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Good Night, John Boy

The 40th anniversary of "The Homecoming" reunites the Waltons—and reignites the meaning of Christmas.

A few years ago, a friend of one of my children hurled an unusual insult at me. We arguing about my being over-protective, and he chose these words to  attack my attempts at setting a curfew: “You’re such a Walton!”

Of course, being in argument mode, I matched his slur with a pop-culture putdown of my own. “Well, it’s better than being a Soprano.” (This had nothing to do with his ethnic background and everything to do with criminal activity. Just sayin’.)

But despite my well-chosen retort, I was secretly pleased at his accusation. Sure, I know it meant that he (and perhaps the rest of the world) thought I was hopelessly behind the times, holding onto old-fashioned values and ideas, and maybe even that I didn’t dress well. So be it. I have always embraced my inner Walton, and was glad it showed through for others to recognize.

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The Waltons, for those of you too young to have watched early '70s TV and too busy to catch the endless reruns on gmc or the Hallmark Channel, was a television staple of my growing up years. The show, which ran from 1972 through 1981 on CBS, focused on a large rural family growing up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia during the Great Depression (and, in later seasons, World War II). Each week for nine seasons, the Walton family faced hard times, family crisis, birth, death and everything in between—and they did it the only way they knew how, as a family.

I guess that sounds a little syrupy for some tastes, and maybe it was. But the Waltons were far from a picture-perfect family. Grandpa, on occasion, drank too much “recipe.” Pa didn’t go to church; Momma tried to be the community matchmaker once or twice. Grandma was sharp-tongued, Mary Ellen a bit of a bully, Ben once stole his big brother’s show. Even John Boy, the show’s central character (and, often, designated voice of reason), had moments of pure selfishness and sometimes came off a bit holier-than-thou.

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Despite the sugary reputation the show has earned over the years, The Waltons —and the Waltons—were real, fully developed characters. It’s that—the doubts and the foibles and the love that endures regardless—that made me fall for the show. Those characters keep me watching in reruns, even now, preferring its stories of 1930’s family and home to the families television presents us in the 21st century (Kardashians, anyone?).

And, apparently, I’m not the only one. On Friday night, Scott and I joined more than a thousand other Walton aficionados in the unlikely locale of Jersey City for a special 40th anniversary showing of The Homecoming: A Christmas Story. The Homecoming was the original pilot for The Waltons, a made-for-TV flick that was first aired in December 1971. On Friday night, we gathered in the amazingly beautiful theater (an oasis planted within the neon and dirt of the city) and watched the movie together.

It wasn’t just the movie, though—most of the cast of The Waltons were on hand for a Q-and-A period, a tribute to Patricia Neal (who played mother Olivia Walton in The Homecoming but was replaced by Michael Learned during the series), and a few special surprises. The evening opened with a letter from Earl Hamner, who wrote the movie’s screenplay based on his own book (and based the Walton characters on his own family), read by his brother, Paul.

Sure, everyone was a bit older (though all look amazingly young), and years have passed since we were first introduced, but somehow the movie still holds true. It also holds as a stunning contract to the Christmases we’re fed now—the ones where people pepper spray each other to get to their chosen gifts, the one where commercials sell greed and selfishness over peace and goodwill. For 90 minutes, we were reminded of the meaning of Christmas through the eyes of one family, a family with struggles and hardships and even frightening times, but with a faith in God and a love for one another that overshadows everything else. A mountain overshadowing the secular valley, don’tcha know?

Then, before we left the theater, Richard Thomas—everyone’s favorite big brother, John Boy—read “A Visit From Saint Nicholas” to the hushed audience. Then Jon Walmsley (Jason, the second in line and musical brother) broke out the guitar and sang a Christmas song. Judy Norton (Mary Ellen) joined him on a second song, which led into the other actors singing and saying their trademark good-nights.

Being in that theater felt like being a part of a wonderful family Christmas, one with gift of song and laughter and memories, the kind of gifts you can’t put a price tag on. For those who shared in the evening, it was indeed a very good night.

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