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Product Description: Viewers will be captivated by the seventh season of The Waltons which is comprised of 24 episodes that will make consumers laugh cry and cheer. As the season unfolds the United States entry into World War II brings big changes to Waltons Mountain. The family mourns the loss of Grandpa. Mary Ellen and Erin get an apartment in Charlottesville. Jim-Bob falls in love with a young girl who is preparing to be a nun. Elizabeth creates a poltergeist when she refuses to grow up. Olivia is diagnosed with Tuberculosis and must visit a sanitarium. Ben takes a new bride named Cindy with whom he sets up housekeeping in the shed. Godsey Hall is turned into a canteen for soldiers. Mary Ellen prepares to see Curt in Hawaii until news of Pearl Harbor hits and the family learns of his death.System Requirements:Running Time: 1200 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 883929010233 Manufacturer No: 1000037093Amazon.com: World War II has a profound impact on The Waltons: The Complete Seventh Season, as does the absence of John-Boy Walton (Richard Thomas), central figure in the first six years of the popular television drama. With John-Boy offscreen, stationed in England and writing for the American "Stars and Stripes" military magazine, The Waltons places its entire focus on the rest of the clan. One can feel a gap in the show, but The Complete Seventh Season holds up largely because of the war's influence on storylines. Patriarch John Sr. (Ralph Waite), his wife Olivia (Michael Learned), and their large brood spend 1941 adjusting to ceaseless changes, beginning with increased demand on John's lumber mill to meet defense contract demands. With John spending more and more time off the mountain negotiating with the government like a buttoned-down businessman, operation of the Waltons' mill falls to his son Ben (Eric Scott), who has to learn what it means to be the boss of hired hands. Meanwhile, Jason (Jon Walmsley) gets closer to graduation and still makes his way by playing piano at the Dew Drop Inn. He also finds himself feeling guilty over not enlisting in the war effort, but is uncertain about whether or not he might be a conscientious objector--a position that doesn't sit well with some of the men in town. Jim-Bob (David W. Harper) dreams (and dreams) of becoming a pilot but is too young to enlist. The laconic teen also falls in love with a girl leaning toward entering a convent--the experience is painful, to say the least. But something in Jim-Bob grows up after that and stays that way. As for the girls, Mary Ellen (Judy Norton Taylor) struggles with a full-time job as a nurse while leaving her baby at home, though none of those complications compares with the loss she endures the day Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, where her doctor husband is stationed. Erin (Mary Beth McDonough) and Elizabeth (Kami Cotler) carry on with work and school, and Grandma (Ellen Corby) gets around pretty well while suffering the long-term results of a stroke. The war affects everything on Walton's Mountain, including race relations, the clientele at the Dew Drop Inn, the employment scene. But if that's not enough change for The Complete Seventh Season, there's a whopper of a development midway through the year affecting the health and presence of Olivia in the show. There's always change on The Waltons, but none has ever been quite as extensive or sad as what happens on The Complete Seventh Season. Despite (or even because of) the withdrawal of Richard Thomas from The Waltons, there is a delicate balance between the other characters heretofore unseen. --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews:
- Waltons go through changes: As we all know, the Waltons go through many changes this season. Many are not happy changes, but they are depicted very well, and in a very moving way. I laughed and cried with them all over again. I have to say, I feel this season produced some of the best written episodes of the series. This was truly one of the finest series ever put on tv, and I feel privileged to have grown up with this family; it reminds me so much of my own family.
- Beginning of the End: Actually, when Richard Thomas left the show was when the Walton's began its descent to despair. I've loved the Waltons for as long as I can remember but am sorely dissapointed in season 7. I think the episode that did it for me was "The Changling". I mean, c'mon...Poltergiest? Let's get real here. Or should I say "unreal?" No wonder Michael Learned wanted to leave the show. The look of utter disbelief on her face as she did this show is so apparant. Judy Norton-Taylor's peformances a s a womon hooked on speed was so laughable. No wonder she's not working on TV now. Erin really grew up to be a pretty young thing but her hair was so frizzy in the episode where she and Mary-Ellen get an apartment. I guess for me, the best was "The Empty Nest"...however, I was hoping that this would have been done in a different way. Can you imagine the series beginning with a funeral in process. Oh, the tears would really flow if it only showed the people in the congregation's expressions during the funeral. That would have created a huge need for kleenexes. I won't be purchasing future seasons. Seven seasons is enough for me. I have "The Homecoming" all the way up to Season 7. That's plenty for now.
- Season 7 begins with Season 6: I suggest you watch the last episode of season 6 prior to viewing the first episodes of season 7. It really makes you appreciate the relationship between Will Geer and Ellen Corby.
- The Waltons: This is television as it should be done and since we do not have these kind anymore watch the dvds.
- Season Seven: A Time for Change: While this season may not be the best season of "The Waltons," it certainly is a season to be remembered. Right from the start, the beloved grandfather has died, and everyone is grieved in "The Empty Nest 1&2." Will Geer had apparently died between season six and seven, leaving Grandma (Ellen Corby) quite alone. Ben, now working the mill with his father, marries Cindy. More importantly, WWII begins with the bombing of Pearl Harbor--where Curt is stationed, and he dies as a result. Olivia (Michael Leanerd) finds out she has turberculosis and leaves the Walton family for a while. Elizabeth has her 13th birthday, Jim-Bob gets a tattoo, and Jim-Bob joins the Army.
Truly one of the most interesting seasons "The Waltons" had, however the disappearance of Richard Thomas and Will Geer is keenly felt. One could say that this was also one of the more weaker seasons of the show, but still one worth watching. The following is an episode list of Season Seven:
1. The Empty Nest (1)
2. The Empty Nest (2)
3. The Calling
4. The Moonshiner
5. The Obsession
6. The Changeling
7. The Portrait
8. The Captive
9. The Illusion
10. The Beau
11. Day of Infamy
12. The Yearning
13. The Boosters
14. The Conscience
15. The Obstacle
17. The Parting
18. The Burden
19. The Pin-Up
20. The Attack
21. The Legacy
22. The Outsider
23. The Torch
24. The Talespin
25. Founder's Day--with a guest appearance by Earl Hamner, creator of the series.
So, everyone, relax and enjoy the changes this wonderful family endures. And remember, things in your family change too.
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