Talk:The Waltons/Archive 1

"John-Boy" or "John Boy"?
Both versions of the name currently appear in the article. Does anybody know which is correct? Maybe there's no way to know without seeing an actual script from the series. Failing that, we should make a decision one way or the other and be consistent. Rocinante9 16:37, 31 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Good question; I do believe that name is spelled without the hyphen, as Mary Ellen and Jim Bob don't have hyphens either.209.226.132.117 20:36, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
 * It is a good question. Thank you for bringing it up, even if it did take an unfortunately long time for someone to do something about it. According to the-waltons.com it's John-Boy; it's listed that way on the cover of the book Goodnight John-Boy and is also listed that way on the cover of the official DVD's for The Waltons series. I just changed all the John Boys in the article to John-Boys. Toyalla (talk) 16:55, 14 December 2007 (UTC)
 * I've just changed some John Boys to John-Boy. Dannman (talk) 14:52, 12 December 2010 (UTC)
 * To me it just looks a bit strange with the hyphen. I'd vote for doing without. The hyphen makes it seem too much like an aristocratic British or other European type name (i.e. Peter-Paul, Jean-Luc). And if we're going to hyphenate John Boy, then why not Mary-Ellen? I'm just an old country boy and the hoity-toity points of high grammar perhaps fail me, but the hyphens make John Boy look like a spoiled Prussian nobel. Sector001 (talk) 19:03, 12 December 2010 (UTC)
 * Ether way, I think it should be the same all the way through. Which I think it is at the moment.  Since we have references for John-Boy, I think you'll need some good ones to get it changed.  I've just checked on Amazon UK.  The title of the book is given as Goodnight John Boy.  However, the photo of the cover shows John-Boy.  In details for Waltons' DVDs (on Amazon) he's John-Boy.
 * I don't know where Amazon stands as a reliable source. I'd think the book cover counts.  Dannman (talk) 13:35, 14 December 2010 (UTC)
 * No matter how strange it might look to any given user (apologies to Sector001!), the key is that if the creators of the show had a consistent punctuation, it should be used; in the absence of one, we should be consistent in the one we pick. I agree that if the materials created for the show use the hyphen, that's the way we go, and I would add that the Spencer's Mountain book on which the show was based definitely used the hyphen in the name Clay-Boy, which was changed to John-Boy for the show. As for Mary Ellen and Jim Bob, I'd have to look it up; it's possible they were hyphenated as well, in which case we would need to change.Lawikitejana (talk) 14:16, 23 April 2011 (UTC)
 * I'd offer that "Mary Ellen" is two given names. "Jim Bob" is also two given names, albeit rendered in nickname form.  However, the "Boy" in "John-Boy" is a tag on to the first name. (I rule out the possibility that his middle name really is "Boy." That would suggest the Son of Tarzan, and if he's a "Jr" then his name must be identical to his father's.)  You'd think that the family chose the "Boy" tag as an alternative to "Junior" or "Jack" or "Little John," and he's stuck with it. So, I don't think that the hyphen is inconsistent with the other family names. WHPratt (talk) 16:22, 6 August 2012 (UTC)
 * That would be funny, if in the final episode we learned that the father's full name was "John Boy Walton, Sr." WHPratt (talk) 15:50, 8 May 2019 (UTC)
 * It's actually "Mary-Ellen" in the TV show credits. ;) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 110.32.32.50 (talk) 07:14, 15 February 2014 (UTC)

When you watch the show with Closed Caption on, it says John Boy, without the hyphen. And Closed captions uses a script most of the time for tv shows.--98.87.167.243 (talk) 18:46, 7 August 2012 (UTC)

Cleanup
MIDDLE CHILD SPLIT? Someone had entered that when the series began Ben was called the "middle" child, but as the the series advanced Erin became the "middle" child. Technically, Ben would be considered the fouth child of seven and placed smack between two sets of three. Still, with seven children either one could safely be termed the middle child- UNLESS one is cut in half. Splitting hairs, Ben was the middle boy, and the slightly younger Erin was the middle girl. Perhap a deletion is in order, as the writers weren't statisticians, and to a certain degree both are correct. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.40.172.14 (talk) 13:07, 18 March 2010 (UTC)

I think this article ought to be cleaned up and additional info should be included. This article is fairly short compared to some on other TV series. --Maxl 21:40, 15 Apr 2005 (UTC)


 * I agree with you; as I wrote in the discussion page below, this article seems more like it was written like a personal fan website rather than an Encyclopedia page. And, it couold use a good dose of expansion.Ohyeh 14:14, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

