Customer Reviews

The Homecoming [VHS]

5 star:		(153)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Starring Richard Thomas and Patricia Neal, this made-for-TV-movie was written by Earl Hamner and led to the popular series, "The Waltons." The stories were based on Hamner's childhood.

(Note: This movie features a somewhat different cast than did the series. While the Walton children are the same, many of the other adult roles in this film, except Grandma Walton played by the late Ellen Corby, were recast for the series.)

A homespun tale, the movie focuses on rural life during the Great Depression and the anxiety a family feels one Christmas when their beloved Father is overdue after being forced to travel to the city to find work and earn money for his family's survival.

Each of the characters reacts to his departure in different ways. Ultimately, the oldest son, John-Boy, portrayed by Richard Thomas, takes important steps to manhood and toward his ultimate career as a writer.

This film has a harsher, more real feel than did the series, and tackles such difficult subjects as racial bigotry and the economic underclass.

The great Patricia Neal is spectacular in her portrayal of the mother. Tougher than the portrayal that came later by the gifted Michael Learned, Neal's Olivia Walton is a genuine force of nature who rarely displays her softer side. Life is very difficult, but love is always present in the Walton home.

If you've never seen this movie, you owe it to yourself to view a more unvarnished, less "suburban" rendition of life in this beloved family. A scene in which little Elizabeth, who desperately wants a doll for Christmas, receives one -- with a cracked and broken face -- from a "charity" Missionary only after having to "perform" scriptures, is so raw that it hurts. "It's dead," the little girl sobs into her brother's comforting arms.

This film is anything but dead. There is real life in every panel that reaffirms true family relationships and the Christmas spirit without being heavy-handed. Look also for a gifted supporting performance by the talented William Windom, who plays a Depression-era Robin Hood.

If ever a TV-movie deserved to be released on DVD, this is it.

I saw this movie when it was first on in 1971 and have watched it at Christmas most every year since. Years ago it was usually on TV around Christmas and I taped it in the early 80's and have been watching this tape in recent years. This year I purchased the DVD (for only about $11! - I think blank VHS tapes were that much in the early 80's). The quality is outstanding, even when viewed on my 19-inch computer monitor from a couple of feet away. You can clearly see every detail (1933 on the car license plate, prices on the wall in Ike's store, even snow flakes melting on someone's face). Picture quality on most DVDs made from TV shows or TV movies is nowhere near this good. Believe me, this DVD is a real bargain.

"The Homecoming -- A Christmas Story" (full on-screen title) was made in 1971, and was the start of CBS' very successful series, "The Waltons". And what a great way to start! Patricia Neal gives a powerful performance as Olivia Walton, the head of the very large Walton clan.

This entire cast, in fact, seems ideally suited for his/her role in this program. The true feeling and spirit of the holiday shines through in every single scene of The Homecoming Christmas special, with the producers re-creating a quite realistic feeling that it is indeed Christmas 1933, during the height of The Great Depression. The writing, acting, and the atmosphere are all first-rate.

This is one of those programs that deserves to be watched every Christmas Eve, just like clockwork. Who could forget the great scene at the end of the movie, when John (Daddy Walton, played by Andrew Duggan) relays his encounter with Santa Claus. Watching him tell the kids of how Santa's sleigh "...went flying across the sky and landed right on top of this house!!", to me, is one of the best scenes in TV history. Watching that scene, you'd swear those kids were not actors at all -- but just wide-eyed excited kids hanging on Dad's every word. Thank you, Earl Hamner, Jr., for a timeless holiday special!

As you may already know, this was the pilot for The Waltons t.v. series. Patricia Neal stars as Ma Walton. She does a fine job of it as well. Sometimes, it's a shock to see another person in a role you know so well but that's not the case here. In fact the whole cast did a splendid job. The Homecoming was so well cast that all of the child actors remained in their roles for the televison program. The roles of Ma, Pa and Grandpa Walton (played by Edgar Bergen)were recast along with the owner of the general store and the Baldwin sisters. Grandma Walton (Ellen Corby) continued the in role even after suffering a stoke a few years later. I give the producers high praise for not casting her aside like an old shoe.

If you think a Christmas t.v. show should be heartwarming, then you can't go wrong here. Set in the time of the depression, somewhere in the blue ridge mountains, lives a large family trying to make ends meet. There will be homemade gifts for Christmas but the children don't really mind. A far cry from kids of today. Here, people still attend church, look after their neighbors, children mind their manners and don't talk back to elders. It's the kind of place we older folks wish we could bring back, minus the lack of money of course.

