
For nine seasons on CBS, The Waltons was a part of a weekly tradition for television viewers. It was a staple of Thursday nights for so long that many were a little lost when it finally went off the air in 1981.
Based on the Spencer’s Mountain book by Earl Hamner Jr. and a 1963 Henry Fonda movie of the same name, The Waltons revolves around a large family living in rural Virginia during the Depression and World War II. The family, living on Walton’s Mountain, is comprised of John and Olivia Walton (Ralph Waite and Michael Learned), their seven children, and John’s parents, Zebulon “Zeb” and Esther Walton (Will Geer and Ellen Corby). The story is seen primarily through the eyes of John “John Boy” Walton (Richard Thomas), an aspiring writer and the eldest son. The other children are played by Jon Walmsley, Mary Beth McDonough, Eric Scott, Judy Norton-Taylor, David W. Harper, and Kami Cotler.







