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John Boy: Mr Wonderful or Mr Obnoxious

bigskygirl

By bigskygirl
in The Waltons [V]

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GrtGzu

GrtGzu

Wasn't that Selena? We saw her spoiled ass again....She was the one who wanted JB to fight in the Spanish American war or some other militant activist crap and got mad when he turned her down....I hated her and glad she was only seen twice....

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Tim McD

Tim McD

Wasn't that Selena? We saw her spoiled ass again....She was the one who wanted JB to fight in the Spanish American war

 

 

Yup, and the guy playing her grandfather was Cousin Cody, which is highly confusing.

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DoughGirl

DoughGirl

I was flipping around during that episode. How did he react?

Like a bullying, know it all asshole. Like he did with Ep Bridges when Ep didn't want to discuss his war experiences. Like when he kept digging at Elisabeth about the Ferris wheel. Playing arm chair psychologist.

I am surprised he never sent anyone over the edge. As it was, he almost sent the Baldwin's cousin to a sanatorium. Of course at the end he gets a brilliant "notion" of how to help her regain her sanity and becomes the hero.

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DoughGirl

DoughGirl

What was the notion and how did it play out?

To have Jason play some classical music on the piano for her. She liked classical music and seeing Jason playing a classical piece in his Nat. Guard uniform is what finally sent her over the edge after John Boy's bullying. The sight of Jason playing music reminded her of her son that had been killed by the Nazis. How hearing the music again helped rather than send her spiraling down further I'm not sure but Curt thought it was a good notion and JB suggested it so hey! No one thought of consulting a psychiatrist.

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DoughGirl

DoughGirl

I thought the one where JB defends Richard Masur was stupid. He didn't say anything that RM couldn't have already said.

It was the same thing when he "defended" Curt at the Bureau of Mines. "The editor of The Blue Ridge Chronicle." Like it was The New York Times. I'm sure none of those people on the board would have even heard of The Blue Ridge Chronicle.

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KHenry14

KHenry14

When the siblings were young kids it wasn't so bad, but once they got older and had to pick up the slack from the departures of Richard Thomas, Will Geer and Ellen Corby, it became obvious that they didn't have the acting chops or charisma to carry a show.

When you look at the acting careers of the Walton siblings, only Richard Thomas had any type of career to speak of. And while typecasting may have been part of the trouble, mostly I have to agree, none of those six could really act at all.

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DoughGirl

DoughGirl

When you look at the acting careers of the Walton siblings, only Richard Thomas had any type of career to speak of. And while typecasting may have been part of the trouble, mostly I have to agree, none of those six could really act at all.

I agree for the most part but I think Erin and Mary Ellen were the worst of those six. Sometimes it's embarrassing how bad they are. Erin could never pull off pretending to be talking to someone on the switchboard.

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DoughGirl

DoughGirl

I hate the way JB always used his newspaper for leverage. Jim Bob wants to be in a motorcycle race: JB offers free newspaper ads to the organiser. Erin needs business school classes: more ads. Free movies for ads. Until he messed up with the Hitler stuff that is. And his self important attitude. "Mam, I run a newspaper..." Just once I'd have liked to have someone tell him that no one read his damn newspaper and his ads were worthless.

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bigskygirl

bigskygirl

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I thought JimBob ask to be in the race after JB made the deal for the ad and race filers. Erin was taking classes and working at the same time in exchange for the typewriter and to pay for the classes. I can see why JB was having problems with making payments after the Hitler incident and his holier than thou know it all attitude. I cannot believe his small town newspaper had a big influence on people or politics.

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DoughGirl

DoughGirl

Erin was taking classes and working at the same time in exchange for the typewriter and to pay for the classes.

Erin was working at the business school in exchange for a typewriter for JB. When he finds out that she likes working there he offers newspaper ads in exchange for her tuition. "Mam, I run a newspaper...."

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JasminePhyllisia

JasminePhyllisia

I watched "The Book" recently in which the writers seemed to have some fun with John Boy's ego, inflating it to the point where his own Grandma wanted to take a switch to him.  Only to have him deflated and publicly humiliated when the "publisher" turned out to be a vanity press. 

 

But overall I like John Boy as a character and enjoy watching Richard Thomas in The Americans.

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PrairieSmoke

PrairieSmoke

Remember The Thoroughbred, where John-Boy raced Blue in a competition? He comes home one day and doesn't think the rest of the siblings are doing a good job with Blue, and starts almost screaming at them. Jason and Ben should have pounced on him right then and beat the living crap out of him. 

That was about the worst of John-Boy's behavior.

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Ihatebenwalton

Ihatebenwalton

I hate the way he pushes Jason around; even though Jason is only a year older.  I also can't stand it when he tells the "children" to get away from Momma.  He is one of the children and she is all of their momma.  I hate Ben.  He is totally obnoxious ALL the time.  Mary Ellen can be snarky, Erin whiny and Elizabeth is a bratty and immature.  The grandmother bitches ALL the time.  The Dad, Jason, Jim Bob and Grandpa are my favorites.  Although Orma Lee is fun.  The old white haired cousin, Zydok is a hoot.  They should have kept him.  I didn't mind the other John Boy because he wasn't as overbearing.  Ben is the worst.  He is mean to Jim Bob.  He tries to always act like "a big shot".  I feel badly for his wife.  He is a bitchy s.o.b.  

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VCRTracking

VCRTracking

(edited)

When he's berating the poor woman who escaped Germany and trying to get her to reveal the truth of what's gone over there when she's trying to forget all the horrible things she went through and in the end she goes back to Germany on the eve of World War II, that's when I was like "I am DONE with this self-righteous prick."

Edited by VCRTracking
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VCRTracking

VCRTracking

Recent Archive of American Television interviews with Richard Thomas interviews:

Richard Thomas on John-Boy Walton:

 

Richard Thomas on living up to the image of John-Boy Walton:

 

Richard Thomas on being typecast as John-Boy from "The Waltons"

 

Richard Thomas on when he realized "The Waltons" was a big hit -

 

Richard Thomas on "Good Night, John Boy" -

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Katdam

Katdam

He was insufferably preachy most of the time. The first two season where he was the main focus were incredibly boring.

In the third season they started making the other kids and the neighbors more a part of the show and it made it a lot more fun and enjoyable to watch. I loved how Grandpa's face would light up when he was interacting with the good old boys and having a good time. John Boy was just such a stick in the mud. Even when he was "falling in love" with yet another girl he didn't seem to be having very much fun. 

The way that he would just dump a girl when she started having serious feelings for him was also obnoxious. At least Jason had enough class to not get seriously involved with girl that he didn't intend to marry.

I also hated how his parents always took up his slack while they never gave the other kids that much grace. Even after the mill started making money (and Jason was still expected to work there for free) he had to work nights playing dances or at the Dew Drop Inn to pay for his tuition. Their parents never even offered to help him with gas money to get to and from their house. They seemed to have paid for Mary Ellen's school and must have taken over the tuition for Erin after the newspaper wasn't a thing anymore, but both still had to run the house when Olivia had anything better to do then the cooking and chores. John Boy just got to live there rent free and be excused from having to do any chores. He didn't even have to work at the mill on his school breaks, but instead got to use them to write.

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Blergh

Blergh

I have to admit that I found it funny how his parents and grandparents especially seemed downright worshipful of John Boy for being a writer as though his pen would do nothing but bless them and not bring to light even the slightest awkward times (much less any dirty laundry). Even Mary Ellen becoming a hands-on nurse (and doctor in training) who took care of their local community  and  Ben who actually wound up running the mill (the family enterprise) somehow were considered lesser lights than The Family Writer!

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millennium

millennium

(edited)

I recently rediscovered The Waltons on Amazon Prime.

As a child I disliked John Boy, found him sanctimonious and suspected he spent his off-camera hours staring at his reflection in the waters of Drusilla's Pond.

Now seeing him through the eyes of an adult who incidentally grew up to become a writer, John Boy hits all the right notes for me.   Writers are self-important, sanctimonious and often obnoxious at that age.   It's part of the process.   But don't worry, the world has a way of cutting us down to size pretty quickly after we leave college.  Whether it's endless rejection slips, chronic unemployment, or swallowing our pride and reluctantly taking the kind of job that whores your talent just so you can eat (in my case, advertising copywriter), most writers find themselves humbled sooner rather than later. 

I must have grown out of the series before Season 5 because I didn't know until a week ago that John Boy's book was ever published.  I was happy for him ... though I still wish he'd have run off to New York with that beautiful lady writer from Season 4.

Edited by millennium
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