Hi everyone,

March already...wherever is the year flying off to?

I received my Blue Ridge Chronicle last week and thought I might share some of the things coming up with you all. That's the Waltons International Fan Club. To join make a cheque or money order to:

Waltons International Fan Club,

PO Box 1182,

Grove City, Ohio 43123-1182

The fees are US $20 or outside the US, $23. You will be sent 4 newsletters for that, and information on the different club activities such as the reunions and the dinners etc. Great value.

Different activities planned are a visit to the Walton House exterior set, during the Hollywood reunion. This reunion is planned for June 15, 2001 and sounds like it will be fun. It does say that space is limited so either get your forms in quickly (if you're already a member of the club), or join up with the fan club quickly to get more information.

Also included was flyer for the cruise 2001...trip to Mexico. This is being held on June 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, so will be coming up quickly too. It departs from Los Angeles. It says there will be 3 actors each from 3 shows: The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie and Mayberry. Actors mentioned are: Mary McDonough, Kami Cotler and Robert Donner (Waltons); Karen Grassle, Charlotte Stewart, and Todd Bridges (Little House) and Betty Lynn, Maggie Peterson-Mancuso and James Best (The Andy Griffith Show). It's another activity that sounds like fun. They're certainly creative!

Please let us know if you're planning to go.

Talk to you all next week. Goodnight everyone,

Karen.

Hi everyone! I am so sorry, I intended to write in last week in regards to Lewis Arquette… wonderful actor! And to be honest I can't really make a choice on a favorite episode with him. I guess what was nice was to see the episode where he chipped in and helped John in a time of need with fellow neighbors…can't remember the episode name…but I was fun to see him as a good guy, a softy! Rest in peace Lewis.

On another note, a couple of people were asking about Waltons videos…and I have mentioned before in past digests, that Columbia House has a rather huge selection, but not necessarily inexpensive. It is a deal where you automatically receive a video every month. I did e-mail them once and they said that they were going to be getting more but I haven't checked in awhile, maybe I will investigate again this weekend. If The Waltons are going to be going off I need to stock up!!! Hope this helps!

Sincerely, Judy

KAREN'S COMMENT: I've just emailed to see if they'll send me a current list. Don't give up on TNN yet though...they might keep The Waltons.

Hi Karen......would you please tell everyone that Columbia House has only 40 tapes (right now) with 2 episodes each on them (except for longer ones like The Easter story, The Thanksgiving Story, etc). The first one is $9.34 with shipping/handling and the others with shipping/handling are $25.02. I have been getting them on Ebay also and trying to save some money that way.

Columbia House says they will add episodes slowly. Too bad they couldn't offer them all. I enjoy your newsletter. Thanks so much. Janey

KAREN'S COMMENT: They do work out a bit expensive. Thanks for the info.

I recently watched the episode called "The Minstrel" where the family work picking apples. The children especially Ben are excited that they will be able to have apple cobbler. Does anyone know what an apple cobbler is? Is it an old fashioned type of dessert from the depression era or is it a common dessert in USA nowadays also? Here in Australia we don't have anything called apple cobbler.

Many thanks

Kaz

KAREN'S COMMENT: Well I hope all our cooks will send us some answers Kaz, although I know what Apple Cobbler actually is! Mind you I think I do...it could be quite different to what Ben is hankering after. LOL I think it probably is a fairly old fashioned dessert.

Hi, Karen! Someone mentioned this week that a reference to The Waltons was on an episode of The Nanny. Well, keeping with that line of thought, about a week ago I saw a very early episode of Three's Company. I believe it was the second show of the series. At the end, the girls say good night to Jack Tripper (John Ritter - Rev. Fordwick!) and he says, "Good Night, Janet...Good Night, Chrissy...Good Night, John-Boy." I loved that reference since he left The Waltons to star in Three's Company. It seemed like a sort of homage to his previous series since The Waltons was not really made fun of, it just felt funny to Jack that he was saying good night to people just as they did on The Waltons.

