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Post by flossieskid on Jul 2, 2023 7:36:36 GMT -5
I haven't been posting lately because there has been a lot going on - the most important is that our daughter is
moving to Chicago to be with her boyfriend, Rob. I never realized that his name is very appropriate - he is
"robbing" us of our beautiful daughter, Nikki! Of course, I jest, because every parent wants their child to find "their person", fall in love and be happy. But, DARN - does her "one and only" have to live halfway across the country?!?
When I thought of her leaving us, I wished my daughter was a Walton. Each one of the children stayed home
with the family until they got married or went off to war. No one moved out into their own apartment or with
their significant other. It simply was not done! The family home was a multi-generational haven for any
and all Waltons. In fact, didn't Mary Ellen move out to marry Curt, had their baby and when he went
to war, didn't she move back home? Well, I doubt Rob will be going off to war, so Nikki won't be returning to the
family home any time soon.
Nikki was born and raised in Southern California and Rob loves it here. But, unless they win the lottery, they simply cannot afford to buy someplace to live. As I am sure most people know, California real estate is insane! For example, my childhood home was bought in 1962 for $34,000. It had 2 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, with a pool and a guest house on a 21,000 square foot lot. I found out that, recently, the home was purchased for $1 million! Then, the owners tore it down (TO THE STUDS!) and built their own mini-mansion. Insane, right? Who can afford to do that? Plus, this wasn't in Beverly Hills, Bel-Air or Malibu, but in North Hollywood, a suburb of L.A. about 1/2 hour from downtown Hollywood. Rent for apartments are not much better - $2,500 for a 2 bedroom in the Valley.
I admired the way the Waltons welcomed all members of their family to live in one home, without judgment. I still haven't seen all the episodes after my Mom died - and I know there are a lot - but I'm still not sure why or how
Rose became the matriarch of the family. Wasn't she a cousin of John Walton? But, it shows that relatives, of all kinds, were welcomed with open arms. John and Olivia taught their children to be responsible, independent
thinkers with a sense of adventure. No matter where they traveled, they always had a place to come
home to on Walton's mountain. Nikki has lived in England, New York and South Dakota, but she always came
back home to the wonderful weather of California and her family. I would like to think my husband and I taught her the same type of values as John and Olivia gave their own children: be responsible, independent, kind and thoughtful to all you encounter, work hard and strive to find the joy in life and spread that joy to others, as well. But,
I don't think we ever taught her how to withstand the freezing Chicago winters!!!
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Post by Easton on Jul 2, 2023 9:12:26 GMT -5
A number of things come into play to explain Rose Burton (who was Olivia's cousin).
To start, Mary Ellen moved back home following Curt's death at Pearl Harbor. With her living the her house with John Curtis, Judy Norton's role was suddenly limited to occasional visits with no story lines to speak of. It was decided to move her back home and become part of the family again. (She and John Curtis moved into John-Boy's room.)
Next, Ellen's stroke reduced her role as Grandma to guest appearances. Then there was Michael's departure from the show following Olivia's bout with tuberculosis. She returned temporarily for the beginning of the war but virtually disappeared from the family to care for John-Boy (Robert Wightman) who had been shot down and rescued by German fishermen in the North Sea (I believe). A recovering John-Boy returned to Walton's Mountain. Michael, however, wanted out of the show and was written out when John-Boy went home, preferring to stay at the hospital and work for the Red Cross.
This all left The Waltons with no 'mother figure', so, before Olivia left, her cousin, Rose Burton arrived on the scene with her two grandchildren - Jeffrey (Keith Coogan, grandson of Jackie Coogan) and Serena (Martha Nix). Jeffrey and Serena were undoubtedly brought in to fill in the spaces left by the grown-up Walton children, and John Curtis wasn't old enough to fill that gap all by himself.
However, Jeffrey and Serena were not particularly welcomed by the fans. Their father, Rose's son, was an abusive alcoholic and whipped Jeffrey with his belt. Jeffrey was trouble from the get-go and Serena started out as a petty thief. Neither character seemed able to find their place in the show. They survived Season 8 but were gone back to their rehabilitated father at the beginning of Season 9.
Rose eventually reunited with an old flame, Stanley Perkins, played by the wonderful actor William Schallert. They were married at the end of Season 9. Had there been a Season 10, I like to think that they returned to Walton's Mountain after the honeymoon but, since Ralph Waite had been released from the show due to money-cutting costs, the producers, it seems, intended to focus The Walton on the children, but the series was cancelled during their hiatus.
That should catch you up.
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Post by goodnight on Jul 2, 2023 22:38:48 GMT -5
It would have made more sense for Olivia to have a relapse of TB when JohnBoy was recovered. And be in a sanitarium close by. Then at the point in season 9 when the character of John was written out, the story line could say she was not improving enough and needed to go to Arizona and John would go with her. Instead it's like she abandoned her family.
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Post by Easton on Jul 3, 2023 9:35:40 GMT -5
^ It really was a cop-out for the writers, especially when they had the much more plausible TB storyline to fall back on.
