Rating: 
Country: USA
Release Date: January 23, 2007
Distributor: Warner Home Video
Cast:
· Richard Thomas
· Ralph Waite
· Michael Learned
· Ellen Corby
· Will Geer
· Judy Norton
· Jon Walmsley
· Mary Elizabeth McDonough
· Eric Scott
· David W. Harper
· Kami Cotler
· Earl Hamner
Related Sites:
· IMDb: The Waltons
Grade: A-
|
DVD Review: The Waltons - The Complete Fourth Season
by R.J. Carter
Published: January 22, 2007
Few dramatic series have left such a lasting impression on television audiences as have the stories of John-Boy Walton growing up in Depression-era Virginia. The Waltons -- a large family of eleven, including Grandpa (Will Geer) and Grandma (Ellen Corby) Walton -- made do with hard work and lots of love.
The Waltons was the winner of two Emmy Awards that season, with Michael Learned taking the prize for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and Ellen Corby for Outstanding Continuous Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. And it's easy to see why, as these two strong females form the core pillars of the Walton family during times of hardship.
John-Boy Walton (Richard Thomas) is the narrator through whose eyes we see the past (although the narrative voiceover is provided by series creator, Earl Hamner). He's a writer, always putting his thoughts down on paper. He's also the first Walton to attend college, and his education puts further burdens on him as he not only has to meet the deadlines and expectations of his teachers, but also the higher expectations placed on him by friends and family. When the Reverend Fordwick (John Ritter) leaves for his honeymoon, he taps John-Boy to write and deliver that Sunday's sermon -- a task John-Boy is more and more reticent over, as he overhears the congregation members expressing doubts about his abilities and worth.
A good number of the episodes deal with seeing the Waltons through the eyes of an outsider, someone who inevitably comes to stay with the family -- usually invited by John-Boy, who picks up houseguests like stray pets -- and is forever changed by the experience. People like Lyle (Dennis Kort), a teenaged math prodigy who's spent his life being studied by psychologists. He's so detached from reality, however, that he can't communicate with real people, usually coming across as rude and pedantic -- and his atheism doesn't endear him to Grandma Walton none, either!
James Trevis Clark (Cleavon Little, "Blazing Saddles") is a man who says he just wants the quiet and clean air of the country, but John-Boy soon susses out that he's actually a prizefighter, training for an upcoming match. Olivia Walton (Michael Learned) won't stand for that, and she's ready to have husband John (Ralph Waite) show him the road -- until she learns that Clark is actually a preacher, and he's fighting to raise the money to build a church. But he needs more than a good right hook: he needs an honest manager, because the fights in Richmond are fixed! So he hires John-Boy to represent him. Fortunately, John-Boy has his father and grandfather in his corner.
Love on the Wing: John-Boy is one of a handful
of people enamored of the daredevil wing-walker,
Bobby Strom. (L-R: Lee Purcell, Richard Thomas)
|
Then there's the death-defying Bobby Strom (Lee Purcell, Due South), who flies in to perform at the fair. John-Boy is instantly smitten with her, but Bobby has intimacy issues after having been attacked in the woods as a teen. This is the root of why she puts herself in danger. But just as she starts to warm up to John-Boy, his feelings change, prompting her to attempt her craziest and most dangerous stunt yet -- walking the top wing of the biplane without a safety harness!
Not everyone gets changed for the better, though. Bridgitte "Muffin" Maloney (Vicki Schreck) is a runaway and a con artist. She convinces John-Boy that she is on the run with her mother from an abusive step-father, and that she has become separated from her mother. In actuality, she's working with her grandfather, Nifty Mulligan (Bert Conway), a bunko artist who's already in the sheriff's lockup, and for whom she is trying to raise bail. To her, the entire Walton family is an easy mark, all too willing to help her raise the twenty dollars, ostensibly for the bus ticket she needs to get to Raleigh, North Carolina. Only Grandpa is keen enough to see through all her lies, but he lets the story play out so that John Boy can learn his lesson.
As much as the Waltons have their impact on the world around them, the world also impacts them. When King Edward abdicates the throne in England, they're all enthralled by the stories; adding to the excitement is the film crew that has descended on Waltons Mountain. However, the folks impacted most by the Waltons are, perhaps, the Waltons themselves. When the Walton house burns out, the children are separated, each sharing space with the various friends in the community. Jim-Bob and Erin stay with the Reverend, resulting in Jim-Bob getting a stern lecture about his girl-chasing ways, while Erin becomes overly pious and convinced she has the call to preach. Musically talented Jason stays with the Baldwin sisters, who spoil him with attention and finery. Ben plays hooky from school, and Mary-Ellen becomes overly helpful at the doctor's office. But it's the oldest, John-Boy, and the youngest, Elizabeth, who are most changed -- John-Boy blames himself for the fire and has writer's block from the guilt, and Elizabeth withdraws emotionally from everyone she loves, under the notion that everything she loves passes away. And all these changes for the worse are wrought because of the loss of connection with their family, something Olivia is determined to fix immediately.
While fans of the series will no doubt be pleased to find these charming period pieces collected onto DVD, one can't help but wonder: Whither the special features? Could the producers not have coaxed any of the original actors into providing some commentary? Michael Learned is busy with Scrubs, and Ralph Waite is tied up with Carnivale, but it would have been nice to have brought in some of the children to get their recollections. Surely some of them would have been available.
Nevertheless, the set is a worthy addition to your collection for the sheer power of the storytelling alone. Any one of these episodes is a nice way to spend an evening with family after dinner, before finally turning down the lights and calling it a day -- just like the Waltons do at the end of every episode, with their trademark goodnights.
The Waltons
The Complete Fourth Season
|
|
Disc 1A
|
Disc 1B
|
01. The Sermon
02. The Genius
03. The Fighter
|
04. The Prophecy
05. The Boondoggle
06. The Breakdown
|
|
Disc 2A
|
Disc 2B
|
07. The Wing-Walker
08. The Competition
09. The Emergence
|
10. The Loss
11. The Abdication
12. The Estrangement
|
|
Disc 3A
|
Disc 3B
|
13. The Nurse
14. The Intruders
15. The Search
|
16. The Secret
17. The Fox
|
|
Disc 4A
|
Disc 4B
|
18. The Burn Out (Parts I and II)
19. The Big Brother
|
20. The Test
21. The Quilting
|
|
Disc 5A
|
|
22. The House
23. The Fledgling
24. The Collision
|
|
|
|
CD Giveaway - Paper Bird, "Rooms"
Ends May 28, 2013
Drifting ever so slightly away from traditional folk music, this Colorado band delivers harmony and energy aplenty. |
|
|
