The Waltons Season 1 (1972)

Revisited

Review

The Waltons premiered on the CBS network on 14 September 1972 with the final episode airing on 4 June 1981. The series was based on creator Earl Hamner Jr’s book Spencer’s Mountain which focused on his childhood in Schuyler, Nelson County, Virginia. Hamner also served as the narrator of each episode as an adult John Boy looking back at his childhood and revealing the future of certain characters. Spread over nine seasons, the show followed the lives of the family from 1933 to 1946 as they endured the hardships of the Great Depression and World War II. The series would become iconic for ending each episode with the family saying goodnight to each other while the camera was focused on the house itself. When the show ended in 1981, the story was continued in six movies but there were significant continuity errors that confused fans of the series.

The first season consisted of 25 episodes which aired from 14 September 1972 to 19 April 1973 and the first few episodes concentrated mainly on the Walton family itself with the cast of children being retained from the movie, The Homecoming, that was filmed in 1971 with Patricia Neale as Olivia Walton and Andrew Duggan as John Walton Sr. When the series was commissioned, Patricia Neale was replaced by Michael Learned who was billed as Miss Michael Learned so no one would be confused by her name. As Patricia Neale had previously suffered a stroke, Hamner was uncertain how she would cope on a long-running series, however it is hard to picture anyone else in the role than Michael Learned who played Olivia as a much gentler character. Using the same children was a stroke of genius as they already had great chemistry with each other and were believable as siblings.

The Waltons are a large family, consisting of John, Olivia, and their seven children: John Boy, Jason, Mary Ellen, Ben, Erin, Jim Bob and Elizabeth. They live with John’s elderly parents, Zebulon and Esther, on Walton’s Mountain, in the fictitious Jefferson County, Virginia. The Waltons have lived in the Blue Ridge Mountains for generations and from time to time they are visited by extended family who still live by the old ways which goes a long way in selling the notion that there is a family legacy there for John Boy to exploit in his writing. The family are supported by a range of recurring characters, such as Ike Godsey who runs the general store, Ep Bridges, the local sheriff, and the Baldwin sisters who maintain their late father’s famous Recipe which is actually moonshine. The sisters are unaware of this though, believing it to be a medicinal elixir, and their neighbours aren’t about to tell them the truth.

In the first episode, The Foundling, a little deaf girl, Holly (Erica Hunton), is left on the family’s doorstep and taken in by them until they can find her a foster home. However, Olivia is loathe to part with the girl as she knows she will be overlooked in the system and persuades John to let her stay. Despite not having much themselves, the Waltons have a good sized home and enough food on the table so the story reflects their compassion for others. Mary Ellen tries to teach Holly sign language but doesn’t have much success so it is up to John Boy to make the breakthrough. I have to admit this is one of the niggles I have about the show in that John Boy is always shown to be the one who knows best and has everyone relying on him. The family’s poverty is highlighted in the second episode, The Carnival, where the children save up their money to see the show but have to sacrifice it when Grandma breaks her glasses. When four members of the carnival stay behind, they befriend the Waltons and out on a special show for the children. The episode also highlights the wanderlust that is beginning with John Boy who is excited to hear about their adventures and Olivia knows it is only time before he leaves them.

In The Typewriter, John Boy is encouraged to submit a story to a magazine by his teacher, Rosemary Hunter, but they return it to him as they do not accept anything handwritten so he borrows an old typewriter from the Baldwin sisters. The typewriter is accidentally sent for scrap when Mary Ellen clears out the old shed and all sorts of shenanigans ensue as she hunts it down. The episode is more pivotal for the heartwarming scenes between John Boy and Grandma who tells him she has nothing to give him except the stories from her family so it is obvious that John Boy’s writing ability has come from her side. I loved how Ellen Corby played Grandma with a touch of sass but she has a good heart amongst all that spice and stops everything from being too saccharine. It is evident that Olivia and Grandma disapprove of the Baldwin sisters, knowing about The Recipe, but the truth is revealed to the viewers in the following episode, The Star, where their cousin tries to exploit it for gain. The Baldwin sisters are loveable in their eccentricity and innocence.

Reverend Matthew Fordwick is introduced in The Sinner where he is fresh out of the seminary and had some very set ideas on morality which causes tension between Olivia and John which will carry on throughout the series. While Olivia and Grandma are both staunch Baptists, John and Grandpa are sceptical about the doctrine of the church and worship God in their own way. Matthew is very young and does not understand why people are so put off with his fundamentalism and John Boy tries to get him to lighten up to no avail. Things change when Matthew innocently partakes of The Recipe and shocks his parishioners with his drunkenness. Deeply ashamed, Matthew refuses to attend the all day service and has to be persuaded to go by John which is a nice touch considering how he feels about the whole thing. Matthew begs forgiveness from the congregation and is finally welcomed into the community.

