markb
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Post by markb on Nov 7, 2011 9:23:28 GMT -5
Good morning everyone -- I watched maybe 30 minutes of the Thanksgiving Special yesterday, which I had never seen before. I was fairly interested because I knew it was one of the few I had never seen. I kind of wish I had kept it that way. It just wasn't the same, kind of like watching an athlete try to make a comeback way past his or her prime. It wasn't just that everyone looked older (although I have to say watching the Baldwins was especially hard), it's more that so much time had passed since they had played those characters and worked together. To use another comparison, it's kind of like an old rock band that doesn't play together for 15 years and then tries to come together for a tour. It just doesn't sound good. I found myself not paying attention to the plot, just noticing how bad everything was. Like the scenes after they hear of JFK's assassination. The acting was really atrocious in general.
Don't mean to sound harsh, just telling my impression. Even though it wasn't great it was still fun to watch, and you appreciated that they tried. Would love to hear others' thoughts.
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Post by childfree23 on Nov 7, 2011 9:43:35 GMT -5
I'm inclined to agree with you, but I still watched both specials in their entirety.
There were two Waltons Thanksgiving specials on Hallmark yesterday (Sunday) morning. The first one was filmed in 1982, right after the regular seasons ended and the cast still looked like their young selves. That's the Thanksgiving special I liked the most, because it stayed true to the show and didn't get overly sweet and sappy. It also kept its sense of humor, especially with the scene where Jim-Bob has to, uh, reason with Isabella the Turkey. I had no idea that David Harper, as a young man, could to physical comedy so well.
The second Thanksgiving special, that dealt with the JFK assassination, was nice but over-produced. I don't think it stayed true to the essence of the series. There was too much going on in the plot. It should have revolved around trying to get the whole family back together for Thanksgiving, with JFK's death in a less prominent role, instead of having the movie center around JFK's death with the Thanksgiving meal as the sub-plot. I know that by then John-Boy is a famous journalist and writer, but still I think it went overboard. However, the lone comedic moment was at the end, when John-Boy said that Janet asked him to marry her and he said yes. It wasn't the reverse marriage proposal that made me laugh, it was the way in which Richard Thomas delivered the line.
Debby
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Post by ez on Nov 7, 2011 13:07:24 GMT -5
i'd like to see the cast get together one more time for a christmas reunion that just focused on the family and the holiday. like showing them all coming home on a snowy night and having a big christmas dinner and opening gifts and sipping a little recipe while singing the old christmas carols. i think it would really be a good way to finsh off the walton's series.
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Post by JeriJet on Nov 7, 2011 13:47:05 GMT -5
Good morning everyone -- I watched maybe 30 minutes of the Thanksgiving Special yesterday, which I had never seen before. I was fairly interested because I knew it was one of the few I had never seen. I kind of wish I had kept it that way. It just wasn't the same, kind of like watching an athlete try to make a comeback way past his or her prime. It wasn't just that everyone looked older (although I have to say watching the Baldwins was especially hard), it's more that so much time had passed since they had played those characters and worked together. To use another comparison, it's kind of like an old rock band that doesn't play together for 15 years and then tries to come together for a tour. It just doesn't sound good. I found myself not paying attention to the plot, just noticing how bad everything was. Like the scenes after they hear of JFK's assassination. The acting was really atrocious in general. Don't mean to sound harsh, just telling my impression. Even though it wasn't great it was still fun to watch, and you appreciated that they tried. Would love to hear others' thoughts. I agree that the acting was pretty bad.... VERY disappointed in Michael Learned in the "JFK" one; she seemed to be "out of it" most of the time. I don't think one loses the ability to act, so what happened to all (most?) of them?? I think it has to be very tough to get back together after so long; you just can't hit the same plane again. What a shame.... |
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Post by jasonpendleton on Nov 7, 2011 18:38:14 GMT -5
I felt like the writing of the specials in the 90's was very poor. So many things contradicted basic Walton facts that were told in the original series. For example, it seemed that Charlie Walton (Ben and Cindy's second child) never existed.
Because the specials in the 90's so shabbily contradicted the prior series, I think it would be very difficult to do another special. Do you go with the original facts, or continue with the facts as the specials established them?
