Iconic Family Drama ‘The Waltons’ Celebrates 50 Years
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This 1974 photo provided by CBS shows, from left, David Harper, as Jim-Bob Walton; Eric Scott, as ... [+] Ben Walton; Michael Learned, as Olivia Walton; Kami Cotler, as Elizabeth Walton; Richard Thomas, as John Boy Walton; Mary McDonough, as Erin Walton; Judy Norton, as Mary Ellen Walton; Ralph Waite, as John Walton; Ellen Corby, as Ester “Grandma” Walton; Will Geer, as Zeb “Grandpa” Walton; Jon Walmsley, as Jason Walton, in the television show The Waltons. (CBS Photo Archive via AP)
Full disclosure...I watched all 221 episodes of the CBS family drama The Waltons when it originally aired (from 1972 to 1981), plus the six follow up television movies. And I still view it regularly either via MeTV, Hallmark Drama or my DVD collection. So, in celebration of its 50th birthday today, I feel particularly knowledgeable (and quite honored) to take a look at this landmark television series and how it changed the course of family-friendly storytelling in the dramatic form on the small screen.
Debuting on CBS on September 14, 1972, the expectations were low for The Waltons . The competition was fierce - variety hour The Flip Wilson Show on NBC and the groovy crime-solver The Mod Squad on ABC. Most media pundits were expecting no more than a 13-episode run.
“No of us really knew what to expect,” noted Richard Thomas, who played the oldest son John Walton, Jr. (John-Boy), in an interview I did with him for the 2021 reboot film The Waltons ’ Homecoming on The CW . “But with only three networks at the time and no cable or streaming services, I guess there was a greater chance to find an audience. To my knowledge, there had never been an ensemble drama that focused on a family.”
Initially set in 1933 during the Great Depression, we first met the Walton clan (with different actors as parents John and Olivia and grandfather Zebulon) in the holiday TV film The Homecoming: A Christmas Story in 1971. CBS, no doubt, was looking to counterprogram against aforementioned The Flip Wilson Show and The Mod Squa d, and the hope was that viewers would take to this tale of a warm and loving family of 11 individuals living in fictitious Waltons Mountain in Jefferson County, Virginia. Needless to say, they eventually did.
This photo provided by CBS in September 2022 shows actors in the television series "The Waltons.” ... [+] Bottom row from left are Judy Norton-Taylor, Eric Scott and Mary Elizabeth McDonough. Second row from left are Jon Walmsley, Ellen Corby, Will Geer, Kami Cotler and David W. Harper. Top row from left are Michael Learned, Richard Thomas and Ralph Waite. (CBS Photo Archive via AP)
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By season two, The Waltons was the second highest-rated series in all of primetime (behind Norman Lear’s All in the Family on CBS). The momentum was rapid following six Emmy Award wins for the first season (including Outstanding Drama Series and acting trophies for Richard Thomas, Michael Learned and Ellen Corby for Outstanding Lead Actor, Lead Actress, and Supporting Actress in a Drama, respectively). The Waltons also earned a Peabody that same year. And today it is remembered as showcasing the idyllic American family, where the end sequence in each episode featuring the family saying goodnight to one another is now a cultural trademark.
“My character was not your typical male crime fighter or hero, which we were so accustomed to at the time,” noted Thomas. “John-Boy was sensitive and caring, and it was a representation of a leading male character we just never saw before.”
“We also told some very important stories themed to the time,” he said. “Poverty, racism, religion, book burning, aging, illness, death, illiteracy, and so much more. And the stories, and the situations, felt very relatable. We put a spotlight on them.”
Portrait of Richard Thomas, who played the role of John Boy Walton for the television series, The ... [+] Waltons.
“We were the family you simply wanted to be part of that didn’t really exist,” Michael Learned, who played mother Olivia Walton, once told me. “You can’t fake the chemistry; we were like an extended family. During The Waltons you could sit back and escape from the realities of the world and your own lives, even if it was only for one hour each week. And I think the key to our success was the storytelling by Earl Hamner.”
Actress Michael Learned embraces actor Ralph Waite in scene from the TV series The Waltons.
Drawing on the memories of his childhood during the Great Depression and World War II in Schulyer, Virginia, Earl Hamner Jr. was the oldest of eight children (and not seven as portrayed on The Waltons ). The third oldest son Ben, played by Eric Scott, was a combination of two of Hamner’s brothers.