The Second World War may still be a few years away but we are reminded of the dangers in Germany when a Jewish family arrive on the mountain. Professor Mann (Noah Keen), who taught at Berlin University, became fearful of how the Jews were being treated and has brought his family to the United States where they will be safer. When Jim Bob accidentally breaks one of their windows, the Manns believe they are being targeted and decide to stop practicing their faith openly which upsets their son, Paul (Radames Pera), who is due to celebrate his bar mitzvah. Hearing the story, John Boy decides to take Paul to Charlottesville to see a rabbi but this upsets Professor Mann greatly. Paul eventually runs away and refuses to go home. When Jim Bob confesses to breaking the window, Professor Mann realises it was just an accident and allows Paul to have his bar mitzvah at the Walton house. This won’t be the only episode to highlight the dark shadows that are looming across Europe and it is important for it to remain in people’s minds.

We also get a reminder that not everyone is faring as well as the Waltons during the Great Depression as Cousin Cora Denby (Jay McIntosh), her husband, Ham (Warren Vanders) and their son, Job (Ken Wolger) arrive unexpectedly in The Dust Bowl Cousins and cause a lot of trouble. The Denbys have lost their farm in Kansas and Ham has set his sights on claiming the meadow that has been given to John Boy but Cora tells her husband that her father was a wanderer who sold any rights he ever had to Walton land so they have no claim. Realising they have outlived their welcome, the Denbys move and finally settle in Mohawk County, New York, where they start a new farm. When you look at the size of the Walton house and the possessions they have, you realise that things haven’t always been a struggle for them.

The season ends with the two-part, An Easter Story, where Olivia contracts polio and loses the use of her legs which leaves her bedridden. While the community rally around to help, Erin finds it hard seeing her mother struck down and refuses to go see her with the other children. Undaunted by her illness, Olivia encourages the children to pursue their dreams and John Boy heads to the university where he meets a professor who is studying polio. The professor visits Olivia and tells her about a radical new therapy being conducted by a Sister Kenny in Australia and Olivia is keen to try it out. As the therapy yields no results, Olivia despairs of never being able to walk again and it upsets John Boy so much he heads up into the mountain to vent his anger. The following day, Olivia calls for her children and they rush into her bedroom to see her standing by the window. Later, the family attend the outdoor Easter service in gratitude for Olivia’s recovery. This two-parter is a strong end to the first season and there are some very fine performances from all concerned.