The family is in a bit of a turmoil as they wait for their dad to return home for Christmas. Time passes but there is no sign of him. Neal is very convincing as the strong loving wife trying to hide her fear of what's happened to her husband from her children.

This is a great film for the kids to watch along with their parents. Parents, purchase with confidence. This film is kid friendly.

This is an absolutely fantastic Christmas movie in my opinion. This made-for-TV movie from the 70's has it's own little niche in the Christmas specials, and it is unlike other Christmas movies. It's got a little bit of everything. . . it's family, it's funny and humorous without being slapstick - we have to laugh at ourselves for how we really are and how we really can be, it educates us, and it brings forth some issues that sometimes we don't want to really see. It turns everyday life into an adventure, and in the end, of course, it's comforting.

After having seen the TV series for years before seeing this, I had to adjust to the acting/portrayal differences between the mothers that played the role of Olivia Walton. As the mother, Patricia Neal is a bit more emotional and less gentle than Michael Learned.

This movie is a tradition in our family.

I will suggest that the "language" that makes this PG rated might be when Mary Ellen uses a derogatory and somewhat archaic reference to 'p-ss ants' (calls her siblings this term), and maybe when John Boy makes a statement concerning Mary Ellen's 'bosoms'. . . He says, "They'll grow." Then there are the two sisters with Papa's Secret Recipe (obviously, a homebrewed liquor concoction). That's just for your information in case you are hoping to show this to a particular group of people.

Nowadays what is not commonly know about the classic 1971 Christmas television movie "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story", is that it was not originally intended as the pilot episode for any series little alone the long running classic series "The Waltons", which did end up spinning off from it. Highly acclaimed with good reason at its premiere for Christmas 1971 this beautiful little movie was a regular feature in our Christmas television programming for many years before it strangely seemed to vanish off the tv scheduling lists along with many other wonderful Christmas themed offerings. Watching "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story", now of course makes most interesting comparitive viewing in the light of most viewers having become so used to "The Waltons", television series that ran for 9 seasons and that had different actors playing in many of the adult lead roles. This Christmas movie however needs to be viewed on it's own unique merits where it can be seen as a truly inspired piece of movie making from a seemingly simpler time that was perfect for then converting into an ongoing series as did actually happen. It also says alot about the high standards that were once an almost expected feature of these made for television movies. Thankfully now released on DVD in a superb restored print this touching but at times very realistic Christmas drama is now a treasured part of my annual Christmas viewing schedule.

Set during the depression at Christmas 1933 "The Homecoming", centres on a poor rural family struggling like alot of the nation to survive another bleak winter. What the family lacks in resources they more than make up for in family togetherness and love so it is a bit wrench when father John (Andrew Duggan), must seek work out of the county to try and support his family. Expected home on Christmas Eve, wife Olivia (Patricia Neal), is alarmed to hear on the radio of a bus accident which might have had John on board. As the preparations for Christmas continue a number of other substories unfold including eldest son John Boy (Richard Thomas)revealing his dream of becoming a writer. Despite her fears for her husband's safety there is still a Christmas to prepare for and shopping to be done with little money and it is only when things begin to look very grim that Olivia sends out John Boy to search for his missing father. John Boy has many diverting adventures along the way including a memorable encounter with the two eccentric Baldwin Sisters (Dorothy Stickney and Josephine Hutchinson),who brew their own liquer and finally after entering a black church John Boy gets assistance from the miniser (Cleavon Little),who kindly leaves his family and congregation to help look for John. After all hope seems to be gone and a tree over the road stops John Boy from searching any further a miracle finally occurs and Olivia's private prayers are answered when John finally does arrive safely home bringing gifts for the family and the Waltons can finally settle down to enjoy a simple but very warm and loving Christmas together.

