I was watching an old Christmas movie the other day that starred Richard Thomas, who's best known for his role as John-Boy in the old television series, The Waltons. I always liked him as an actor and it occurred to me that I never watched The Waltons when it was on. The first season aired in 1972 and the series was on for 9 seasons. Even though that was almost 50 years ago, the show does not seem "old" at all, probably because it's a period piece spanning the time period from 1933 to 1946, which was the Great Depression and World War II. It won several Emmy Awards for best lead actor and actress, and best supporting actor and actress in a dramatic series over the years. TV Guide ranks The Waltons as #34 on its list of the best tv series of all time. After the series was canceled in 1981, there were six made-for-tv reunion movies that aired from 1982-1997 so I have lots to watch. I just started watching it and am already on Season 1, episode 18. A treat for me was finding out that one of my favorite film composers, Jerry Goldsmith, composed "The Waltons" theme song and wrote much of the background music heard all during the first season.
