I am an old farm girl who grew up in central PA. I remember when this movie came out. I was around 8 years old. Of course it led to the very popular series the Walton's that ran for many years on CBS. I just love this movie for it's simplicity, authenticity and staying true to the roots of Earl Hamner's (and many country folks) life. It stars a young Richard Thomas who became a great character and Broadway actor and the great late Patricia Neal. About 5 years ago I bought a copy of this video and I watch it religiously every Christmas season just like "It's a Wonderful Life". If you want a wholesome family video that has a nice ending - try this movie - you won't be disappointed!
45 Reviews
It's not Christmas without "The Homecoming"
ecjones195120 December 2006
"The Homecoming" is steeped more in nostalgia and familial love and faith rather than empty sentiment. It also contains a very strong Christian message, which stems from the beliefs of its characters, not out of some ham-handed political agenda on the part of its producers.
It's essential for the children to see that there are people like Charlie Sneed (The Robin Hood Bandit) or the Missionary Lady in the world; people who in some way corrupt the meaning of Christmas, in order to realize the blessings they have. Hawthorne, the minister, is flawed, too, of course; he's not exactly doing the Lord's work by making whiskey runs for the old lady bootleggers. But, as he says, you can't feed your kids on faith.
Patricia Neal is the real treasure in this story. She was only 45; a reasonable age for a woman whose 7 children's ages span ten years. In 1965, when she was 39, Neal suffered a near-fatal stroke which left her temporarily paralyzed. She had to learn to talk over again. She had made a screen comeback in 1968 in "The Subject Was Roses," but this film was her *real* homecoming.
It's essential for the children to see that there are people like Charlie Sneed (The Robin Hood Bandit) or the Missionary Lady in the world; people who in some way corrupt the meaning of Christmas, in order to realize the blessings they have. Hawthorne, the minister, is flawed, too, of course; he's not exactly doing the Lord's work by making whiskey runs for the old lady bootleggers. But, as he says, you can't feed your kids on faith.
Patricia Neal is the real treasure in this story. She was only 45; a reasonable age for a woman whose 7 children's ages span ten years. In 1965, when she was 39, Neal suffered a near-fatal stroke which left her temporarily paralyzed. She had to learn to talk over again. She had made a screen comeback in 1968 in "The Subject Was Roses," but this film was her *real* homecoming.
My Christmas is complete!
BumpyRide19 December 2005
I was so glad to see that this is out on DVD. It looks great, I'm glad Paramount spent some time restoring it to its present condition. This truly is a modern day classic. I was enthralled with this when it ran on television for the very first time, and its lost none of its appeal for me 34 years later. The entire story exudes reality for me and you actually care about this family. Patricia Neal is wonderful as Olivia. It's too bad she didn't go on to do the television show. She added a touch of reality but also she conveyed a true sense of having seen hardship in her own life that conveys to the screen. If you've never seen this movie, and you're longing for Christmases gone by, treat yourself and either rent or buy the DVD. This is a big step above "The Walton's."
A great family Christmas story
SimonJack16 January 2017
Warning: Spoilers
With so few people having rated this movie as of January 2017, one can only surmise that TV networks and stations no longer broadcast it. And, probably haven't done so for many years. That's too bad, because this is one of the very best Christmas movies ever made. And, it led to the long- running prime time family TV series, "The Waltons" (1972-81).
This movie is based on a 1970 novel by Earl Hamner Jr., "The Homecoming: A Novel About Spencer's Mountain." That book, this film, and Hamner's earlier book, "Spencer's Mountain" of 1961, were the basis for the TV series that would begin airing in 1972. Hamner created the series and was the narrator for its 210 episodes that ran into 1981 on CBS.
But this movie is the piece de resistance of a wonderful story. The story is a superb blend of family interaction, love, light humor, concern and worry over the father who hasn't yet come home, and relations between the youthful members of the family. Hamner wrote the teleplay for the TV movie, which is autobiographical. He was the oldest child of a large family that lived on the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in west-central Virginia. The town of Schuyler, Virginia, is 20 miles south of Charlottesville and 75 miles WNW of Richmond.
His father, Earl Sr., worked in the local soapstone mines. But when the mines closed during the depression, he found work as a machinist in Waynesboro, VA, about 30 miles away. He stayed there in a boarding house during the week and returned home on weekends. He took a bus from Waynesboro to Charlottesville and then one other stop; and would then walk the last six miles to home. All of this is covered in this movie. And, while the town of Schuyler isn't named in the film, the movie takes place there. But the exterior farm and woods scenes were shot in the Bridger-Teton National Forest near Jackson, WY. That was probably easier and less costly than trying to find such a pastoral, less populated area in which to shoot even then in Virginia.
The cast for the film is superb. Patricia Neal is Olivia Walton, the mother. Andrew Duggan is the father, John Walton, who finally makes it home at the very end of the film. Richard Thomas gives a breakout performance as John-Boy, the eldest son who is tailored after Hamner in his youth. Edgar Bergen is Grandpa Walton (Ebenezer) and grandma (Esther) is played by Ellen Corby. Some other key adult characters are Cleavon Little as Hawthorne Dooley, Woodrow Parfrey as Ike Godsey, David Huddleston as Sheriff Ep Bridges, and Dorothy Stickney and Josephine Hutchinson as the Baldwin sisters, Emily and Mamie. Some of the child actors went on play their roles in the TV series, most notably, Richard Thomas as John-Boy.
This is a heartwarming story and slice of life picture of rural life in much of America during the Great Depression. The dialog and interaction are real and believable. This film should be at the top of everyone's list of movies to watch during the Christmas and year-end holidays. It's in my film library of Christmas movies. I don't know why this film isn't a Christmas classic and viewing staple over the holidays.
Earl Hamner Jr. died March 24, 2016, at age 92. His home in Schuyler, VA, is a Virginia Historical Landmark and is open to tours. Walton's Mountain Museum is located in Schuyler. It is in the former high school that Earl Hamner attended. One can buy a postcard in the museum store and have it stamped, "Sent from Walton's Mountain, Virginia."