It was Hamner's warm, distinctive drawl that was heard narrating the stories of would-be writer John-Boy in each episode.
Before The Homecoming: A Christmas Story and The Waltons , Hamner had published the life-inspired novel Spencer's Mountain , which was adapted into a movie in 1963 with Henry Fonda and Maureen O’Hara as the parents. Fonda, in fact, was considered for the role of John Walton on The Waltons .
According to an interview with Lee Rich, the showrunner behind The Waltons , Fonda was not interested. “We showed the pilot to Henry Fonda,” Rich said in an interview, “and afterward he turned around to me and said: ‘What do you want me for? The family is the star. You don’t need me.’ “
Henry Fonda helps Maureen O'Hara in the kitchen in a scene from the film 'Spencer's Mountain', 1963. ... [+] (Photo by Warner Brothers/Getty Images)
Ultimately, Michael Learned exited The Waltons before the series ended, as did Richard Thomas, Ralph Waite as patriarch John, and Ellen Corby and Will Geer as the grandparents. Corby suffered a stroke in the middle of season five, and could only eventually return on temporary and limited basis; and Geer passed away after production in season six ended.
“I was young and I was hungry for other opportunities,” noted Richard Thomas. “But, in hindsight, The Waltons was a groundbreaking series. The premise was simple: a family that were celebrating life during some tough times. But we have endured over the years and remain synonymous with family values and people who care about each other.”
For a walk down memory lane, here are six factoids about The Waltons you may find interesting.
1) In the first episode of The Waltons (”The Foundling”, originally telecast 50 years to this day, on September 14, 1972), the family gathers around the radio to listen to ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his puppet Charlie McCarthy. This was a shout-out to Edgar Bergen, who originated the role of grandfather Zebulon Walton in The Homecoming: A Christmas Story .
(Original Caption) Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, wearing football uniform, enjoy a nice talk.
2) Ellen Corby and Beulah Bondi (as Martha Corrine Walton, who guest-starred in two episodes, including the two-hour third season premiere), both appeared in the 1946 holiday classic It’s a Wonderful Life . Bondi played Jimmy Stewart’s mother Mrs. Bailey and Corby appeared in one small scene as shy Mrs. Davis.
A poster for Frank Capra's 1946 comedy-drama 'It's A Wonderful Life', starring James Stewart and ... [+] Donna Reed (centre). Left to right; Frank Faylen, H.B. Warner, Sarah Edwards, Gloria Grahame, Reed, Stewart, Beulah Bondi and Lillian Randolph. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
3) Will Geer as the happy-go-lucky grandfather was never shy of having a sip (or two) of the Baldwin ladies’ “recipe.” When he finally did reunite with his beloved wife Esther after Ellen Corby’s lengthy absence (due to her stroke), Geer passed away in between seasons six and seven on April 22, 1978. He was 76.
In the two-hour seventh season opener (”The Empty Nest”, originally telecast on September 22, 1978), the family honors the memory of Geer’s Grandpa Walton.
“Will Geer was so much like his character,” Mary McDonough who played middle daughter Erin told me in an interview. “He would walk around the set humming and planting seeds and just loved life. He really was like a grandfather to us.”
(Original Caption) Hollywood: Ellen Corby and Will Geer, who play the roles of Grandpa and Grandma ... [+] in The Waltons TV series, shown during filming of an episode. "Grandma Comes Home." This marks Ellen Corby's return to the show after recovering from a stroke she had the previous year..
4) Prior to Three’s Company , John Ritter had the recurring role of Reverend Matthew Fordwick on The Waltons . He also appeared on the 1982 TV movie Pray TV as a young minister.
“One day at lunch on the set, John told me he had this offer to do a comedy called Three’s Company , but was not sure he wanted to do it,” remembered Richard Thomas. “He was apprehensive about making the commitment. I told him to go for it, and look what happened.”
(L-R) American actors Joyce DeWitt, John Ritter (1948 - 2003) and Suzanne Somers in a full-length ... [+] promotional portrait for the television series, 'Three's Company', 1979. (Photo by ABC Television/Courtesy of Getty Images)
5) The iconic family home on The Waltons resurfaced, albeit in a modernized version, as establishment The Dragonfly Inn on dramedy Gilmore Girls . Sadly, the house eventually burned down in a fire on the Warner Bros. lot.
