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Part of series: The Waltons [TV Series]: The surprise hit of the 1972-1973 TV season, The Waltons is one of a handful of weekly, hour-long dramatic series that can truly qualify as wholesome family entertainment -- and one of the very few that succeeded spectacularly on those terms. The Waltons was created by Earl Hamner Jr., who based the series on his own experiences while growing up in the South during the 1920s and 1930s. Hamner had previously written an autobiographical novel with a similar theme, -Spencers Mountain, which was filmed in 1963 with Henry Fonda in the lead. Eight years later, Hamner wrote the screenplay for the TV movie The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, again adapted from his own novel, in which he introduced the Walton family of Jefferson County, VA, who lived and worked on a mountain bearing the familys name in the Depression Years. Patricia Neal and Andrew Duggan starred as Olivia and John Walton, with Edgar Bergen and Ellen Corby as Grandpa and Grandma Walton, Richard Thomas as oldest son John-Boy Walton (Earl Hamners alter ego), and Judy Norton-Taylor, Mary Beth McDonough, Kami Cotler, Eric Scott, David W. Harper and Jon Walmsley, respectively, as the other Walton children, Mary Ellen, Erin , Elizabeth, Ben, Jim-Bob, and Jason. A huge ratings success, The Homecoming was spun off into the weekly CBS series The Waltons, beginning September 14, 1972. All of the actors whod played the Walton children in the movie repeated their roles, as did Ellen Corby as Grandma Walton; however, appearing as John Walton in the series was Ralph Waite while Michael Learned was cast as Olivia Walton, and Will Geer played Grandpa. During its nine-season network run, The Waltons covered the years 1934 through 1945. Although the series started in the depths of the Depression, the Walton family remained relatively solvent thanks to the lumber mill run by John and Grandpa. As in the movie, the character of John-Boy Walton remained the eyes of series creator Earl Hamner Jr., who narrated each episode. Richard Thomas remained in the role of John-Boy until the series sixth season, maturing from high-school student to college scholar, ever in pursuit of a professional writing career (at one point, John-Boy set up his own local newspaper, The Blue Ridge Chronicle). When Thomas left the series, it was explained that he had become a war correspondent in Paris, had been reported missing from action, and had returned seriously injured and in coma. Upon awakening, John-Boy was more or less reborn in the form of actor Robert Wightman, who stayed with the series until its cancellation. There were several other personnel changes in the course of the series run. In 1977, Ellen Corby suffered a stroke which rendered her inactive; accordingly, Grandma Walton was also felled by a stroke, and remained off-camera until her dramatic return at the end of the sixth season, in which she turned to Grandpa and said her first words since her illness: You old fool. Sadly, Will Geer died shortly after this episode was filmed, thus Grandma became a widow at the beginning of season six. In another development that year, Olivia Walton was diagnosed with tuberculosis and bundled off to a sanitarium; this plot device was created to accommodate actress Michael Learned, who had decided not to return to the series as a regular once her contract had expired. Olivia would make occasional return visits thereafter, but only in a guest star capacity. During Olivias absence, her cousin Rose Burton (Peggy Rea) took over her duties in the Walton household. As the series rolled along, the Walton kids matured and tried to find their purpose and place in the outside world. Mary Ellen became a nurse and married doctor Curtis Willard (Tom Bower), who was reported killed in the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor (it turned out that the report was erroneous, and Mary Ellen and Curtis were reunited in the final season); just before the war, however, Mary Ellen gave birth to a son named John Curtis. Elsewhere, Ben Walton eloped with a girl named Cindy Brunson (Leslie Winston) and later became the father of a daughter named Virginia. And Jason, who, like the rest of the Walton boys, had enlisted to serve in WW2, became engaged to a WAC named Toni Hazelton (played by Lisa Harrison, the real-life wife of the actor playing Jason, Jon Walmsley). Though The Waltons ended its CBS run on August 20, 1981, the property was revived with a trio of made-for-TV movies in 1982 and 1983, in which several loose plot strands were neatly knotted up; there was also a brace of specials in 1993 (A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion) and 1995 (A Walton Wedding). As big a hit in syndication as it had been on the network, The Waltons has in recent years been rebroadcast on the family-oriented PAX television network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide Includes seasons: The Waltons: Season 03: Set in Jefferson County, VA, in the year 1935 or thereabouts, season three of The Waltons opens with the two-parter The Conflict, in which oldest Walton son, John-Boy (Richard Thomas), is shot while trying to protect a relative. Fortunately he survives the ordeal and is packed off to his freshman year at Boatwright College right on schedule. Meanwhile, John-Boys mother, Olivia (Michael Learned), considers enrolling in art school, and his 15-year-old sister Mary Ellen (Judy Norton Taylor) makes the decision to become a nurse. Of the many individual story strands, there are a few standouts, notably the episode in which Grandpa and Grandma Walton (Will Geer and Ellen Corby) move off the family mountain after an argument with son John (Ralph Waite); and at seasons end, John is working himself into pneumonia while trying to keep his lumber mill active and prosperous in the depths of the depression. Also, the Waltons draw even closer together than unusual when Grandpa suffers a heart attack; and Ronnie Claire Edwards becomes a regular in the role of Corabeth Godsey, the alcoholic wife of storekeeper Ike Godsey (Joe Conley). ~ All Movie Guide Includes episodes: The Waltons: The Conflict, Part 1: Season Three of The Waltons begins with the first half of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single, two-hour episode). The great Beulah Bondi (she was James Stewarts mom in Its a Wonderful Life) guest stars as Aunt Martha, the elderly sister of Grandpa Walton (Will Geer). The US Government has evicted Martha and her family from their home, which is slated for demolition to make way for the Blue Ridge Parkway. Although she has been compensated with a new house and patch of land, Martha refuses to budge--and Grandpa and John-Boy (Richard Thomas) are pressed into service to halt the Government construction crew in its tracks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The First Day: Everything that can go wrong does go wrong as John-Boy (Richard Thomas) begins his freshman year at Boatwright College in the fall of 1934. Our hero unwittingly breaks long-standing rules, upsets protocol, misplaces important documents, and finds himself the victim of innumerable practical jokes perpetrated by the snobbish (and monumentally immature!) upper classmen. And back on Waltons Mountain, the younger Walton kids are none too pleased as Jason (Jon Walmsley) presumptively takes over the big brother role in John-Boys absence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The Thoroughbred: John-Boy (Richard Thomas) enters the family mule Blue in the annual cross-country race, in which his chief competition is the thoroughbred horse owned by his friend Carl (Brendan Burns). As the last member of the Walton family who actually won this race (way back in 1915!), Grandpa (Will Geer) hopes that John-Boy will benefit from his expertise--but Grandpa would have been better off advising the boy not to lose his sense of perspective (which he does rather quickly!) As it turns out, the real prize in this competition is the beautiful Selena Linville (Kathleen Quinlan), who happens to be riding on behalf of John-Boys rival. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The Runaway: When it seems as if nobody understands his grief over the death of the schoolroom guinea pig that had been left in his care, Jim-Bob (David W. Harper) runs away from home. Although he may be forced to miss a long-awaited public appearance by a prominent author, John-Boy (Richard Thomas) agrees to conduct a search for his missing brother. Ultimately, John-Boy catches up with Jim-Bob--and, much to his surprise, with the author! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The Romance: Impressed by Olivias painting skills, John (Ralph Waite) encourages her to sign up for a night-school art class. But he may have reason to regret this move when art teacher Joshua Williams (David Selby) falls in love with Olivia (Michael Learned)--and begins aggressively courting her. Meanwhile, Mary Ellen (Judy Norton-Taylor) goes on a date with a young man (Biff Warren) who wants to become a doctor, inspiring her to likewise consider a career in medicine...a notion that meets with considerable resistance from practically everyone! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The Ring: Rummaging through a second-hand purse which she has purchased in anticipation of going to a dance with John-Boys friend Mike (Ted Eccles), Mary Ellen (Judy Norton-Taylor) finds a valuable ring. Allowing vanity to get the better of her, Mary Ellen decides to wear the ring to the dance, even as its previous owner Mrs. Breckenride (Adrienne Marden) announces that the ring is missing. A crisis ensues when our heroine loses the ring somewhere in the school gym--necessitating a nocturnal burglary involving two of the Walton kids. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The System: While tutoring fellow student Tom Povich (Richard Masur), who is attending Boatwright on a football scholarship, John-Boy (Richard Thomas) catches Tom cheating on a history exam. Though hed sooner keep quiet, John-Boy is bound by the students honor code, which dictates that he himself will be given a failing grade unless he informs on Tom. This leads to an emotional denoument during a student council meeting, in which John-Boy tries to rationalize Toms actions and prevent the boy from being expelled. And in a similar development, Jason (Jon Walmsley) wonders if he should rat out his brother Ben (Eric Scott), whom he has caught smoking a cigarette! