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Richard Thomas got fan mail from Midwest farmers thanking him for The Waltons
The actor said that the show's audience kept the series in demand.
Today’s television is so fast-paced and action-packed, it’s enough to give any viewer whiplash. But sometimes people mistake excitement for quality.
A show like The Waltons kept things calm, forgoing the more violent aspects and focusing the show more on what they felt was truly important: Family. That didn’t mean that the show was made for easy watching; the Walton family went through their own fair share of hardships. The difference was that the conflicts portrayed on the series were more realistic to rural America, something that a television audience could identify with.
During an interview, Richard Thomas, who played John-Boy Walton throughout the series, gave an insider’s perspective as to why the series thrived.
Thomas explained that the proof was in the pudding. Audiences from rural areas were incredibly receptive to the series, seeing themselves in the Walton family.
“I’ll tell you what it is, why the show’s so popular,” Thomas said during an interview with the Hartford Courant. “I get lots of mail from farm people in the Midwest, and they tell me they’re gratified that their way of life is considered important enough to be the subject of a television series...They’re not smart trial lawyers, heroic policemen, or private eyes. This show is theirs, it’s about their values, their close-knit families, the small community.”
The Walton family, like so many other American families at the time, was a hardworking family, willing to do anything they could to help each other survive. Not only did this message tug on the heartstrings of America, it also sent them a message: We see you, and you matter.
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