Will Geer compared The Waltons to corn on the cob — in the best way

Not too sweet – just “fresh and tasty.”

The classic family drama The Waltons is often now considered of as feel-good, sugary sweet family entertainment. Though it deals with a large family struggling to make ends meet during the Great Depression, everything always seems to work out. But this sentimental reputation doesn't really fit, especially to fans who know the show well.

Certain episodes dealt with real loss and hardship, and the onslaught of World War II provided many dramatic moments. The show even got spooky at times.

When The Waltons premiered in September 1972, the network didn’t think much of its chances. It was up against two extremely popular Thursday night shows, The Mod Squad and The Flip Wilson Show. Early seventies America did not seem keen on anything so sincere and wholesome as stories from rural 1930s Virginia.

Of course, as often happens, the American public proved the TV executives wrong. Earl Hamner Jr.'s heartfelt creation based on his own childhood became immensely popular.

In a behind-the-scenes article written for the November 1973 edition of The Saturday Evening Post, Will Geer explained what he thought of Hamner and the specific tone of the show.

"I’ve always loved Earl Hamner’s books. This show of his has a sweetness about it. Not saccharine sentimentality, but the kind of sweetness which to my mind is associated with good sweet corn, fresh and tasty," Geer said.

What a perfect way to describe The Waltons, straight from Grandpa Zeb himself!

It's a show that's not sugary, tooth-achingly sweet but healthy, refreshing and delicious. So good, you have to go back for seconds.

Watch The Waltons on MeTV!

Weekdays at 12 PM

*available in most MeTV markets
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18 Comments

hummingbirds 39 months ago
I appreciate the in depth stories you do. Is there any chance you would put Lassie on here?
Hogansucks1 50 months ago
Savor the moments, each bite in life is often overlooked 🙂
kimmer 52 months ago
I own the show's on DVD, my kids watched them faithfully. It was so sweet seeing them enjoy it, as I did at their age. Now as adults we all reminisce about our family time and watching a great family show...."The Waltons"
susanlee 52 months ago
I don’t understand why you keep going off the air in the middle of the night and don’t come back on until the next day. I watch you all night. For some reason, the volume for your network (and no other channel) has to be in the 80’s except for your reports about the virus and the policies enacted. There’s one other commercial that is very loud. It’s for debt consolidation I think with a woman in the foreground and the tint over the whole thing is green. That one blasts me out of bed. That’s also what’s been on the screen when you froze for many hours. I don’t understand why this is so but if I change to another channel, I’m blasted out of my room
Hogansucks1 susanlee 50 months ago
Welcome to the Digital era 🥴
Lillyrose 55 months ago
My favorite Waltons episode is "The Ring." It's so funny!
DiamondGold 55 months ago
i thought metv did a spring schedule then a summer schedule
LadyAgnes 55 months ago
I agree with Will Geer.
It was never a "Hollywood Ending Sweet" show. It felt with some hard issues during hard times. The "sweetness" was in the loving family that helped each other through good & bad times. It was the only show I never missed -8pm EST Thursdays.
Coraline 55 months ago
I loved The Walton's (still do). I always wanted a family like theirs but without Johnboy, Grandma & Erin.
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Wiseguy Lillyrose 52 months ago
You mean doing nothing (saying it would go away when it gets warm)? You mean asking doctors if ingesting bleach would kill the virus? You mean taking and recommending a drug that was meant for something else and could kill you? You mean doing more for black people than any president since Lincoln? This is your idiot president.
Wiseguy F5Twitster 52 months ago
True, but since it's a plural, the possessive would be Waltons'
Lillyrose Wiseguy 52 months ago
Hello, Wiseguy. I was only commenting about the Waltons, but as long as you bring it up, President Trump is the best President we've ever had since I've been alive, and is the most pro-life president that we've ever had. President Reagan is the 2nd best. You are getting your news from bad sources. CNN, NBC, NPR, etc. are fake news.
Hogansucks1 Lillyrose 50 months ago
What’s the old saying-“if you don’t like it, change the channel!!😬
Pacificsun 55 months ago
During the the '70's viewers usually had only 3 networks from which to choose. So I think the network knew what they were doing by making the show an alternative to, two very different shows (variety & cop drama). There will always be a viewing segment interested in nostalgia. Obviously MeTV has capitalized on that preference today. But The Waltons was a sophisticated presentation of complicated issues during an era of required and voluntary sacrafices. Perhaps the the show has more to say to us, during these particularly challenging times. How much we need to rely on one another.
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