The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain. The show centered on the titular family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television movie entitled The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, broadcast in 1971. The show originally aired on CBS from 1972 to 1981.

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The show takes place in Walton's Mountain, a fictional town in Virginia. Walton's Mountain was based upon creator Earl Hamner Jr.'s hometown of Schuyler in Nelson County south of Charlottesville, Virginia. I actually have visited Schuyler Virginia and saw the Walton's museum as well as the General Store (Ike Godsey's character's store). I watched the series, mostly the first 5 years or so. I liked the show.
I wish I would have grown up as one of the Waltons, instead of my dysfunctional family.  :)

My favorite Waltons were John-Boy and Grandma.

(I have only included the original Waltons family among the characters in the poll. Yes I am aware there were more characters on the show...)

Ahhh perfect Sunday afternoon fodder!

I voted for Olivia and Ben. If I could've chosen a third, it would've been Elizabeth.

And though I love Richard Thomas, that mole always creeped me out.  :o  ;)

Ok, I confess, I watched it. Actually, I mostly watched it when it was in syndication. As for my favorite characters, I liked Zeb when it was on, but as the years went on, I changed my mind. For the poll, I voted for John-Boy & Jason. I also like Erin, too. Mary Ellen always reminded me of one of my sisters. I never really liked Jim-Bob. He just kind of got on my nerves. But, he mellowed out as the years went on.



Cat

The tv movie pilot had Patricia Neal playing Olivia.  It was good too.

I chose Grandpa, I just adored how ornery he was and he'd tell good stories.  Wish I had a grandpa like that.

Also chose Jason, loved his musical talent and I liked his storylines after he went to the Army.

I grew up with the show, never really liked it all that much, but back then where I lived, there were two channels to watch CBS and NBC.  We didn't even have ABC except for in the fall when Monday Night Football was on the local CBS affiliated pre-empted the CBS shows for Monday Night Football and a few other hit shows from ABC at that time.

But I digress

I voted for John Sr and Livey. I liked grandpa and grandma too, but always though John Sr would be the kind of dad I would have liked to have.  Stern but not to strict, knowing kids will get into trouble.  I liked his thing too about not needing to go to church to be considered a good person.  Even though Livey was a strict bible thumping Baptist, she loved her husband, that's what I liked about her.

Growing up I never thought much about it, but later catching a show here or there in re-runs, I always thought John Boy was, don't want to say "ashamed of his heritage" but can't think of another word or phrase, but when he went to college, he seemed embarassed of being John Boy, by going with John Jr with his new friends.  I always felt too that he was one that felt he should always get his way.  One episode I recall is when this land developer was looking to by up parcels of land on Walton's Mountain, John Boy was one of the first to sell his small piece of land Grandpa had given him.  He needed money for college, or his printing press or something, so he sold his land to the developer.  When John Boy found out what the developer wanted the land for, he urged his friends not to sell and at the end of the show asked if he could now buy his own land back.  The developer said no, he'll hang on to it and it was like somebody just told John Boy he only has 24 hours to live.  Anyhow these days John Boy drives me nuts on the series.  The rest of the kids, not so much.

Favorite episode though is the pilot of the series, "The Homecoming".  I remember watching that way back when, and at the time the story didn't make much sense, but watching it as I grew older, the story did come together for me.  Haven't seen it for years, I remember they used to show it Thanksgiving Day right after the parade if the Lions game was the late game, but they don't even do that any longer.

I don't know if anybody as seen "Spencer's Mountain", I thought it was ok.  Henry Fonda as Clay Spenser Sr, was it Maureen O'Hara as the mom and Danny from Hawaii Five-O as Clay Jr.  Clay-Boy sounded awkward, but it was a pretty good film.  Clay-Boy's first romantic encounter out in an open field, him getting a sunburn only on his back always makes me laugh.

I liked Olivia and John-boy...

An interesting sidenote, the man whose original ideas were the Waltons (based on his own family as characters) also wrote a bunch of Twilight Zone episodes.

I know these aren't on the poll but I always like the Baldwin sisters with "Papa's recipe."  http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/04/drinka.gif      :D ;D ;D ;D



Cat

I don't remember this show well enough to have a favorite character, but as soon as I read the title of this thread I started humming the damned theme song.  I'll be humming all night now!  Thanks a heap  ;D

Well...it appears by this poll...these people didn't really need to be in the show at all!!!  ;D

Mary Ellen Walton  0 (0%)
Erin Walton  0 (0%)
Jim-Bob Walton  0 (0%)
Elizabeth Walton  0 (0%)

I know these aren't on the poll but I always like the Baldwin sisters with "Papa's recipe."  http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/04/drinka.gif      :D ;D ;D ;D



Cat

I liked the Baldwin sisters as well...and I did not like Jim Bob.