This movie is based on a 1970 novel by Earl Hamner Jr., "The Homecoming: A Novel About Spencer's Mountain." That book, this film, and Hamner's earlier book, "Spencer's Mountain" of 1961, were the basis for the TV series that would begin airing in 1972. Hamner created the series and was the narrator for its 210 episodes that ran into 1981 on CBS.
But this movie is the piece de resistance of a wonderful story. The story is a superb blend of family interaction, love, light humor, concern and worry over the father who hasn't yet come home, and relations between the youthful members of the family. Hamner wrote the teleplay for the TV movie, which is autobiographical. He was the oldest child of a large family that lived on the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in west-central Virginia. The town of Schuyler, Virginia, is 20 miles south of Charlottesville and 75 miles WNW of Richmond.
His father, Earl Sr., worked in the local soapstone mines. But when the mines closed during the depression, he found work as a machinist in Waynesboro, VA, about 30 miles away. He stayed there in a boarding house during the week and returned home on weekends. He took a bus from Waynesboro to Charlottesville and then one other stop; and would then walk the last six miles to home. All of this is covered in this movie. And, while the town of Schuyler isn't named in the film, the movie takes place there. But the exterior farm and woods scenes were shot in the Bridger-Teton National Forest near Jackson, WY. That was probably easier and less costly than trying to find such a pastoral, less populated area in which to shoot even then in Virginia.
The cast for the film is superb. Patricia Neal is Olivia Walton, the mother. Andrew Duggan is the father, John Walton, who finally makes it home at the very end of the film. Richard Thomas gives a breakout performance as John-Boy, the eldest son who is tailored after Hamner in his youth. Edgar Bergen is Grandpa Walton (Ebenezer) and grandma (Esther) is played by Ellen Corby. Some other key adult characters are Cleavon Little as Hawthorne Dooley, Woodrow Parfrey as Ike Godsey, David Huddleston as Sheriff Ep Bridges, and Dorothy Stickney and Josephine Hutchinson as the Baldwin sisters, Emily and Mamie. Some of the child actors went on play their roles in the TV series, most notably, Richard Thomas as John-Boy.
This is a heartwarming story and slice of life picture of rural life in much of America during the Great Depression. The dialog and interaction are real and believable. This film should be at the top of everyone's list of movies to watch during the Christmas and year-end holidays. It's in my film library of Christmas movies. I don't know why this film isn't a Christmas classic and viewing staple over the holidays.
Earl Hamner Jr. died March 24, 2016, at age 92. His home in Schuyler, VA, is a Virginia Historical Landmark and is open to tours. Walton's Mountain Museum is located in Schuyler. It is in the former high school that Earl Hamner attended. One can buy a postcard in the museum store and have it stamped, "Sent from Walton's Mountain, Virginia."
Growing up on Waltons Mountian, every Thursday I was one of the kids except I was just in front of the Tv in my living room.
ghovertime14 May 2004
One night in December of 1971,I was just a young child of 7 years , enjoying the hope and antisipation of the upcomming Christmas holiday. I was just looking through the channels of my TV set and ran across this movie that had been on for maybe 40 minites or so. just as I tuned in, John Boy had just recked the family truck looking for his Daddy. I continuded watching this show while more and more becomming curiously intersted in this family from the 30s who seemed to be so poor but in turn so very rich in love and closeness of a strong and courageous group of relitives. After the airing of "The Homecomming" that night, I was filled with a feeling of goodness and respect of family that today is almost non exsistant in television. To tell the truth, I think it may never come to that type of programing ever again. I had no idea of what I just witnessed in the beginning program of what would become the best , most highly respected family show to date. This is a TRUE classic, timeless and ever lasting and if you are like me , I know that values shuch as the ones that The Waltons taught us for 10 years after that Dec. night, should make a comback and make it fast!!What happened? can you tell me? Ill tell you all this ,to this day , I still find myself messing around with my kids at night saying, goodnight John boy, goodnight Mary Ellen (although their names are not John Boy nor Mary Ellen) but still I wait for the reply that I heard so many Thursday nights in the 70s at 900pm which is truly music to my ears.... goodnight Daddy!
Christmas classic set in the Great Depression
thowen198818 October 2006
I was only six years old when I first saw "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story" in December 1971. This is a heartwarming Christmas story of a family waiting for the arrival of their patriarch, John Walton, during the early years of the Great Depression.
The values upon which this nation was built are alive and well in this movie and the highly successful CBS series that followed. While the Waltons are not financially wealthy, they have an abundance of love in their home and community.
Richard Thomas' character "John-Boy" is perhaps one of the best known characters in television history. Patricia Neal is excellent as the loving yet strict disciplinarian mother, Olivia Walton. Judy Norton's portrayal of teenager "Mary Ellen" is quite believable; one moment she seems mature and on the verge of womanhood, and the next moment she is whining and bickering with her siblings (typical teen). Ellen Corby is an excellent supporting actress in her role as Grandma.
In my view, "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story" is one of the best Christmas movies of all time because it is not about Santa, a snowman, nor an abundance of gifts. On the contrary, the Waltons Christmas movie is about family, love, discipline, friendship, responsibility, and the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ, the reason for the season.
I've had this movie in my Christmas movie VHS/DVD collection since the early 1990s. "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story" is in the same category as "It's a Wonderful Life", and I highly recommend this film.
The values upon which this nation was built are alive and well in this movie and the highly successful CBS series that followed. While the Waltons are not financially wealthy, they have an abundance of love in their home and community.
Richard Thomas' character "John-Boy" is perhaps one of the best known characters in television history. Patricia Neal is excellent as the loving yet strict disciplinarian mother, Olivia Walton. Judy Norton's portrayal of teenager "Mary Ellen" is quite believable; one moment she seems mature and on the verge of womanhood, and the next moment she is whining and bickering with her siblings (typical teen). Ellen Corby is an excellent supporting actress in her role as Grandma.