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The Spoilers: The Walton youngsters are impressed by the big-city sophistication of their new neighbors, the Hanovers. Having left his job as a New York stockbroker, Ted Hanover (Mark Miller) has moved to Waltons Mountain in order to impress upon his children the pleasures of living the simple life. Alas, the spoiled-rotten Hanover kids dont see things Teds way at all, and before long they have persuaded the Walton kids that theyre wasting their time living in the sticks. The situation reaches the crisis stage when Teds callow son Charles (David Gruner) tries to take advantage of innocent Erin Walton (Mary Elizabeth McDonough). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The Marathon: Over the protests of his mother Olivia (Michael Learned), John-Boy insists upon entering a seven-day dance marathon with a flightly young lass named Daisy (Deidre Lenihan in her first Waltons appearance). At first, John-Boy is dazzled by the glamour and spectacle of the event, but after a few footsore days on the dance floor he wishes that hed listened to his mother! In depicting the desperation and broken dreams of the other dance contestants, this episode is a worthy companion to the similarly-themed theatrical feature They Shoot Horses, Dont They? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The Book: John-Boy (Richard Thomas) is elated when a big-city publisher offers to assemble his short stories into a book. But elation turns to despair when John-Boy learns that he has been bamboozled by a vanity press and is expected to pay his own publication costs--and this after a public celebration has been arranged in his honor. Meanwhile, budding musician Jason (Jon Walmsley) prepares to make his professional debut with bandleader Bobby Bigelow (Mayf Nutter in his first series appearance). Featured in the guest cast is Kathy Cronkite, the daughter of CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The Job: Seeking out of a part-time job, John-Boy (Richard Thomas) is hired as a reader for Ruth Thomas (Elaine Heiveil), who was recently blinded in an accident. Bitter over her plight and angry at the world, Ruth rejects all of John-Boys efforts to be friendly, convinced that he is only acting out of pity. Finally, John-Boy gets fed up with Ruths attitude and tells her off--with startling results. This is one of several Waltons episodes directed by celebrated stage and film actor Ivan Dixon, best known to Baby Boomers as Kinchloe on Hogans Heroes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The Departure: Feeling somewhat confined and limited on Waltons Mountain, John (Ralph Waite) briefly takes leave of his family and accepts a shipyard job in faraway Norfolk. He finds temporary lodging in a boarding house managed by an attractive widow, Mrs. Champion (Joanna Moore). He also finds unexpected trouble when another of the male boarders jealously jumps to the conclusion that John has designs on his landlady! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The Visitor: Veteran Hollywood leading man John Beal guest stars as Mason Beardley, an old friend of Grandpa Walton (Will Geer). When Grandpas family offers to fix up Masons house, he is delighted, jubilantly declaring that it will be perfect for his wife, whom he expects to show up on the Mountain at any time. But theres something very odd about Masons obsessive devotion to his missing spouse...and it takes the intervention of his son James (George Garro) to clear up this oddness. Meanwhile, Elizabeth (Kami Cotler) causes havoc in the Walton household when she insists she has an invisible friend. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The Birthday: On the eve of his 73rd birthday, Grandpa Walton (Will Geer) suffers a heart attack. Though the attack proves to be a mild one, it has a devastating effect on Grandpa, who has completely lost his will to live. As the rest of the family deploys some rather unorthodox methods to restore Grandpa to his usual cantankerous self, Grandma (Ellen Corby) begins entertaining thoughts of a tropical vacation once the crisis passes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The Lie: To help his friend Nancy (Cindy Fisher) pay a clandestine visit to her scandalous mother in Charlottesville, Ben (Eric Scott) secretly borrows John-Boys car. Unfortunately, the vehicle is stolen, and is later involved in a hit-and-run accident. Bens refusal to reveal the reason for his Charlottesville trip may result in big trouble for both himself and the hapless John-Boy (Richard Thomas). Featured as one of the carjackers is a young Susan Blu, later to become one of the TV industrys busiest cartoon-voiceover directors. