Hi everyone,

Goodness the days seem to be going very quickly these days. Here we are, almost at the end of September already. When I wrote to one of our mailing list members just recently, or "family" as someone else put it :-), I commented that it was just amazing how The Waltons has grown over the Internet since this time last year.

If you did a search you may have found a few television listings for the program, and the odd reference here and there, but mostly you would find information on the Canadian pop group. It was about this time last year when I decided that I would create a page to go on the Internet, and it's just amazing to see how far we have come with our sites on The Waltons, a discussion forum, a mailing list, a chat room, and most recently, the Waltons Web Ring.

I have just this week joined Brenda's Waltons Ring, and I would urge you all who have home pages, or Waltons information pages to consider joining. It's a great way to link all of our sites together. Sometimes when you do a search, not all the pages seem to get listed, or they get lost in a long list of addresses, but with the web ring, we are all joined together and Waltons fans will have no trouble finding Waltons related sites. Do consider joining, as the more links we can provide, the more successful the ring will be.

Well I'll leave you to ponder about that. Talk to you all really soon,

Karen.

From Marc:

I have a few more semi-regular characters to add to that list:

• Toni Hazelton
• Drew Cutler

Any news on the next Waltons movie?

KAREN'S COMMENT: Yes, we shouldn't forget either Toni or Drew since they still continue to play an important part in The Waltons. I still haven't heard any more officially about the movie Marc, but I'm sure someone will let us know when it is all signed and sealed.

From Alison:

The McDonough Pronunciation: The Irish McDonough's that I taught pronounced it Mac Donna, said fast it almost sounded like Madonna.

KAREN'S COMMENT: I agree with you Alison that it's probably said like "Madonna".

From Kaz:

Hi Karen and Walton's digest family! Enjoy your holiday Karen.

Thanks to everyone who has posted on the digest, its wonderful to hear all the different thoughts. Each week we expand our "Walton knowledge". I look forward to each digest, it adds a little spice to my week. Thanks Karen.

To the person putting together the list of regular characters, well done. I thought of a few that appeared in at least two or more episodes, I am not sure if they qualify as semi regulars. Here's what I came up with. Nurse Nora the lady who looked after the Mountain people, and perhaps Sweet Billy?

Towards the end of the series Mary Ellen decided to become a doctor after not being able to save one of the mountain people (Sweet Billy? maybe) due to her limited training as a nurse. Nurse Nora encouraged Maryellen to become a nurse I think. I am going solely by memory on this one so please forgive me if my information is not accurate.

Hank Buchanan the Minister who was 'good looking' and enjoyed fishing. I always thought Erin and him would have made a handsome couple. Daisy who played John Boy's girlfriend at one time. I can only recall her being in about two episodes though. David Spencer the doctor Mary Ellen almost married. Patsy Brimmer? Miss Fanny Tatum? the telephone exchange lady. Easy, the man who helped John in the mill, in the episode "The Last Straw". If I remember correctly he also was in the episode where John Boy tried to re-open Guthrie mine. Mr. Stanley Perkins, Rose's friend.

Marie, thank you for that description of your trip two digests ago. You gave us such a vivid description we were all there along with you!!

Thank you Marie also for the information on what happened with the marathon special. That was interesting to learn that they included interviews.

I also appreciate the info on the date you gave for the episode with Melody Thomas in it. Between all of us on the list there is little we would not know about our favorite family!!!

Karen, that is classic, Miss Mamie on Get Smart, can you just imagine??? I also saw Grandma Walton (Ellen Corby) on the Addams Family. She certainly has played some very diverse roles in her career.

I, too, was amazed at the amount of characters that appeared in the Thanksgiving Reunion from the series. The entire family were the original cast as well as the Baldwin sisters, Aimee Godsey, Rose, Toni, Cindy, Yancy Tucker, Verdi, Drew. Unlike other Reunion shows where there is usually someone who can not or does not want to participate...WELL DONE TO EARL HAMNER and THE CAST! It's never quite the same when they substitute another actor for a character. Maybe the Reunion show has set a TV record for having the biggest number of original characters both regular and semi from a series.

Speaking of quotes…one I enjoyed came from the Shivaree episode... Elizabeth told Erin that when she gets married she isn't going to let 'anyone help with the arrangements. Erin replies "Not even your husband" and Elizabeth said "Well that depends" Erin says "On what?" Elizabeth says "If I like him or not"!!!!!

Yes please Marie, you know we will all hound you to post snippets from the book!! Ha ha!!!

Goodnight Walton 'family'

KAREN'S COMMENT: I agree wholeheartedly with you Kaz. The digests are a great way of keeping up to date with Waltons happenings and with sharing news and I thank everyone sincerely for their contributions. It's all your snippets which helps to put this together.

I don't remember Sweet Billy, but I definitely recall Nurse Nora. Mary Ellen tried to get her together with Curt when he first arrived on Waltons Mountain, and she definitely appeared from time to time. Patsy Brimmer and Fanny Tatum...definitely. The show really did have some wonderful supporting actors in it. I imagine that not too many of you would know that Ellen Corby was once nominated for an Academy Award too. I can't remember what it was for, but James will know as he is a real Oscars wealth of information. :-)

From Kim W:

Hello, Karen. I'm very much enjoying being part of the Walton's List and I appreciate all the digests you've put together. Thank you.

