Nominated for 15 Golden Globes and 25
Emmys, including two for Outstanding Drama Series, The
Waltons enjoyed nine seasons of high audience ratings and
notable critical acclaim. Premiering on CBS in the Fall of
1972, the hour-long drama series chronicled the lives of a
tightly-knit mountain family living during the Depression
era. Creator Earl Hamner Jr. based The Waltons on his
true-to-life story of growing up in the Hamner family.
Noted for its family-oriented subject matter (and absence
of torrid sex and violence), The Waltons paved the way for
the success of the popular TV series Little House On The
Prairie (1974). And, in the aftermath of the cancellation
of The Beverly Hillbillies (1962) and Green Acres (1965),
proved wrong the assertion of some CBS executives that
shows with rural settings were becoming unpopular.
Celebrated for its raw depiction of the human experience,
The Waltons towers above modern day television dramas by
laying claim to the added weight today's critics give to
"realism" in a series while simultaneously
avoiding the bad language, adult content, and gratuitous
violence that often accompany those shows which earn such
a designation…
The Waltons follows the daily lives
of the various members of the Walton family as they make a
living working their humble saw mill on Walton's Mountain
in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Set in the
1930's, the series unfolds through the eyes of John Boy
(Richard Thomas). An aspiring writer, John Boy chronicles
life on Walton Mountain where his parents, John Sr. (Ralph
Waite) and Olivia (Michael Learned), raise their seven
children (John Boy, Jason, Mary Ellen, Erin, Ben, Jim-Bob,
and Elizabeth) with the aid of live-in grandparents Esther
(Ellen Corby) and Zeb (Will Greer) Walton. A wide array of
supporting characters live near the Waltons, including
Reverend Fordwick (portrayed by Three's Company star John
Ritter), the Godseys, the Baldwins, and various others. As
the trials of the Great Depression fade into the
tribulations of World War II, the Waltons connect with
every facet of the human experience - love, marriage,
birth, death, aging, social ills, and the numerous
travails of life, making The Waltons one of the most
popular shows in television history…
The Waltons (Season 1) DVD features
a number of memorable episodes including the series
premiere "The Foundling" in which a young girl
named Holly is left on the doorstep of the Walton family.
Following a checkup with the family pediatrician, they
learn that Holly is deaf. John Boy takes the initiative
and teaches Holly a form of sign language so the two can
communicate, a skill which proves to be quite important
when Holly warns the family that its youngest member is in
urgent danger… Other notable episodes from Season 1
include "The Literary Man" in which John Boy
meets noted author A.J. Covington when the truck breaks
down, and "The Courtship" in which Olivia's
Uncle Cody falls in love with a four-time divorcee when he
comes to visit the family…
Below is a list of episodes included
on The Waltons (Season 1) DVD:
Episode 1 (The Foundling) Air Date:
09-14-1972
Episode 2 (The Carnival) Air Date: 09-21-1972
Episode 3 (The Calf) Air Date: 09-28-1972
Episode 4 (The Hunt) Air Date: 10-05-1972
Episode 5 (The Typewriter) Air Date: 10-12-1972
Episode 6 (The Star) Air Date: 10-19-1972
Episode 7 (The Sinner) Air Date: 10-26-1972
Episode 8 (The Boy from the C.C.C.) Air Date: 11-02-1972
Episode 9 (The Ceremony) Air Date: 11-09-1972
Episode 10 (The Legend) Air Date: 11-16-1972
Episode 11 (The Literary Man) Air Date: 11-30-1972
Episode 12 (The Dust Bowl Cousins) Air Date: 12-07-1972
Episode 13 (The Reunion) Air Date: 12-14-1972
Episode 14 (The Minstrel) Air Date: 12-21-1972
Episode 15 (The Actress) Air Date: 01-04-1973
Episode 16 (The Fire) Air Date: 01-11-1973
Episode 17 (The Love Story) Air Date: 01-18-1973
Episode 18 (The Courtship) Air Date: 01-25-1973
Episode 19 (The Gypsies) Air Date: 02-01-1973
Episode 20 (The Deed) Air Date: 02-08-1973
Episode 21 (The Scholar) Air Date: 02-22-1973
Episode 22 (The Bicycle) Air Date: 03-01-1973
Episode 23 (The Townie) Air Date: 03-08-1973
Episode 24 (An Easter Story: Part 1) Air Date: 04-19-1973
Episode 25 (An Easter Story: Part 2) Air Date: 04-19-1973