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The Matchmakers: Ronnie Claire Edwards makes her first series appearance as Johns insufferably proper cousin Corabeth. Hoping to get the woman out of his house, John (Ralph Waite) attempts to play matchmaker between Corabeth and local storekeeper Ike Godsey (Joe Conley)--but will these two opposites attract? Meanwhile, Johns daughter Erin (Mary Elizabeth McDonough), no longer a little girl but not yet a woman, begins to brood over her role in the Walton family...and in the world. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The Beguiled: Darleen Carr is cast as flighty rich girl Sis Bradford, who regards college as just another lark. Having skipped most of her classes, Sis ends up stealing John-Boys study notes just before an important exam. Meanwhile, Jim-Bobs new friend Danny (Willie Aames), the product of an unhappy home, begins spending all his time at the Walton house. The episodes two subplots collide head-on when Danny is blamed for Sis Bradfords act of thievery--and Dannys cruel father forces him to apologize for his crime. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The Caretakers: Feeling unwanted by the rest of the family, Grandpa (Will Geer) and Grandma (Ellen Corby) move out of the Walton house and into the home of Grandpas friend Henry Townsend (Dan Priest). When Henry is forced to take leave, the two elder Waltons are desperately lonely--but both are too stubborn and proud to admit the fact. Meanwhile, John (Ralph Waite) struggles to fill a huge lumber order with the dubious help of Grandpas klutzy temporary replacement Easy Jackson (Britt Leach). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The Shivaree: Olivia Waltons namesake Young Olivia (Deborah White) brings her city-bred husband Bob (Bruce Davison) to Waltons Mountain for their wedding. Realizing that Bob would neither understand nor appreciate the old mountain custom of the shivaree, in which the local boys kidnap the groom on his wedding night, John-Boy calls off this traditional event. But John-Boys prankish friends Ike (Joe Conley) and Yancy (Robert Donner) are determined to go through with the shivaree anyway--and as a result, Young Olivias marriage is nearly over before it begins. Director Lee Philipsappears as a minister. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The Choice: Now that hes had a taste of performing with Bobby Bigelows band, Jason (Jon Walmsley) aspires to a career in music. But father John (Ralph Waite), who has plans of expanding his lumber business as Walton and Sons, is dead set against Jason pursuing his dream. Thus, when the opportunity arises to land a music scholarship with the prestigious Klineberg Conservatory, Jason must send in his application without Johns knowledge. The inevitable father-son clash is tempered somewhat by a disinterested third party: namely, John-Boy (Richard Thomas). Jon Walmsley performs his own composition, The Maiden and the Soldier, in this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The Statue: Grandma (Ellen Corby) blows her top when Grandpa (Will Geer) comes home with a statue that hes won in a raffle. The statue bears a startling resemblance to one of Grandpas old girlfriends, which of course is why he insists upon keeping it...and never mind the consequences! Elsewhere, Emily Baldwin (Mary Jackson) is outraged when John-Boy (Richard Thomas) weaves her romantic fantasies into one of his short stories. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The Song: Hoping to woo and win a girl named Sally Ann Harper (played by Happy Days Erin Moran), Ben (Eric Scott) recommends her to Jason (Jon Walmsley) as a band singer, and even suggests that she introduce Jasons latest song Will You Be Mine (actually written by Walmsley). The scheme backfires disastrously (and predictably!) when Sally falls in love with Jason instead. As the romantic rivalry between the two brothers intensifies, Grandpa (Will Geer) and John (Ralph Waite) likewise have trouble seeing eye-to-eye during a billiard competition. This episode was directed by series regular Richard Thomas (John-Boy). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The Woman: Assigned to escort visiting poet Madeline Bennett (Laura Campbell) during her visit to Boatwright University, John-Boy (Richard Thomas) ends up falling in love with her--and despite the fact that she is several years older, he seriously considers dropping out of college in order to marry her. And in another matter of the heart, John (Ralph Waite) and Olivia (Michael Learned) plan to celebrate their 20th anniversary by holding the real wedding they feel they never had. 1930s film favorite and future Titanic costar Gloria Stuart appears as a saleswoman; and keep an eye out for Kathy Cronkite, daughter of CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide The Waltons: The Venture: The future of the Waltons lumber business is jeopardized when, just after spending a huge sum of money for new equipment, John Walton (Ralph Waite) is stricken with pneumonia. Now that the head of the household is incapacitated, will John-Boy (Richard Thomas) give up his writing career and Jason (Jon Walmsley forsake his music scholarship in order to take over the business? Not if storekeeper Ike Godsey (Joe Conley) has anything to say about it! This is the final episode of The Waltons third season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide