At 50, TV's 'The Waltons' still stirs fans' love, nostalgia
The Rev. Matt Curry's parents were children of the Great Depression, fair exist fond of "The Waltons" — the beloved TV family whose prime-time series premiered 50 years ago.
When Curry was growing up on a farm inside northern Texas, his carpenter father with every one other accompanied by teacher mother regularly argued playfully over who had a poorer childhood.
"The Depression was the seminal hour dated of their lives — the hour dated that was concerning family with every one other accompanied by survival with every one other accompanied by making it through," said Curry, now a 59-year-old Presbyterian pastor inside Owensboro, Kentucky. "My dad used to talk concerning how his dad would go labour not here of town with every one other accompanied by dispatch $5 a week to feed with every one other accompanied by clothe the family."
So when "The Waltons," place inside 1932 with every one other accompanied by running into and not here of World War II, debuted on CBS on Sept. 14, 1972, the Currys identified closely accompanied by the storylines. Millions of others felt the same, with every one other accompanied by the Thursday darkness drama concerning a Depression-era family inside rural Virginia became one of TV's most well liked with every one other accompanied by enduring programs.
At a hour dated when the networks normally avoided "dangerous" content, "The Waltons" was notable for taking on difficult topics — religion, inside specific — said Robert Thompson, director of Syracuse University's Bleier Center for Television with every one other accompanied by Popular Culture.
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"I believe it was an important show, with every one other accompanied by I believe it actually doesn't obtain the observation that it deserves," Thompson said.
"'The Waltons' really did obtain down with every one other accompanied by roll around inside some very, extremely solemn non-material themes," he added. "For example, an atheist comes to town, with every one other accompanied by we obtain this whole discussion in the centre of atheism with every one other accompanied by spirituality."
"The Waltons" ran for nine seasons with every one other accompanied by 221 episodes, ranking while high while No. 2 inside the Nielsen ratings. A half-century subsequent it still stirs nostalgia among loyal fans who can't withstand taking inside cord TV reruns, binging episodes via streaming apps with every one other accompanied by keeping up accompanied by former stars into and not here of communal media.
Based on the existence of its creator, the late Earl Hamner Jr., the show followed a large extended family living inside a white, two-story farmhouse with every one other accompanied by running a sawmill inside the fictional Blue Ridge foothills town of Walton's Mountain. The parents, grandparents with every one other accompanied by septet children — John Jr., Jason, Mary Ellen, Erin, Ben, Jim-Bob with every one other accompanied by Elizabeth — were depicted wearing overalls with every one other accompanied by dresses, praying at meals with every one other accompanied by overcoming adversity into and not here of firm labour with every one other accompanied by grace.
"The Waltons" focused on John Jr., known while John-Boy, played by Richard Thomas with every one other accompanied by modeled on Hamner. The oldest sibling, he aspired to exist a author with every one other accompanied by experience the world on the far side of his humble upbringing.
Now 71 with every one other accompanied by starring while legal practitioner Atticus Finch inside a touring manufacture of "To Kill a Mockingbird," Thomas said he still hears fans call "Good night, John-Boy!" following every one performance. The familiar catchphrase pays homage to the Emmy-winning part that made him famous.
"It's sort of astonishing that we're still talking concerning a show 50 years later," said Thomas, who narrates "A Waltons Thanksgiving," a made-for-TV movie airing this let fall on the CW network.
"To have that sort of longevity with every one other accompanied by at that hour dated have it signify sufficient for people to want to do a new report of it — I'm not sure exactly why," he added. "I know it affected a a large amount of people's lives. But I believe primarily Earl Hamner's writing was fair so great with every one other accompanied by the cast loved every one other so a a large amount of with every one other accompanied by we were so committed."
John-Boy had a a large amount to do accompanied by the show's popularity — with every one other accompanied by inspired numerous a squash spine at that hour dated among fans exist fond of Jerri Harrington, now 67, of Centreville, Virginia.