In my view, "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story" is one of the best Christmas movies of all time because it is not about Santa, a snowman, nor an abundance of gifts. On the contrary, the Waltons Christmas movie is about family, love, discipline, friendship, responsibility, and the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ, the reason for the season.
I've had this movie in my Christmas movie VHS/DVD collection since the early 1990s. "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story" is in the same category as "It's a Wonderful Life", and I highly recommend this film.
Christmas Movie Classic
tsrts22 December 2019
The pilot episode of The Waltons can be considered a major classic, up there with all the biggies - It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, Christmas Story, White Christmas, and perhaps Die Hard.
Funny to see different cast members not from the TV series.
Great family film for the holidays!
The Homecoming - a timeless classic.
zcopreserve27 December 2005
As others have said, it is so great to have this wonderful, timeless classic Holiday film out on DVD. A few years ago, I bought the VHS tape and found the following year ( I wanted a back-up copy ) that the tape was not available. There is no doubt in my mind that The Homecoming is the "sleeper" of all time in its genre.
Sadly, films of this quality - the location shooting, the caliber of actors & actresses, the true story line - make this one of the greatest Christmas films ever made. I saw it the night ( Thanksgiving night, I believe ) it premiered in 1971. Even though I was only 14 at the time, it has embedded itself in my memory because of the true heartbreak, and joy, people of those years and circumstances endured, and enjoyed. I never really liked The Waltons TV show after the first year or two because of all the ( mildly ) social engineering plots CBS came up with. The biggest mystery on Earth ( to me ) is why CBS - or other networks - don't show this annually every Holiday Season; it's message truly is timeless. Also, a reunion of the surviving actors ( as a prelude to the showing ) would also be great.
This movie deserves the 5-Star PLUS! rating. Thanks again, Paramount and CBS for its release on DVD.
Sadly, films of this quality - the location shooting, the caliber of actors & actresses, the true story line - make this one of the greatest Christmas films ever made. I saw it the night ( Thanksgiving night, I believe ) it premiered in 1971. Even though I was only 14 at the time, it has embedded itself in my memory because of the true heartbreak, and joy, people of those years and circumstances endured, and enjoyed. I never really liked The Waltons TV show after the first year or two because of all the ( mildly ) social engineering plots CBS came up with. The biggest mystery on Earth ( to me ) is why CBS - or other networks - don't show this annually every Holiday Season; it's message truly is timeless. Also, a reunion of the surviving actors ( as a prelude to the showing ) would also be great.
This movie deserves the 5-Star PLUS! rating. Thanks again, Paramount and CBS for its release on DVD.
The Waltons with an Edge
buxtehude9914 February 2006
I have good memories of seeing this on TV many years ago, and I'm happy to read reports of a DVD. I believe this to be the pilot for The Waltons, either by design or by accident. This is a more realistic portrayal of the Great Depression that is usually shown. It was cleaned up considerably when the TV series was produced. Patricia Neal's character is a woman who knows hardship. Her face registers much pain, and even though she was/is a beautiful woman, that careworn look shows through. Her husband (wonderful Andrew Duggan who only shows up at the very end) is away looking for work, which was fairly typical of the 1930's. And she has too many kids, and they're all living with grandma & grandpa. They will have to accept charity from clueless missionary ladies at Christmas. These people are POOR! Nice to see Edgar Bergen in a rare, late career, character role as Grandpa (not Will Geer). All of the writing shows more edge than the series, even carrying over to the children. I guess that TV children can't get mixed up with moonshiners. It is, perhaps, unfair to compare this to the television series. They clearly are two different animals. Think M*A*S*H, and you'll know what I mean. This should be an annual holiday movie.
Greatest TV-Movie Ever Made
pmtelefon14 December 2020
"The Homecoming" is not only one of the best Christmas movies ever made it's also the best made-for-tv movie ever made. Everything thing in this movie works. I've seen this movie a bunch of times and it never fails to hit the spot. The Cast is great with standout work from Patricia Neal and Richard Thomas. By the time "The Homecoming" ends there's not a dry eye in the living room. I watch this movie every year. It's a true classic.
Very good but a few lapses in realism
theseekerhp9 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Don't worry, I'll warn you before I get to the spoilers :)
This is the original Waltons TV movie, with a few different actors in adult roles offering a slightly different interpretation of those characters. Patricia Neal plays Olivia here, and she plays her a little flintier than Michael Learned did in the series. But perhaps one could see this as being due to Olivia being worried about her husband making it home after a snowstorm. Edgar Bergen as Grandpa isn't given much to do compared to Will Geer in the series; I assume he still had the talent to have done more with the role if he had been given more to do (he really was a great performer). But with a large ensemble, and only 100 minutes running time, it's understandable that his role was somewhat limited. Everyone, including 4-year-old Kami Cotler (a wonderful child actor, but not quite as good yet as she was just one or two years later when the series began), needed to contribute in order to give the film the feeling of a large, rambunctious family.
A minor quibble is that Andrew Duggan is a bit too old to play Ellen Corby's (Grandma's) son, John Sr. Ralph Waite (John Sr. In the series) was maybe a little too old, but at the turn of the 20th Century, it certainly would not have been uncommon for a girl in her later teens to have married and begun a family.
Long story short, if you can accept a few different actors than the ones you may have gotten used to if you grew up with the television series, this TV movie has a lot to offer.
The Homecoming provided a fully-formed introduction (though I don't believe it was intended as a pilot) to the series; the house in the series is nicer, making it seem like a family that wasn't poor until the depression, and the series exuded a little more warmth, but both this TV movie and the subsequent series offer sentimentality without being trite or maudlin. There's just enough toughness to give some richness to the sentiment, so that it doesn't just feel manipulatively saccharine. In much the same way as adding a little fat to a recipe gives food a little richness of flavor, giving the characters some realistic adversity enriches this story.
