Search - The Waltons: The Complete Fifth Season on DVD

Excellent final season for Richard Thomas

caj | 02/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With the exception of a few guest spots, this was Richard Thomas' final season as John-Boy. Stand out episodes include:

The Vigil - Mary Ellen makes a wrong diagnosis that puts Grandma near death.

The Baptism - Olivia struggles to get John and her kids baptized during a revival.

The Firestorm - John-Boy causes panic when he publishes parts of Hitler's Mein Kampf in his newspaper.

The Wedding - Mary Ellen goes through personal changes leading up to her wedding.

The Cloudburst - John-Boy crosses a line with Grandpa when he sells his meadow to a developer.

The Pony Cart - the best episode of the season IMO. Aunt Martha Corrine comes to visit the family and upsets everyone. But she's hiding a secret.

The Best Christmas - Olivia desperately wants the family to be together because she feels that this will be the last Christmas that the whole family will be together.

The Inferno - John-Boy travels to NJ and witnesses the Hindenburg disaster.

The Long Night - While visiting Esther in the hospital, Grandpa causes a disturbance and is banned from the hospital. Heartbreaking episode.

The Achievement - Grab your hankies. John-Boy travels to New York to check on the status of his novel and discovers it's time to leave home."

Season 5 quicker turnout then the other seasons....HORRAY!!!

couchbum | California USA | 01/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I just love this series. This season 5 is being released just 4 months after season 4 was released. I applaud the studios for the quick release. Here's hoping for the quick release of the rest of the seasons....all of them! Let's not forget the movies that came out either. I applaud the fair price of these seasons too."

"The Waltons", Classic Fifth Season Says Goodbye To Two Unf

Simon Davis | 05/01/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I believe you would be hard pressed to find a more genuinely loved television family than "The Waltons". The classic series which ran an amazing nine seasons and returned in a number of later television movies seems as fresh today as when it premiered in 1972. With simple stories based around love of family and respect for others, the value of giving without expecting something in return, and with a not always "happily ever after",conclusion to each episode this series has endeared itself to viewers all over the world ever since. Being in Australia to me "The Waltons", represents much that is fine about good old fashioned values no matter what the country you live in and there was rarely an episode that in some way did not move me to reflect on my own life and set of values. Season Five of "The Waltons" saw the series really at the top of its form, still fresh and beautifully written, popular in the ratings on many continents, and still winning Emmy Awards. Despite this continued success however season five also unfortunately saw the first of the cast changes that ultimately led to the series' decline. Just half way through the season Ellen Corby who brilliantly played sharp tongued, salt of the earth Grandma, suffered a stroke in real life which forced the producers to write her character out of the story for a season and a half. To add to the producers worries the final episode of the season also saw pivotal character John -Boy played superbly by a much underrated Richard Thomas leaving Waltons Mountain to pursue his dream of writing in New York. Loosing two major cast members in the one season was certainly a blow but these departures where handled in an expert way to keep the storyline moving along.

Every "The Waltons" fan will undoubtedly have their own favourite episodes from this last "complete cast", season of the series and with such a large number of really excellent stories present here it's difficult to single individual ones for special mention. A few that I believe standout are listed below.

"The Fire Storm", where John Boy flames local community tensions and fears regarding the growing menace from Nazi Germany by deciding to publish parts of Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf", in his local newspaper.

"The Wedding", which sees the first Walton Grandchild, (Mary Ellen) wed on the mountain but not to the man everyone thought was going to be the groom!

"The Pony Cart", Guest starring veteran actress Beulah Bondi in an Emmy Award winning performance as elderly aunt Martha Corinne who returns to Waltons Mountain one last time before her death.

"The Best Christmas", Amazingly the first Christmas episode in the series telling a poignant and action filled tale of Olivia's great desire to have the whole family together for one last special Christmas only to find the family scattered as the big day approaches.

"The Rebellion", (A great favourite of mine), where Olivia goes through an early mid-life crisis finding herself boring and predictable and sets out to "update", her image, while Grandma battles with a new rival for the right to continue as the organist at the church.

"The Long Night", a very moving story about love that knows no age when Grandpa becomes so lonely for Grandma who is still in the hospital recovering from her stroke, that he becomes a menace to the hosptial staff who then ban him from coming in to see his beloved Esther.

