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Post by andy on Sept 12, 2014 11:50:40 GMT -5
Does anyone else find that they made a poor casting choice with the 2nd John-Boy. He seems morose and withdrawn to me. Even depressed.
The first John-Boy was so likable and hopeful and had a very nice infectious smile. I think they could have chosen a better actor to replace him.
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Post by JeriJet on Sept 12, 2014 12:09:06 GMT -5
Seems to me that after much discussion on past threads, folks have come to a consensus that Wightman did a pretty good job under the circumstances (of losing Richard Thomas)....
As far as the character being more morose, withdrawn, depressed -- we are seeing "John-Boy" after his participation in WWII, shot down, missing, in a coma, etc., etc..... takes a while to fully recuperate, if ever  |
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Post by carol on Sept 12, 2014 12:44:21 GMT -5
I liked him actually. No matter who they cast to play John boyII there would have negative feelings about that actor simply because Richard was so identified by that role.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2014 12:44:52 GMT -5
Does anyone else find that they made a poor casting choice with the 2nd John-Boy. He seems morose and withdrawn to me. Even depressed. The first John-Boy was so likable and hopeful and had a very nice infectious smile. I think they could have chosen a better actor to replace him. I agree with you Andy, I felt the same way. However I would have chosen "no" actor to replace him. I often look at the show and say that it isn't John-Boy, just some rich guy who escaped from an asylum and "thought" he was John-Boy. And he paid the Walton family members off very well just to call him "John-Boy" in a few episodes. That's my story and I'm sticking to it |
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Post by andy on Sept 12, 2014 16:04:42 GMT -5
Does anyone else find that they made a poor casting choice with the 2nd John-Boy. He seems morose and withdrawn to me. Even depressed. The first John-Boy was so likable and hopeful and had a very nice infectious smile. I think they could have chosen a better actor to replace him. I agree with you Andy, I felt the same way. However I would have chosen "no" actor to replace him. I often look at the show and say that it isn't John-Boy, just some rich guy who escaped from an asylum and "thought" he was John-Boy. And he paid the Walton family members off very well just to call him "John-Boy" in a few episodes. That's my story and I'm sticking to it That's really good, Dowsee. I couldn't have stated it better or more bluntly. |
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Post by e knight on Sept 13, 2014 9:52:37 GMT -5
Well, taking a page from The Simpsons, they could have had a show where J. Edgar Hoover drops in to point out that this man is, in fact, the real John Walton Jr., and that other guy was an imposter sent to infiltrate the community looking for subversive influences. "Do you really believe," he states, "that a Nobel Prize class journalist (and an Emmy Award class actor) would be voluntarily involved with a bunch of goobers like you? Now, you welcome your son back proper, or else ..."  |
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Post by sdw on Sept 13, 2014 11:38:17 GMT -5
I think Robert Wightman done a good as John Boy.
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Post by cinlou on Sept 13, 2014 11:45:12 GMT -5
I agree with Jerijet. The John Boy that went off to war would return with PTSD or close to it. War changes our women and men in the military. Of course I did have a fondness for Richard Thomas and he is a hard act to follow.
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Post by e knight on Sept 13, 2014 12:36:46 GMT -5
John Boy II is a lot less assertive when dealing with his younger siblings. Now, one could ascribe that to war trauma, and it's too bad that the writers didn't take time to suggest just that.
They might have kept the character's face bandaged throughout his hospital stay. Some chaplain could have explained to the family that the plastic surgeons worked miracles, but he will look a little different, and he'll be disillusioned and have some other readjustment problems. However, if we all understand this ... etc., etc.
Might have worked!
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Post by flatlander on Sept 13, 2014 16:52:23 GMT -5
I think Richard Thomas was impossible to replace. He played the character of John-boy with such a range of indelible personality traits. He could be so strong,full of integrity,hard-working,sincere,and wise. He also could bring in a sort of backwoods,aww,gee,shucks,sort of whimsy right along side all those other traits. Which I think is how he created such an iconic character in John-boy. Sometimes when he was playing it all smiles and a bit goofy,it felt a little sappy,but I think was necessary to the truth of the character.
When they brought in Wightman,I think they did the best they possibly could have. His looks matched up more closely with the rest of the Walton clan. This was a different John-boy. Changed by his injuries and the war experience ,you could say,but just could never be the same. Only R.T. could be the original John-boy. As great a job as the replacement did,Thomas created a character which could not be continued. It was necessary to do,but impossible to fill this actor portrayal.
Flatlander
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Post by andy on Sept 13, 2014 21:19:38 GMT -5
I agree with Jerijet. The John Boy that went off to war would return with PTSD or close to it. War changes our women and men in the military. Of course I did have a fondness for Richard Thomas and he is a hard act to follow. That would be a personality transplant and a war crime. After watching those episodes over and over I still can't identify the guy as John-Boy. Even his stature is off. |
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Post by JeriJet on Sept 13, 2014 21:54:32 GMT -5
I agree with Jerijet. The John Boy that went off to war would return with PTSD or close to it. War changes our women and men in the military. Of course I did have a fondness for Richard Thomas and he is a hard act to follow. That would be a personality transplant and a war crime. After watching those episodes over and over I still can't identify the guy as John-Boy. Even his stature is off. Very simply, Robert Wightman is not Richard Thomas.... It's like believing only one actor could ever play Hamlet.... Only if one had not known Richard Thomas as John-Boy could one easily accept Wightman in the role.... but with no experience of Thomas, it is not totally impossible to see Wightman as having done a decent job.... he might even be commended
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Post by andy on Sept 14, 2014 0:27:22 GMT -5
I personally think that he had the personality of an eggplant!
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Post by patriciaanne on Sept 14, 2014 0:30:57 GMT -5
I used to feel that way about Robert Wightman's portrayal. But I found that if I looked at some of the episodes on their own--forgetting he was playing the Richard Thomas character--I found some surprisingly good moments in his portrayal. Part of it may also have been the material he was given. John-Boy went from being a major player in the series to being more of a secondary character. I think that greatly affected the story lines and the dialogue he was given.
All said, though, I agree with everyone who has said it was an impossible role to fill.
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Post by andy on Sept 14, 2014 2:38:26 GMT -5
I found it to be like dish soap, sorry.
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