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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2019 8:43:31 GMT -5
I figure, Kip Niven (Rev Tom Marshall) would have made for a better replacement for the role of John-Boy than Robert Whightman on account that Kip and Richard look so much like each other. Therefore the difference in appearance wouldn't have been as noticeable compared with that of Wightman/Thomas. Kip had already appeared in The Waltons as Lt. Clarke Oler, so he already knew the cast. In years Kip is five years older than Richard, however, older actors have been known to play younger characters. Here I go again with my attention to detail, whoever would be a replacement for John-Boy the make-up department would need to create a similar skin blemish on the replacement actor's left cheek. |
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Post by JeriJet on Feb 24, 2019 11:55:41 GMT -5
I agree that Niven would have made a better John-Boy replacement than Wightman did... nothing to do with looks (seldom important to me)... more to do with personality as portrayed by Niven.
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Post by nedandres on Feb 25, 2019 11:12:46 GMT -5
That is an interesting idea, but for some reason the producers chose Wightman. Kip was married to Linda Lavin, known for her Broadway roles and for TV's "Alice." I saw Kip in the second "Annie" sequel, "Annie Warbucks", off-Broadway, in the early 1990s. He played Warbuck's butler Drake. I wrote to Kip and told him I was a Waltons fan, and he wrote back to me.
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Post by Marilyn on Feb 27, 2019 12:34:22 GMT -5
I don't think he looks anything like the original John Boy. The guy that played the part was okay, but his personality wasn't much like John Boy.
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Post by kelliekay on Mar 3, 2019 19:48:48 GMT -5
I think Robert did a fine job as John -Boy. I get sick of people complaining he wasn't good. Richard Thomas did not want the part! Michael Learned didn't want the part! Peggy Rea was great and so was Robert Wightman!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2019 20:28:12 GMT -5
I don't think he looks anything like the original John Boy. The guy that played the part was okay, but his personality wasn't much like John Boy. There's a saying. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" used to express the fact that not all people have the same opinion. |
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Post by JeriJet on Mar 3, 2019 21:15:29 GMT -5
Different interpretations of a role are perfectly fine with me -- creativity is what "defines" an actor !! Personal preferences will always exist, and that's fine, too.  |
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Post by nedandres on Mar 5, 2019 23:48:24 GMT -5
I think all of us prefer Richard’s John-Boy, but the producers decided to bring back the character and Richard was otherwise occupied. Robert’s portrayal never bothered me, then or now!
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Post by missyou123 on Jul 31, 2022 9:08:58 GMT -5
I think Robert did a fine job as John -Boy. I get sick of people complaining he wasn't good. Richard Thomas did not want the part! Michael Learned didn't want the part! Peggy Rea was great and so was Robert Wightman! I’m bringing this back up because as I watch it lays on my mind. Seeing this particular comment inspired me to activate this topic. I know I am in the minority when it comes down to being a Wightman fan but it is what it is. I think him and Richard Gilliland (Jonesy) brought the show to a graceful end. I read the comments concerning someone trying to reach out to him to attend a luncheon in 2012. Thank you. I also read comments saying his wife answered the phone and said he wasn’t interested. Now, whether or not she was speaking for him or just took it upon herself to answer we don’t know and will probably never know. The question is should people stop trying to get him to engage in activities. It’s been so many years but from what I’ve seen online he’s approaching 70 years old. Sometimes getting older changes things and that goes for the wife too. I know from reading on the forum that some of you have access to the actors. I would only ask that if any of you who do and who feel that he did a good job and don’t mind talking to him, let him know that he has fans out here who would love to see him again and know how he’s doing. I sent a letter to Judy Norton asking her about this but never got a response. My point is that for us to continue to promote the Walton’s and their values we have to do things the way they did them. The Walton’s took in and loved pretty much anyone that knocked on their door. If anyone that continues to try to promote the show does not include Walton behaviors and values they are not promoting the Walton’s. I love seeing older actors that I admire in new movies. When I saw Henry Winkler in a Hallmark Christmas movie I immediately bought it. Makes you feel good being around grandparent age and seeing some of your favorite actors come back and be at grandparent age as well. I wish Richard Gilliland was still around. Would have loved to have seen him and Wightman play in