La famille des collines

TV Land is showing the series in sequence (for the most part), and I'm enjoying seeing it again, for only the second time. The acting is excellent, as are the production values. The terrible reunion shows of the 90s did not do justice to the series. They "messed" with the chronology, jumping ahead in time, for the sake of historical landmarks, when they should have respected the reality of the series. Granted, the last two seasons were strained, but I am currently viewing Season Six, the first without John-Boy, and it works quite well. Some complain that the series is a 70s version of the 30s/40s, but in 2004, I would not agree. I grew up in Virginia during the 60s, and I definitely feel that the series creators have adequately presented the dignity and attitude of the Southeast. Again, the reunion shows were idiotic. (Did these people never buy new appliances, or pave their driveway? The last reunion, set in 1969, was ridiculous. The characters were ten years younger than they should have been. The youngest child would have been around 41 years old, not 30.)

12/2006 NOTE: The current Walton's home set is NOT the original - just check with the studio.

Both my parents are dead and gone, but where raised in the Southwest mountains of Virginia during the depression, as Baptists, they along with myself and other members of our family watched this show every week. Several of us still watch it every morning, it comes on here at 7 am, it's a great start to my day. Every episode may not be exactly as some remember, that lived during that era, but it's a lot more true to life than most of what is on TV today. It would be nice if there were shows that even came close to this one, made now. Children and grown-ups alike could benefit from acting a little more like the Waltons, than a lot of people they try to imitate from TV in this day and time.

Television has been going to the dogs over the past few years. I recently picked up the DVD set of the first season of The Waltons and have been engrossed with every episode. Each episode is like a miniature movie, with good acting and stories. And what people used to make fun of (the syrupy quality of the show) now is a welcome relief. I'd watch this over 99.9% of the junk on TV these days. One could have a field day writing about this show and comparing/contrasting it to The Sopranos. The Sopranos, a show that I enjoy equally for other reasons (I'm not counting HBO's shows as regular TV shows), is the polar opposite. That family is rich, profane, powerful, violent, confrontational, unhappy--while the Waltons are struggling (not exactly poor, despite the fact that it takes place during the Depression), wholesome, spiritual, loving, and HAPPY. The only thing I can quibble about The Waltons is the outdoor scenery. The tall mountains and pine trees are clearly in California, not Piedmont Virginia. The real Waltons mountain and home is not too far from where I live. There are signs off U.S. Route 29 directing tourists to the home, which I believe is now a museum. It may be worth a visit. All in all an excellent program. Definitely a collector's item.

Richard Thomas, "John Boy", left the series after Season 5. Ellen Corby, "Grandma Walton", suffered a stroke in November 1976, then was not in any further episodes until 1978, and only on a very limited basis because her stroke greatly impaired her ability to speak. The quality of the episodes without the John Boy character nosedived in Season 6, with many contrived storylines and the limited acting ability of the rest of the cast portraying the other six Walton children. Then Will Geer, "Grandpa Zeb Walton", died after Season 6 had been completed. The producers should have called it quits after Episodes 1-2 in Season 7, which were a tribute to Grandpa Walton and Geer, and the storylines continued to get worse. Michael Learned (Olivia Walton), also curtailed her performances on the series, and the writers had to come up with some dubious reasons why she'd be gone for much of the time, then reappear on occasions. The "Jump the Shark" moment came in Season 8 when they introduced not one but two "Cousin Olivers" (the Brady Bunch had just one) and even a fake John Boy! Given Richard Thomas's strong portrayal of John Boy for the first five seasons, the producers should have been smart enough (I know that's expecting a lot) to realize that a Fake John Boy was a terrible idea. The two kids were gone by Season 9, and I don't remember any explanation being given. In Season 9, the writers even came up with a fake Curtis, "resurrecting" Mary Ellen's husband, supposedly lost at Pearl Harbor in Season 7. The associated storyline was equally ludicrous. After that, the producers, who were obviously more concerned with the Bottom Line than program quality, fired Ralph Waite after just a few episodes in Season 9 in order to dump his salary. With the real John Boy, Grandpa, Grandma, Olivia, and now John Sr gone from the cast, , Season 9 was a complete embarrassment.

Ten years ago, I was working in private home healthcare for an elderly woman in her nineties. Every day at three o'clock, she would sit down and watch an episode of this show, which also happened to be what time my breaktime rolled around. I was enthralled with television shows like Breaking Bad and Lost at the time and my initial thought of this wholesome countryside yarn about a large family doing their best to get by was... Well, I just assumed it wouldn't be my cup of tea. But every time I'd sit down with my snack on her afghan-encased sofa, I found myself getting drawn more and more into the show, until one day she insisted I use the entire hour as a break so we could enjoy the episodes together. Her daughter, my boss, wasn't exactly keen on the idea of me being paid to literally watch television for an hour instead of taking a customary twenty-minute break, but her insistence persevered. She was old and lonely and told her daughter that having a guest to watch television with was worth the eight bucks. I worked there for about two and a half years, watching an episode of The Waltons with her everyday up until the day before her passing.

I still tune in once in a blue moon if I happen to catch a rerun, but it's never quite the same. This show opened my mind and broadened my viewing horizons and I couldn't be more thankful. Wild, out of sight action-dramas can be great, and so can terrifying horror flicks, but there's nothing wrong with enjoying something tethered to strong family values. You can learn a lot from this show. Yes, you. Everyone. Give it a chance.