Richard Thomas Passes the Baton to a New John Boy Walton with The CW's "The Waltons' Homecoming"

The cast may be new but the story remains the same In fact one very familiar face was invited back to Waltons Mountain to narrate it Hamner Jr passed in 2016 after leaving an indelible impression in pop culture so producers had to find a replacement Who better to tell John Boy Walton39s stories than Richard Thomas the actor who originated the role He fulfilled a lifelong dream by revisiting the movie that made him a starquotI was thrilled to be asked to do the narrationquot he explained during an exclusive interview with MediaVillage quotI had always admired Earl39s narrations so much even though secretly I coveted them and wanted to do them myself when I was 21 I wasn39t allowed to because it was an older John Boy and I totally get it Nobody could have been better than Earl but I always harbored this feeling of 39God those narrations39 Now I39m getting to do them 50 years later Then I was asked to do an oncamera introduction handing it over so that was just the cherry on topquotAccording to Thomas pictured above left with his costars in the classic series and below the original Waltons movie was never intended to be a series pilot quotWe had a fantastic script and it was a great partquot he recalled quotSo it was a complete surprise to everyone when legendary CBS chief executive William S Paley said quotLet39s make this is a series We really need to do something like this for the publicquot I was reluctant as I was making movies and doing fine as a 21yearold Then I read the first four scripts and it was a nobrainer It was unlike any other show on television and John Boy was a very different kind of male archetype to carry a series He was a sensitive feelingoriented guy and a moldbreaker as a leading male character in a longform American television seriesquotFor that reason Thomas has nothing but pride surrounding his time as a Walton amp8211 though for a fleeting moment he thought he might be typecast quotWhen the show ended I thought 39I39m gonna be forever known as John Boy39quot he shared quotI wanted to do new work but it39s just about the best worry you could have and I got over that pretty quickly Today I39m so flattered when the people say they39re now watching with mom and dad and now I even get how they love watching with their grandparents That fills me with pridequotAs prideful as he is of the character Thomas is not overprotective of the franchise Upon hearing of The CW39s reimagining he felt flattered all over again quotIt39s what happensquot he mused quotTime rolls on and it39s a tribute to the show that people want to look at it again after all these years It should be a new company be fresh and be geared to now Just being invited to participate the way I did it made me so happyquotThere39s that initial moment of 39Okay times up time to pass the baton to the next bunch39quot he added quotWe39ve had our 50 years and it39s time to share But that39s the nature of a classic to be reinterpreted and revived As a theater actor I never expected I39d be the last person playing Hamlet when I did it I knew there39d be others so why not other John BoysquotMy loyalty to the show is absolutequot Thomas continued quotI loved it more than any other job I ever did and I39ve had a lot of jobs that have done a lot for me Why shouldn39t this go to series If it does I39ll do anything to keep the legacy of the show alive and I39d be more than happy to continue doing the narrationsquotIn passing the baton to Logan Shroyer teenaged Kevin of This Is Us Thomas knew the character was in good hands quotLogan happens to be the best friend of my grandson Kadenquot he said quotSo I39d met him We had dinner a week or two before he went to do it and spending time with him was wonderful I gave him a hug and said quotGo for it make it yours I just hope you enjoy it as much as I didquotquotI wasn39t someone that grew up with The Waltonsquot Shroyer pictured above second from left said during a separate interview with MediaVillage quotI39d seen it and I knew Richard so I knew it was a big deal But having Richard39s blessing amp8230 it felt like we were keeping it in the family He39s so great and him saying he39ll be there as much or as little as I need was nice I know how iconic John Boy is but I felt I39m gonna do my thing to do my John Boy The last thing I wanted was to do was an impression of Richard39s John BoyquotShroyer has no idea why the producers thought he39d be perfect to reprise the role quotSam Haskell our producer just knew he wanted me and offered it to me over the phonequot he recalled quotI was dumbfounded I guess when it39s right it just falls into your lap But I was so grateful and excitedquotAs for The Waltons resonating today Shroyer admits quotfamily and love are two timeless things The Waltons did wellquot He sees parallels to the Great Depression when movie is set and the ongoing COVID19 pandemic which makes it relatable today quotI didn39t go through the Depression but we all went through the pandemicquot he shared quotPeople are thinking about money right now and being locked in Back in the 1930s you were pretty much locked in a house with your family so there39s a certain relevancequotAs This Is Us comes to an end Shroyer would be delighted to transition from being a parttime Pearson to a fulltime Walton should this movie inspire a new series quotI would love itquot he said quotIt would be an honor I had such a great time and I know the whole cast feels the same way We hope it39s received well because that would be a blastquotThe Waltons39 Homecoming will be telecast Sunday November 28 at 800 pm on The CWClick the social buttons to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Richard Thomas Passes the Baton to a New John Boy Walton with The CW's "The Waltons' Homecoming"

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