Curt
Technically, Curt isn't killed at Pearl Harbor, he just has amnesia, but, seeing that, as I recall, he only comes back for one episode (or, rather, Mary Ellen tracks him down), probably not worth getting bogged down in it. --Mxg75 06:12, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

Boatright College
I have made several corrections in the Trivia section about the similarities between the fictional Boatwright College and the University of Richmond. There never was a real "Boatright College", as was incorrectly stated. Vaoverland 10:24, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

Added a Mention of Curt's Amnesia
I put in a little mention about Curt's amnesia. I don't think it will bog the page down, seeing as how I didn't go very deep into the situation and just skimmed it. I hope no one minds that I added that. :-) -WikiFiend90 13:45, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Major Cleanup Needed
In my opinion, this article needs attention and cleanup real bad. Its style and content makes it seem more like something you'd find on a personal fan website about the Waltons, rather than an encyclopedia page. I propose that this article be flagged for cleanup and wikification. Ohyeh 18:48, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

I have done a major cleanup of this article. It may need some additional work, but look and see what you think. I have eliminated a lot of the superfluous material and tried to make the article much more concise. Dbart 21:29, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

The Waltons entry seems fine
Why are you so bent on having it deleted? Sounds like you have motives beyond just improving the entry. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 74.71.216.11 (talk) 05:41, 1 January 2007 (UTC).

Spencer's Mountain Source
The article currently says Earl Hamner, Jr. based the series on his book Spencer's Mountain. Is this accurate? I suspect the series, like the book, is based on his life. Toyalla (talk) 22:04, 13 December 2007 (UTC)

New Character Section
I think it would be appropriate to add a new character section, with a short little bio of each cast member. Here's a possible template I was thinking of for the main characters:

Characters

 * John Walton


 * Actors: Ralph Waite, (Andrew Duggan in pilot)
 * Bio: John is the bold, rock-solid patriarch of the family. He is somewhat thick-skinned, unwavered by the circumstances in his surroundings, and not afraid to tell it like it is. But despite his tough, grizzled, and even shockingly blunt demeanor, he is a good, reliable source of comfort and wisdom when needed. John works as the operator of his private lumber company and sawmill, located on the Walton property. This is his main occupation throughout the series, with an exception in Season 5 when he takes a temporary job at a Norfolk Shipyard.

Please tell me what you think.Ohyeh (talk) 19:34, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

Corrected the DVD listings concerning the pilot episode.
The pilot episode recieved a standalone release and should've correctly already been shown on the listings rather than being included as the 7th movie in the movie collection we assume is coming out. Plus, the rights are held by a different company than everything else, so I think it's safe to assume it won't be included in the movie set. Also, I listed N/A for a UK region release. Listings on Amazon UK just show a region 1 import, so it doesn't appear it was ever released there.

John-boy age, 17
In which series/episodes was John-Boy 17? Dannman (talk) 15:01, 12 December 2010 (UTC)


 * Read the article; it's footnoted as a primary source. In the very first episode, we're explicitly told he's 17; also several times soon after. (However, it took him a while to graduate the 12th grade :-), as his eighteenth year (1934) was stretched out into more than two real years during seasons two and three.) JustinTime55 (talk) 22:18, 16 February 2011 (UTC)

Getting a bit too long?
Anyone else think this Waltons Wiki is getting a bit too long and in some ways too detailed? Is it time to either 1) prune it back a bit or 2) break off some portions into a seperate Wiki page -- perhaps one like "List of characters on The Waltons"? While I'm at it can some of us stop obsessing on the whole timeline thing? 1970s shows (and before) didnt pay nearly as close attention to that sort of thing as they might today (witness M*A*S*H, which also jumped around all over the place as far as years). SO what do you think? should we start weeding out some of the minutia or start a second Wiki? Sector001 (talk) 06:34, 20 January 2011 (UTC)
 * UPDATE -- Effective this date, there is a seperate Wiki entitled "List of The Waltons characters". Please use that page when adding any further info on character bios. The main article here still needs some additional cleanup. Sector001 (talk) 21:28, 22 February 2011 (UTC)

A section for the follow-up telefilms
I came looking for this article after beginning a viewing of the 1997(?) Easter telefilm set in 1969. Although the TV-movies are mentioned at least once in the article, a section listing them, airdates, plot info, ratings, etc., would be appropriate. However, in spite of the "be bold" policy, I don't feel I have any of the information the section needs and have too many in-process WP projects to start looking it up myself. Would someone else do the honors? Lawikitejana (talk) 14:22, 23 April 2011 (UTC)

