In the entertainment industry today, most casting directors want the extraordinary looks first, and then if that's present, the acting skills are then evaluated. The Walton's television series of the 1970's was an extraordinary exception. Almost none of the cast had the looks of the typical 1970's to early 1980's television stars like, Jacqueline Smith, Lee Majors, Joan Collins or Farrah Fawcett. Seeing an old woman with her granddaughter sitting at the family table and preparing beans for the family meal is something which will never be seen again on American television in the foreseeable future. They say grace at meals, and they attend the local protestant church. (Interestingly, European television shows portray more "ordinary" people.)
The Waltons are middle-class people living during the Great Depression in the 1930's. Their clothes are ordinary and even drab. The women wear very little makeup, and they drive average cars from the period. They live in a humble two-story house with small bedrooms, a kitchen and eating area. Occasionally they listen to the radio dramas at night. They don't wear furs or silk, drive in Cadillacs, and reside in a large luxury manor whose entryway is larger than most people's apartments. This was probably the most honest portrayal of a middle class family ever to air on television. The characters of the show engage in regular work: preparing meals, chopping down trees, and buying goods at the local general store. Within this show were interesting stories often centered on some kind of stranger staying with the Waltons during the course of an episode.
The character at the heart of the show was John-Boy Walton (played by Richard Thomas), loosely based on the series' writer-creator Earl Hamner. John-Boy is an aspiring writer, and at the beginning of each episode, the voice of Earl Hamner tells the story of the Waltons as if looking back to his past. The Waltons was loosely based on Hamner's experiences growing up in depression-ear Virginia. Other characters of note are John Walton Sr. (Ralph Waite), Olivia Walton (Michael Learned), Grandpa (Will Geer), Grandma (Ellen Corby), and John-Boy's brothers and sisters.
Other supporting characters lived around the town, such as Ike Godsey and his wife at the General store, and two spinster sisters who are the wealthiest of the locals. The Waltons and their surrounding community are Protestant Christians who frown on things like alcohol, even though most likely the story is set just after Prohibition. Every once in awhile, Grandpa, my favorite character of the show, would spike lemonade with a "secret formula" and then plead innocence when it was found out. One Walton trademark which kind of entered into the American lexicon is the voice-overs which occur at the end of each episode where the characters speak about what they experienced, a bit like the ending jokes of many television westerns and even Star Trek. The voice-overs always occurred with a birds-eye view of the Waltons' house at night with a couple of the windows still lit. Then after all the good-nights were said, the light in the windows would dim. (I remember seeing a Mad Magazine spoof of Star Trek with an illustration of the hull of the ship, and the captions read: "Good night Captain. Good night Mr Spock. Good night John-Boy.")
One of the few television series which portrays a family dealing with the real issues of family life in the 1930's. Not glamorous, not beautiful, but very real. If you're interested in seeing something of substance, try the Waltons. However, if you wish to see a production which takes you to fantasy-land, like Charlies's Angels, best look elsewhere.
The Waltons are middle-class people living during the Great Depression in the 1930's. Their clothes are ordinary and even drab. The women wear very little makeup, and they drive average cars from the period. They live in a humble two-story house with small bedrooms, a kitchen and eating area. Occasionally they listen to the radio dramas at night. They don't wear furs or silk, drive in Cadillacs, and reside in a large luxury manor whose entryway is larger than most people's apartments. This was probably the most honest portrayal of a middle class family ever to air on television. The characters of the show engage in regular work: preparing meals, chopping down trees, and buying goods at the local general store. Within this show were interesting stories often centered on some kind of stranger staying with the Waltons during the course of an episode.
The character at the heart of the show was John-Boy Walton (played by Richard Thomas), loosely based on the series' writer-creator Earl Hamner. John-Boy is an aspiring writer, and at the beginning of each episode, the voice of Earl Hamner tells the story of the Waltons as if looking back to his past. The Waltons was loosely based on Hamner's experiences growing up in depression-ear Virginia. Other characters of note are John Walton Sr. (Ralph Waite), Olivia Walton (Michael Learned), Grandpa (Will Geer), Grandma (Ellen Corby), and John-Boy's brothers and sisters.
Other supporting characters lived around the town, such as Ike Godsey and his wife at the General store, and two spinster sisters who are the wealthiest of the locals. The Waltons and their surrounding community are Protestant Christians who frown on things like alcohol, even though most likely the story is set just after Prohibition. Every once in awhile, Grandpa, my favorite character of the show, would spike lemonade with a "secret formula" and then plead innocence when it was found out. One Walton trademark which kind of entered into the American lexicon is the voice-overs which occur at the end of each episode where the characters speak about what they experienced, a bit like the ending jokes of many television westerns and even Star Trek. The voice-overs always occurred with a birds-eye view of the Waltons' house at night with a couple of the windows still lit. Then after all the good-nights were said, the light in the windows would dim. (I remember seeing a Mad Magazine spoof of Star Trek with an illustration of the hull of the ship, and the captions read: "Good night Captain. Good night Mr Spock. Good night John-Boy.")
One of the few television series which portrays a family dealing with the real issues of family life in the 1930's. Not glamorous, not beautiful, but very real. If you're interested in seeing something of substance, try the Waltons. However, if you wish to see a production which takes you to fantasy-land, like Charlies's Angels, best look elsewhere.