Harrington still watches an episode every one darkness accompanied by her husband of 47 years. During the terrifying early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, she said, its characters — mainly grandma Esther, played by the late Ellen Corby — brought a sensory power of ease with every one other accompanied by return to childhood.
"It fair feels familiar," said Harrington, a grandmother herself.
Another lifelong fan, Carol Jackson, exist fond of Curry the feminine child of Depression-era parents, sees her own family's tale reflected.
She became a air cooler while a kindergartner with every one other accompanied by while an mature placed "Waltons" DVDs inside the tourist centre cabins that her family operated inside the Ozarks of northern Arkansas. The homespun stories still fasten accompanied by the 55-year-old mother of three.
"I fair told my kids, 'One day when I'm elderly with every one other accompanied by inside my wheelchair … fair disc me inside front of 'The Waltons' on a continual loop, with every one other accompanied by I'll exist happy,'" Jackson said.
Kami Cotler, who was 6 years elderly when she earliest starred while youngest sibling Elizabeth inside a 1971 holiday TV movie that launched the series, still interacts regularly accompanied by such fans via her Facebook page, which has almost 150,000 followers.
Cotler said "The Waltons" shared "universal truths" that assist describe its lasting popularity.
"The show regularly told really simple anthropoid stories that resonate accompanied by people since that's what existence is like," said Cotler, now an teacher inside Southern California. "People will funny tale that it was extremely saccharine sweet, nevertheless I don't believe that it actually was."
On the show, parents John Walton Sr. with every one other accompanied by Olivia Walton — played, respectively, by the late Ralph Waite, an ordained minister inside real life, with every one other accompanied by Michael Learned — regularly clashed over their differing approaches to God. Olivia was a devout Baptist, nevertheless John Sr. was not a churchgoer.
"I've always looked for God inside my own way," he said inside one episode.
An ongoing theme was the appearance inside Walton's Mountain of an outsider — a Jewish family fleeing Nazi persecution, a Black boxer with every one other accompanied by preacher raising money for a new church, a Hollywood artist who smoked with every one other accompanied by drank — who met a mixed reception.
In 1972's "The Sinner" episode, a young pastor played by the late John Ritter arrived preaching fire-and-brimstone Bible verses. But he inadvertently became intoxicated following drinking excessively a a large amount of of the "secret recipe" served by the Baldwin sisters, set of two prim with every one other accompanied by real recurring characters who didn't seem to register they were bootleggers.
After the mishap touched off something of a scandal, John Sr. made a infrequent appearance at house of God with every one other accompanied by pointed to Jesus' words from John 8:7: "Let him who is lacking immoral act cast the earliest stone."
"The devout characteristic of the show had to do accompanied by the fact that Earl Hamner was talking concerning a hour dated with every one other accompanied by a place ... where those issues were extremely a a large amount of inside play," said Thomas, now a grandad of four. "I mean, inside a small population inside the mountains of Virginia inside the Depression, if you don't deal accompanied by the house of God characteristic of things, at that hour dated you don't deal accompanied by things while they were."
Over the show's lengthy run, the Waltons with every one other accompanied by their neighbors learned valuable lessons concerning overcoming differences with every one other accompanied by treating everyone accompanied by deep affection with every one other accompanied by respect. Those lessons, Cotler said, "are maybe flat additional pertinent today."
On a personal note, Cotler, a secular Jew, credits grandpa Zeb, played by the late Will Geer, accompanied by teaching her how to chant house of God songs on the show.
Curry, the Kentucky pastor, said "The Waltons" reflected how Jesus regularly rebukes devout people for hypocrisy inside the Bible, while commending an unexpected human being — such while a Samaritan who helped a unknown human being — for showing deep affection with every one other accompanied by grace.
The show "talked concerning trust with every one other accompanied by trust … inside a way that does not demean people," Curry said. "There's something inside there that we are lost today, with every one other accompanied by it's the sensory power of community, of unity, of battling into and not here of firm times."
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Associated Press trust coverage receives support into and not here of the AP's collaboration accompanied by The Conversation US, accompanied by funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely in charge of for this content.
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