Recent major changes
Setting up this section for discussion of the recent many and major changes to the article that were reverted. Because those changes were so major, I really think they need to be discussed first. Comments welcome! Lhb1239 (talk) 19:48, 20 July 2011 (UTC)
 * Agreed! I sometimes find myself frustrated with the changes anon. IP users make, especially when the info they add is incorrect. I don't have "possesiveness" issues (its mine! all mine! muahahah) I think. I just want any edits to have a good valid reason/need. Thanks for reverting those wholesale changes made today. I monitor the page for vandalism daily, and likely would have rolled them all back myself.Sector001 (talk) 20:33, 20 July 2011 (UTC)


 * And I agree with you. Don't want to discourage IP or new users, but big changes such as those (re-doing the structure of sections, etc.) really need to be discussed.  Thanks for weighing in, Sector. Lhb1239 (talk) 02:18, 21 July 2011 (UTC)

No, they do not have to be discussed first. It's called being Bold. Now, if people argue about the changes and a revert war happens,then you discuss. You do not have to discuss or ask permission to add,delete or change anything on Wikipedia.--98.87.167.243 (talk) 18:51, 7 August 2012 (UTC)

Just A note:
I have most of the seasons on DVD, and Richard Thomas was not in, "The Waiting", it was Robert Wightman (his 1st episode). I see the the names of the two John-Boys seem to be entered and changed a lot here, but Thomas was long gone. Not that important, but true just the same. Thanks. _G. Z. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.183.185.77 (talk) 18:59, 23 July 2011 (UTC)

More info on the pilot
This article has almost nothing on the pilot. There were many differences between the pilot and the series, starting with the actors. Can someone add more details about the pilot and how the series is different? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.65.42.171 (talk) 09:10, 27 August 2011 (UTC)
 * I took the liberty of moving this entry down where it should be, as it is a new topic and not related to the article (allegedly) being too long.
 * That being said, I agree the pilot (and also the sequels) deserve a bit more coverage with their own plot descriptions, however I think the proper place for that is in List of The Waltons episodes. I don't remember the pilot, but I'm not aware of significant premise differences from the series (other than John working away from home?); the major difference was in the casting of Grandpa, John and Olivia. JustinTime55 (talk) 16:19, 30 August 2011 (UTC)

Discrepancy
The two character lists have conflicting information: one states that Jim-Bob had a twin that died at birth, the other list states it was Ben. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 38.112.184.20 (talk) 01:30, 10 August 2013 (UTC)


 * Where does it say that it was Ben? --Musdan77 (talk) 05:09, 10 August 2013 (UTC)

Scott Baio?
The Article has Scott Baio of Happy Days fame listed under starring. I don't think that this is true. Nothing on IMDB to support this. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 107.184.68.39 (talk) 06:43, 2 November 2014 (UTC)


 * Vandalism. Thanks for posting. --Musdan77 (talk) 03:50, 3 November 2014 (UTC)

Should this be noted?
Abbythecat (talk) 01:36, 25 August 2015 (UTC)In the EASTER reunion, set in 1969, the parents celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary, meaning they were married in 1929. The show begins in 1933, and all the kids are older than 4, which means all the children were born out of wedlock. Shouldn't this rather bold-for-its-time fact be noted? AbbythecatAbbythecat (talk) 01:36, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
 * It's just a result of the writers exercising dramatic license. The dates are manipulated for purposes of storytelling. WHPratt (talk) 03:09, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
 * By the way, I don't think it's in any way unfair to call attention to a discrepancy like this. Fans of the show would enjoy trying to explain it, much as Sherlockians debate Watson's middle name or wound location. WHPratt (talk) 21:02, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
 * By the way, I don't think it's in any way unfair to call attention to a discrepancy like this. Fans of the show would enjoy trying to explain it, much as Sherlockians debate Watson's middle name or wound location. WHPratt (talk) 21:02, 25 August 2015 (UTC)


 * Abbythecat (talk) 23:56, 25 August 2015 (UTC)Perhaps also worth noting is that this is set at Easter in 1969. In 1969, Easter Sunday was April 6. The moon landing took place on July 20, 1969. Yet here it takes place at Easter time. I guess this series takes place in an alternate universe! AbbythecatAbbythecat (talk) 23:56, 25 August 2015 (UTC)