That said, there are a couple of scenes that are kind of half-baked, or that should have been a little more developed. For example (very minor spoilers coming up), when John Boy borrows a car from a friend at the general store, he doesn't bother to check the gas tank before leaving. In an era when cars broke down pretty regularly, and when there still would have been some older cars on the road that had no fuel gauge, even a teenager wouldn't have departed onto snowy roads without at least making sure he had enough gasoline. And later, when visiting the Baldwin sisters, Cleavon Little as Pastor Dooley doesn't let John Boy ask if he can borrow their car (the whole reason they're there), and doesn't explain why. It felt like a scene from Three's Company. My guess is that writer Earl Hamner, Jr. Knew that he needed to have some difficulty at these points in the story, but didn't have enough time (or, perhaps, take the time) to come up with anything better, or with legitimate reasons for the difficulties. If these quibbles would take away from your enjoyment of this film, subtract a star from my score.
A side note: Another reviewer mentions that the movie has an anti-Christian bias that people wouldn't have had in the 1930s. It doesn't have an anti-Christian bias; it's a Christmas movie, for Pete's sake! In reality, God is very important to all the characters who bring it up. But Christian people have had issues with certain things professed by Christian religions since way before the 1930s; as a matter of fact, since way before the Reformation in the 1500s. Perhaps during the Puritan era (which was itself a disagreement with certain Christian religions), a person who didn't go to church every Sunday would be seen as a heretic, but by the 1900s not being a regular churchgoer may have been unusual, but it wouldn't have been seen as anti-Christian. And some characters (including his wife and his mother) do not approve of John Sr. Skipping church, though they tolerate it. Most characters seem to have a deep faith, regardless of how religious they are. It's funny that someone who is intolerant of the way others express their faith, calls those people intolerant. The writer and narrator of this movie and the subsequent series was Earl Hamner, Jr., a Baptist. Hardly anti-Christian.
This is the original Waltons TV movie, with a few different actors in adult roles offering a slightly different interpretation of those characters. Patricia Neal plays Olivia here, and she plays her a little flintier than Michael Learned did in the series. But perhaps one could see this as being due to Olivia being worried about her husband making it home after a snowstorm. Edgar Bergen as Grandpa isn't given much to do compared to Will Geer in the series; I assume he still had the talent to have done more with the role if he had been given more to do (he really was a great performer). But with a large ensemble, and only 100 minutes running time, it's understandable that his role was somewhat limited. Everyone, including 4-year-old Kami Cotler (a wonderful child actor, but not quite as good yet as she was just one or two years later when the series began), needed to contribute in order to give the film the feeling of a large, rambunctious family.
A minor quibble is that Andrew Duggan is a bit too old to play Ellen Corby's (Grandma's) son, John Sr. Ralph Waite (John Sr. In the series) was maybe a little too old, but at the turn of the 20th Century, it certainly would not have been uncommon for a girl in her later teens to have married and begun a family.
Long story short, if you can accept a few different actors than the ones you may have gotten used to if you grew up with the television series, this TV movie has a lot to offer.
The Homecoming provided a fully-formed introduction (though I don't believe it was intended as a pilot) to the series; the house in the series is nicer, making it seem like a family that wasn't poor until the depression, and the series exuded a little more warmth, but both this TV movie and the subsequent series offer sentimentality without being trite or maudlin. There's just enough toughness to give some richness to the sentiment, so that it doesn't just feel manipulatively saccharine. In much the same way as adding a little fat to a recipe gives food a little richness of flavor, giving the characters some realistic adversity enriches this story.
That said, there are a couple of scenes that are kind of half-baked, or that should have been a little more developed. For example (very minor spoilers coming up), when John Boy borrows a car from a friend at the general store, he doesn't bother to check the gas tank before leaving. In an era when cars broke down pretty regularly, and when there still would have been some older cars on the road that had no fuel gauge, even a teenager wouldn't have departed onto snowy roads without at least making sure he had enough gasoline. And later, when visiting the Baldwin sisters, Cleavon Little as Pastor Dooley doesn't let John Boy ask if he can borrow their car (the whole reason they're there), and doesn't explain why. It felt like a scene from Three's Company. My guess is that writer Earl Hamner, Jr. Knew that he needed to have some difficulty at these points in the story, but didn't have enough time (or, perhaps, take the time) to come up with anything better, or with legitimate reasons for the difficulties. If these quibbles would take away from your enjoyment of this film, subtract a star from my score.
A side note: Another reviewer mentions that the movie has an anti-Christian bias that people wouldn't have had in the 1930s. It doesn't have an anti-Christian bias; it's a Christmas movie, for Pete's sake! In reality, God is very important to all the characters who bring it up. But Christian people have had issues with certain things professed by Christian religions since way before the 1930s; as a matter of fact, since way before the Reformation in the 1500s. Perhaps during the Puritan era (which was itself a disagreement with certain Christian religions), a person who didn't go to church every Sunday would be seen as a heretic, but by the 1900s not being a regular churchgoer may have been unusual, but it wouldn't have been seen as anti-Christian. And some characters (including his wife and his mother) do not approve of John Sr. Skipping church, though they tolerate it. Most characters seem to have a deep faith, regardless of how religious they are. It's funny that someone who is intolerant of the way others express their faith, calls those people intolerant. The writer and narrator of this movie and the subsequent series was Earl Hamner, Jr., a Baptist. Hardly anti-Christian.
The Quintessential Christmas Movie!
kenkuhl25 November 2005
My family watches this film every Holiday Season without fail. I think the "catch" for our children is the bickering Walton children. The scene in the barn when they are cracking walnuts and talking about not growing up or the youngest saying she is not going to have babies but "puppies" when she grows up is precious. The oldest Mary Ellen calling one of the others a "piss ant" is one of our favorite scenes. The only scene that has always caused us some concern is the Missionary Lady's gift that is broken and the way the children leave it lying on the road. The story is so deep, at so many levels and introduces all the Walton Mountain characters so well, it is not surprising the TV show had such a long run...
