after most of the tertiary institutions in Victoria. You make one application, selecting up to 12 different courses, then depending on you marks, you get an offer from a place on your list. It sounds a bit complicated, but its probably a good idea in the long run. His choices have to be in by the end of September. For him its just a matter of ordering the courses he wants in priority. It does seem quite different to the way College applications are done in the USA.

Well I'd better get on with the Waltons news rather than the Kearney's news! Talk to you all again next week.

Goodnight everyone,

Karen.

Apparently Johnboy didn't graduate from Boatright- the rapid approach of the War and the difficulty we had in getting completely out of the depression may have conspired to keep him from finishing.

Yes I think Ike did ask again about the accident John boy had later.

Yes it was the same actor who played both roles. His name is Edward Franz.

Jeffrey was abused as a little boy. At that time there weren't many programs about abuse-there was more about incest-especially that docudrama Something About Amelia.

Serena and Jeffrey were indeed brats and troublemakers at the beginning but Rose was always interesting, I think they did add something to the show as the others were beginning to grow up-especially the Christmas story about the German soldier.

Donald

KAREN'S COMMENT: Donald you're right about the subject of child abuse not being given much air time on TV. In fact it was probably around this time that shows were beginning to air...I know that Little House also had an episode dealing with it. I remember catching a program just recently about child actors of Hollywood and the young boy who played Jeffrey was featured on it. Interesting program.

Karen, are there any books published about the "making" of the TV series? Preferably one with lots of pictures???

Thanks,

Sheila

KAREN'S COMMENT: Wouldn't that sell well Sheila? As far as I know there's not.

Hi everyone!

Just thought I'd let you know that Bill Atkins has just done the synopsis for Season 8 Episode 12 ("The Spirit"). We are progressing! More will be added (to replace my short synopses) shortly. I feel deeply indebted to Bill for his extremely readable work.

Pleasant reading to you all!

Arthur (in Hounslow, UK)

KAREN'S COMMENT: You certainly are doing very well. I'm finding it hard to do anything on my site at the moment.

Hi Everyone,

I am new on this site. I grew up in Virginia not far from Schulyer and learned to swim in the Rockfish River. I have watched the Waltons shows for years and love all of them. Starting on the 16th of August TNT is going to show 5 nights of special shows. Keep up the good work, I enjoy reading the digest every week.

From,

Joy

KAREN'S COMMENT: Thanks for the warning Joy. I wonder which specials they'll be showing?

From Shirley in Canada

Ref. The Carousel (and what year the attorney said)

I can tell you 100% that the attorney said "1937", mind you, it sure does sound like 1957, but when I play the tape back using my closed captioned mode on my TV, the year he says is 1937.

Ref. Ellen Corby (Grandma Ellen)

Without going into a lot of details in answering John's questions, I am going to try and answer some of them. Out of respect for Ellen, I wish not to go into what her illnesses were, but it is safe to say, that she did died from heart failure on April 14th at 11:20 p.m. It has been said, that she didn't wish any funeral , but she was buried on April 23rd at a cemetery in Glendale. In fact, it is the very same cemetery that a Cousin of mine is also buried in.

Ellen Corby was born June 3rd, 1911 and was the daughter of Fred and Dagmar Hansen from Denmark. She did have one brother that I know about, but he had died years before. She was married for ten years to Francis Corby and never had any children. As for answers to the rest of John's question, I am unable to answer those.

P.S. The rose bush, that I planted in Grandma Ellen's memory is blooming again.

KAREN'S COMMENT: What a clever device to have on your TV, especially to answer this tricky question. I'm with you though...I thought it sounded very much like 1957 too.

Finally for this week, since its a slow Waltons news week, here's a piece from 1993, talking about the coming Waltons special, A Waltons Thanksgiving.

"The Other Side of the Mountain

A Waltons "Where Are They Now?"

By Deborah Starr Seibel

Taken from TV Guide, November 20-26, 1993.

Richard Thomas is jet lagged. Washington, D. - where he's getting rave reviews for his performance in Shakespeare's "Richard 11" - he finds himself in a familiar, tangled growth of trees on the Warner Bros. back lot in Burbank. He walks away from the cameras and lights for a moment, his thumbs hooked in his suspenders, lost in thought. "It's so eerie to be here," says Thomas (John-Boy), who left the series after five years to pursue other roles. "I was anxious on the plane because I didn't know how I'd feel - whether I'd feel comfortable or whether I'd feel like I couldn't go home again. I hadn't seen David Harper [Jim-Bob] in almost 17 years. And this morning, it was like we'd seen each other only yesterday."

But time marches on. It is, in fact, rather startling to find that Thomas is now 42. And Kami Cotler, who plays the "baby" of the family, Elizabeth, is all of 28, married and a graduate student at the University of California at Berkeley. She hopes to teach American literature and history.

The actors from the series have all had time to carve out their own post-Waltons niches. A few have left show business behind. But one thing is certain: Real life for the members of one of television's most beloved families hasn't always resembled a picnic on Walton's Mountain.

