Good evening, John Boy! Richard Thomas and fellow actors from beloved family drama The Waltons are reuniting for a Stars in the House show in support of The Actors Fund.
Richard Thomas Reunites With The Waltons
The reunion, hosted by Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley, is set to take place this Thursday, January 7 at 8 p.m. ET. Joining them and Thomas are cast members Mary Beth McDonough (Erin Walton), Eric Scott (Ben Walton), Kami Cotler (Elizabeth Walton), Judy Norton (Mary Ellen Walton), and Michael Learned (Olivia Walton).
The reunion special can be seen on Stars in the House’s YouTube channel or at the Stars in the House website. During the show, fans can ask questions and donate to The Actors Fund for a chance to have their names read by the stars on air. There will be live music during the show, too.
Stars in the House began last March as a daily program featuring stars of stage and screen singing and performing from the safety of their homes. Funds raised go to the charitable services helping those most affected by COVID-19. Dr. Jon LaPook, chief medical correspondent for CBS News, also appears on the shows. Stars in the House shows have raised more than $750,000; the funds have gone to benefit The Actors Fund, the NAACP LDF, Trevor Project, and Humane Society of New York.
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Originally set in the Great Depression, The Waltons, which ran for nine seasons, took place with the characters in post-World War II. No sooner had the show left the airwaves in 1981 than the cast re-assembled for reunion movies starting the following year. Those films included: A Day for Thanks on Walton’s Mountain, Mother’s Day on Waltons Mountain, and A Wedding on Walton’s Mountain.
Viewers clamored for more visits so the gang reunited for films in the 1990s, too. They included A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion in 1993 and A Walton Wedding in 1995. The final reunion movie, A Walton Easter in 1997, was set in 1969. John-Boy was working as a TV news anchorperson in New York and was working on a new book. He and his wife Janet (Kate McNeil, ex-Karen, As the World Turns) were planning to help celebrate John (Ralph Waite) and Olivia’s 40th wedding anniversary. Conflict arose when Janet wanted to remain in New York while John-Boy was drawn to his family home.
Earl Hamner Jr., the oldest of eight, created The Waltons based on his own real-life experiences growing up in Schuyler, Virginia. Hamner also created the primetime soap Falcon Crest starring Jane Wyman (Angela).
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