Hi everyone, and thanks for all of your mail. I hope everyone is receiving their digests OK. You might notice that I've been putting the number on the top so that if by any chance you miss one, you can let me know and I'll resend it. I haven't had any returned mail though so I can only assume that everything is going well.

We have several new members again, so welcome to those people. You might like to drop me a line introducing yourselves to the group so that I can include it in the digest. Well that's about it from me. It's over to you now.

From Jeffrey:

I really loved the Waltons, too. I especially enjoyed "The Homecoming." I was really excited about the Easter movie, but ever since I saw I have been going insane trying to figure out where I have seen John Boy's wife before. Her name is Kate McNeil. Do you have any idea what she did before this movie? Maybe a soap?

KAREN'S COMMENT: Hi there Jeffrey. I checked Kate out on the Internet Movie Database and found the following listings for her:

MOVIES:

1.Escape Clause (1996)

2.Sudden Death (1995) .... Kathi

3.Walton Wedding, A (1995) (TV) .... Janet Gilchrist

4.I'll Do Anything (1994) .... Stacy

5.Walton Thanksgiving Reunion, A (1993) (TV) .... Janet Gilchrist

6."Bodies of Evidence" (1992) TV Series .... Det. Nora Haughton

7."WIOU" (1990) TV Series .... Taylor Young

8.Monkey Shines: An Experiment in Fear (1988) .... Melanie Parker

... aka Ella (1988)

... aka Monkey Shines (1988)

9."North and South II" (1986) (mini) TV Series .... Augusta Barclay

10.Vital Signs (1986) (TV) .... Kristi

11."Kane & Abel" (1985) (mini) TV Series .... Florentyna Rosnovski

12.House on Sorority Row, The (1983) .... Katherine

NOTABLE TV GUEST APPEARANCES:

"Babylon 5" (1993), as Janice Rosen - Episode: Quality of Mercy, The (1994)

"Quantum Leap" (1989), as Olivia Cuvington - Episode: Leap Between The States, The (1993)

"Anything But Love" (1989), as [unknown] - Episode: Partying is Such Sweet Sorrow (2/14/1990)

"Anything But Love" (1989), as Gail - Episode: Harts and Bones (11/29/1989)

Do any of these ring a bell with you? Some of you may be able to add to this list. Of these I have seen her in the Quantum Leap episode but that's about it other than The Waltons. She certainly seems to have been quite busy.

From Dot P:

Hi everybody. I have just been watching some of my tapes over again. Thank God for video tape! I just have a few comments to make. First please email The Family Channel at info@familychannel.ca and tell them you want to see The Waltons aired on our family channel. I emailed them before to ask why it wasn't being aired in Canada and it was in the states. They emailed me back and said they were a completely different company, but had been considering doing so. I figured if enough of us email them. They may do it. So how about you all email them. All your Canadian friends would sure appreciate it.

My second comment is still referring to the time frame. I think if you look, many of the episodes reflect the proper time. I believe Mr Hamner did write it all about his family and took stories from his life, then embellished them. Because it is fiction he didn't not worry about the time sequence. In his book The Homecoming, he writes about the book:

"It is remembered in my family that on Christmas Eve of 1933 my father was late arriving home. That, along with the love he and my mother bestowed upon their eight red-headed offspring, is fact. The rest is fiction." (John Boy)

Mr Hamner would have been ten years old in 1933, but in fact in The Homecoming he was portrayed as fifteen. Also in his book Spencers Mountain it says "Any resemblance between the characters herein, and actual persons living or dead, is purely coincidental."

I was also told by someone that all the names in the series are of real people, but he interchanged them so the real people could not sue him When we were in Schuyler we were looking for where the Baldwin sisters had lived. We had been given a tour map to follow and we could not find the house. We asked an old gentleman of about eighty if he could tell us where the Baldwin Sisters lived and did he get angry with us! He said those things really did not happen. So you see why he has to be vague about his story telling. Also we were told it was not two sisters who had the moonshine business but the wife and the daughter of a Judge who had control of moonshine business in that area. The Judge would arrest anyone else who got into the business! So you see he had the monopoly on that.

I really believe we should forget about the time frame and just enjoy the series. It's life how Mr. Hamner remembers it, and the way we all wish life was. I think he had a very happy childhood. It wasn't like The Brady Bunch - it was real life. Hard times, stressful time, and war time, but the love in the home made up for all of those things.

Hi Robert Crang. You started watching the same time as me and the same time of the morning: 2.00am. We were also in Schuyler the same time as you were there in 1985 & l987. Did you get to go into the Church? We had a nice tour by the minister. It was great to be in there and be thinking that Earl had attended there with his family. Make sure you get The Decade of The Waltons it is good to know about the family members and the actors who played them.

MY BIG PREDICTION IS THAT THE NEXT MOVIE WILL BE SOON, AND IT WILL BE ABOUT ELIZABETH AND DREW GETTING MARRIED.

After the ratings they got at Easter and the response Mr. Hamner has had, it will be soon I'm sure.

