The Waltons' Homecoming Remake this Christmas with original John Boy - Richard Thomas!

Richard Thomas as John Boy

If you enjoy the family drama, The Waltons, then you are going to be interested in this news! The CW Network is bringing the story back this Christmas - with a whole new cast! 

This special coincides with a meaningful anniversary for the series. See all the details in the press release below...

Tom Griscom/The CW

Excerpt of CW Press Release:

The CW Heads Back to Waltons Mountain 

with the Original Television Movie

“The Waltons’ Homecoming,” 

Starring Bellamy Young and Logan Shroyer

and Narrated by Richard Thomas

May 25, 2021 (Burbank, CA) ─ The CW Network announced today three original specials making their debut in fourth quarter 2021, including an original made-for-television movie THE WALTONS’ HOMECOMING, a brand new mystery in the all-new THE SCOOBY-DOO REUNION SPECIAL and a holiday adventure as BEEBO SAVES CHRISTMAS. All dates and times will be announced later.

THE WALTONS’ HOMECOMING is set in the 1933 Depression Era and told through the eyes of John Boy, the 17-year-old eldest child of John and Olivia Walton. His mother expects John Boy to help her raise his sisters and brothers, and his father expects him to follow in his footsteps to help support the family, but secretly, John Boy wants to be a writer. Times are hard enough in 1933, but to make matters worse, it looked to be the Waltons’ first Christmas without John Sr. When Olivia receives a letter that John Sr. is planning to make it home for Christmas after all, the family is thrilled and races to prepare for his homecoming. But when a storm threatens his arrival on Christmas Eve, and John Sr. is nowhere to be found, Olivia sends John Boy out into the night to find his daddy - a journey that will change John Boy’s life forever.

THE WALTONS’ HOMECOMING commemorates the 50th anniversary of “The Homecoming: A Christmas Story” television movie, which aired December 19, 1971, and launched the long-running series “The Waltons.” THE WALTONS’ HOMECOMING stars Bellamy Young (“Scandal”) as Olivia, Logan Shroyer (“This Is Us”) as John Boy and Richard Thomas, who originally starred as John Boy Walton in the beloved television series “The Waltons,” as “The Narrator.” The television movie is produced by Magnolia Hill Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, with executive producer Sam Haskell and writer/co-executive producer Jim Strain. Lev L. Spiro is the director. “The Waltons” original series was created by Earl Hamner, Jr.

Bellamy Young as Olivia and Logan Shroyer as John Boy 

--------- END of Press Release regarding The Waltons ---------

My Take:

I love love love The Waltons! Even though the series originally aired on TV before my time, I grew up watching them in reruns - and just fell in love with the show! In fact, before *It's a Wonderful Movie* was ever created or dreamed of, I had a web-site dedicated solely to The Waltons! Yes, I love show that much!

While part of me is thrilled to see this news, another part believes there is no way any actor today could compare to the fantastic actors who originally portrayed these characters. There was just something about them - pure, innocent, and natural - they all truly felt like family. It is encouraging, however, that Richard Thomas is a part of this production, which will hopefully add to the authenticity of this holiday remake.

Please share your thoughts in comments below...

Blessings, Net

A Special INVITE for Christmas Movie Fans on NEW YEARS DAY! (Don't be Late!)

Feast your eyes on what INSP has in store for us viewers today! It's a special trip down memory lane!

This is a special invitation for all viewers to join INSP for their first premiere presentation of...

The Waltons: The Homecoming

Monday, January 1st, 2018 at 3pm ET!

Story details via INSP:
The pilot movie that became the beloved series, The Waltons! Though much of the adult cast changed when the series took to the airwaves, all of the children, who star in the series, including Richard Thomas, are in this movie. Patricia Neal plays Olivia Walton; Edgar Bergan is Grandpa Walton; Andrew Duggan plays John Walton. Ellen Corby debuts her role as feisty Grandma Walton, and we meet, for the first time, many INSP fan-favorite characters we later grow to love in the series, including the Baldwin sisters!

It’s the Christmas season of 1933 and the hard times of The Great Depression have hit Walton Mountain. The family sawmill is shut down for lack of business, and in order to survive, John Walton, Sr. must leave home and travel more than 50 miles to find work. As the family prepares for the holidays, they can’t wait to be reunited with him.

The Waltons: The Homecoming - image via: jmhaven.com

In the meantime, leading up to the big day, life goes on. Mary Ellen tells her younger siblings the legend of Christmas Eve, when, at midnight, it’s said that all the animals are able to speak. They make plans to stake out the barn and hear the chatter for themselves.

A missionary gives out broken toys to the impoverished children on the mountain. Elizabeth gets a cracked baby doll, and learns a memorable lesson about charity.

The Waltons: The Homecoming - image via: fanpop

And at 15, John-Boy harbors a secret that he can’t tell his family. He wants to go to college someday to be a writer, but he knows they’d never be able to afford tuition, and may not even approve of such plans. In fact, he’s already started writing down his thoughts, hopes, dreams, and the abiding moments that bring his loving family to life, but he keeps his writing close to the vest, and is sure no one knows about it.

Now, it’s Christmas Eve, and still there is no sign of John Sr. coming home. On a radio broadcast, Olivia hears of a blizzard and a train wreck in the vicinity of where John is coming from. She fears this would delay his return, or worse, that he was a passenger on the train, that he’s injured or dead. Thinking John would be stranded on the side of the road, Olivia sends John-Boy out, on the day before Christmas, to search for his father.

I hope you will join me, in coming home once again to the Walton's family with their first movie, "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story," that began the journey of what would become the popular, highly rated television series- "The Waltons"!

You can almost taste that applesauce cake cooking in the oven and the smell of the evergreen tree as they decorate it with pretty things and homemade Christmas decorations!

It's a simple time when things were hard, and yet, they had everything in the world the could possibly need, as long as they had one another!

Enjoy the show!!! God's Abundant Blessings to you all in this New Year - 2018!!! Net


*Available on DVD from The Waltons...





The Homecoming: A Christmas Story

The Waltons - Complete Series Boxed Collection

The Waltons Movie Collection: (A Wedding on Walton's Mountain / Mother's Day / A Day for Thanks / A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion / Wedding / Easter)



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