a movie together for old times sake. Anyway, any of you who may at some point see or be in contact with Wightman please let him know that he has fans out here. He may have given up completely on acting at this point but maybe this will encourage him to give it a go at least one more time and hopefully this time he will get the credit he deserves. Stepfather 3 was not his real character. I could easily see him in a Hallmark Movies and Drama movie. Sorry for the long post but I wanted to get this out once and for all and the post above encouraged me to do so. As an older person (66 years old) I realize more and more that sometimes we have to remove self for the benefit of others. Richard Thomas has received enough (more than enough in my opinion) for his role but Wightman deserves more than he received. When the show was stranded, he came in and did the best he could. He was definitely the big brother I would have wanted during that time. He put his career and love life on hold for the sake of the family. Even Hamner said he was more like him than Thomas. That says a lot in spite of what we want to believe. |
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Post by sharonputnam on Aug 11, 2022 23:23:28 GMT -5
I think Robert did a fine job as John -Boy. I get sick of people complaining he wasn't good. Richard Thomas did not want the part! Michael Learned didn't want the part! Peggy Rea was great and so was Robert Wightman! I’m bringing this back up because as I watch it lays on my mind. Seeing this particular comment inspired me to activate this topic. I know I am in the minority when it comes down to being a Wightman fan but it is what it is. I think him and Richard Gilliland (Jonesy) brought the show to a graceful end. I read the comments concerning someone trying to reach out to him to attend a luncheon in 2012. Thank you. I also read comments saying his wife answered the phone and said he wasn’t interested. Now, whether or not she was speaking for him or just took it upon herself to answer we don’t know and will probably never know. The question is should people stop trying to get him to engage in activities. It’s been so many years but from what I’ve seen online he’s approaching 70 years old. Sometimes getting older changes things and that goes for the wife too. I know from reading on the forum that some of you have access to the actors. I would only ask that if any of you who do and who feel that he did a good job and don’t mind talking to him, let him know that he has fans out here who would love to see him again and know how he’s doing. I sent a letter to Judy Norton asking her about this but never got a response. My point is that for us to continue to promote the Walton’s and their values we have to do things the way they did them. The Walton’s took in and loved pretty much anyone that knocked on their door. If anyone that continues to try to promote the show does not include Walton behaviors and values they are not promoting the Walton’s. I love seeing older actors that I admire in new movies. When I saw Henry Winkler in a Hallmark Christmas movie I immediately bought it. Makes you feel good being around grandparent age and seeing some of your favorite actors come back and be at grandparent age as well. I wish Richard Gilliland was still around. Would have loved to have seen him and Wightman play in a movie together for old times sake. Anyway, any of you who may at some point see or be in contact with Wightman please let him know that he has fans out here. He may have given up completely on acting at this point but maybe this will encourage him to give it a go at least one more time and hopefully this time he will get the credit he deserves. Stepfather 3 was not his real character. I could easily see him in a Hallmark Movies and Drama movie. Sorry for the long post but I wanted to get this out once and for all and the post above encouraged me to do so. As an older person (66 years old) I realize more and more that sometimes we have to remove self for the benefit of others. Richard Thomas has received enough (more than enough in my opinion) for his role but Wightman deserves more than he received. When the show was stranded, he came in and did the best he |
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Post by AR15 on Aug 12, 2022 15:30:26 GMT -5
I agree with the pro-Robert Wightman points here. I just grow fonder and fonder of his version of John-Boy all the time. Richard Thomas is, obviously, my favourite actor to play the role (and his portrayal is one of my favourites in anything, ever) and I think that because people compare Robert Wightman's version of the character against Richard Thomas's, he comes off unfavourably. But that's not fair (even though it's natural for people to do so). He's not playing a teenager/early twenties man who's filled with enthusiasm as he makes his way in the world for the first time, he's playing a warier man approaching his thirties who has been through some hard times and the writing was different to reflect this. In an alternative universe where Richard Thomas was in all of the Robert Wightman episodes (which never would have happened, because I think it's quite clear that he was written as a 'new' John-Boy) I suspect a lot of people would say things like "he was never as good when he came back in Season 8, you could see his heart wasn't in it" when it's actually the show itself changing. By all means, if you don't like Robert Wightman's portrayal, that's fair enough. Recasting a character in the manner that they recast John-Boy is awkward. It can break your sense of immersion in a show and, indeed, damage its integrity. The show changed a lot towards the end, and Robert Wightman as John-Boy has kind of come to represent that change. I just don't think he was ever really given a fair crack of the whip, either by the writers (who made him a side character, and had him absent for long stretches between appearances) or by fans. I don't mean to suggest that anyone is wrong in disliking him, but having made a handful of Waltons tribute videos on YouTube, I notice that it's very common for fans to comment something along the lines of "there's only one John-Boy" or "the show went downhill when they recast John-Boy" and I think it's unfair that Robert Wightman is kind of treated as if he ruined the show - he did an excellent job in the role, in my opinion. He's not responsible for John-Boy being recast, and he isn't responsible for any the perceived flaws in the later seasons. It wouldn't surprise me if he has experienced some negativity from fans and that's why he hasn't immersed himself in the world of fan conventions and so forth - considering how quick people are to criticise today, I bet he received at least some hate mail back when the show was still on. I just think it's important that people remember he's just a human being and an actor who did his best to do the impossible - to fill the shoes of Richard Thomas. Even I couldn't accept him in my first couple of watch throughs. It felt wrong - but over time I grew to accept him, and now, even to actively like his alternative take on the iconic character. He's a good actor, for sure. Just to clarify: I hope this doesn't sound like an attack on anybody here, it's more about anonymous comments I see around the internet (outside of the forum). Even the OP (whoever they were before they deleted their account) was respectful, and I think they made a good point. I wouldn't want to replace Robert Wightman, but I'd love to get to see what Kip Niven may have don't with the role. I don't think he looks like Richard Thomas, but I do think he has the right John-Boy energy. Generally speaking, it feels like there are more and more Robert Wightman fans emerging all the time and that makes me happy next up, we need to reassess and appreciate Logan Shroyer's take on the character. (nah, not gonna open that can of worms  ) |
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Post by missyou123 on Aug 12, 2022 16:42:18 GMT -5
I agree with the pro-Robert Wightman points here. I just grow fonder and fonder of his version of John-Boy all the time. Richard Thomas is, obviously, my favourite actor to play the role (and his portrayal is one of my favourites in anything, ever) and I think that because people compare Robert Wightman's version of the character against Richard Thomas's, he comes off unfavourably. But that's not fair (even though it's natural for people to do so). He's not playing a teenager/early twenties man who's filled with enthusiasm as he makes his way in the world for the first time, he's playing a warier man approaching his thirties who has been through some hard times and the writing was different to reflect this. In an alternative universe where Richard Thomas was in all of the Robert Wightman episodes (which never would have happened, because I think it's quite clear that he was written as a 'new' John-Boy) I suspect a lot of people would say things like "he was never as good when he came back in Season 8, you could see his heart wasn't in it" when it's actually the show itself changing. By all means, if you don't like Robert Wightman's portrayal, that's fair enough. Recasting a character in the manner that they recast John-Boy is awkward. It can break your sense of immersion in a show and, indeed, damage its integrity. The show changed a lot towards the end, and Robert Wightman as John-Boy has kind of come to represent that change. I just don't think he was ever really given a fair crack of the whip, either by the writers (who made him a side character, and had him absent for long stretches between appearances) or by fans. I don't mean to suggest that anyone is wrong in disliking him, but having made a handful of Waltons tribute videos on YouTube, I notice that it's very common for fans to comment something along the lines of "there's only one John-Boy" or "the show went downhill when they recast John-Boy" and I think it's unfair that Robert Wightman is kind of treated as if he ruined the show - he did an excellent job in the role, in my opinion. He's not responsible for John-Boy being recast, and he isn't responsible for any the perceived flaws in the later seasons. It wouldn't surprise me if he has experienced some negativity from fans and that's why he hasn't immersed himself in the world of fan conventions and so forth - considering how quick people are to criticise today, I bet he received at least some hate mail back when the show was still on. I just think it's important that people remember he's just a human