Not as good as the TV series
hyacintoblack30 June 2022
Good show, but far from great
FlushingCaps5 December 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Good story, but that's all. I don't know how people could think this to be a great movie. Spoilers abound.
The Homecoming, which served as the pilot for The Waltons, stars Patricia Neal as Olivia and Richard Thomas as John-Boy. John has been working some 50 miles away, returning home on weekends, via buses and walking. The entire film takes place on Christmas Eve, 1933, with John being quite late and the family fearing he was in some accident.
A couple of IMDBers have commented that they like this better than the series. I truly don't understand how you can like a movie that lasted 2 hours (with commercials) as much as a series that lasted 9 seasons and had about 200 hours of entertainment for us.
I enjoyed scenes with the children interacting, teasing each other, etc. At one point they are permitted to go to Ike's store where they have been told someone is about to give out gifts to children. Olivia initially is appalled because her family does not accept charity, but agrees, as long as they just look and don't accept any gifts. I didn't understand her thinking. Receiving some token gift at Christmas is not at all the same thing as charity.
This led to one of the most disturbing scenes in the film. A lady missionary informs everyone outside Ike's that she will give presents to whoever comes up reciting a Bible verse. Oddly, it seems none of the children know any, except Mary Ellen. She says verses to a few children, who run up to the lady and repeat it, and get their package.
Ignoring what they promised their mother, Elizabeth goes up and receives a large package for the simple line "Jesus wept," which she also got from Mary Ellen. They unwrap a doll, but it is broken, with the face an ugly thing in pieces. Elizabeth screams, "She's dead!" She drops the doll, is consoled by John-Boy, and they all head home. I was bothered by the woman giving away such a disfigured doll.
Fearing the worst for John, Olivia sends John-Boy to search for John. He winds up borrowing a car and runs out of gas near the community's black church. He sits through services and a short play about the birth at Bethlehem. Then he asks the minister, Hawthorne Dooley for gas.
He doesn't have any, but will take him to the Baldwin's expecting some there. Dooley forces John-Boy to sit and wait while they chat, listen to a record, and sing. All the time, John-Boy is anxious to continue his mission. Between the church and the Baldwins, the story was stuck for nearly 30 minutes. There was no reason John-Boy couldn't have immediately told them about his urgent mission to find his father and asked for gasoline.
Finally, Hawthorne states their need. They say they don't have any gas, but Cut to a scene of the four of them riding along in a horse-drawn sleigh. The ladies are excited about their adventure, but the fun ends when they come to a dead tree lying across the road. With no way around it, they turn around for home.
When John-Boy returns, Olivia confronts him. On learning who brought him home, before he can give one sentence of explanation, she starts yelling at him for being out joy-riding. John-Boy patiently explains. Then Olivia notices a container. He says it's a Christmas present from the Baldwins. She starts screaming at him about how she is a Baptist (as if he didn't know) and she will not allow any bootleg liquor in her house, before he informs her it is non-alcoholic eggnog.
Presently, John arrives with a large bag. The children all rush to the door to hug him. In the strangest part of the whole film, Olivia stands across the room. As he smiles at her, she stares as though he has come home drunk. There isn't a trace of a smile on her face. She doesn't take one step toward him. She demands, "Where have you been?" After explaining about having to walk and hitchhike, they all open presents from the bag.
John-Boy's gift was a stack of writing tablets. Even though he had told his mother about wanting to become a writer that evening as though he had never told anyone about that dream before, somehow John knew his son wanted to be a writer.
Alone later, Olivia says to John, "You must have spent every cent of your paycheck on those presents." He says "almost." She asks what they are going to live on for the next week. He says, "Love." Somehow this didn't bother her, which also made no sense to me.
I was very put off with Olivia being far too hostile to John-Boy two different times.
Another problem I had involved the awkward dialog. When Grandpa is going to go cut down the family Christmas tree—in true Hollywood fashion, this is never done until Christmas Eve—Olivia asks, "Do you want one of my children to go along with you?" "My" does not fit there. Anyone would say "the children." On at least a couple of occasions we hear one of the children saying "my daddy" when the "my" is not needed. One example: Erin asks her mama, "Is my daddy with them?" I cannot believe a child would phrase it that way. You say "my daddy" when talking to friends. She would certainly have said, "Is Daddy with them?" here.
The three younger sons all wore really-long 1970s-style hair, mostly covering their ears and combed way down over their foreheads. Not at all like the 1930s.
I cannot give this a higher rating than a 6. I probably wouldn't rate it that high if I wasn't such a fan of the series.
The Homecoming, which served as the pilot for The Waltons, stars Patricia Neal as Olivia and Richard Thomas as John-Boy. John has been working some 50 miles away, returning home on weekends, via buses and walking. The entire film takes place on Christmas Eve, 1933, with John being quite late and the family fearing he was in some accident.
A couple of IMDBers have commented that they like this better than the series. I truly don't understand how you can like a movie that lasted 2 hours (with commercials) as much as a series that lasted 9 seasons and had about 200 hours of entertainment for us.
I enjoyed scenes with the children interacting, teasing each other, etc. At one point they are permitted to go to Ike's store where they have been told someone is about to give out gifts to children. Olivia initially is appalled because her family does not accept charity, but agrees, as long as they just look and don't accept any gifts. I didn't understand her thinking. Receiving some token gift at Christmas is not at all the same thing as charity.
This led to one of the most disturbing scenes in the film. A lady missionary informs everyone outside Ike's that she will give presents to whoever comes up reciting a Bible verse. Oddly, it seems none of the children know any, except Mary Ellen. She says verses to a few children, who run up to the lady and repeat it, and get their package.
Ignoring what they promised their mother, Elizabeth goes up and receives a large package for the simple line "Jesus wept," which she also got from Mary Ellen. They unwrap a doll, but it is broken, with the face an ugly thing in pieces. Elizabeth screams, "She's dead!" She drops the doll, is consoled by John-Boy, and they all head home. I was bothered by the woman giving away such a disfigured doll.