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Post by nedandres on Jul 4, 2023 22:28:10 GMT -5
It would have made more sense for Olivia to have a relapse of TB when JohnBoy was recovered. And be in a sanitarium close by. Then at the point in season 9 when the character of John was written out, the story line could say she was not improving enough and needed to go to Arizona and John would go with her. Instead it's like she abandoned her family. Yes, I agree. Not very Olivia-like! |
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Post by patriciaanne on Jul 7, 2023 10:23:02 GMT -5
flossieskid Tracey, I'm sorry to hear your daughter is moving so far away. My own sister recently moved to Florida and her kids moved far away too. I'd be lucky to see them once a year but it will probably be less than that. Of course, you and your daughter probably don't hate flying as much as I do, so I'm sure it will be better for you. Still, I know your mother's heart is breaking. 💗💞🩷
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Post by nedandres on Jul 7, 2023 11:14:50 GMT -5
Hang in there, Tracey. I feel for you. We are here in Ecuador, and our son is studying in the US, in Ohio. Today's our anniversary and it's especially hard to be separated on these special occasions. But we are happy that he has this opportunity to do something that he wants to do, and he's so busy that he doesn't really have time to miss us. HA! We are thankful for technology that allows us to be in contact with him on a regular basis. God bless you, friend. I know it's hard!
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Post by patriciaanne on Jul 7, 2023 20:12:53 GMT -5
Hang in there, Tracey. I feel for you. We are here in Ecuador, and our son is studying in the US, in Ohio. Today's our anniversary and it's especially hard to be separated on these special occasions. But we are happy that he has this opportunity to do something that he wants to do, and he's so busy that he doesn't really have time to miss us. HA! We are thankful for technology that allows us to be in contact with him on a regular basis. God bless you, friend. I know it's hard! Happy anniversary, Ned!! 💗🎉💐💒 |
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Post by nedandres on Jul 7, 2023 22:05:47 GMT -5
Hang in there, Tracey. I feel for you. We are here in Ecuador, and our son is studying in the US, in Ohio. Today's our anniversary and it's especially hard to be separated on these special occasions. But we are happy that he has this opportunity to do something that he wants to do, and he's so busy that he doesn't really have time to miss us. HA! We are thankful for technology that allows us to be in contact with him on a regular basis. God bless you, friend. I know it's hard! Happy anniversary, Ned!! 💗🎉💐💒 Thanks, dear friend. 21 years and counting!❤️ |
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Post by flossieskid on Jul 11, 2023 5:18:43 GMT -5
Thank you to Easton for explaining how Rose came to be the parental figure on Walton's Mountain after John and Olivia left. He shared the importance of her role in taking over the family responsibilities. I never really understood why she was there, but Easton cleared all that up for me!
Also, many thanks to patriciaanne and nedandres for their kind words and thoughts about dealing with our daughter's move to Chicago. It has been really hard, but I must remember that so many parents deal with their children going off to college or moving to the town of their spouse. Also, congrats on ned's anniversary July 7th - which was the birthday of Walton's screenwriter and Executive Producer, Rod Peterson. Small world!
One last comment: is it me or was the font on my last post SUPER SIZED?!? It seemed so big to me it almost hurt my eyes!! Maybe it had a mind of its own because my emotions were HUGE regarding Nikki's move. Yeah - let's go with that!
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Livie's Friend
Reporter
Grandpa Zebulon Walton:Child, there are mysteries in this life that none of us can understand as yet
Posts: 217
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Post by Livie's Friend on Jul 11, 2023 5:52:35 GMT -5
Hi Tracey, yes the font was HUGE in your first post but this time you are good  I am only now beginning to read your posts a little at a time and I am enjoying reading them so much. I always look forward to seeing your Mom on the show. She truly brings a special flavor to the episodes that she is in. One of our sons lives 1000 miles away and we see him twice a year, sometimes 3x if we go there. There are many times that I think if only he can come here for Sunday dinner, but I don't get that opportunity. I used to feel very sad about that in the beginning, but you do adapt. It's not easy, but I am at peace with it now. Hope that helps. |
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Post by missyou123 on Jul 14, 2023 12:00:18 GMT -5
As a mother myself, I sincerely understand how you feel about your daughter moving. I would be devastated and though I’m sure in time I’d get used to it, it would be very difficult. In spite of my devastation, I don’t wish my daughter was a Walton daughter. I’m fully on board with the idea of the family home but I think they took it to the extreme. Neither Curt nor Paul were really happy husbands and Curt and Mary Ellen had their own home and he still didn’t get to spend quality time with her.
What amazes me is that they all were big church goers and the Bible clearly states how one should carry their self once married, yet the girls remained committed to the home instead of their husbands. I think it’s a matter of keeping things in its place.
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Post by Easton on Jul 14, 2023 14:51:26 GMT -5
That wasn't the norm. That was just for the show. Mary Ellen and Ben got it mostly right with Mary Ellen living in the doctor's house with Curt and Ben moved into the shed with Cindy, but the other kids would have lived near-by in their own homes.
Mary Ellen lived away from home but, as Judy explained in one of her videos, they had trouble writing her into each episode. That's why she soon moved back home.
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