"The Homecoming: A Christmas Story", while laying the ground for what became so memorable about the "The Waltons", still certainly retains it's own look and character. Both in locations used, general environment and in how some of the characters are portrayed it is far removed from the later series. The standout in the cast is without a doubt the extremely talented Patricia Neal in the role of Olivia Walton. Not only is Olivia here an older woman than the character as performed in "The Waltons", by Michael Learned but she seems at times to be also made of sterner stuff and has a different type of rapport with the Walton children. Neal's Olivia however is the whole centre of this movie and she delivers a totally believable performance where she is forced to keep things as normal as possible during the families preparations for Christmas while she anxiously waits to hear what has actually happened to her husband John. As played by Andrew Duggan the role of John Walton, the firm but loving head of the Walton clan who was so often a pivotal character in the series, is reduced to simply a cameo role at the film's conclusion but that is correct as the story really belongs to the characters of Olivia and eldest son John Boy. Richard Thomas is still best known for his memorable portrayal of John Boy Walton and here we see that character still in it's infancy. Richard Thomas was always an incredibly sensitive actor and the role of John Boy fitted him like a glove. He has many very poignant moments in "The Homecoming", with the real standouts being his frenzied attempts to track down his missing father during bitterly cold Christmas weather and especially when he enters the black church during one of their services to seek help in his search from the minister. Sometimes the recasting of the roles for the "The Waltons", series was actually an improvements and that was certainly the case in the role of Grandpa Walton here played by Edgar Bergen. He somehow never seems to really capture the true essense of this grand old man like Will Geer did in the later series and is very much a supporting character in the main story line. Veteran actress Ellen Corby continued on in her role of Grandma but sadly here she is given little to do and it really was only in "The Waltons", series that these two memorable characters became the much loved and acclaimed roles they are still remembered as. "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story", is rich in some beautiful location photography in the Appalachian Mountians and indeed the whole look and atmosphere of this movie is very different from the series. Despite both movie and series being set in the depression "The Homecoming", seems to find the Waltons a much poorer family who are really struggling to make ends meet in a very remote area of Virginia. Period flavour is authentically recreated in every department and being of course the brain child of Earl Hamner Jr, upon whose life the movie was based, is right on target for a total recreation in costumes, cars, manners and in simple sincerity of what early 1930's Virginia was possibly like.

Movies like "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story", deserve to be aired more often at Christmas than what they now are. Beautifully written with characters that seem totally real and who are simply trying to handle the everyday things that make up all of our existences, it has none of the flashy showbiz-like look and feel of many of our Christmas themed stories being made nowadays. Looking at it's fine dramatic qualities it is very easy to see why a highly successful TV series was created out of it that in its turn went on to entertain viewers for an amazing nine seasons on prime time television . For a dose of down to earth dramatic fare for Christmas without the expected tinsel you can't get better than the recreation of Earl Hamner's childhood Christmas in depression ridden 1933 in "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story".

The DVD version of "The Homecoming" is beautiful. I have compared it to the VHS copy I have and the DVD has a much sharper picture, better color, good sound (although, stereo would have been nice), and as an added treat - the original television promo that proceeded the movie. It was probably only used once or twice. I was stunned to see it - it was never included on the VHS - and it makes viewing the movie even more nostalgic. My only real complaints are that the package says that it has subtitles - it does NOT, only closed-captioning - and no extras what-so-ever. There must be something besides the original intro promo. Anyway, this is a must-have movie that can be viewed anytime of the year but especially at Christmas. It still gets me even after 30+ years. Oh, and Paramount has rated this TV movie as PG for brief mild language. Please, Mary Ellen calls the other kids piss-ants - which is NOT a swear word. This is most definitely a G-rated film fit for ALL AGES. Share it with your family.

I gave the DVD a rating of 4 - the movie earns a 5, but the lack of extras and no subtitles drops it to a 4. Still worth buying!

The first time I saw this movie was 9 years ago, after I had moved 2000 miles to California from my family, who lived in Indiana. It was my first Christmas without them and also my first Christmas where the weather was above 75 degrees. So on Christmas Eve evening 1990, I settled down to watch this movie and was so touched by the simple life this family had, the love they shared and the faith they all so deeply believed in. This is truly a precious treasure that I will share with all of my family in the years to come.

Ignore the warning about this 98-minute version being "edited" down from 120 minutes. Those supposed missing 22 minutes are from commercial breaks when this production was televised in a two-hour slot. Nothing has been edited out in this great movie.

And if you think 11 minutes of commercials an hour is a lot, hey, those were the days. It's closer to 16 minutes now.

Patricia Neal leads a familiar cast of characters who wait pensively for the delayed arrival of their father on Christmas Eve on an icy evening on Walton's Mountain. Although the family remains cheerful and excited about the impending holiday, moods wax philisophical and a young boy mustquicky become a man as he goes in search of his missing dad. Patricia Neal is unforgettable as Olivia Walton and her fans must agree that this is her finest performance since "The Subject was Roses". Richard Thomas also shines as the restless adolescent, John-Boy Walton who is reluctant to let on that his hearts desire has led him not to a practical trade, as his father desires, but to acadamia where he can write. Notable performances by Edgar Bergan as the grandfather and by Ellen Corby as his wife along with a nice job by William Windom as a depression-era Robin Hood and Cleavon Little as a preacher man who works for two old ladies who make and sell bootleg whiskey make this a holiday treasure that will will not be soon forgotten.