6) Collectively, The Waltons won 13 Emmys over the course of its run, with both Michael Learned and Ellen Corby winning three apiece. In addition to Richard Thomas’ first season victory, Will Geer (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama in 1975) and Beulah Bondi (Outstanding Lead Actress for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series in 1977) also took home an Emmy statuette.
The Waltons also won two Golden Globes, included Best Drama Series in 1974.
American actors Michael Learned (who played Olivia 'Livie' Walton) and Richard Thomas (who played ... [+] John 'John Boy' Walton) each hold their Emmy Awards for Outstanding Continued Performance in a Leading Role, Hollywood, California, May 20, 1973. (Photo by Max Miller/Fotos International/Getty Images)
Flash back to Thursday, September 14, 1972. It was premiere week on the three broadcast networks. The annual fall TV Guide Preview issue was bursting with pictures and editorial about the new crop of primetime TV series. CBS, in particular, was positioned well as The Waltons , and comedies MASH , Maude and The Bob Newhart Show all premiered this week. And I, in particular, was anxious to see that fictional family called Walton that I had previously “met” in The Homecoming: A Christmas Story .
From that very first episode, when the family discovers a young deaf girl at their doorstep, to the last, when the Baldwin sisters (Helen Kleeb as Miss Mamie and Mary Jackson as Miss Emily) throw a lavish ball, we celebrate television’s most iconic TV family.
Happy 50 years to The Waltons !
(Original Caption) Will Geer, as Grandpa, dances a jig for the family on the property that has been ... [+] the Walton's for generations and may be sold as a site for a health resort, in "The Heritage" episode of The Waltons to be rebroadcast on the CBS Television Network.
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More From Forbes. 01:58pm EDT. Netflix Renews Manuel Garcia-Rulfo's 'The Lincoln Lawyer' For Season 3. 12:08pm EDT. The Team Behind Horror Comedy ‘Slotherhouse’ Came Up With The Title In Seconds. 11:48am EDT. It’s No Surprise Disney’s Stock Hit A Nine-Year Low. Here’s Why. 09:00am EDT. Doja Cat, Taylor Swift And Zach Bryan: The Race For The Next No. 1 Song In America. 07:33pm EDT. Rosa Linn On New EP, Covering Stevie Nicks, ‘Eurovision’ And ‘Snap’ 07:11pm EDT. Jay-Z Returns To Instagram To Post Trailer For ‘Book Of Clarence’ Bible-Era Film. 05:30pm EDT. The 502s On Authenticity, Independent Release And Playing The Long Game. 04:00pm EDT. BTS’s Jung Kook Ties Adele With His Sturdy Smash Single. Edit Story. Forbes. Business. Hollywood & Entertainment. Marc Berman Senior Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. My beat is network and cable television, digital and syndication. Following. 09:46am EDT. |. Share to Facebook. Share to Twitter. Share to Linkedin. This 1974 photo provided by CBS shows, from left, David Harper, as Jim-Bob Walton; Eric Scott, as ... [+] Ben Walton; Michael Learned, as Olivia Walton; Kami Cotler, as Elizabeth Walton; Richard Thomas, as John Boy Walton; Mary McDonough, as Erin Walton; Judy Norton, as Mary Ellen Walton; Ralph Waite, as John Walton; Ellen Corby, as Ester “Grandma” Walton; Will Geer, as Zeb “Grandpa” Walton; Jon Walmsley, as Jason Walton, in the television show The Waltons. (CBS Photo Archive via AP) Full disclosure...I watched all 221 episodes of the CBS family drama The Waltons when it originally aired (from 1972 to 1981), plus the six follow up television movies. And I still view it regularly either via MeTV, Hallmark Drama or my DVD collection. So, in celebration of its 50th birthday today, I feel particularly knowledgeable (and quite honored) to take a look at this landmark television series and how it changed the course of family-friendly storytelling in the dramatic form on the small screen. Debuting on CBS on September 14, 1972, the expectations were low for The Waltons . The competition was fierce - variety hour The Flip Wilson Show on NBC and the groovy crime-solver The Mod Squad on ABC. Most media pundits were expecting no more than a 13-episode run. “No of us really knew what to expect,” noted Richard Thomas, who played the oldest son John Walton, Jr. (John-Boy), in an interview I did with him for the 2021 reboot film The Waltons ’ Homecoming on The CW . “But with only three networks at the time and no cable or streaming services, I guess there was a greater chance to find an audience. To my knowledge, there had never been an ensemble drama that focused on a family.” Initially set in 1933 during the Great Depression, we first met the Walton clan (with different actors as parents John and Olivia and grandfather Zebulon) in the holiday TV film The Homecoming: A Christmas Story in 1971. CBS, no doubt, was looking to counterprogram against aforementioned The Flip Wilson Show and The Mod Squa d, and the hope was that viewers would take to this tale of a warm and loving family of 11 individuals living in fictitious Waltons Mountain in Jefferson County, Virginia. Needless to say, they eventually did. This photo provided by CBS in September 2022 shows actors in the television series "The Waltons.” ... [+] Bottom row from left are Judy Norton-Taylor, Eric Scott and Mary Elizabeth McDonough. Second row from left are Jon Walmsley, Ellen Corby, Will Geer, Kami Cotler and David W. Harper. Top row from left are Michael Learned, Richard Thomas and Ralph Waite. (CBS Photo Archive via AP) FORBES ADVISOR. Best Travel Insurance Companies. By Amy Danise Editor. Best Covid-19 Travel Insurance Plans. By Amy Danise Editor. By season two, The Waltons was the second highest-rated series in all of primetime (behind Norman Lear’s All in the Family on CBS). The momentum was rapid following six Emmy Award wins for the first season (including Outstanding Drama Series and acting trophies for Richard Thomas, Michael Learned and Ellen Corby for Outstanding Lead Actor, Lead Actress, and Supporting Actress in a Drama, respectively). The Waltons also earned a Peabody that same year. And today it is remembered as showcasing the idyllic American family, where the end sequence in each episode featuring the family saying goodnight to one another is now a cultural trademark. “My character was not your typical male crime fighter or hero, which we were so accustomed to at the time,” noted Thomas. “John-Boy was sensitive and caring, and it was a representation of a leading male character we just never saw before.” “We also told some very important stories themed to the time,” he said. “Poverty, racism, religion, book burning, aging, illness, death, illiteracy, and so much more. And the stories, and the situations, felt very relatable. We put a spotlight on them.” Portrait of Richard Thomas, who played the role of John Boy Walton for the television series, The ... [+] Waltons. “We were the family you simply wanted to be part of that didn’t really exist,” Michael Learned, who played mother Olivia Walton, once told me. “You can’t fake the chemistry; we were like an extended family. During The Waltons you could sit back and escape from the realities of the world and your own lives, even if it was only for one hour each week. And I think the key to our success was the storytelling by Earl Hamner.” Actress Michael Learned embraces actor Ralph Waite in scene from the TV series The Waltons. Drawing on the memories of his childhood during the Great Depression and World War II in Schulyer, Virginia, Earl Hamner Jr. was the oldest of eight children (and not seven as portrayed on The Waltons ). The third oldest son Ben, played by Eric Scott, was a combination of two of Hamner’s brothers. It was Hamner's warm, distinctive drawl that was heard narrating the stories of would-be writer John-Boy in each episode. Before The Homecoming: A Christmas Story and The Waltons , Hamner had published the life-inspired novel Spencer's Mountain , which was adapted into a movie in 1963 with Henry Fonda and Maureen O’Hara as the parents. Fonda, in fact, was considered for the role of John Walton on The Waltons . According to an interview with Lee Rich, the showrunner behind The Waltons , Fonda was not interested. “We showed the pilot to Henry Fonda,” Rich said in an interview, “and afterward he turned around to me and said: ‘What do you want me for? The family is the star. You don’t need me.’ “ Henry Fonda helps Maureen O'Hara in the kitchen in a scene from the film 'Spencer's Mountain', 1963. ... [+] (Photo by Warner Brothers/Getty Images) Ultimately, Michael Learned exited The Waltons before the series ended, as did Richard Thomas, Ralph Waite as patriarch John, and Ellen Corby and Will Geer as the grandparents. Corby suffered a stroke in the middle of season five, and could only eventually return on temporary and limited basis; and Geer passed away after production in season six ended. “I was young and I was hungry for other opportunities,” noted Richard Thomas. “But, in hindsight, The Waltons was a groundbreaking series. The premise was simple: a family that were celebrating life during some tough times. But we have endured over the years and remain synonymous with family values and people who care about each other.” For a walk down memory lane, here are six factoids about The Waltons you may find interesting. 