Fearing the worst for John, Olivia sends John-Boy to search for John. He winds up borrowing a car and runs out of gas near the community's black church. He sits through services and a short play about the birth at Bethlehem. Then he asks the minister, Hawthorne Dooley for gas.
He doesn't have any, but will take him to the Baldwin's expecting some there. Dooley forces John-Boy to sit and wait while they chat, listen to a record, and sing. All the time, John-Boy is anxious to continue his mission. Between the church and the Baldwins, the story was stuck for nearly 30 minutes. There was no reason John-Boy couldn't have immediately told them about his urgent mission to find his father and asked for gasoline.
Finally, Hawthorne states their need. They say they don't have any gas, but Cut to a scene of the four of them riding along in a horse-drawn sleigh. The ladies are excited about their adventure, but the fun ends when they come to a dead tree lying across the road. With no way around it, they turn around for home.
When John-Boy returns, Olivia confronts him. On learning who brought him home, before he can give one sentence of explanation, she starts yelling at him for being out joy-riding. John-Boy patiently explains. Then Olivia notices a container. He says it's a Christmas present from the Baldwins. She starts screaming at him about how she is a Baptist (as if he didn't know) and she will not allow any bootleg liquor in her house, before he informs her it is non-alcoholic eggnog.
Presently, John arrives with a large bag. The children all rush to the door to hug him. In the strangest part of the whole film, Olivia stands across the room. As he smiles at her, she stares as though he has come home drunk. There isn't a trace of a smile on her face. She doesn't take one step toward him. She demands, "Where have you been?" After explaining about having to walk and hitchhike, they all open presents from the bag.
John-Boy's gift was a stack of writing tablets. Even though he had told his mother about wanting to become a writer that evening as though he had never told anyone about that dream before, somehow John knew his son wanted to be a writer.
Alone later, Olivia says to John, "You must have spent every cent of your paycheck on those presents." He says "almost." She asks what they are going to live on for the next week. He says, "Love." Somehow this didn't bother her, which also made no sense to me.
I was very put off with Olivia being far too hostile to John-Boy two different times.
Another problem I had involved the awkward dialog. When Grandpa is going to go cut down the family Christmas tree—in true Hollywood fashion, this is never done until Christmas Eve—Olivia asks, "Do you want one of my children to go along with you?" "My" does not fit there. Anyone would say "the children." On at least a couple of occasions we hear one of the children saying "my daddy" when the "my" is not needed. One example: Erin asks her mama, "Is my daddy with them?" I cannot believe a child would phrase it that way. You say "my daddy" when talking to friends. She would certainly have said, "Is Daddy with them?" here.
The three younger sons all wore really-long 1970s-style hair, mostly covering their ears and combed way down over their foreheads. Not at all like the 1930s.
I cannot give this a higher rating than a 6. I probably wouldn't rate it that high if I wasn't such a fan of the series.
A Wonderful Christmas Family Film
Saturday8pm25 December 2002
I saw this as a kid and still feel I need to see it every Christmas. I group it with "A Christmas Carol", "The Grinch", "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "It's A Wonderful Life" as Christmas movie essentials.
The acting is superbly done by seasoned pros and brilliant newcomers who give added depth to a well crafted script that tells the true story of a depression-era poor Baptist rural Virginia family awaiting its father to return home Christmas Eve. The story is simple and the movie never strays from its central theme, adding plenty of character developing touches that most folks can relate to. The Waltons are a real Baptist family dealing with the issues of the day, such as the economic meltdown of the '30s and bootlegging, and the timeless problems of family harmony, love, adolescence, pride, privacy, values, vocation choice and parental expectation.
The beautiful mountain scenery adds to the Christmas spirit that contrasts with the meager living the townspeople endure year after year. The Christmas tree, sleigh ride and church scenes are all treated with the respect that this humble family deserves and should warm even the coldest heart without getting overly sentimental. Plenty of Bible references to remind the viewer what Christmas is all about.
Cheers: Fine acting all around. Realistic portrayals. Wonderful scenery. A Currier and Ives looks without the empty sentimentality. Less Santa and more Jesus.
Caveats: May bore very young children.
My Rating: 9 out of 10 Stars!
The acting is superbly done by seasoned pros and brilliant newcomers who give added depth to a well crafted script that tells the true story of a depression-era poor Baptist rural Virginia family awaiting its father to return home Christmas Eve. The story is simple and the movie never strays from its central theme, adding plenty of character developing touches that most folks can relate to. The Waltons are a real Baptist family dealing with the issues of the day, such as the economic meltdown of the '30s and bootlegging, and the timeless problems of family harmony, love, adolescence, pride, privacy, values, vocation choice and parental expectation.
The beautiful mountain scenery adds to the Christmas spirit that contrasts with the meager living the townspeople endure year after year. The Christmas tree, sleigh ride and church scenes are all treated with the respect that this humble family deserves and should warm even the coldest heart without getting overly sentimental. Plenty of Bible references to remind the viewer what Christmas is all about.
Cheers: Fine acting all around. Realistic portrayals. Wonderful scenery. A Currier and Ives looks without the empty sentimentality. Less Santa and more Jesus.
Caveats: May bore very young children.
My Rating: 9 out of 10 Stars!
Hard Times for Good People
sky3walker16 December 2001
This depiction of Hamner's nostalgic story glows thanks to veteran actors and careful evocation of the Depression era in the hills of Virginia. Avoiding excessive sweetness it recalls the struggle of a "common" Amercan family of the period. Patricia Neal, though she may seem somewhat too old for the part, rewards with a gripping performance as always. The ending may seem rather pat but along the way there are many delights. It would be a cold heart indeed that would not warm at least a little to this story.