Kris

KAREN'S COMMENT: That one would have been such fun to see.

Hi Karen,

In response to Kaz's comment, Lynn Carlin played both Sarah Griffith Bridges and Eula Mae from John's High School reunion in The Prophecy.

Also, I'm not sure why this rumour of TNN cancelling has been going around. Yes they are revamping their site and they've changed their name to The National Network, but I can see NO indication at all that they'll be dropping The Waltons. I may be proven wrong but I think this whole idea is being blown out of proportion.

Keep up the good work Karen.

Good night,

Rob Boy

KAREN'S COMMENT: It actually came from someone spotting an article late last year saying that TNN was changing it name and image, and would also be dropping many of its shows to fit the new image. Whether this includes The Waltons or not, or indeed what it does include, remains to be seen I guess. I can't see them dropping something very popular and successful, but if they have shown it many times, they might feel that its time to move on. Who knows?

I understand that there was something to do with a different contract for the later episodes compared with the earlier episodes. For that reason I have never joined the Columbia House Walton Video series because I would not be able to get the tapes of the later episodes. Maybe you will be able to get the later tapes from the museum.

Donald

KAREN'S COMMENT: Interesting about the contract thing. I don't believe that any episodes are available other than the few available readily over the internet.

In 1996 I saw a made for TV movie titled, What Love Sees, starring Richard Thomas and Annabeth Gish. It was the story of a blind couple and their life/struggles in raising a family in probably the 30 or 40's. I would like very much to obtain a copy of this on video. My son-in-law had parents who were both blind from birth. His mother passed away a year ago at the young age of 58. I have told him about this very touching movie and would love to be able to share it with him. From what I have been able to determine, it was never made available to the public on video. Do you have any suggestions, i.e. the network (don't know which one aired it), the director, or others who may be able to give me a copy of this movie.Any help would be appreciated!

Mary Lou

KAREN'S COMMENT: Well does anyone know any information about this movie? I checked amazon and found that Mary Lou could get it in German! Unfortunately that's no help at all. :-)) What about the network it aired on? Any ideas?

Hi,

It's been one kind of a February, one that I wish to never repeat.

First, no one remembered my birthday from the Walton Loop and this birthday fabric exchange group, that I was in.(feeling hurt) and if that wasn't it, my sister-in-law died on the 11th from breast cancer at the age of 57 and then a 2nd cousin of my also died from cancer at the age of 64 years.

I'm feeling a bit better now, but the month sure left me feeling pretty down and hurt.

We are right in the middle of an ice storm here right now. It is freezing rain out today and then there is to be so more snow and then rain again. We have had so much snow this year. I don't recall there being that much snow here in the month of February.

I was watching the Beverly Hillbillies yesterday and Grandma Walton, Ellen Corby was in it. and then later last night I was watching this movie about the woman that started the underground railway for slaves and you wouldn't guess who was in that one, our Grandpa Walton, Will Geer.

The Homecoming website is doing very good, there is over 500 vistors to the site since it first went up in November.

I best be going, have some sewing to do.

Shirley

KAREN'S COMMENT: What a disappointing month you've had. Hopefully you and your boys celebrated your birthday and had a fun time. Happy birthday (belatedly) from all of us here at the Waltons Digest. I'm sure that many of you would realise that Shirley is a long time member (almost from the first one I think.) Don't forget to visit Shirley's site too The Homecoming Web Site.

Karen,

My family and I were watching "Survivor" tonite on CBS, which was filmed in the Australian outback. As one of the tribes was getting ready for bed in their community tent on a very rainy nite, one of the members said, "Goodnite, Jim-Bob." Even in the Australian outback, in the year 2001, there is talk of The Waltons.

Karen

KAREN'S COMMENT: Now we haven't had this episode yet cos we're a couple of weeks behind, but I'll look out for that one. I've been watching it too. Yes, The Waltons is alive and well in Australia even if our television networks have no taste and won't put it on for us fans. :-))