1) In the first episode of The Waltons (”The Foundling”, originally telecast 50 years to this day, on September 14, 1972), the family gathers around the radio to listen to ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his puppet Charlie McCarthy. This was a shout-out to Edgar Bergen, who originated the role of grandfather Zebulon Walton in The Homecoming: A Christmas Story . (Original Caption) Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, wearing football uniform, enjoy a nice talk. 2) Ellen Corby and Beulah Bondi (as Martha Corrine Walton, who guest-starred in two episodes, including the two-hour third season premiere), both appeared in the 1946 holiday classic It’s a Wonderful Life . Bondi played Jimmy Stewart’s mother Mrs. Bailey and Corby appeared in one small scene as shy Mrs. Davis. A poster for Frank Capra's 1946 comedy-drama 'It's A Wonderful Life', starring James Stewart and ... [+] Donna Reed (centre). Left to right; Frank Faylen, H.B. Warner, Sarah Edwards, Gloria Grahame, Reed, Stewart, Beulah Bondi and Lillian Randolph. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images) 3) Will Geer as the happy-go-lucky grandfather was never shy of having a sip (or two) of the Baldwin ladies’ “recipe.” When he finally did reunite with his beloved wife Esther after Ellen Corby’s lengthy absence (due to her stroke), Geer passed away in between seasons six and seven on April 22, 1978. He was 76. In the two-hour seventh season opener (”The Empty Nest”, originally telecast on September 22, 1978), the family honors the memory of Geer’s Grandpa Walton. “Will Geer was so much like his character,” Mary McDonough who played middle daughter Erin told me in an interview. “He would walk around the set humming and planting seeds and just loved life. He really was like a grandfather to us.” (Original Caption) Hollywood: Ellen Corby and Will Geer, who play the roles of Grandpa and Grandma ... [+] in The Waltons TV series, shown during filming of an episode. "Grandma Comes Home." This marks Ellen Corby's return to the show after recovering from a stroke she had the previous year.. 4) Prior to Three’s Company , John Ritter had the recurring role of Reverend Matthew Fordwick on The Waltons . He also appeared on the 1982 TV movie Pray TV as a young minister. “One day at lunch on the set, John told me he had this offer to do a comedy called Three’s Company , but was not sure he wanted to do it,” remembered Richard Thomas. “He was apprehensive about making the commitment. I told him to go for it, and look what happened.” (L-R) American actors Joyce DeWitt, John Ritter (1948 - 2003) and Suzanne Somers in a full-length ... [+] promotional portrait for the television series, 'Three's Company', 1979. (Photo by ABC Television/Courtesy of Getty Images) 5) The iconic family home on The Waltons resurfaced, albeit in a modernized version, as establishment The Dragonfly Inn on dramedy Gilmore Girls . Sadly, the house eventually burned down in a fire on the Warner Bros. lot. 6) Collectively, The Waltons won 13 Emmys over the course of its run, with both Michael Learned and Ellen Corby winning three apiece. In addition to Richard Thomas’ first season victory, Will Geer (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama in 1975) and Beulah Bondi (Outstanding Lead Actress for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series in 1977) also took home an Emmy statuette. The Waltons also won two Golden Globes, included Best Drama Series in 1974. American actors Michael Learned (who played Olivia 'Livie' Walton) and Richard Thomas (who played ... [+] John 'John Boy' Walton) each hold their Emmy Awards for Outstanding Continued Performance in a Leading Role, Hollywood, California, May 20, 1973. (Photo by Max Miller/Fotos International/Getty Images) Flash back to Thursday, September 14, 1972. It was premiere week on the three broadcast networks. The annual fall TV Guide Preview issue was bursting with pictures and editorial about the new crop of primetime TV series. CBS, in particular, was positioned well as The Waltons , and comedies MASH , Maude and The Bob Newhart Show all premiered this week. And I, in particular, was anxious to see that fictional family called Walton that I had previously “met” in The Homecoming: A Christmas Story . From that very first episode, when the family discovers a young deaf girl at their doorstep, to the last, when the Baldwin sisters (Helen Kleeb as Miss Mamie and Mary Jackson as Miss Emily) throw a lavish ball, we celebrate television’s most iconic TV family. Happy 50 years to The Waltons ! (Original Caption) Will Geer, as Grandpa, dances a jig for the family on the property that has been ... [+] the Walton's for generations and may be sold as a site for a health resort, in "The Heritage" episode of The Waltons to be rebroadcast on the CBS Television Network. Follow me on. Twitter. LinkedIn. Marc Berman. Editorial Standards. Print. Reprints & Permissions.