|
Post by awesomemixtape10 on Feb 4, 2013 21:15:52 GMT -5
I get what You mean by Poorly produced.
It was very obvious that they used the same backlot for the different countries that they did for Waltons mt.
It was weird seeing a Japanese POW camp on Waltons mt-literally.
|
|
|
Post by carol on Feb 4, 2013 22:51:43 GMT -5
My feeling about the wartime episodes is that many were either poorly written or poorly produced. I know I didn't like those romances either - I felt they highlighted some weak acting. On the other hand, Ben's storyline was pulled off surprisingly well which is a credit to Eric (and 'Cindy'). Erin and Mary Ellen working in the factory was realistic and interesting, especially with the wonderful characterization by Lewis Arquette. The Curt story was okay until they took that weird storyline and I hated that they killed GW - so much for being a family show ): That's my take on them. Young men died in the war. GW's death depicted the harsh reality that they lived with then .
|
|
|
Post by carol on Feb 4, 2013 22:55:10 GMT -5
I liked the Jason story line in the beginning when he had to find within himself whether he wanted to enlist or be a conscientious objector. I'm sure many young men went through the same thing.
|
|
|
Post by maxwalton on Feb 5, 2013 3:56:15 GMT -5
I would have loved an episode where Jim-Bob kicked some butt in a war battle. I also wanted to see Jim-Bob flying a C-47 or an engineer in a bomber. One did not need 20/20 vision for those disciplines. On the original topic, I love the Waltons beginning to end but, the bread and butter of the series for me was The Depression years. John and his family's struggle to keep food on the table was the strongest tug on my heart string.
|
|
|
Post by River on Feb 5, 2013 8:14:05 GMT -5
The Ben episodes were the best of the war episodes. Jason's plots just put him in the war here and there, no real continuity for him.
|
|
|
Post by dfnmeows44 on Feb 5, 2013 18:37:14 GMT -5
Glad to notice that most people agree that the War plotline helped the series, as I feel tlhe same way
|
|
|
Post by Marilyn on Feb 5, 2013 20:50:08 GMT -5
I feel the war plot hurt the series. It pulled family members away from the mountain and that's when the show started to fall apart. Plus the war was just plain depressing.
|
|
|
Post by Brenda on Feb 5, 2013 21:18:20 GMT -5
It would have been hard to continue the series without including the war, since that was a part of history, and it did affect nearly every family in the US. I mostly liked those episodes. I agree they were sometimes depressing, but war is very depressing when you think about it. Many families were pulled apart during World War 2. My father left North Carolina to join the Army, and he never returned there to live again. My maternal grandparents sold their farm in rural eastern Kentucky, land that had been in the family for 5 generations, and moved to town because all their children had left the area. The young men had joined the military, and the young women had moved to towns where they could find work in factories, much like Erin. My mother's brother was killed in World War 2. Watching all of that happen to the Walton family gave me a little glimpse into what things might have been like for my own family during that time. So, I liked those episodes.
Brenda
|
|
|
Post by Brenda on Feb 5, 2013 21:20:48 GMT -5
I forgot to say that I think the addition of Cindy to the cast was a big plus. She was one of my favorite characters in the entire series.
Brenda
|
|
|
Post by River on Feb 5, 2013 22:01:23 GMT -5
It would have been hard to continue the series without including the war, since that was a part of history, and it did affect nearly every family in the US. I mostly liked those episodes. I agree they were sometimes depressing, but war is very depressing when you think about it. Many families were pulled apart during World War 2. My father left North Carolina to join the Army, and he never returned there to live again. My maternal grandparents sold their farm in rural eastern Kentucky, land that had been in the family for 5 generations, and moved to town because all their children had left the area. The young men had joined the military, and the young women had moved to towns where they could find work in factories, much like Erin. My mother's brother was killed in World War 2. Watching all of that happen to the Walton family gave me a little glimpse into what things might have been like for my own family during that time. So, I liked those episodes. Brenda Great insight Brenda. My family did not have anyone in the war, except my grandpa but he never left this country.
|
|
|
Post by awesomemixtape10 on Feb 5, 2013 22:33:14 GMT -5
The one where John is in charge of the Draft board and he has to get that guy and convince him to report to the Army is real good.
The Jason deciding if was going to be a conscientious objector was good.
Ben captured in the POW camp is alright.However, That was definitely a "PG- rated" Pow camp. They would have at least broken Ben's arm over the Flag thing in real life. They probably would have done worse. Plus, he would have had a rough time dealing with that experience once he got home. He pretty much went back to normal once he got home ,didnt he? He would have been a different person for awhile after that.
Day of Infamy was good.
|
|
|
Post by ForeverWaltons on Feb 5, 2013 23:21:52 GMT -5
My maternal Grandfather was in World War II & he served overseas. He told me of getting into a gun battle with some German soldiers in a factory. He said that he knew that he had killed some of them & that he could not dwell on that for long but he knew in his heart that it was either them or him & he wanted to get back to his wife & son. (My Mom was born after he got back from the war).
|
|
|
Post by twinkle on Feb 6, 2013 6:49:27 GMT -5
I have just watched 'The Tailspin' (was on yesterday as well...) and I always get the feeling from this episode that the family seemed a little lost, direction-less with Olivia gone, no John-Boy and no Grandparents. There's a lot of emptiness in this particular episode. And that serviceman, Jeff, who was a friend of Curt's who turns up at the house and is very keen on taking up with Mary-Ellen...I found that a little on the creepy side. A man trying to slip his feet into the marital shoes of his dead friend...and how unimpressed he looks when Mary-Ellen fobs him off onto Erin. Not a favourite episode of mine I have to admit....
|
|
|
Post by wmfan/waltonsportwriter on Feb 6, 2013 7:53:34 GMT -5
Compared to say MASH, the Waltons war looked staged and the boys and everyone never looked in real danger. And there was some romance and attempt at war scenes. Ben in the Last Ten Days when he was a POW and Jason fighting when the Germans surrendered was a good war scene. And John Boy remembering when his good friend died in the water when their plane the Katey Anne crashed . Those were pretty good, but not to MASH degree of course. Different kinds of shows at different times. And Jim Bob didn't qualify for war awesome or at least he couldn't fly a plane like he wanted. And of course the Pearl Harbor Day of Infamy story was well done covering that awful day and Curt's "death" If they hadn't had the fake Curt return that would have been even more memorable. And of course the Waltons always honored the war and its veterans very well. Just my thoughts on The War and the Waltons. Hey thats what you could call the last 4-5 years or so of the series. Talk soon WmFanSportwriter
|
|
|
Post by awesomemixtape10 on Feb 6, 2013 8:49:59 GMT -5
" Jason fighting when the Germans surrendered was a good war scene. "
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeah, I forgot about that. I havent seen that one for a long time. Didnt they just surrender in a middle of a battle. Like , the whole war just happened to end during that battle ?
|
|