Further Reading

Explore the characters and books that inspired the series

  • John Boy Walton (Richard Thomas)
  • John Walton (Ralph Waite)
  • Olivia Walton (Michael Learned)
  • Grandpa Zebulon Walton (Will Geer)
  • Grandma Esther Walton (Ellen Corby)
  • Jason Walton (Jon Walmsley)
  • Mary Ellen Walton (Judy Norton-Taylor)
  • Ben Walton (Eric Scott)
  • Erin Walton (Mary Elizabeth McDonough)
  • Jim Bob Walton (David W Harper)
  • Elizabeth Walton (Kami Cotler)
  • Ike Godsey (Joe Conley)
  • Sheriff Ep Bridges (John Crawford)
  • Miss Mamie Baldwin (Helen Kleeb)
  • Miss Emily Baldwin (Mary Jackson)
  • Rev. Matthew Fordwick (John Ritter)
  • Rosemary Hunter (Mariclare Costello)
  • 1:01 The Foundling
  • 1:02 The Carnival
  • 1:03 The Calf
  • 1:04 The Hunt
  • 1:05 The Typewriter
  • 1:06 The Star
  • 1:07 The Sinner
  • 1:08 The Boy from the CCC
  • 1:09 The Ceremony
  • 1:10 The Legend
  • 1:11 The Literary Man
  • 1:12 The Dust Bowl Cousins
  • 1:13 The Reunion
  • 1:14 The Minstrel
  • 1:15 The Actress
  • 1:16 The Fire
  • 1:17 The Love Story
  • 1:18 The Courtship
  • 1:19 The Gypsies
  • 1:20 The Deed
  • 1:21 The Scholar
  • 1:22 The Bicycle
  • 1:23 The Townie
  • 1:24 An Easter Story Part I
  • 1:25 An Easter Story Part II
  • JOHN BOY WALTON: John Boy is the eldest of the Walton children who has ambitions of becoming a great writer. The character is about seventeen years old in the first season and is based on the Earl Hamner Jr who narrates the show as the adult version of the character who is reflecting back on his childhood on Walton’s Mountain. John Boy is constantly observing those around him and recording his thoughts in his journal. As the eldest child, his parents rely on him to help with the younger children which can make a tad bossy.
  • JOHN WALTON SNR: John is a hardworking man who makes his living by running the family sawmill on his property which earns him enough money to feed and clothe his large family. John is the only saving child of Zebulon and Esther since the death of his brother during the First World War. As a result of the war, John was unable to attend college and is determined his own children will have every opportunity to follow their dreams. John is ambivalent about religion and does not attend church much to the chagrin of Olivia.
  • OLIVIA DALY WALTON: While being a devoted wife and mother, Olivia is gentle by nature but has a core of steel which serves her well when the family is beset by one crisis after another. A devout Baptist, Olivia has a strict moral code which is often tested by the adventures of her offspring. Olivia also has a dreamy side as shown by her love for art and her desire to experience new things.
  • ZEBULON TYLER WALTON: Zebulon is the patriarch of the family and the father of John with whom he works in the family sawmill. Grandpa has a mischievous streak that endears him to his grandchildren but often earns him the disapproval of his wife Esther. A self-confessed flirt, Grandpa likes to spend time with the Baldwin sisters while partaking of their father’s recipe (moonshine).
  • ESTHER MORGAN WALTON: Esther is the matriarch of the family and the mother of John. She is a feisty woman and her grandchildren often find themselves on the wrong end of her sharp tongue but she is a much loved and devout woman. Grandma has plenty of wisdom to share with those who need it and it appears John Boy inherited his love for the written word from her.
  • JASON WALTON: Jason is the second child of John and Olivia who was born in 1918 while his father was serving in France during the First World War. Jason is fifteen in the first season which makes him two years younger than his older brother John Boy to whom he is particularly close. Jason is a sensitive soul who has a great love for music and he can play many instruments.
  • MARY ELLEN WALTON: Mary Ellen is the third child and eldest daughter of John and Olivia who is about thirteen in the first season. A tomboy at heart, Mary Ellen would rather play baseball with her brothers rather than wear a dress despite her ambition to become a movie star. At an awkward age, Mary Ellen is often rebellious and believes no one understands her.
  • BEN WALTON: Ben is the fourth child born to John and Olivia and was named after his father’s late brother who was killed during the Great War. About twelve in the first season, Ben has a fiery temper to match his red hair and appears to be developing a love for money making schemes that often get him into trouble.
  • ERIN ESTHER WALTON: Erin is the fifth child born to John and Olivia who is about eleven in the first season. Erin is said to be the prettiest of the Walton daughters but she is prissy and a tattle tale which often puts her at odds with Mary Ellen.
  • JAMES ROBERT WALTON: Jim Bob is the sixth child born to John and Olivia who is about nine years old in the first season. Jim Bob has a great propensity for all things mechanical and longs to fly planes when he is older. We later find out that Jim Bob was the only Walton child to be born in a hospital as there were complications when he was born which resulted in the loss of his twin Joseph Zebulon Walton who was stillborn.
  • ELIZABETH TYLER WALTON: Elizabeth is the youngest child born to John and Olivia, and is about five years old in the first season. As the baby of the family, Elizabeth is often spoiled by the others but she is a sweet-natured child.
  • IKE GODSEY: Ike is a close friend of the Walton family who owns the only general store and post office on the mountain. A good-natured man, Ike is often a good source of local gossip.
  • SHERIFF EP BRIDGES: A veteran of the First World War, Ep is a widower with two grown sons and a close friend to John Walton and Ike Godsey.
  • MAMIE BALDWIN: Miss Mamie is the elder of the spinster Baldwin sisters and much more sensible than her younger sister. The Baldwin sisters live in their late father’s colonial mansion where they continue to make “The Recipe” unaware it is actually moonshine. The rest of the inhabitants of Walton’s Mountain know the truth but they never mention it.
  • EMILY BALDWIN: Miss Emily is the younger of the spinster Baldwin sisters and more eccentric than her older sister. Miss Emily often talks about her old beau, Ashley Longworth, who she hoped to marry but he disappeared from her life with no explanation.
  • REV MATTHEW FORDWICK: A distant cousin of the Baldwin sisters, Matthew arrives on the mountain as the new Baptist minister but he has a strict and fundamental style that does not sit well with many of his flock. After he innocently partakes of The Recipe and gets drunk, Matthew lightens up considerably and becomes a much loved member of the community.
  • ROSEMARY HUNTER: Rosemary is Walton Mountain’s only teacher and she teaches several of the Walton children, however she has a soft spot for John Boy and she encourages him to pursue his dream of becoming a writer.