Actor

Real life can be nasty. It can be messy, jaded, and just downright unpleasant. But bastions of wholesome goodness and ideals endure, and that’s exactly what Richard Thomas wanted viewers to take away from watching The Waltons. Thomas starred as John-Boy Walton in the CBS historical drama, playing the eldest of the seven Walton children. Upon its initial release in the early ‘70s, The Waltons generated massive support thanks to its nostalgic presentation of the American family during the Great Depression and World War II. But as the decade wore on, critics would use those points against The Waltons with some talking points Thomas very passionately shut down. When critics turned on ‘The Waltons,’ Richard Thomas was at the frontline defending it Richard Thomas responded to critics who slammed The Waltons for its wholesome tone / Everett Collection The Waltons painted an inspiring picture of hard work, community, and family togetherness that drew Americans in. However, when critics started to target The Waltons, they focused on these very themes and slammed the show for its “nauseatingly saccharin approach to life.” RELATED: Richard Thomas Explains Why ‘The Waltons’ Was Not Included In Classic TV Lists Thomas would hear none of it. “I think that The Waltons has helped, as much as anything like that can,” he countered. “It has brought many families together for an hour each week. I've got so many letters from people telling me that 'I can sit down with my kids once a week and talk about something we have in common. We see these values put forth and we discuss them and feel a part of them!’” Richard Thomas saw and brought elements of ‘The Waltons’ everywhere THE WALTONS, (from left): Richard Thomas, Will Geer, 1972-81 / Everett Collection While critics accused The Waltons of an unrealistically sweet presentation, Thomas also countered that such goodness did exist; he likened the household he grew up in to the one on Walton’s Mountain. “It's good for me to keep in contact with them because they keep me in contact with myself,” said Thomas. “I don't exactly get advice from them — they simply share the wealth of their experience. Very important people in my life.” Thomas would brush off criticisms of The Waltons as resentment coming from those who were not immersed in similarly good values who decided to channel those emotions into condemnation. He argued that such critics “found a great deal of hostility in the American mainstream.” THE WALTONS, front row, from left: David W. Harper, Judy Norton, Mary Beth McDonough; seated, second row, from left: Kami Cotler, Ralph Waite, Michael Learned; back row, standing, from left: Eric Scott, Jon Wamsley, Richard Thomas, Will Geer, Ellen Corby, (1972), 1971-1981. ph: Douglas Jones / TV Guide / ©ABC / courtesy Everett Collection In contrast, he argued, “I feel that alienation has been stressed long enough in our society. And now The Waltons is a show which is concerned with what we need right now — a sense of unity and interdependence. It's a show about a family that lives off the land without ruining it.” While Thomas also called it “a great mistake to assume that the Waltons represent the entire community,” critics did assert that “the Waltons don't act like poor sharecroppers,” which might have shown America an overlooked demographic plagued by hardship. What did you think of The Waltons?