Goodnight John-Boy
by Earl Hamner, Ralph E. Giffin
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Book Summary Information
Author: Earl Hamner, Ralph E. GiffinEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-10-01
ISBN: 1581822987
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Cumberland House
Book Reviews of Goodnight John-Boy
Book Review: A Helpful Resource for the Walton Fan
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this book, written by Earl Hamner (creator and producer of the Waltons) and Ralph Griffin (president of the Blue Ridge Publications in Ocean Pines, Maryland), just before I began to purchase each of the nine seasons of The Waltons on DVD. The book was published in 2002, which is really a testament for how loved this series is, especially considering the last season ended in 1981! The first portion of the book introduces Earl Hamner's family, and how he became a writer. Hamner then describes his early writing career, and then his succession of books, starting with "Spencer's Mountain", which led into "The Homecoming", which further led into the TV special of the same name, and which finally led to the highly successful (and loved) TV series. The middle portion of the book explains how the actors were selected to play their roles in the TV series, which I particularly enjoyed. What follows is a very brief summary of each episode from season 1 to season 9. There are many comments and anecdotes from the actors, guest actors, and Walton fans, which make reading the summaries a joy. The book is interspersed with pictures of the cast and scenes from some of the episodes. The book concludes with a chapter on Walton's Mountain Museum (located in Schuyler, Virginia), and then a meaningful tribute written by Ms. Elaine Klonicki. Her tribute summarizes why so many of us were touched by the Waltons, and why we continue to love the show to this day. The appendix contains a list of all the actors who appeared in Walton episodes along with their character names.
I could only give the book 4 stars for several reasons. First, the book itself is made rather cheaply. This is stock paper, not quality paper, and likewise, the pictures are black and white and are printed on the same paper, thus, they are not the quality one would like to see. The pictures themselves are quite nice, but would have been appreciated much more in color and on quality paper. Oh well, cannot have everything and still be offered at a reasonable price. The second thing I did not like about the book is the lack of detail on why certain characters left the series, such as Michael Learned, Ralph Waite, Richard Thomas, and Peggy Rea. It would also have been interesting to see a summary of each season's ratings, and how they compared to other network shows. When did the writers learn there was not to be a season 10 - and how did this impact the writing of the final episodes in season nine? I would have appreciated more information in this regard. Finally, this is a very "gentile" telling of the Walton's experience; the book presents little or no behind the scenes squabbles, of which there had to be some! I recall a comment (on a news video) by Michael Learned in regards to Ralph Waite, which indicated some tension between the two of them. Certainly, this is no Kitty Kelly tell-all book, and was not meant to be, but a few additional tidbits of "juicy" controversy would have made the book more complete and interesting.
Had this book been done with more actor/TV information, and been of "coffee-table" quality, especially in regard to the pictures, it would be a very nice keepsake. As it is, as much as I adore the Waltons, I am not compelled to want to keep this book forever. It is a valuable easy-reading resource, but it falls short of being a treasured keepsake. I could not give it 3-stars, but how about 3 and 1/2???
konedog
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