The Waltons: The Lunchbox

The Hallmark cable channel shows old episodes of "The Waltons" (which aired '72 thru '81, though once they got to the War Years they jumped the shark), and while trying to doze on my couch yesterday, I ended up watching 5 of the episodes, sticking with it to determine if the show was as wonderful as I found it back in the '70s when I was a kid. I used to LOVE that show!

In fact, one of the nicest memories of my mother is the day we were shopping for my 3rd-grade school supplies, including that year's lunchbox (VERY important, because you had to live with it all year and what you had chosen was on display for all of your friends and said something about you).

We had picked up most of the supplies, including a lunchbox (I can't remember which), at one store. And then we went to another store...which had THE WALTONS lunchbox! OH MY! MAMA, MAMA! Now, normally, my mother was very no-nonsense. And we'd already bought a lunchbox, which meant that there was no reason at all to take the first one back and get another. But this one time... Magic happened! My mother allowed me to get this Waltons lunchbox, and we returned the first one!

I don't still have my beautiful Waltons lunchbox, but I found pictures online:

Really? I got so excited over changing a car tire and Grandpa getting a haircut?? :)  

Now, as for the 5 episodes from Season One that I saw last night (falling asleep intermittently):

The Actress

The Fire

The Love Story

The Courtship

The Gypsies

Seen in a row, they ended up seeming like episodes from "Gilligan's Island" (which I also loved as a kid, except... "The Waltons" was supposed to be serious!)---What random, oddball character would show up next? Or else there was a left-wing Morality Lesson.

The Actress: Wacky, alcoholic aging actress whose car breaks down in Virginia teaches Mary Ellen how to put on makeup and then puts on a show to earn her way back to New York City.

The Fire: Crazy right-wing nut sets fire to the school because the teacher is teaching evolution.

The Love Story: John-Boy falls in love in a week (family all coos over the fact that he's in love---after one week) and then girl has to leave.
The Courtship: Big-city banker down-and-out because of the Depression learns to give up his fancy dreams and settle for local thrice-married local widow. (OK, this one was more subtle; I enjoyed the talk between Grandpa and the Visitor about their favorite rivers to fish in.)

The Gypsies: Gypsies break into the Baldwin sisters' temporarily empty house and set up camp there. Instead of chasing them the hell away, the Waltons welcome them with open arms and invite them to live in their own house.

"The Gypsies" episode was pretty much the last straw---I felt like I was right back in 2016-21 again! Enough of THAT Crazy! :)

 

I did enjoy watching the interesting, comfortable Will Geer and Ralph Waite, though. Unfortunately, Michael Learned and Ellen Corby spent much of their time pursing their lips. (And I never want to see the actress who played "Mary Ellen" again.)