Walton's Mountain
John-Boy Walton will turn 70 next year. Not the character, but Richard Thomas, the guy who played him. The real-life person he was based on, Earl Hamner, Jr., passed away several years ago at the ripe old age of 92.
It doesn't seem right that a teenage character from a show I watched as a child is closing in on 70 years. Of course, the actor was actually in his 20s when the show was airing. Being 5 years old when it finished up it's prime-time run, most of my fond memories of the show came in the early 80s re-runs when Thomas was already in his 30s.
Everybody found something they liked about the family up on Walton's Mountain, even if it was just imposed nostalgia. The stories my parents and grandparents told made it seem like those characters were part of the family for an hour. John-Boy was the main character and narrator for most of the show's run. That's probably why I identified with him, although it could have been because he didn't exactly think the same as most of those around him.
It doesn't seem right that a teenage character from a show I watched as a child is closing in on 70 years. Of course, the actor was actually in his 20s when the show was airing. Being 5 years old when it finished up it's prime-time run, most of my fond memories of the show came in the early 80s re-runs when Thomas was already in his 30s.
Everybody found something they liked about the family up on Walton's Mountain, even if it was just imposed nostalgia. The stories my parents and grandparents told made it seem like those characters were part of the family for an hour. John-Boy was the main character and narrator for most of the show's run. That's probably why I identified with him, although it could have been because he didn't exactly think the same as most of those around him.
posted by Tonewah at 8:19 PM
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