We have continued to watch the Waltons.  We now own the first three seasons, of which we have seen the entire first season and about half of the second.  The show has become a part of our daily rhythm, and we feel enriched by watching it.

John Boy is the central character of the show, and Richard Thomas plays his role impeccably. (Does this mean “without peccadillos”?)  Despite his strengths, which include wisdom beyond his eighteen years, the ability to communicate with his elders, compassion, and intelligence, John Boy is not perfect.  His flaws, including a quick temper and a sometimes urgent narcissism, especially where girls are involved, actually strengthen him as a character, and prevents the show from sinking into John Boy worship.  He is a boy on the cusp of manhood.  (One girl asks him, exasperated, “Why can’t you be John Man?”)  He is a person at the beginning of his life as a man, and the world is opening up to him as a man and as a writer.

“Miss” Michael Learned as mother Olivia is my next favorite character.  Besides being beautiful, she is wise and compassionate, yet grounded in the reality of raising a family of eleven (two parents, seven children, and two grandparents).  She is always busy with cooking, food preparation, sewing, and other household chores.  At the time of the filming of this show Learned was thirty, but convincingly played the part of a forty year old.  Interestingly, Thomas was twenty-one playing down to eighteen.  In reality the two were only nine years apart in age!

In a remarkable episode entitled “The Air Mail Man”, Olivia for the first time voices doubt about her place in the world and the importance of her life.  It is her birthday (which one is not disclosed, but it may well be forty), and her grounding in her marriage and her children are called into question by the reality of aging.  She also has a fascination with flying, and her doubts are finally swept away by the love of her family and a serendipitous chance to fly in an airplane for the first time.  A wonderful story, well told and well acted.

Ralph Waite as the independent-minded, hard working father John, is a realistic and textured character.  His face and expressions remind me often of Russell Crowe, and he identifies so strongly with the character of John that it is easy to forget that he is an actor.  This is actually true of all of the members of the cast, including guest stars.  Even the younger children are spot-on in their performances.  The authenticity of the cast is remarkable.

Credit must be given to the writers and directors.  The show was able to attract an exceptional group of both, and the results are exceptional.  Each forty-eight minute episode plays like a movie, with the intricacies and plot twists which you would expect from a feature-length film.  There is no “fluff” in the story-telling.  As soon as one thread has been explored, the story cuts to the next.  Each episode is multithreaded, usually with parallelism between threads.  For example, the episode “The Triangle” followed a jealous relationship between John Boy, his teacher, and the town’s reverend, while a similar situation is taking place with younger brother Ben.  The correspondences are not harped upon, but the stories told directly and with a charming openness.  Most of the episodes bring tears to our eyes, giving a lovely feeling of catharsis which often washes away the tensions of the workday.

All five of the adult actors in the show were recognized with Emmy awards, including Learned, and grandma Ellen Corby, who both won three times.  In its first season the show was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series, as well as a Peabody award.  These awards were well-deserved.

Unfortunately, they don’t make shows like this anymore.  Fortunately, we can still watch them in much the same form as we did originally in the seventies.  These shows are durable, and will be watched for a long time.

At least by us.

Thanks for reading.