Recently I stumbled upon a series on Amazon called The Americans. I watched the first three episodes (probably won't keep watching)--and spied an actor who looked familiar. Is that Richard Thomas? I wondered. Sure enough--there was John Boy on a spy movie!
That sent me down the Rabbit Hole of internet searches: What has happened to Richard Thomas, Ralph Waite, Will Geer, and Michael Learned? I watched several short interviews on Youtube with Michael Learned who played Olivia, the mother of the seven kids, who talked about their on-screen life in the multigenerational household near Charlottesville, Virginia, from the Depression to World War II.
When my children were little, we didn't have a TV for several years. Then I discovered The Waltons on somebody else's TV and my parents bought us a television so we could watch it. My kids and I went to K-Mart to buy the big, heavy boxy TV, rushed home and unpacked it, and watched my then-favorite program. Every Thursday night at seven, we three watched it. As the end of each episode approached, Day and Will looked at me grinning, knowing I'd be in tears!
In the Seventies, that was the life I wanted--that big house, grandparents and children all living together. I wanted to be Olivia, married to John. And I wanted five other children to go with my two!
If I watched the episodes again, I doubt I would cry--but I'd watch closely to see what made me teary all those years ago. Each episode was always a story in which conflicts were resolved, everyone working together to solve the crisis of the week. John Walton was the epitome of kindness and fatherly wisdom. At the end of the day, you could hear all the children and parents saying, "Goodnight" to each other.
One of the clips I watched last night was a speech by Ralph Waite at a Waltons reunion. He talked about the fact that his real life was in disarray (too much drinking, divorce, bad behavior on his part) when he began playing John and how his role in The Waltons inspired him to be a man like the father and husband he played on screen.
During my sentimental journey, I learned that Will Geer (Grandpa) had the same birthday as Nathan--March 9th. Both Grandpa and Grandma have died. And even John--Ralph Waite--died in 2014. If Day and Will had been here, they'd have noticed I had tears in my eyes!
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