"Let's get a chair over here," calls Harry Harris--the director of CBS's "A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion"- concerned about 80 year old Ellen Corby, who plays grandma Esther Walton. Corby suffered a debilitating stroke in 1976. She may look frail, but she's still full of vinegar. Corby waves off the chair, choosing to stand with her cane and wait patiently for the next take.

Will Geer, who played grandpa Zeb, died in 1978. "But we have his place set at the head of the table," says Michael Learned, 54, who plays mother Olivia Walton, "so it's like he's still here."

More recently, another loss brought the Walton clan together in 1992: Eric Scott, 35, who plays John-Boy's younger brother Ben, lost his wife of three years, Theresa, to leukemia. "It's been tough," says Scott quietly. "Horrendous." The cancer wasn't discovered till Theresa was in her eighth month of pregnancy. She died two days after giving birth to their daughter, Ashley Elizabeth now a year old.

Scott who's now a marketing vice-president for California's Chase Couriers, tried to continue acting after leaving The Waltons. But he found the process of auditioning and waiting for the telephone to ring intolerable. "I was going crazy," he says. "I think I worked a total of 12 days that first year."

Michael Learned also found life after the security of being on a hit series a little rocky. She briefly starred in CBS's short-lived 1981 series Nurse. Then the offers stopped coming. "I was out of work for a 10-year period," says Learned, who is now starring on Broadway in "The Sisters Rosensweig" 'It was very difficult and very painful".

Judy Norton, 35, who plays the oldest sister, Mary Ellen, had a rough transition, too. 'I was too well-known for some things, but not a big enough star for others,' says Norton. In a bid to change her goody-two-shoes image, she posed for Playboy in 1985. Did it work? 'No,' Norton says flatly, "and I regret it. I realized shortly after I did it that it wasn't the image I wanted to have.' Three years ago, she and her third husband, Randy Apostle, started working together in Canadian musical theater as writers, producers, and directors.

Richard Thomas made big headlines back in 1981 when he and his wife, Alma Gonzalez, became the proud parents of triplets. But after 17 years of marriage the two separated last year and are now in the process of divorcing. Gonzalez cited irreconcilable differences and is seeking joint custody of the couple's four children. "It's been a little dicey the last couple of years," admits Thomas.

But there are happier stories, too. Jon Walmsley (Jason), 37, plays guitar in a country-rock band and married the girl who played his girlfriend on The Waltons, Lisa Harrison. The minister officiating at the 1979 service was none other than Walton patriarch Ralph Waite, a former Presbyterian minister. David Harper (Jim Bob), 32, has become an LA-based scenic painter. Mary Elizabeth McDonough (Erin), 32, who's been married five years, gave birth to her first child in 1992. McDonough still does guest-starring television roles and appears occasionally as a special correspondent for Entertainment Tonight.

But aside from Thomas, it is Ralph Waite who appears to have gained the most from being a member of this famous TV clan. After many years on stage, Waite, 64, has appeared in two recent hit movies: "Cliffhanger" and "The Bodyguard," in which he played Keyin Costner's father. A community activist, he is considering a second run in 1994 as a Democratic candidate for a US Congressional seat long held by a Republican in Riverside County, Ca. That's a far cry from the wild days and nights Waite spent when he first played the father on The Waltons. "When l got this job, I was in trouble. I was drinking too much and I wasn't living a very healthy life. I felt so dishonest coming to work every day that I began to drop those things. I stopped drinking and went to a recovery group. I'm still going. The show kind of centered me and reawakened those parts of me that were gentler. In a strange way, the show really saved my life."

Whatever the repercussions of being part of what many call "the perfect family", there is this pervasive feeling of euphoria about this television reunion. "It's not like going to a high-school reunion," says Scott, "where you have one night to talk about your resume and how many kids you have and how big the rock on wife's hand is. We're doing something productive, something we're really proud of."

"None of us," says Thomas, "would have missed this party for anything."

Hello everybody,

Just got through watching the Waltons' episode entitled "The Pony Cart" and I must say that my wife, Dianne and I, were absolutely touched by the story....Although I've seen it several times in my life, it makes me feel really glad that I had and still have a family like that.....Martha Corrine's story is definitely one that touched our hearts as we're both sitting here with tears streaming down our faces. Knowing our family tree is a very unique thing. A lot of us aren't as lucky as some who know their family roots....where they came from.....how they lived...and how they died....I'm so happy to have a family that knew where they came from and had respect for their elders....unfortunately, a lot of younger folks don't respect their elders....it is good to know however, that there are still younger folks who love the Waltons and watch it regularly....they should be commended.....anyway....I thought the pony cart turned out really well.....and that, even though there isn't a real Martha Corrine Walton, there are women and men for that matter just like her who are willing to share those little bits of wisdom that we all take too much for granted........ Dianne says I'm writing a novel, so guess I'd better close for now...just wanted to state my feelings about this........and to tell you all how great it is to be a small part of this wonderful list. Thanks Karen.....

Goodnight everybody!!!!

Larry and Dianne

KAREN'S COMMENT: I think this episode would rank among the top 10 or 20 for all Waltons fans. I love it. Speaking of this, why don't we compile a list of our favorite episodes, then vote for the all time favorite of each. When you respond, just nominate one please...a hard task I know but essential.