Earl Hamner, Jr.
Show Creator / Writer
About This Interview
In his four-hour Archive interview, Earl Hamner Jr. talks briefly about his earliest writing credits, for shows such as Today, Wide, Wide World, and The United States Steel Hour. Next, he speaks about his experiences writing for the anthology series The Twilight Zone, and discusses each of the episodes he wrote. He recalls the controversy surrounding the television movie Heidi, which he wrote, when it interrupted an important football broadcast. Hamner details his experiences as the creator of the drama series The Waltons, and speaks about the creation of the program, the cast, and the show's parallels with his own childhood. He also talks about several of his later series, including Apple's Way, The Young Pioneers, Falcon Crest, Brewster Place, and Snowy River: The McGregor Saga, and describes writing the script for the 1973 film adaptation of E.B. White's beloved Charlotte's Web. Jennifer Howard conducted the interview in Studio City, CA on September 18, 2003.
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Highlights
Earl Hamner on the inspiration for The Waltons
Clip begins at: 09:45, Duration: 07m 46s
Earl Hamner on working with Rod Serling and writing teleplays for The Twilight Zone
Clip begins at: 16:37, Duration: 12m 22s
Earl Hamner on how Ellen Corby's stroke was handled on The Waltons
Clip begins at: 24:34, Duration: 01m 45s
Earl Hamner on how the "Goodnight John Boy" trademark came into being
Clip begins at: 10:40, Duration: 00m 38s
Earl Hamner on the idea that sparked the creation of Falcon Crest
Clip begins at: 02:00, Duration: 01m 25s
Interview
- Part 1
- On his childhood and early influences; on writing ever since he was a child; on studying radio at the University of Cincinnati
Clip begins at: 0:16 - On winning the Dr. Christian contest; on working at a radio station in Ohio in the 1940s as a radio writer; on transitioning from radio to working in television; on working at NBC as a staff writer
Clip begins at: 18:59 - Part 2
- On radio programs he worked on at NBC; on his first writing assignments for television at NBC; on working as a writer on the Today show
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On his move from New York to Los Angeles; on memories of working with the crew of The Twilight Zone; on what The Twilight Zone was about; on episodes he wrote of The Twilight Zone
Clip begins at: 12:57 - Part 3
- On teleplays he wrote for The Twilight Zone
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On feedback he's received on his episodes of The Twilight Zone; on the effect of the Blacklisting era; on programs he wrote for in the 1960s; on writing a version of Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang; on an episode he wrote of ABC's Stage 67
Clip begins at: 15:23 - Part 4
- On shows he worked on in the 1960s; on writing the TV version of Heidi and the broadcast's memorable interruption of a football game
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On the genesis of The Waltons; on the TV movie The Homecoming; on how The Homecoming developed into the TV series The Waltons
Clip begins at: 09:45 - Part 5
- On the casting process for the The Waltons
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On the children cast on The Waltons; on how cast changes were handled on the show
Clip begins at: 17:06 - Part 6
- On narrating for The Waltons; on being a producer on The Waltons; on the writers of the show and the process of developing an episode; on his family's response to the show
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On The Waltons reception by critics and audiences; on the show's multiple Emmy wins and its resonance with viewers; on fan mail he receives; on his favorite episode of The Waltons; on the end of the series and Waltons reunion TV movies
Clip begins at: 14:01 - On his association with Lorimar; on writing the script for the 1973 film Charlotte's Web; on creating the show Apple's Way
Clip begins at: 22:02 - Part 7
- On developing the show The Young Pioneers; on the creation and casting of Falcon Crest; on a lawsuit that was filed against the show; on a comparison of Falcon Crest to his previous series, The Waltons; on creative control on Falcon Crest
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On working on the TV movie A Gift of Love; on his memories of writing for the TV series Boone; on producing the TV drama Morningstar/Eveningstar
Clip begins at: 13:00 - On his involvement with the show Brewster Place; on producing Snowy River: The McGregor Saga; on producing an episode of Masterpiece Theater for PBS
Clip begins at: 20:37 - Part 8
- On then-current projects and hobbies; on his favorite projects from his career; on his writing style
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On his writing mentors; on how he'd like to be remembered
Clip begins at: 09:05
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Will you ever do another Walton's reunion? I have been watching all the reruns and it would be so interesting to show these folks while most of them are still living and continue the story line.
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