This 2 Year Old Grew Up To Love The Homecoming & Waltons
FudgeMiller21 July 2019
Growing up, I would see the Waltons on TV as my mom would watch it regularly, but I was too busy playing outside to care about TV unless there was inclement weather. Years later, I was told that the Waltons began with this movie, "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story." And my mother told me that I was just a little boy when it aired that Christmas of 1971. I was two.
This year, I turn 50 and I finally saw this OLD movie. 48 years later and I was HOOKED. I wanted to see more. After reading some of the great authors including Jesse Stuart who wrote of the hills of Kentucky and select authors in the Harvard Classics, my mind and heart were prepared and hungry for this kind of movie. And Earl Hamner Jr. is the perfect compliment to all of my previous reading on Appalachia and studies of Americana.
You will see a review here and there from someone who doesn't "get it". And I wouldn't have gotten it just ten years ago, even less so twenty years ago. But having been raised in the hills of southern Ohio where I could look out my bedroom window and see the hills of Greenup, Kentucky across the Ohio River with train tracks bordering the river on both sides, I have grown to appreciate my home and the surrounding states with their amazing mountain landscapes and people.
The stand out performances that made this movie in my opinion were Patricia Neal, Edgar Bergen, Ellen Corby, Richard Thomas and Cammie Cotler. And the story, simple and authentic, made me think of my own grandparents and life in simpler times that I only get to visit from time to time.
And that is the appeal of this movie. It's well written, well told and superbly acted. If you are from the hills, any hills, you will find something of home in this film. If you are not from the hills but appreciate the wonder and beauty of mountain living, you will watch and wonder if life really was like this. It was, for most of us.
This year, I turn 50 and I finally saw this OLD movie. 48 years later and I was HOOKED. I wanted to see more. After reading some of the great authors including Jesse Stuart who wrote of the hills of Kentucky and select authors in the Harvard Classics, my mind and heart were prepared and hungry for this kind of movie. And Earl Hamner Jr. is the perfect compliment to all of my previous reading on Appalachia and studies of Americana.
You will see a review here and there from someone who doesn't "get it". And I wouldn't have gotten it just ten years ago, even less so twenty years ago. But having been raised in the hills of southern Ohio where I could look out my bedroom window and see the hills of Greenup, Kentucky across the Ohio River with train tracks bordering the river on both sides, I have grown to appreciate my home and the surrounding states with their amazing mountain landscapes and people.
The stand out performances that made this movie in my opinion were Patricia Neal, Edgar Bergen, Ellen Corby, Richard Thomas and Cammie Cotler. And the story, simple and authentic, made me think of my own grandparents and life in simpler times that I only get to visit from time to time.
And that is the appeal of this movie. It's well written, well told and superbly acted. If you are from the hills, any hills, you will find something of home in this film. If you are not from the hills but appreciate the wonder and beauty of mountain living, you will watch and wonder if life really was like this. It was, for most of us.
A gentle holiday treasure
allredama-467-91968811 December 2019
Hammering in the core nail to the home that became a 70's staple.
mark.waltz8 January 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Earl Hamner Jr's tale of a mountain top family trying to make it through the difficult times was not new when it came to television in the early 70's as a movie of the week and later was re-adapted for a T.V. series. The Spencers of Wyoming had been seen in the movies less than a decade before in "Spencer's Mountain" (with Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara) and now, they were transfered to Virginia to "Walton's Mountain" where Andrew Duggan originated the role of patriarch John Walton to Patricia Neal's Olivia. The first names did remain the same, and so did the line-up of children, so it is almost as if the Spencers were living in parallel to the Waltons in Hamner's mind, that each of our families could exist with a different name and slightly different set-up in different locations.
It's Christmas time and John Walton is trying to get home for the holidays. His hard-working wife is worried but hides her fears from her children. Neal's Olivia Walton is very different from Michael Learned's Olivia a few years later. Both love their children, but Neal's mother is harder pressed to show it, a seeming belief of "Spare the rod, spoil the child." Yet this element doesn't make her unsympathetic. She wants her entire family home for the holidays, and being a mountain woman, is tough both physically and emotionally.
Equally strong are the elders of the family, John's aging parents. Ellen Corby would go on to repeat her role on the T.V. series, but here, it is Edgar Bergen (minus his wooden companions) who essays the role of Grandpa, and it is nice to see him in a serious role for a change. Richard Thomas would be the heart and soul of most of the series, a true rock of strength, and obviously the future patriarch of the family. He's obviously based upon Hamner himself who grew up in rural America yet went onto great success as a writer while expressing his love for his background. Many of the actors who would play the children on the series are here too.
There's also the presence of the eccentric Baldwin sisters, played here by stage actress Dorothy Stickney ("Life With Father") and 1930's Warner Brothers contract player Josephine Hutchinson, creating "papa's recipe" and giving a thermos to John Boy to bring home to the judgmental Olivia who finds the two spinsters rather Bohemian. Some of my memories of this Christmas from childhood are the decorating of the Christmas tree where one of the children insists on putting a bird's nest in it and the well-meaning but ultimately short-sighted do-gooders who give out presents to the poor mountain children, one of which is a doll with a broken face. Of course, the real meaning of Christmas is also explored here with great sentimentality, and the message is that through troubles of all kinds, it will be your family who helps get you through.
It's Christmas time and John Walton is trying to get home for the holidays. His hard-working wife is worried but hides her fears from her children. Neal's Olivia Walton is very different from Michael Learned's Olivia a few years later. Both love their children, but Neal's mother is harder pressed to show it, a seeming belief of "Spare the rod, spoil the child." Yet this element doesn't make her unsympathetic. She wants her entire family home for the holidays, and being a mountain woman, is tough both physically and emotionally.
Equally strong are the elders of the family, John's aging parents. Ellen Corby would go on to repeat her role on the T.V. series, but here, it is Edgar Bergen (minus his wooden companions) who essays the role of Grandpa, and it is nice to see him in a serious role for a change. Richard Thomas would be the heart and soul of most of the series, a true rock of strength, and obviously the future patriarch of the family. He's obviously based upon Hamner himself who grew up in rural America yet went onto great success as a writer while expressing his love for his background. Many of the actors who would play the children on the series are here too.