One of the group mentioned that Richard Thomas would be on the season premiere of "Touched By An Angel". It was a show I've never watched but I tuned in tonight. It was what you'd call a tearjerker, but very good. Richard Thomas And Gerald McRaney (my two favorite guys) played brothers, Gerald being the solid, dependable older brother and Richard the younger 'bad seed' whose son was being raised by Gerald. (When Gerald and Richard's characters reunited after a year's separation, Gerald gave Richard a solid right cross that landed the latter in a heap on the floor.) Richard's character (Joe Greene) caused a car accident that took the life of a father and one of his sons only he was mistakenly praised as a good Samaritan because he pulled the other son out of the flaming wreckage. Richard's character couldn't face up to what he'd done and went back to drug-use (which caused his problems in the first place.) I won't say any more, because I don't want to ruin it for anyone else, but it was very well-written, directed, and acted.

Richard Thomas plays these quagmired characters exceedingly well and I didn't move from the couch for the whole hour. The second part of the story concludes on "A Promised Land" this Thursday.

I wish I could remember who in the group wrote that Richard Thomas would be on "Touched By An Angel" because I'd like to thank them. If it hadn't been put on one of the digests, I would have missed this show.

KAREN'S COMMENT: Glad you enjoyed the Touched By an Angel episode Kim. I will look forward to seeing it out here. The casting sounds interesting, as I would have imagined it being the other way around...McRaney being the baddie, and Thomas being the good son. :-) Good thing for them that I'm not the casting agent.

From Shirley:

Dear Karen and Fans, Yesterday while searching the web, I had come across this place that sells books and other items. I checked out the books and found that there is this book called Lassie a Christmas Story", by Earl Hamner, Don Sipes / Hardcover / Published 1997, it's priced at $11.19 (Not Yet Published -- On Order).

They also have The Homecoming, Audio Cassette, read by Richard Thomas, 1995 that one is priced at $11.87 U.S. prices.

KAREN'S COMMENT: Thanks for this information Shirley. I knew about the audio cassette but it's the first I've heard of the other book.

From Bridget:

Greetings to Walton's fans!!! I must say that I have discovered a piece of trivia that I must share with my fellow fans. I have most of the episodes on videotape; I would like them all but need more tapes. Anyway, I was watching "The Wing Walker" and saw the pilot of the airplane named Rex and noticed that it was the same guy who later plays Curt Willard, Mary Ellen's husband. Did anyone else notice this or is it just me? Check it out for yourself everybody!!! It is an episode from the 1st or 2nd season, way back.

KAREN'S COMMENT: Thank you for this Bridget. Do you know I have always recognized the pilot in this episode, but never placed him as being Curt. I had always thought it was Richard Hatch, but when I checked back, you are indeed right. The episode is from early in season 4. You do have sharp eyes!

From Marie:

Hi, everyone! Kim asked about ordering the trivia book I bought at the museum in Schuyler. It's listed in the brochure for the gift shop along with many other books, Earl Hamner's books, videos, T-shirts, caps, tote bags, note cards, mugs, photographs, and locally made craft items. They list Mark A. Jones' book title as "The Waltons - A Book of Trivia" with a code number MJ1. The price is $25.00 and shipping is 15% (Virginia residents add 4 1/2% sales tax). Call them at 804-831-2001 to ask them to send you an order form with all the items listed. The address is: Walton's Mountain Museum, P.O. Box 124, Schuyler, VA, 22969

In his introduction, Mark Jones writes: "The purpose of this book was not solely written to discover any one reader's knowledge of the show "The Waltons." The purpose of the book is to read the question and reflect back on that particular episode."

Mark has achieved that exactly. The very first question is "Who said 'found you hiding behind one of your mama's smiles.'?" Another was "What did Olivia get John for their 25th anniversary?" "Who said "Now, when somebody dies we are racked with regret for fear we've said something we hadn't ought to have said, or left unsaid, or wish we had said. A word of praise or love. If you love and admire and respect someone, it's not a bad idea to tell them so from time to time. That way it makes living a lot better for them and for you." This is so true, I'm glad Mark included this quote. "In The Diploma, what did Jeffrey take as a pet?" "In The Revel, why was John Boy's book rejected?" "Name the show that Toni first appears." "Who administered John's test for his diploma?" I really enjoy the book and highly recommend it. The lady in the gift shop said Mark Jones lives near Schuyler.

This week at Barnes & Nobles, a wonderful bookstore chain here in the States, I found a book called "1,201 Toughest TV Trivia Questions of All Time" by Vincent Terrace. It had eight questions about the Waltons. In one question, it says Ike's "phone had three short rings and one long ring" and his "special hiding place for the store's keys" was in the coffee grinder. Does anyone know in what episode? In The Grandchild, Ike's phone had two long rings before he answered it but I have to admit, I never paid particular attention before.

Searching Deja News, I found this reference to the Waltons in a newsgroup for cigar smokers! It was dated September 20, 1997. The subject was: Lunch Box-ador.

"We actually made one of these for a cast member of "The Waltons". She was a closet cigar smoker, they were filming the Waltons Easter Reunion a year or so ago. A good friend of hers found the lunchbox in an antique store and sent it to us to turn into a humidor. A few weeks later we received pictures back in the mail with the entire cast in various poses holding the lunchbox-ador and puffing stogies."

Now who could it be?

Goodnight, everyone! Marie

KAREN'S COMMENT: It does sound a great book Marie and thank you for sharing some of the questions with us. I wonder who the "closet cigar smoker" is? Ronnie Claire Edwards perhaps? Maybe it was one of the Baldwins???

From Karen:

Yes, this one's from me! I also subscribe to an email listing run by the Internet Movie Database, called All Washed Up. The URL for its archives is:

http://www.imdb.com/washed-update.html

The reason that I'm mentioning this is because in a couple of weeks they will be visiting Waltons Mountain with information on what the actors are doing today so keep an eye on it. When mine comes through the email, I'll mention it again to remind you all. It's a good fun site and well worth a visit.

Goodnight everybody.