I watch this one without fail every holiday season along with several others: "Going My Way" and "Since You Went Away" from 1943 and "It's a Wonderful Life." I was so glad when "The Homecoming" came out on DVD; my VHS copy was pretty ragged.
I was six years old when this film premiered on TV. My parents and I and a couple of my brothers watched it together. There are some wonderful memories tied up in it. My parents were Depression-era kids and they told me how Edgar Bergen ("Grandpa" in this movie) had actually been one of the biggest stars of their childhood with his radio program, "The Chase & Sanborn Hour." Later on, we visited the public library and borrowed audiocassette recordings of some of his shows. I have loved him ever since.
This movie is a true and faithful interpretation of life during the Great Depression for rural families. I don't know what was bothering that cranky reviewer who complained about the family's not saying a blessing before eating their soup in the first part of the movie, but to condemn the entire film for it is just silly. Have a candy cane and lighten up. LOL Although I loved The Waltons TV series, I somehow wish it could have retained these original characters (although Will Geer would have to have been worked into the cast somewhere else; he was one of the best actors in it!) The only thing I found unintentionally hilarious was Patricia Neal's interrogation of John-Boy after she finds his bedroom door locked: "What you doin' up thar in thet room by y'seff, BOYYYYYYYY?" That just made this six-year-old viewer pee her pants. LOL Fortunately for television history, John-Boy didn't say "Beating off, Mama," and the G rating was saved. LOL
I was six years old when this film premiered on TV. My parents and I and a couple of my brothers watched it together. There are some wonderful memories tied up in it. My parents were Depression-era kids and they told me how Edgar Bergen ("Grandpa" in this movie) had actually been one of the biggest stars of their childhood with his radio program, "The Chase & Sanborn Hour." Later on, we visited the public library and borrowed audiocassette recordings of some of his shows. I have loved him ever since.
This movie is a true and faithful interpretation of life during the Great Depression for rural families. I don't know what was bothering that cranky reviewer who complained about the family's not saying a blessing before eating their soup in the first part of the movie, but to condemn the entire film for it is just silly. Have a candy cane and lighten up. LOL Although I loved The Waltons TV series, I somehow wish it could have retained these original characters (although Will Geer would have to have been worked into the cast somewhere else; he was one of the best actors in it!) The only thing I found unintentionally hilarious was Patricia Neal's interrogation of John-Boy after she finds his bedroom door locked: "What you doin' up thar in thet room by y'seff, BOYYYYYYYY?" That just made this six-year-old viewer pee her pants. LOL Fortunately for television history, John-Boy didn't say "Beating off, Mama," and the G rating was saved. LOL