There's also the presence of the eccentric Baldwin sisters, played here by stage actress Dorothy Stickney ("Life With Father") and 1930's Warner Brothers contract player Josephine Hutchinson, creating "papa's recipe" and giving a thermos to John Boy to bring home to the judgmental Olivia who finds the two spinsters rather Bohemian. Some of my memories of this Christmas from childhood are the decorating of the Christmas tree where one of the children insists on putting a bird's nest in it and the well-meaning but ultimately short-sighted do-gooders who give out presents to the poor mountain children, one of which is a doll with a broken face. Of course, the real meaning of Christmas is also explored here with great sentimentality, and the message is that through troubles of all kinds, it will be your family who helps get you through.
"My Daddy" is the correct southern term.
brdxv23 October 2020
It may not be correct English but is part of the southern charm that makes this movie so correct. Being raised in the north we used Mother, Father, and Mr & Mrs - not when we moved south - Mommy, Daddy, and first names were used. I mistakenly said Mr John Smith, I was corrected, "My name is John, Mr Smith is my Daddy" and that's how it was. A lot of what you see in the movie is how it is in the country parts. Big on Family Closeness, Community, and Church with a sprinkle of vices too. When I was 7 I fell in love with this movie never dreaming at the time I would move south to the Mountains and raise a family. At first a cultural shock but the southern charm set in and I miss it so!!!
One of my favorite Christmas movies
Vibiana23 November 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I watch this one without fail every holiday season along with several others: "Going My Way" and "Since You Went Away" from 1943 and "It's a Wonderful Life." I was so glad when "The Homecoming" came out on DVD; my VHS copy was pretty ragged.
I was six years old when this film premiered on TV. My parents and I and a couple of my brothers watched it together. There are some wonderful memories tied up in it. My parents were Depression-era kids and they told me how Edgar Bergen ("Grandpa" in this movie) had actually been one of the biggest stars of their childhood with his radio program, "The Chase & Sanborn Hour." Later on, we visited the public library and borrowed audiocassette recordings of some of his shows. I have loved him ever since.
This movie is a true and faithful interpretation of life during the Great Depression for rural families. I don't know what was bothering that cranky reviewer who complained about the family's not saying a blessing before eating their soup in the first part of the movie, but to condemn the entire film for it is just silly. Have a candy cane and lighten up. LOL Although I loved The Waltons TV series, I somehow wish it could have retained these original characters (although Will Geer would have to have been worked into the cast somewhere else; he was one of the best actors in it!) The only thing I found unintentionally hilarious was Patricia Neal's interrogation of John-Boy after she finds his bedroom door locked: "What you doin' up thar in thet room by y'seff, BOYYYYYYYY?" That just made this six-year-old viewer pee her pants. LOL Fortunately for television history, John-Boy didn't say "Beating off, Mama," and the G rating was saved. LOL
I was six years old when this film premiered on TV. My parents and I and a couple of my brothers watched it together. There are some wonderful memories tied up in it. My parents were Depression-era kids and they told me how Edgar Bergen ("Grandpa" in this movie) had actually been one of the biggest stars of their childhood with his radio program, "The Chase & Sanborn Hour." Later on, we visited the public library and borrowed audiocassette recordings of some of his shows. I have loved him ever since.
This movie is a true and faithful interpretation of life during the Great Depression for rural families. I don't know what was bothering that cranky reviewer who complained about the family's not saying a blessing before eating their soup in the first part of the movie, but to condemn the entire film for it is just silly. Have a candy cane and lighten up. LOL Although I loved The Waltons TV series, I somehow wish it could have retained these original characters (although Will Geer would have to have been worked into the cast somewhere else; he was one of the best actors in it!) The only thing I found unintentionally hilarious was Patricia Neal's interrogation of John-Boy after she finds his bedroom door locked: "What you doin' up thar in thet room by y'seff, BOYYYYYYYY?" That just made this six-year-old viewer pee her pants. LOL Fortunately for television history, John-Boy didn't say "Beating off, Mama," and the G rating was saved. LOL
Very disappointing
gordon-28717 May 2011
Warning: Spoilers
It is absolutely impossible to write a "spoiler" for this movie because it has no plot; it is just a series of unrelated events that happen to the children who are sent out by their mother to scour the countryside for their father who is late coming home from work one Christmas Eve, and that's the extent of it.
Consequently, after about 3/4 of the way through, you begin to wonder, "Where are we going with all this?" What passes for "heartwarming" is that they are struggling poor, and most people feel for poor folk; but you don't need to spend and hour and forty minutes to get that feeling; all one need do is watch the evening news just one night.
When I discussed it with a friend who watched it with me and I said that it has no plot, he said it was a "slice-of-life" story. I guess "slice-of-life" stories don't appeal to me.
Consequently, after about 3/4 of the way through, you begin to wonder, "Where are we going with all this?" What passes for "heartwarming" is that they are struggling poor, and most people feel for poor folk; but you don't need to spend and hour and forty minutes to get that feeling; all one need do is watch the evening news just one night.
When I discussed it with a friend who watched it with me and I said that it has no plot, he said it was a "slice-of-life" story. I guess "slice-of-life" stories don't appeal to me.
A Beautifully Simple Story About Family
stuartkuramoto26 December 2019
Great Movie For Christmas
ModernMode10 December 2019
This is my favorite film to watch each Christmas. One reviewer did not understand how this film could be liked more than the series. For me the film is superior. It's the only Walton's story shot on location with real snow. The Walton's house and barn are also more realistic for the times than the series. Mother, father, grandfather, Ike Godsey, the sheriff, and Charlie Snead are all played by different actors from the series. And higher level actors in my opinion. Being from the south myself, I appreciate small touches such as the sheriff pouring a pack of peanuts into his bottle of soda. This was a real southern "thing". Try it yourself. This film is great at capturing the atmosphere of a time long past.
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