america fell in love with the waltons 50
years ago and they're celebrating by
giving us an anniversary special i got
the chance to talk with richard thomas
from the walton's homecoming check it
out
we're so excited the walton's homecoming
coming to us this sunday
after thanksgiving on the cw we can't
wait for this so tell me a little bit
about um why you're bringing it back why
you think everyone is going to be so
thrilled to see it and about the process
well you know i mean they they told me
that they were going to make a new
version of the homecoming and it's 50
years later and the show is a classic
and it's a great compliment to have it
to have it redone and then they invited
me to be a part of it doing the
narration as the older john boy and that
just really included because i have such
fond memories of it and i loved it so
much and and john boy is still there
inside me you know so when they they
invited me i was thrilled and i think
that you know the show carries the same
uh
it carries the same messages and and as
it carried 50 years ago you know that uh
that that that the most important thing
is that people should find their common
humanity with each other and work
through conflicts and that family and
community need to work together and and
uh how even in the middle of all kinds
of all kinds of turmoil and and and
deprivation like people experienced in
the depression there's a way forward
through through how we are with each
other
you know that's a kind of a timeless
theme it is the theme of hope which i
love you know everyone fell in love with
you the waltz is just the entire family
the casting crew what do you think it
was
about what magic did you guys have that
just made audiences just captivated
everyone well the magic we had first and
foremost was we had great scripts by
earl hamner who created that was where
the magic started i mean and we could
not have done if we had not had those
lines to speak and those characters to
play we couldn't have made that happen
and then the second thing was that we
really did make a family together and we
really did care for each other and all
that stuff that you saw on screen was
very authentic and very real
how we felt uh and and and and this show
and these characters does that i got a
sense from the new cast that
that in doing the
the remake they also came together as a
family and and became very close uh
these characters just do that it's a
it's a wonderful experience but of
course the show was the show was a great
success at the time because number one
there was nothing else like it on
television that's right
it brought all the demographic of the
family together in front of one screen
uh there was something for everyone all
three generations living together in the
same house
and this earth late 60s and early 70s
were a time of great turmoil socially a
lot of challenge and and the the waltons
you know offered a kind of a safe haven
where people could go and and celebrate
uh
how good it can be to be humans being
together
absolutely it's true now have you passed
anything down about your character john
boy to logan too i mean through what
what did you kind of pass about that
experience though
there's nothing for me to pass down my
performance is there for people to see
if they want to and logan certainly
knows how to make you know knew how to
make it his own which he did which is
what he was supposed to do i just don't
have a good time have a good time i love
that we which you certainly do all the
time we can feel that do you can you
believe it's been 50 years this
anniversary does it seem like less or
more time like no time has passed or it
feels like oh forever ago
you know at first you think wow that
went by in a second that that that that
that was in a flash and then right now
really it was 50 years a lot happened
there's a lot of water under that bridge
uh
but it was amazing for me in watching it
and then being involved with it again to
have the full force of all those early
years on the show come right back to me
and it was emotionally very rich
for me i love it but 50 years man and
it's still and we still have something
to say it's it's a nice feeling in this
film that we get to experience coming up
here on the 28th was there one point
moment that sticks out that you thought
oh man i just love this experience right
here right right now
well i loved watching it and and doing
the narration and feeling that i was
back home again on the mountain
i love that oh my gosh it doesn't get
much better than that and we have to ask
you personally what do you do for the
holidays do you have any traditions a
lot of people this will become a
tradition watching this well i wait all
year from my wife's wonderful new
mexican christmas dinner
we have a beautiful tree and
i have to force myself to not listen to
christmas music before thanksgiving
which is not easy for me
that's right but today let it roll so
cool the walton's homecoming air sunday
night eight o'clock right here on wish
tv