 |  |
This Walton's special sees the return of Richard Thomas to
the role of John Boy Walton. It is set in the early 1960's around
the time when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The following
is from information which has been supplied to me by Jane and
Heath, and I thank them for helping me out. If anyone wishes to
add any information, please let me know. I believe it was made
in 1993.
There seems to have been many changes for the Walton family
members as they head into the 1960's. John Boy is in New York,
trying to persuade his fiancee to marry him, but she has yet to
answer him. Ben and Cindy's daughter, Virginia, has died and Cindy
is finding life very lonely without her. She tells Ben that she
would dearly love to adopt another baby, but Ben feels that it
is not a good idea. He doesn't think that he could love another
person's child, and also he is still grieving for Virginia. He
eventually does come around though. At this time he is also arguing
with his father about their lumber company: he wants to buy a
new truck, but John keeps insisting that they can't afford it.
Erin now has three children and is separated from Paul. Her
decision to start seeing another man causes some indignation among
the other Walton family members. Ike and Corabeth become grandparents
when Aimee has a little baby daughter, while Elizabeth returns
from Europe and reunites with Drew, her old beau. As if that isn't
enough excitement, the Baldwin ladies get locked up for brewing
the recipe!
This telemovie first aired on CBS on 21st November, 1993.
While he is on Waltons Mountain trying to put his article together,
Janet is left in New York trying to prevent her wedding from getting
out of hand. She too leaves the city and heads for Waltons Mountain,
and the two plan for a wedding there.
Meantime John Boy is trying to research into Grandma's ancestry
and finds no mention of her father in any of the family papers
or bible. When he asks her about him she becomes very agitated.
Further research into letters held by the Baldwin sisters, reveal
that, although he lived in the south, he sympathized with the
plight of the slaves and joined the Union to fight against slavery.
His neighbors called him a traitor and his family was shamed.
Olivia has decided that the time is right for her to return
to study and she enrolls in a class at Boatwright University.
Being a married woman, with a family, returning to study, makes
her lecturer wonder why she is there and he makes her time in
his class very difficult. John also has his problems. He has recently
been elected as a County Supervisor and the lumber company which
he and Ben run stands to profit if he votes for a proposed subdivision
to go ahead. By this time Elizabeth's boyfriend Drew is also working
at the mill.
We finally get to the wedding and right in the middle of a wedding
song, Jason's wife Toni goes into labor. Fortunately there is
a Doctor on hand, and Mary Ellen leaves her bridesmaid duties
to go and deliver the new little Walton, Patsy Kline Walton.
This movie seemed a little different to the previous ones,
as we really only got to see the immediate Walton family again.
We did see Toni and Drew, but only briefly, and the stories really
didn't revolve around them. However we didn't see the family of
Ben, Erin or Mary Ellen at all. In fact the Walton house seemed
quite empty really with only Olivia, John, and Grandma living
there now, but I suppose that's what happens when families grow
up and leave.
Judy Norton-Taylor goes back to being Judy Norton for this
movie. She may have been in the previous one too.
This telemovie first aired on CBS on 12th February, 1995.
Just as Janet and John Boy have settled into life on Waltons
Mountain once more, Elizabeth arrives back from her travels and
announces to Drew, who is still working at the mill with Ben,
that she is back to stay. She is very upset to find that Drew
did not wait for her, and that he has a new girlfriend. She had
envisioned that when she arrived home that Drew would be ready
and willing to marry her.
Problems arise for John Boy and Janet though, because the longer
John Boy stays on the mountain, the more he becomes convinced
that he would like to settle down there, raise his family, and
continue with his writing. In fact he is presumptuous enough
to assume that Janet would love the same thing and he puts an
offer in to buy the cabin where he goes to write. Janet wishes
to remain in New York though, and they end up compromising and
will use the cabin as a weekend retreat.
In the meantime, Mary Ellen gives Janet a pre natal checkup
and find that there are two babies, and so Janet and John Boy
now begin to prepare for the arrival of their twins. Drew is
totally confused about his feelings for Elizabeth and finally
pops the question: "So, are you going to marry me, or what?"
After John and Olivia exchange their wedding vows once more,
and leave for a short holiday, a gift from their children, John
Boy and Janet leave Waltons Mountain to return to New York. They
don't get very far though and Janet goes into labour. Dr. Mary
Ellen, of course, is on hand to help out with the birth and soon
the newest Waltons, a boy and a girl, are born.
Another interesting plot in this movie is the appearance of the Baldwin sisters who, feeling that they are getting on in age, wish to pass on the secret of "The Recipe", to someone. They choose John Walton as their beneficiary, and this causes some interesting and very amusing moments with the Walton men trying to keep Olivia from finding out.
This telemovie first aired on CBS on 31st March,
1997.
This telemovie was such a success,
that we have been promised another in 1998!
| |