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The Waltons
S2.E10
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The Thanksgiving Story

  • Episode aired Nov 15, 1973
  • TV-G
  • 50m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
239
YOUR RATING
Richard Thomas in The Waltons (1972)
DramaFamilyRomance

Thanksgiving time on Walton's Mountain means a turkey shoot, a school play about early settlers, and the big meal. One year it also included a rekindled love affair and a life-threatening ac... Read allThanksgiving time on Walton's Mountain means a turkey shoot, a school play about early settlers, and the big meal. One year it also included a rekindled love affair and a life-threatening accident.Thanksgiving time on Walton's Mountain means a turkey shoot, a school play about early settlers, and the big meal. One year it also included a rekindled love affair and a life-threatening accident.

  • Director
    • Philip Leacock
  • Writers
    • Earl Hamner Jr.
    • Joanna Lee
  • Stars
    • Richard Thomas
    • Ralph Waite
    • Michael Learned
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.2/10
    239
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Philip Leacock
    • Writers
      • Earl Hamner Jr.
      • Joanna Lee
    • Stars
      • Richard Thomas
      • Ralph Waite
      • Michael Learned
    • 2User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos5

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    Top cast32

    Edit
    Richard Thomas
    Richard Thomas
    • John-Boy Walton
    Ralph Waite
    Ralph Waite
    • John Walton, Sr.
    Michael Learned
    Michael Learned
    • Olivia Walton
    • (as Miss Michael Learned)
    Ellen Corby
    Ellen Corby
    • Esther Walton
    Will Geer
    Will Geer
    • The Grandfather
    Judy Norton
    Judy Norton
    • Mary Ellen Walton
    Jon Walmsley
    Jon Walmsley
    • Jason Walton
    Mary Beth McDonough
    Mary Beth McDonough
    • Erin Walton
    • (as Mary Elizabeth McDonough)
    Eric Scott
    Eric Scott
    • Ben Walton
    David W. Harper
    David W. Harper
    • Jim-Bob Walton
    Kami Cotler
    Kami Cotler
    • Elizabeth Walton
    Sian Barbara Allen
    Sian Barbara Allen
    • Jenny Pendleton
    Diane Shalet
    Diane Shalet
    • Eula Pendleton
    John Ritter
    John Ritter
    • Rev. Matthew Fordwick
    Helen Kleeb
    Helen Kleeb
    • Mamie Baldwin
    Mariclare Costello
    Mariclare Costello
    • Miss Rosemary Hunter
    Mary Jackson
    Mary Jackson
    • Emily Baldwin
    Victor Izay
    Victor Izay
    • Dr. Matthew Vance
    • Director
      • Philip Leacock
    • Writers
      • Earl Hamner Jr.
      • Joanna Lee
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews2

    8.2239
    1
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    10

    Featured reviews

    10nlathy-839-300677

    Turkey and Tests Come To Waltons Mountain

    This is one of the few episodes I remember watching in prime time. I was only a Kindergartener at the time and only had an inkling of what was involved in going to school. It looked intimidating all the work John Boy had to do. The first run episodes that stick with me are ones involving health problems for the children. It makes it difficult to revisit these particular movies. I'm glad I gave this one a go. It's amazing how essential Richard Thomas is to the cast. Must not have been easy for veteran actors to let him take center stage. Still, they could see a good opportunity for their own careers. And Will Geer is brilliant in the subplot. It's absurd to think a remake of Homecoming was made with no Ben.

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    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Drew Barrymore and Pat Welsh in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
    Family
    Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)
    Romance

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The episode won an Emmy Award for Best Writing in Drama.
    • Goofs
      A grammatically-incorrect sign in the exam room reads: "No talking. Keep your eyes on you own paper."
    • Quotes

      Narrator: [narration as John "John Boy" Walton, Jr. reading from his journal] Next to Christmas, I suppose you'd have to say that Thanksgiving was our favorite time of the year. We may have been poor in worldly possessions, but at Thanksgiving, more than any other time, I think we knew, we really knew, how great was our abundance. It wasn't until the cold November of my eighteenth year, however, that I fully understood what abundance meant. It was a time of terrible questioning for all of us, and when it was over we all knew a bit more about Thanksgiving.

    • Connections
      Featured in The 26th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1974)

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    FAQ1

    • How old is Jason?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 15, 1973 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Hallmark Channel
      • INSP Television Network
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Stage 20, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Lorimar Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 50m
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1
      • 4:3

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