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Post by childfree23 on Nov 7, 2011 19:41:20 GMT -5
I felt like the writing of the specials in the 90's was very poor. So many things contradicted basic Walton facts that were told in the original series. For example, it seemed that Charlie Walton (Ben and Cindy's second child) never existed. Because the specials in the 90's so shabbily contradicted the prior series, I think it would be very difficult to do another special. Do you go with the original facts, or continue with the facts as the specials established them? Jason, I agree with you about the writing in the specials from the 1990s. They really could have done better, espeically with the consistency and continuity. JFK's death really stole the show, when it should have been about the Walton family getting together for Thanksgiving. The character development was rather predictable. They all achieved what they set out to, though I didn't believe the part where Jim-Bob said he wanted to get married and have a family just like the next guy. It just didn't go along with how I interpreted his character, who happens to be my favorite Walton. However, my favorite moment was when John-Boy announced Janet asked him to marry her, and he said yes. But it wasn't the non-traditonal marriage proposal that got me -- it was how Richard Thomas delivered the lines. Old-fashioned good acting gets it every time. Debby |
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Post by Marilyn on Nov 8, 2011 22:49:08 GMT -5
I think if another reunion show is done, it would be spectacular if they brought back all the living characters, and....including John Curtis, who so mysteriously vanished into thin air. I would love to see one more..and that means with Ike, Cora Beth and everyone else that is still alive that was on the show on a pretty regular basis!
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markb
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Posts: 80
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Post by markb on Nov 9, 2011 10:23:51 GMT -5
Thanks for everyone's thoughts, very interesting. I can understand the appeal of these specials and to do another show. It was fun to see them again and to see the storylines develop, despite all the flaws we've pointed out (and I agree on the writing especially, blech!). But I guess I feel that they should just leave it be, not mess with a classic. I have the feeling that watching a reunion show would leave me with a couple main feelings: dissatisfaction, like I felt after the Thanksgiving show I watched; and disbelief, since I would be focused more on the aspect of all of the actors getting together again instead of the story, etc. (e.g., "wow, Ike looks really different, it's weird to see him like that" rather than following any storyline involving him). Just my two cents, which is about what my opinion is worth.
Enjoy the day!
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Post by JeriJet on Nov 9, 2011 12:18:44 GMT -5
Thanks for everyone's thoughts, very interesting. I can understand the appeal of these specials and to do another show. It was fun to see them again and to see the storylines develop, despite all the flaws we've pointed out (and I agree on the writing especially, blech!). But I guess I feel that they should just leave it be, not mess with a classic. I have the feeling that watching a reunion show would leave me with a couple main feelings: dissatisfaction, like I felt after the Thanksgiving show I watched; and disbelief, since I would be focused more on the aspect of all of the actors getting together again instead of the story, etc. (e.g., "wow, Ike looks really different, it's weird to see him like that" rather than following any storyline involving him). Just my two cents, which is about what my opinion is worth. Enjoy the day! I agree with you, Mark. I have been struggling with the idea of a reunion and, for me, it would probably be a major disappointment. I think it's a case of "you can't go home again." The writing would have to be extraordinary in order for it to work. And where would that come from? Then, too (unfortunately), a large number of the remaining original actors seem to have been "one-hit wonders." This is not to say that they weren't absolutely wonderful in the show. They were! But it's been so many years since they have been immersed in the craft..... Perhaps part of the charm they hold for us is the fact that we haven't seen them all over the place for the following decades. The second Thanksgiving special was very disappointing and left me quite unhappy. I revel in the original series and am afraid that yet another less than first-rate reunion show might diminish those good feelings for me. |
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markb
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Post by markb on Nov 10, 2011 11:06:14 GMT -5
Always great to hear what you have to say jerijet, and makes me feel better about the reunion thing. I don't know. In some ways it mimics a families' story. We have all those amazing times early on, when everyone was together and vibrant. Things change and people get older, leave, and the table is emptier than it used to be. There are always challenges and experiences. That was the way I feel about the seasons as they went on. The later seasons reminded me of my own family, how there were people who had moved away but we always tried to recapture the magic with those who remained. The reunion episode, including the hypothetical one we're discussing, remind me of a nursing home, where every semblance of the family is scrubbed away and everything is completely sanitized and different. That is a harsh statement but that's what I felt when I saw that episode. Fabricated and too much in the past. That makes you feel bad when you watch it.
Yikes, didn't mean to be a downer, but that's the impression I was left with.
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Post by JeriJet on Nov 10, 2011 11:58:07 GMT -5
I felt the same way, Mark. It brought me down. And nobody needs that from a FAVORITE FAMILY !
I love your analogies.... you put into words my not wanting a Walton's reunion to "mimic" my family's history. We need "escape-ism" from watching the Waltons -- not another reality show !!!
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