KAREN'S COMMENT: Thanks for your long letter Dot. Yes if enough people email about Canada's family channel not showing The Waltons maybe they will put it on for you. Seems strange that the USA has it but not Canada.

I too, recommend A Decade of the Waltons to all fans as it really sets the scene for the show, and it's great to have a bit of background about the show from the creator. What would be good, is if they did a 25 year special in a similar way. Many of you buy these videos through Columbia House, but I bought mine through CD World, and their service was terrific. Check them out at: http://cdworld.com/

From Marilynn:

I was really surprised to see The Easter Special of The Waltons in my TV Guide. To be sure I didn't miss it, I had it scheduled to be videotaped. What did surprise me was the fact that I thought the special featuring John-Boy's wedding seemed to bring the saga of the Walton Family and Walton's Mountain to a satisfying finale. At the time that show aired, I wanted to write to both the station that aired it, and also to the Lorimar Studios (more specifically, Earl Hamner) to say how much I enjoyed it, felt it brought everything full circle and add my "two cents" to some good family values....but, alas, I didn't get to them.

What is Earl Hamner up to now?

KAREN'S COMMENT: Hi and welcome to the list. I'm not sure what Earl is up to at the moment, but I do know that he was working on Man From Snowy River, an Australian production. I think it's called something else there though.

From Marie:

I am so happy to hear from other Walton fans. Several years ago, I started watching the reruns. At first, I kept a list of the episodes I had seen, then notes about the show's content, just a line or two. It snowballed into a database of episodes, cast members, synopses and lots of enjoyment. Last fall, I tried to find anything on the Internet about the show. Kept finding Izaack Walton League, Ft. Walton Beach, a restaurant in London, then The Waltons - which turned out to be an alternative rock group from Canada. Finally, in December, I came across Karen's home page. My first email to her said things like treasure throve, amazing, hard to believe!

Since then, I've joined the Friends of the Waltons and received the Spring 1997 issue of the Blue Ridge Chronicles which is the newsletter of the Walton's Mountain Museum. I've also sent for the Memorabilia Package. My husband, Eric, and I are planning to spend a day in Schuyler, Virginia, next month. He is so understanding and enjoys an occasional episode.

It's nice to be able to come out of the closet, so to speak, about liking the Waltons. Comments I hear about the show range from boring - hokey - don't remember it - okay - to love it! I like the 'old-fashioned' concepts this show portrays: truth, integrity, hard work, and family. I grew up with six brothers and sisters and lots of cousins. So I know what a large family is like. Watching the Walton children grow up just adds to the enjoyment of our grandchildren, nieces and nephews, seeing their lives unfold over and over. Life is grand.

We love the marina life and live on a trawler in Florida during the winter and in summer on a sailboat in Michigan where most of my family lives. We have family members all over the States and in France, China, and Korea. Email is ideal for keeping in touch! A few of my other interests are birding, genealogy, back roads, books, and friends. They all keep me busy and active.

Goodnight, everybody!

KAREN'S COMMENT: Until the Internet, and Ralph's page, I didn't even know that a Waltons fan club existed let alone three of them! The Internet is wonderful for bringing the world so much closer to us. I hope that you'll write and tell us all about Schuyler when you visit Marie. Enjoy and think of me while you're there! :-)

From Lee:

I have been watching some of the episodes I have taped to try and figure out the time line. I too am a bit peeved over the liberty they took with it.

This is what I have found so far: The Foundling, Typewriter and Hunt all mention being in the 30's. In the Typewriter when John Boy runs into the house the radio is on and it is talking about an Earthquake in Long Beach, California. I looked it up and on March 10^th 1933, there was a large earthquake, so there is a big clue. Also in the Boy From the CCC they talk about Roosevelt going to Big Meadow to dedicate it as a National Park. I found that in August of 1933 Roosevelt did go to Virginia to dedicate a CCC camp. I haven't found where, but it fits into the time line of 1933. I think It would be safe to say the first season took place in 1933.

Now I am just assuming, but John Boy was probably 15 or 16 in the first season, so John and Olivia were probably married a year before that. That would be 1916 for a wedding, and 1956 for 40th wedding anniversary. In 1969 they would have been married 52 years.

I know we should just appreciate the show, but it just bugs me. I will be looking for more clues as I watch and keep you posted on what I find.

KAREN'S COMMENT: Hi Lee, thank you for your note...I was really interested in the information you supplied. I'll file it away and use it in the timeline as soon as I get some spare time. It is difficult to find time to do anything around here lately!

I think that John Boy is supposed to have been born during the later years of the war, and the fifth series is set in about 1937-38. I think they went up year by year so that must mean that series one was set about 1932-33. I think by the fifth series John Boy must have been about 21 or 22 so this sounds about right I guess. It's good to check facts like this isn't it. Interesting too about the Earthquake. I like the way they have picked up on certain events that really happened in history. The one which I've seen most recently is the one where John Boy witnesses the explosion of the Hindenberg (about 1938 I think). It certainly adds to the shows.