Is The Waltons Based on a True Story? Plot and Ending Explained
by Hemalatha R | Updated May 02, 2023
Is The Waltons Based on a True Story?
The Waltons was a popular TV show that aired in the 1970s and was based on the life of author Earl Hamner Jr.'s family. Hamner's family included his grandparents, parents, and siblings, who lived in a small home in Schuyler, Virginia. The family struggled financially as Hamner's father worked as a coal miner and factory worker until jobs ran out.
The show depicted life in the 1930s in the fictitious rural community of Walton's Mountain, Virginia. The family was portrayed as a large, dignified, salt-of-the-earth rural white family consisting of grandparents, parents, and seven children.
The show was seen as an antidote to the problem-ridden urban families portrayed in socially relevant sitcoms such as All in the Family, Maude, or Sanford and Son. While The Waltons may have seemed irrelevant to the social upheaval of the era in which it was broadcast, it was, in fact, a positive statement on the affirmation of man.
According to Hamner, audiences in all entertainment media had been brutalized by crudities, vulgarity, violence, indifference, and ineptitude. The Waltons aimed to make an honest, positive statement on the affirmation of man.
While The Waltons was a sanitized version of the Great Depression, it did not hint at the squalor or debased living conditions usually associated with poverty. The production notes emphasized that although The Waltons were poor, there should be no hint of squalor or debased living conditions.
The Waltons was based on real people - Hamner's family, his grandparents, parents, and siblings. The show portrayed a dignified, rural white family in the 1930s and was seen as an antidote to the problem-ridden urban families portrayed in socially relevant sitcoms of the time. While it was a sanitized version of the Great Depression, it was a positive statement on the affirmation of man.
The Waltons Plot
The Waltons is a television drama series about the Walton family who live in rural Virginia during the 1930s and 1940s. The show centers around John-Boy, the oldest of the seven children who becomes a journalist and novelist. Each episode is narrated by a middle-aged John Jr., voiced by author Earl Hamner, on whom John-Boy is based.
John Sr. manages to support his family by operating a lumber mill with the help of his sons as they grow older. The family income is supplemented by small-scale farming, and John occasionally hunts to put meat on the table. As times grow tough, the children depart from their carefree youth and into the harsh, demanding world of adulthood and responsibility.
The family shares hospitality with relatives and strangers as they are able. Their small community is also home to folk of various income levels, ranging from the well-to-do Baldwin sisters who distill moonshine, to an African-American couple, and a good-hearted handyman with big plans but little motivation.
Jefferson County sheriff Ep Bridges, who fought alongside John in World War I, keeps law and order in Walton's Mountain. The entire family attends a Baptist church, of which Olivia and Grandma Esther are the most regular attendees.
After completing high school, John-Boy attends Boatwright University in the nearby town of Westham. He later goes to New York City to work as a journalist. During the series' last few years, the children start their own families, and World War II deeply affects the family.
All four Walton boys enlist in the military, and Mary Ellen's physician husband, Curtis Curt Willard, is sent to Pearl Harbor and is reported to have perished in the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941. Mary Ellen later finds him alive but brooding over his war wounds and living under an assumed name. She divorces him and later remarries.
Olivia becomes a volunteer at the VA hospital and is seen less and less. She eventually develops tuberculosis and enters an Arizona sanatorium. John Sr. moves to Arizona to be with her. Grandma Esther suffers a stroke and returns home shortly before the death of her husband, Grandpa Zeb Walton.
The show ended its run after nine seasons and six feature-length movies were made. Set from 1947 to 1969, they aired between 1982 and 1997.
The Waltons Ending Explained
The impact of World War II on the family is evident in The Waltons, as all four Walton boys enlist in the military. Mary Ellen's husband, Curtis Curt Willard, a physician, is sent to Pearl Harbor, where he is reported dead after the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941.
Years later, Mary Ellen hears of sightings of her supposed deceased husband, investigates, and finds him alive, but living under an assumed name and brooding over his war wounds. She divorces him and remarries later. John-Boy's military plane is shot down, and Olivia becomes a volunteer at the VA hospital, leading her to appear less frequently.
Eventually, Olivia develops tuberculosis and moves to an Arizona sanatorium. Olivia's cousin, Rose Burton, moves in to look after the Walton family, while John Sr. moves to Arizona to be with his wife. During the eighth season, Grandma only appears in a few episodes, with her absence explained by her visiting relatives in nearby Buckingham County.
Ellen Corby's actual stroke caused her to have limited speaking roles during the rest of the series, mostly consisting of brief one or two-word lines like No! or Oh, boy! After the series ended, six feature-length movies were made, set from 1947 to 1969, and aired between 1982 and 1997.
The Waltons Summary
The Waltons is a TV drama series that revolves around the life of the Walton family, who live in rural Virginia during the 1930s and 1940s. The show follows the story of John-Boy, the oldest of the seven children who becomes a journalist and novelist. The family faces economic hardship and the children must grow up and take on adult responsibilities.
The series also depicts the family's relationships with their community, including the well-to-do Baldwin sisters, an African-American couple, and a handyman. The show ends after nine seasons and six feature-length movies, with the family facing the impact of World War II and various personal struggles, including divorce and illness.
Is The Waltons Based on a True Story - FAQs
The Waltons is a television series that aired from 1972 to 1981. It tells the story of the Walton family, a large rural family living in Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. The show follows the family's daily struggles and triumphs, as well as their interactions with neighbors and friends in their small town.
The main characters in The Waltons are John Walton Jr. (known as John-Boy), his parents John and Olivia Walton, his six siblings, and his paternal grandparents Zebulon and Esther Walton. John-Boy is the oldest of the seven children and becomes a journalist and novelist.
The signature scene at the end of each episode of The Waltons features the family house enveloped in darkness, with one or two lights on in the upstairs bedroom windows. Through voice-overs, two or more characters make some brief comments related to that episode's events, and then bid each other goodnight, after which the lights go out.
World War II deeply affects the Walton family. All four Walton boys enlist in the military. Mary Ellen's physician husband, Curtis Curt Willard, is reported to have perished in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. John-Boy's military plane is shot down, while Olivia becomes a volunteer at the VA hospital and eventually develops tuberculosis.
Yes, six feature-length movies were made after the series run. Set from 1947 to 1969, they aired between 1982 and 1997.