It's been off the air for 40 years, but people still point to The Waltons (1972-81) as emblematic of "good tv" about "family values," by which they mean it had no bad words, parental disrespect, or gay people. Remember when President Bush told People magazine that we need fewer families like The Simpsons and more like The Waltons?
So we should all live in rural North Carolina during the Depression, have no money but an enormous house and chicken for dinner every night, have enormous numbers of children, and all go to bed at the same time, shouting "Good night" to each other across the darkened rooms?
I hate to be the bearer of "bad news," but even The Waltons had a gay connection.
1. The central character, aspiring writer John-Boy Walton, was played by Richard Thomas, who starred in Last Summer (1969), about a three-way romance in the gay mecca of Fire Island, and Fifth of July (1982), about a gay paraplegic Vietnam veteran.
2. Will Geer, Grandpa Walton, was gay. His lover, Harry Hay, founded the Mattachine Society, the first gay rights organization in the U.S., in 1950.
3. Ralph Waite, John Walton, is heterosexual, but during the 1980s he ran for Congress, primarily due to the incumbent's lack of support for AIDS research and gay issues.
4. Eric Scott, left (Ben Walton), has starred in two gay-themed movies, Defying Gravity (1997) and Never Again (2001).
5. I've never seen an episode all the way through, but I understand that there was a parade of hunky guys, sometimes shirtless.
6. And frequent buddy-bonding.
7. The John-Boy doll didn't look much like him (it was a blond GI Joe in overalls) but it had a massive chest.
7. The John-Boy doll didn't look much like him (it was a blond GI Joe in overalls) but it had a massive chest.
8. John-Boy had an almost total lack of heterosexual interest (before his wedding in a 1995 movie).
See also: My Crush on Richard Thomas
See also: My Crush on Richard Thomas
My straight brother loved the Waltons, but I was never as keen on it, largely because John-Boy seemed so sexless to me. I thought Ben was rather attractive, but he was seldom the center of attention. It wasn't until years later when I saw a photo of Richard Thomas when he was an a dancer (his parents were both professional dancers, and owned a ballet school) that I realized what a hot piece he really was. Subsequently, I saw That Summer, and went slightly gaga. Still can't watch reruns of The Waltons, though. I am not very fond of false nostalgia.
ReplyDeleteThe Waltons took place in Virginia, not North Carolina. Charlottesville is often mentioned as the nearest city.
ReplyDeleteSame thing, random rural community. Was there really a mountain?
DeleteThey share a border and have a lot of similarities, but they are two different states. Why not just thank the guy for his correction? By the way, there was a mountain, Walton's Mountain, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.
DeleteI fell in love with John Boy Walton from the very first episode. At first I did not understand why I was so attracted to men, but after a few years i figured it out.
DeleteShould I mention to President Bush (via medium, of course) that thanks to every president since Reagan, my generation is a lot more like the Waltons? (You know, living in the Depression.) Or would I only be able to get Reagan?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I know bath scenes have been in movies forever, but I'm surprised to see it on television in the 70s. I'm guessing they didn't show John Boy swimming in the 30s style. Even though country boys still prefer to swim naked.
Now I'm thinking of how Harry Hay lobbied to end termination. (Indians will side eye anyone who refers to Eisenhower as the last sane Republican. I mean, yeah, Nixon was a criminal, and COINTELPRO was horrible, but Nixon ended the termination program his former boss started.)
what was the termination program? o__0
DeleteAttempt to end Indian reservations and relocate us to the city.
DeleteI believe that Ellen Corby (Grandma Walton) was a lesbian.
ReplyDeleteMy own grandma used to make me watch The Waltons. Not very into it, but I always loved the Baldwin Sisters: two elderly, rich ladies who made moonshine whiskey they called The Recipe. They lived in a gorgeous antebellum mansion, filled with tasteful antiques. On the Christmas episode, the sisters put up an enormous tree covered in twinkling wax candles. I wanted to live like that, SO BAD! Well, flash forward a few decades and now that I'm fast approaching Baldwin Sister age, am living in an antique-filled (albeit smallish) house, and enjoy a whiskey cocktail now and then, myself. I even put real candles on my Christmas tree (But don't light them --Safety First!). I just might get my Waltons wish. But please don't call me "Miss Maimie."
The boys on the show were all hot, especially gw, but it was so sad to see how much david harper changed
ReplyDeleteFalse nostalgia or not, I’ve been watching reruns as an escape from politics and COVID
ReplyDeleteJim Bob was my hot spot for years, he was how I knew without a doubt that I liked boys.needs after week I was tortured by my inability to touch him. Ben Walton had the better body and face but there was just something about David Harper that drew me in.Crush? ... OMG, I fell hard for that one.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, Jim Bob (Harper) was 2 yrs older than me and I wished he'd been my older brother. Wasn't till about season 5 when I began thinking about him a lot. Looking back, he was probably my first big crush. I always liked the show (cause I didn't have a family), but I esp liked those episodes with more focus around Jim Bob.
DeleteCouldn’t have said it better .
DeleteIt's hard to believe that at least one of those boys would not have been gay if there is ever a new version you will see one
ReplyDeletePaul Newman wanted Richard Thomas to play his gay lover in his adaptation of "The Front Runner" a film we are still waiting for.
ReplyDeleteI thought Jim Bob was so cute after he got older but I only recall one shirtless scene in the later seasons, Ben was pretty sexy too
ReplyDeleteI'm a an X not a boomer, but i saw probably the whole show first run. I always thought Ben was the cutest with Jim-Bob not a distant second.
ReplyDeleteLike the poster above, Thomas came across so sexless, I was stunned to see his beef cake shots in that movie.
It does make 100% sense that was toned down for the show. For a bunch of reasons.
Still, watch some of the later episodes, and you can see this man is swinging some serious heat. For example, watch the Hindenburg episode. It's all in glorious HD now.
Actually, the creator had SEVEN siblings, one more than the family in the show. And they were indeed in Virginia during the time of the Great Depression and yes there was a mountain.
ReplyDeleteBush (or his speechwriter) was a fool comparing the Waltons to the Simpsons. The Simpsons was brash, but at least at the time of that quote, it was more conservative than the Waltons.
Anyway, I think people recall it fondly because it was generally well written and acted.