Customer Reviews

Waltons - The Foundling (TV Premiere DVD)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Foundling is the first episode of the first season of The Waltons, and it really is quite remarkable. You would be hard pressed to tell this was the first episode of the series, for one thing, as all of the qualities that made The Waltons such a wonderful, uniquely warm-hearted show, are all there on display. There is no effort made to somehow identify each of the characters for the audience, as this was from the very beginning a family rather than a grouping of characters. Granted, this was not the first time America had met this family. On December 19, 1971, The Homecoming aired on CBS, introducing America to the Walton family (originally, the Spencer family as described in Earl Hamner's novels and even a feature film from 1963 starring Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara). The success of that TV movie inspired the series, which debuted on September 14, 1972. Many of the actors and actresses from The Homecoming assumed the same roles on the series, with three very important exceptions: Ralph Waite now played the role of John Walton, Miss Michael Learned assumed the role of Olivia Walton, and Will Geer became not only Grandpa Walton but in many ways the entire nation's Grandpa (and, for my money, the most beloved character in television history).

As this first episode begins, a little girl is left on the proverbial doorstep of the Walton home. Livie's maternal instincts come to the fore immediately, and the whole family really takes the poor girl Holly immediately into its collective heart, even convincing the pragmatic John to keep her rather than turn her over to "a home." They soon learn that the silent little girl is deaf, at which point the family members take it upon themselves to learn the rudiments of sign language and teach the girl to communicate. The girl's mother secretly watches everything, and we learn that she abandoned her daughter in a last-ditch effort to keep her husband from putting the girl away somewhere as a worthless "throwback." John-boy is somewhat distracted early on, as he is busy pitching woo to the always incredibly wishy-washy Marsha Woolery, but he - as you might expect - makes the first real breakthrough in terms of drawing young Holly out of her shell. Elizabeth, of course, gets jealous when she sees Holly getting all of the family's attention, and this leads to a real crisis.

It's a wonderful episode, showcasing the warmth of TV's ultimate family-oriented series, but I must tell you there is really no reason at all to buy this DVD. The entire first season of The Waltons has now been released on DVD, and The Foundling is only one of the 24 heart-warming episodes included in that must-buy collection.

A memo to Warners home video-The Waltons is a classic Emmy award winning series and deserves better treament from you.
If TV stations can show The Waltons in stereo,then why is this DVD and the season one box set in mono?
There is no remastering,no stereo sound,no subtitles for the elderly,no interviews with the cast and no documentaries for this classic Emmy Award winning show.
This is not good enough.
If other studios can remaster such average fare as The Dukes Of Hazard and Wonder Woman,then there is no excuse for Warners not giving The Waltons DVD set better treatment.
Here's hoping that when The Waltons Season Two box set comes out next year that Warners treats it and fans with some respect.

I am really glad that Waltons episodes on DVD are finally hitting the shelves! This episode, in particular, is one of my favorites. It is in the first season boxed set, so I'm not quite sure why this episode was released separately. As far as I can tell, these shows are being released UNCUT! It would be great to have extras, but as long as the show itself is left "intact", I'll keep purchasing them and enjoying them.

This is not a review of this specific title, but rather of Warner Brothers' "TV Premiere DVD" series as a whole. I would like to make you aware of my issues with features that are apparently prevalent in ALL of the titles in this series, based upon my purchase of one of these titles ("The Flintstones - The Flintstone Flyer").

Although the list of issues below was written specifically for The Flintstones DVD, I highly suspect that most (if not all) of it applies to this and all of the other titles in the "TV Premiere DVD" series. Be sure to check out The Flintstones page to see the photos that I uploaded which better illustrate the packaging and disc printing issues mentioned below.

-- The disc does not come in a plastic case, but rather in a cardboard sleeve which opens on the side. I've purchased $1 public domain DVDs from no-name companies that came in plastic slim cases, so it's appalling that a $6 DVD from a big-name company would be done so cheaply. Also, the sleeve has a hole at the top in the center where the peg would go for it to be hung on a rack like an action figure or toy. The hole has been edited out of the promo photos that Warner Bros. gave Amazon to display for the DVDs.

-- The text on the disc is very faint and hard to read - another way Warner Bros. skimped on production costs.

-- The cheapness doesn't stop at the packaging. The DVD does not contain a menu, not even a plain one. Because of this, there's an interesting glitch that happens if you let the DVD play past the episode. You see, after the episode plays, it goes to a FBI Warning on title 3, which then goes to the non-existent menu, so the player just hangs on a black screen.

-- They were even cheap in the placement of the chapters marks, which are placed every ten minutes (0:00, 10:00, and 20:00) no matter if it makes sense in the episode content for one to be there or not.

-- From what I've read, most (if not all) of the titles in the "TV Premiere DVD" series were originally released on VHS and/or laserdisc, with these DVDs being done from the VHS and laserdisc masters. The quality of The Flintstones DVD definitely appears to be better than VHS, so either it came from a laserdisc master, or not all of the titles were done from old home video masters.

Although at first I didn't mind paying $6 for one 26 minute Flintstones episode, that was before I knew that the DVD didn't even come in a plastic case. Now that six dollars really seems like a rip-off.

Warner Bros. "TV Premiere DVD" Series (10 titles)
* The Flintstones - The Flintstone Flyer
* The Jetsons - Microchip Chump
* ER - Pilot
* Babylon 5 - The Gathering
* Taboo - Tattoo
* Gilligan's Island - Two on a Raft & Home Sweet Hut
* The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest - Escape to Questworld
* Gilmore Girls - Pilot
* The Waltons - The Foundling
* Kung Fu - Pilot

This series is one of my favorite. I have order all nine yrs of the show. This product came in good condition. The pkg came in the required time that was given in the conditions of ordering.

Was very happy with this dvd,though was surprised to see it in a cardboard case,but the disc was in great shape and it was well packaged.
Would have liked it in a proper case but its only a small matter.
Service was very quick and without any problems.

I was a little disappointed. It was not what I expected. I thought it was the Premiere for the series but it was not. I already have the whole set of the Waltons and have this one on one of the seasons that I own.

I watch the Waltons every morning no matter what or how many times. I want a complete boxed set of all seasons including the Foundling and any other special episodes that have been digitally remastered. Come on already, some of the junk out there is better quality than the Waltons, which is wholesome and still has moral story lines for todays generation.

The Waltons is a terrific! I brought this premire show and i loved it! But...im a bit angry! VHQ and Blockbuster have dvds....but they never ever have had: The Waltons, Spider-man, Little house on the prarie and all the other good stuff they do have 'CSI' (what else is new?) Gilmore girls (not too bad) and other High rated suff...anyways this show is great!