The Waltons was an CBS network drama series created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his book "Spencer's Mountain" and a 1963 film of the same name.
The show aired from September 14, 1972 to June 4, 1981, lasting for nine seasons & 221 episodes.
After the success of the 1971 TV movie "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story," CBS ordered one season of episodes based on the same characters which became the television series, "The Waltons".
After the series' cancellation in 1981, NBC aired three television movie sequels in 1982, with three more movies in the 1990s on CBS.
Plot[]
The series centered on the lives of the Waltons, a Depression-era family who resided in rural Virginia.
Cast[]
- Ralph Waite as John Walton Sr.
- Michael Learned as Olivia Walton (seasons 1–7, guest season 8, and four movies)
- Will Geer as Zebulon "Grandpa" Walton (seasons 1–6)
- Ellen Corby as Esther "Grandma" Walton (seasons 1–5 & 7, and two episodes in season 8, and in five movies)
- Richard Thomas as John "John-Boy" Walton Jr. (seasons 1–5, guest season 6, three movie sequels; Robert Wightman: seasons 8–9 and one movie sequel)
- Jon Walmsley as Jason Walton
- Judy Norton Taylor as Mary Ellen Walton
- Mary Elizabeth McDonough as Erin Walton
- Eric Scott as Benjamin "Ben" Walton
- David W. Harper as James Robert "Jim-Bob" Walton
- Kami Cotler as Elizabeth Walton
- Tom Bower as Curtis Willard (seasons 5-7, and one episode in season 9)
- Leslie Winston as Cindy Walton (seasons 7-9 and four of the reunion movies),
- Peggy Rea as Rose Burton (seasons 8–9 and one sequel)
Production[]
Earl Hamner's rural childhood growing up in the unincorporated community of Schuyler, Virginia, provided the basis for the setting and many of the storylines of "The Waltons".
Hamner's family and the community provided many life experiences which aided in the characters, values, area, and human-interest stories of his books, movies, and television series.
Hamner provided the voice-over of the older John-Boy, usually heard at the beginning and end of each episode.
John-Boy Walton's fictional alma mater, Boatwright University is patterned after Richmond College, which became part of the University of Richmond on Boatwright Drive near Westham Station in The West End of Richmond, Virginia (located about 70 miles east of Schuyler).
Filming[]
The town of Walton's Mountain was built in the rear area of the main lot at Warner Bros. Studios, bordering the Los Angeles River, but the mountain itself was part of the Hollywood Hills range opposite Warner studios in Burbank, California (the reverse side of which, and slightly to the east, is Mount Lee and the Hollywood Sign.
The Waltons' house façade was built in the back of the Warner Brothers lot. After the series ended, the set was destroyed. For the reunion shows, a replica Waltons' house façade was built on the "Here Come the Brides" set on the Columbia Ranch studio, now part of the Warner Brothers studios.
The Waltons' house is still used as scenery at Warner Brothers. For example, it served as the Dragonfly Inn on "The Gilmore Girls".
Broadcast History[]
Some sources indicate CBS put "The Waltons" on its fall 1972 schedule in response to congressional hearings on the quality of television. Backlash from a 1971 decision to purge most rural-oriented shows from the network lineup may have also been a factor.
CBS gave the show an undesirable timeslot: Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. (which were opposite two popular programs: "The Flip Wilson Show" on NBC and "The Mod Squad" on ABC).
According to Kami Cotler in a 2012 interview: "The rumor was that they put it against Flip Wilson and The Mod Squad because they didn't think it would survive. They thought, 'We can just tell Congress America doesn't want to see this'."
However, CBS had enough faith in "The Waltons" to devise a full-page newspaper ad flanked with the show's positive reviews, urging people to watch the show; this ad was attributed to saving the show causing the ratings to radically increase.
Ralph Waite was reluctant to audition for the part of John Walton because he didn't want to be tied to a long-running TV series, but his agent persuaded him by saying, "It will never sell. You do the pilot. You pick up a couple of bucks and then you go back to New York."
Accolades[]
"The Waltons" won the Primetime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Drama Series" and Richard Thomas won the Emmy for "Lead Actor in a Drama Series" in 1973.
Michael Learned won the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Drama Series three times (1973, 1974, and 1976).
Ellen Corby was also a three-time winner in the "Supporting Actress" category, winning in 1973, 1975, and 1976.
Will Geer was awarded the "Supporting Actor" Emmy in 1975.
Veteran actress Beulah Bondi won an Emmy in 1977 for "Lead Actress in a Single Performance" for her guest appearance as Martha Corrine Walton in the episode "The Pony Cart" (Episode #111). She first appeared in The Waltons episode "The Conflict" (Episode #51) as the widow of Zeb Walton's brother.
The series itself earned a Peabody Award for its first season.
In 2013, TV Guide ranked "The Waltons" at #34 on its list of the "60 Best Series of All Time."