I voted for Grandpa and John Boy.  The show definitely needed Mary Ellen for the hotness factor.  I think she did Playboy after the show ended.  Schwing!

Like many families though, we remember the two oldest, John Boy and Mary Ellen and Jim Bob/Elizabeth. The middle kids kinda got lost - Ben, Erin, Jason?  I remember Jason better for being a guitar player in Richard Marx's band more than any plot or character development.

Patriciia Neal sure made for a quite different Olivia than the one on the series.  She was a scenery chewing, explosive actress.  Her incendiary scene with JB in the Homecoming where she tells him to pour out the bottle of what she thought was the recipe, was one of the key scenes.  The series would have been much different with her.  The other lady was bland and since Pa was too, it lost a lot of the fire it could have had, and became sweet instead.
And there ain't nothing wrong with that...

I remember that scene where Olivia tells John Boy to get rid of the Baldwin sisters gift.  Didn't it end up being homemade jelly or something and not "Papa's Recipe". 

Myself I always thought Erin was cuter than Mary Ellen.  Yeah Mary Ellen did a pictorial in Playboy mid 80's I believe.  I think she thought it might help launch her into another career and get rid of the country girl image.  Looks like it didn't work.

I voted for Grandpa and John Boy.  The show definitely needed Mary Ellen for the hotness factor.  I think she did Playboy after the show ended.  Schwing!

Like many families though, we remember the two oldest, John Boy and Mary Ellen and Jim Bob/Elizabeth. The middle kids kinda got lost - Ben, Erin, Jason?  I remember Jason better for being a guitar player in Richard Marx's band more than any plot or character development.

Patriciia Neal sure made for a quite different Olivia than the one on the series.  She was a scenery chewing, explosive actress.  Her incendiary scene with JB in the Homecoming where she tells him to pour out the bottle of what she thought was the recipe, was one of the key scenes.  The series would have been much different with her.  The other lady was bland and since Pa was too, it lost a lot of the fire it could have had, and became sweet instead.
And there ain't nothing wrong with that...



Jason played with Richard Marx? I didn't know that. Richard Marx is going to play here next month. Debating whether I want to go or not. Probably not.



Cat

Well...it appears by this poll...these people didn't really need to be in the show at all!!!  ;D

Mary Ellen Walton  0 (0%)
Erin Walton  0 (0%)
Jim-Bob Walton  0 (0%)
Elizabeth Walton  0 (0%)


Yes, they still have 0 votes.

Sam Walton

He had a little store, and he didn't like labor unions!
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/13/icon_salut.gif

I never watched a single episode.  :-[

I was more of a Little House on the Prairie kinda gal.  :D

I never watched a single episode.  :-[

I was more of a Little House on the Prairie kinda gal.   :D


The Waltons for me was like Davey & Goliath.  You watched it when there was nothing else on except news for the deaf and farm reports!

I didn't like the Little House TV series because I had the books pushed on me at an early age by my parents and my school.  I read them all.  Well, I didn't read "These Happy Golden Years" until I was about 13 because it was about Laura and Almanzo's romance.  However, I just couldn't reconcile the challenges and tribulations of the pioneering Ingalls family with the sunny and sedentary portray of TV's Walnut Grove.  The books also contain dozens of illustrations by Garth Williams, and Charles Ingalls was always as  a stout man with a big beard.  Michael Landon was sissified by comparison.  But that's just me.  I appreciate that Little House as TV series was loved by an entire generation.

The Waltons for me was like Davey & Goliath.  You watched it when there was nothing else on except news for the deaf and farm reports!


I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm thinking you aren't the President of the East Coast Waltons fan club (unless you have a sinister motive of becoming president, then screwing it up from the inside  :D)

Through the miracle of reruns I have found myself watching it again.  My Dad and I watch it whenever we visit.  Anyone been to the Walton's museum in Virgina?  One of Dad's proudest moments was buying a hat at Godsey's

"Earl Hamner Jr., creator of 'The Waltons,' dies at 92"

http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-earl-hamner-jr-dies-20160324-story.html

"Earl Hamner Jr., creator of 'The Waltons,' dies at 92"

http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-earl-hamner-jr-dies-20160324-story.html


Oh no. :\'(