"The Waltons" (1972) TV series 1972-1981

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Creator:

Earl Hamner Jr.

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | unknown

Release Date:

14 September 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family | Romance

Plot:

The life and trials of a 1930's mountain family.

Plot Keywords:

Great Depression | 1930s | Virginia | Sentimental | Mother Daughter Relationship

Awards:

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 16 wins & 42 nominations

Cast

Jon Walmsley	...	Jason Walton (210 episodes, 1972-1981)
Mary Beth McDonough	...	Erin Walton (210 episodes, 1972-1981)
Eric Scott	...	Ben Walton (210 episodes, 1972-1981)
Earl Hamner Jr.	...	Narrator (210 episodes, 1972-1981)
Judy Norton-Taylor	...	Mary Ellen Walton (209 episodes, 1972-1981)
David W. Harper	...	Jim-Bob Walton (209 episodes, 1972-1981)
Kami Cotler	...	Elizabeth Walton (209 episodes, 1972-1981)
Ralph Waite	...	John Walton, Sr. / ... (194 episodes, 1972-1981)
Joe Conley	...	Ike Godsey (171 episodes, 1972-1981)
Michael Learned	...	Olivia Walton (166 episodes, 1972-1979)
Will Geer	...	The Grandfather (141 episodes, 1972-1978)
Ellen Corby	...	Esther Walton (140 episodes, 1972-1980)
Richard Thomas	...	John-Boy Walton (122 episodes, 1972-1978)
Ronnie Claire Edwards	...	Corabeth Walton (107 episodes, 1974-1981)

Also Known As:

Spencer's Mountain (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

60 min (221 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | New Zealand:PG (season 1) | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Lorimar Productions

Trivia:

The character 'John Walton Sr.' was ranked #3 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" (20 June 2004 issue).

Quotes:

Grover: "Six years in grade school, five years in high school-everything I ever ran for, I was always running against the same Johnny Walton... The greatest day of my life was when I beat John Walton out for senior class president. I don't think he ever lost any sleep over it. Now I'm an ambitious man - some would say successful; probably it's all John's fault. I was always running; he was always going past me at a walk. And here it is, 25 years later-here I am, and there's John. Then look at me...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Smallville: Forever (#4.21)" (2005)

Ironies of Ironies

This was one of the most popular series on CBS in the mid-1970's and it is one of the most ironic. This show came one year after CBS's infamous purge of all of its rural comedies. In 1971 hugely popular shows like The Beverly Hillbillies, Mayberry RFD, Green Acres, He Haw and The Ed Sullivan show were all canceled because of the perception that they didn't appeal to urban dwellers or young people. Ironically all these shows were still in the top-10 at the time they were canceled. The next year The Waltons debuted and quickly became one of the most popular shows in the network's history, it even was responsible, in part, for the cancellation of the hugely popular Flip Wilson Show on NBC. I wonder how Fred Silverman, the man responsible for the purge, felt after this show became a hit.