thewaltons

Book Vs Movie: “The Homecoming: A Christmas Story” (1971)
The Basis of the Waltons TV Series Started as a TV Movie!

The Margos decided to get into the Depression-era holiday spirit with a look at “The Homecoming: A Christmas Story,” which was written by author & creator of The Waltons TV series--Earl Hamner, Jr. Hamner has a fascinating career as a writer with several scripts of “The Twilight Zone” including the famous The Bewitchin’ Pool, (the very last episode of the original American series.) He also created the 80s TV nighttime soap Falcon Crest!) In between, he wrote the 1961 novel Spencer’s Mountain, which became a movie starring Henry Fonda and Maureen O’Hara as Clay and Olivia Spencer. They play a couple living in the Grand Teton Mountains in Wyoming, and their eldest son “Clay-Boy” is set to become the first in his family to go to college. Ten years later, he wrote “The Homecoming,” which told a similar story with a twist--the Walton family was based in the Blue Ridge mountains during the depression. The TV movie was on December 19, 1971, in the U.S. and was such a big hit--it was immediately turned into a TV series. Hamner narrated every episode, which ran for almost ten years, and started the phrase “goodnight John-Boy!” In this episode, the Margos talk about the author, his original novella, and the 1971 TV movie, and try to decide which we like better. Have a listen! In this ep the Margos discuss:

• The interesting life of Earl Hamner, Jr.
• The casting of Patricia Neal as Olivia Walton and why she was not hired for the series
• The major differences between the movie and the novella
• The cast: Patricia Neal (Olivia Walton,) Richard Thomas (John-Boy Walton,) Edgar Bergen (Grandpa Walton,) Dorothy Stickney (Grandma Walton, ) Cleavon Little (Hawthorne Dooley,) Andrew Duggan (Big John Walton,) and Judy Norton (Mary Ellen Walton.)

Clips used:

• The Homecoming trailer
• An early ad for The Homecoming
• Olivia Walton is suspicious of John-Boy
• Earl Hamner, Jr opening scene narration

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Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com Margo P. @ShesNachoMama https://coloniabook.weebly.com/

Here’s an inspiring, free-flowing conversation with this generation’s most gifted and dynamic actress-singer.

Linda Purl grew up in Japan and when she returned to the U.S. in her late teens as a trained actress, she quickly came to the attention of audiences nationwide in the long-running TV soap The Secret Storm.

That was the beginning of an incomparable career that has earned her hundreds of film and television credits including iconic roles in classic TV series (“Happy Days,” “The Waltons,” “Matlock”) and starring gigs in prime-time network series like “The Oath,” and “The Office."

In this interview, you'll hear Linda laugh and moan as Bob reminds her that he wrote and produced "another failed pilot,", as well as the series "Robin's Hoods," both starring Linda.

When she wasn’t in front of the cameras, Linda has been a regular on- and off-Broadway appearing in everything from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Merchant of Venice to The Year of Magical Thinking and  The King and I.

Linda’s latest career moves have her making big waves as a recording artist and cabaret singer.  With multiple solo concert appearances in New York, Los Angeles, and Tokyo, her CDs Midnight Caravan, Taking a Chance on Love, and Up Jumped Spring are destined to become classics.