The excellence of so many episodes in this season as well as in the following sixth season went a long way towards compensating for the absense of the characters played Ellen Corby and later Richard Thomas in the stories and in fact actually gave the series a strong sense of reality where just as in real life, nothing of course ever stays the same and where real families often experience departures and long family separations. I highly recommend this latest box set, "The Waltons - The Complete Fifth Season", and despite the lack of any cast involvement in commentaries etc, the episodes alone makes this a more than worthwhile addition to your classic television DVD library. Enjoy!"

Take a step back in time.

John S. Rogers | 07/14/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've bought all 5 seasons, and am anticipating owning Season 6. Watching Season 5 brought back memories for me. I can actually remember watching the episodes when they came on t.v. on Thursday nights. My mom knew the biggest way to punish me was to threaten to not let me watch The Walton's.

Now, I'm a parent. And, like John & Olivia Walton, my wife and I have 7 children. (5 sons, 2 daughters) Now, a second generation are being entertained by watching The Walton's. I can draw many parallels between their family and ours, but I've never said anything about it to my own children. It didn't take long before the older ones were saying "You know, Dad, we're not much different from The Walton's." If only.....

Theirs is a story of a family struggling to make it through the Great Depression. It's filled with Hollywood-authored stories of trials, tribulation, triumph, and togetherness. At first, I'd think "horse puckey" when thinking that such a large family could get along so well. But I live with a large family, and know that the togetherness depicted on screen IS possible. It is my hope that my children will, one day, share the love of The Walton's with my grandchildren, and enable a third generation to experience true quality viewing entertainment. I don't think one could ever watch "too much" Walton's.

I just wished that Grandma had been able to be in the last few episodes. She made a brief appearance in the very last episode - and even at that, it was archive footage of John-Boy reminiscing back to when she was sharing stories with him. Her absence was palpable. What I would give to have heard her famous lines "Good Lord!" or "You old fool."

As with real life, the Walton family experiences a host of changes in their own lives. It's been said that the only certain thing in life is change, and that's so very true. We've watched the Walton children grow from inquisitive young children into budding young adults, and in Season 6, will experience the loss of a loved one to death. That's what I liked about the Waltons. They were real. So real, in fact, that I remember telling my folks "When we go on our next vacation, can we go see the Walton's?"

Oh, to be young and innocent again.

In this season, here are some highlights that are my personal favorites:


The First Edition: John-Boy starts the "Blue Ridge Chronicle", and has to write about his brother, Ben, being involved in a break-in. It showed me the integrity that John-Boy possessed as a journalist, and how he wasn't biased.

The Cloudburst: Did anyone else feel a sense of betrayal when John-Boy sold "John-Boy's Meadow" to that developer? Man, I was so mad I could've bit a nail in half!

The Pony Cart: Aunt Martha Corrine (Beulah Bondi) was my all-time favorite guest star in the show's run. She was the embodiment of a mountain woman, and played her role very well.

The Hero: Was anyone else shocked to learn that Ep Bridges was a war hero? Who saw that coming?

The Inferno: Aside from the poor special effects, this was among my top 5 favorite episodes. John-Boy let us see his raw emotion as he relived the experience of being there when the Hindenburg blew up. I got a lump in my throat watching this episode.

The Long Night: Okay, if I got a lump during that last episode, I boo-hooed during this one. The love that Grandpa had for Grandma was so evident. For him to go sit outside of the hospital just so he'd be nearby, man, what an expression of true love. I actually did shed a tear, as it only reminded me just how much I love and treasure my own precious wife.

The Go-Getter: This episode is a reminder of how important it is to always remain honest in all things. When you're dishonest in an attempt to get ahead, someone's going to get hurt. Ben learned this lesson the hard way. He walked all over his brothers in an attempt to get ahead (and be closer to his beloved Darlene), but learned the hard way when he sold Mrs. Brimmer a lemon of a car. However, Jim-Bob stepped in and saved the day, showing his brother through actions that he forgave him. Also in this episode, Ep Bridges marries his long-lost sweetheart. This one is a don't miss!

The Achievement: This episode is every father's nightmare - when your firstborn decides to spread their wings and fly. It's a reminder of the Bible verse that reads "Life is just a vapor. It appeareth for a short time, then vanishes away." While it may not have been the physical end of John Walton's life, it ushered him into the next level of fatherhood - one that none of us fathers are too anxious to enter.

I hope you enjoy the Waltons as much as my family and I do. We don't have network television, so I'm really grateful that Warner Home Video has offered this timeless classic for home viewing. If you're considering purchasing the series for your own entertainment, it's a decision you won't regret. If you have children, you owe it to them to get The Walton's. It's pure family-values entertainment with a few sparse cheesy bits thrown in here and there.



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