being and an actor who did his best to do the impossible - to fill the shoes of Richard Thomas. Even I couldn't accept him in my first couple of watch throughs. It felt wrong - but over time I grew to accept him, and now, even to actively like his alternative take on the iconic character. He's a good actor, for sure. Just to clarify: I hope this doesn't sound like an attack on anybody here, it's more about anonymous comments I see around the internet (outside of the forum). Even the OP (whoever they were before they deleted their account) was respectful, and I think they made a good point. I wouldn't want to replace Robert Wightman, but I'd love to get to see what Kip Niven may have don't with the role. I don't think he looks like Richard Thomas, but I do think he has the right John-Boy energy. Generally speaking, it feels like there are more and more Robert Wightman fans emerging all the time and that makes me happy next up, we need to reassess and appreciate Logan Shroyer's take on the character. (nah, not gonna open that can of worms ) You really put it out there. I had to go and get a glass of wine. So good to get a response and such a fair one. I really appreciate how you drew attention to the fact that when Thomas played the part he was a main character but when Wightman took over he was a side character. Had they given Wightman a stronger role he would have had more of an opportunity to display his acting. As you said, when Wightman took over the character was a full grown man. He was more concerned with the seriousness of his future not to mention that he left the woman he loved (or thought he loved) behind in order to come home. Different ages, different problems. Also, again, I really think that when the character was given to Wightman it should have stayed with him. Having Thomas come back for the reunions was a discredit to him and I personally think from a humanitarian point of view, it was disrespectful although we know these things happen in the industry. When Thomas came back for the reunion movies he was still hyper and somewhat arrogant. Those attitudes should not have been brought back into the show after Wightman toned them down and displayed more maturity in the character. It caused confusion. Also, the possible hate mail and negative reviews probably had a negative effect on Wightman’s entire career. Now he seems to have fallen off the charts and that’s sad because he is a very good actor. Again, I hope if anyone on the board ever has access to him they will share our thoughts with him. It’s not too late to try and encourage him to participate in something. He may not want to and that’s his choice. If the criticism he received did damage his career he may not want to hear anything about the Waltons but on the other hand, age tends to soften attitudes and perhaps by now he would be willing to participate for the sake of his fans if someone lets him know that he does indeed have fans. I’m really happy that you are seeing more and more Wightman fans emerging. To my forum family, I say I truly respect your feelings and opinions. Whatever I say is not to discredit anyone. I just happen to be a Wightman fan. I don’t think Thomas could have pulled off seasons 8 and 9 the way Wightman did and I’m happy he accepted the challenge. Thanks again AR. Going for my second glass now. |
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Post by dayton3 on Aug 18, 2022 11:06:27 GMT -5
I don't think he looks anything like the original John Boy. The guy that played the part was okay, but his personaldity wasn't much like John Boy. Couldn't his personality change be explained as a result of his severe head injury during the war? |
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Post by Easton on Aug 18, 2022 13:31:25 GMT -5
There's really no need for explanation. Richard and Robert were two different actors playing the same character in their own way. It is their interpretation of the character. It's not just Richard and Robert. There were other 'replacements':
Edgar Bergen and Will Geer - Grandpa Patricia Neal and Michael Learned - Olivia Tom Bower and Scott Hyland - Curt Robin Eisenmann and Leslie Winston - Cindy Ned Beatty and Victor French - Curtis Norton Dorothy Neuman and Sheila Mathews Allen - Fanny Tatum
EDIT: I forgot:
David Huddleson and George Dzundza - A.J. Covington
None of the replacements tried to portray the characters the way the originals did.
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Post by carol on Aug 19, 2022 0:19:54 GMT -5
There's really no need for explanation. Richard and Robert were two different actors playing the same character in their own way. It is their interpretation of the character. It's not just Richard and Robert. There were other 'replacements': Edgar Bergen and Will Geer - Grandpa Patricia Neal and Michael Learned - Olivia Tom Bower and Scott Hyland - Curt Robin Eisenmann and Leslie Winston - Cindy Ned Beatty and Victor French - Curtis Norton Dorothy Neuman and Sheila Mathews Allen - Fanny Tatum EDIT: I forgot: David Huddleson and George Dzundza - A.J. Covington
None of the replacements tried to portray the characters the way the originals did.
Eileen McDonough and Debbie Gunn played Patsy Brimmer |
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