“The Waltons: The Complete Eighth Season” On DVD January 6, 2009 From Warner Home Video
(November 4, 2008 – Burbank, CA) – Another heartwarming season of the critically-acclaimed, award-winning television series “The Waltons” comes to DVD January 6, 2009 from Warner Home Video (WHV). Titled “The Waltons: The Complete Eight Season,” the three-disc set features all 24 episodes from the series’ eighth season and retails for $39.98 SRP. Order due date is set for December 2, 2008.
It’s the height of World War II and although there is peace on Waltons Mountain, the family is deeply affected. The telegram that every parent with children in the armed forces fears to receive is delivered to the Waltons, bringing news that John Boy’s military plane has been shot down. With their son missing in action, all John and Olivia can do is continue to contact the Red Cross and wait. Still, the Waltons, eager to defend their country, pitch in to help the war effort while praying for the safe return of each of their sons in active duty.
Despite the tragedies, joy always seems to find the Waltons. Oliva’s health is restored and she returns home. Ben and Cindy (Leslie Winston) welcome another Walton into the world. Cousin Rose (Peggy Rea) and her rambunctious grandchildren fill empty rooms in the Walton home. Mary Ellen and Erin challenge scoffing men in a horse race. Jim-Bob graduates from high school and makes a decision that fills the family with profound pride.
The bonus feature on this DVD set is a 2-hour retrospective special titled “A Decade of the Waltons.” Creator Earl Hamner narrates this two-hour compilation of highlights from the “The Waltons” TV series (original air date: May 22, 1980).
“Consumers love ‘The Waltons’ because it’s an inspirational series filled with positive messages about having courage, overcoming adversity and keeping hope alive even during the darkest of times,” commented Rosemary Markson, WHV Vice President, TV and Special Interest Marketing. She added, “It’s a nostalgic series that yearns for the ‘good old days,’ yet its timeless messages about family values, tradition, patriotic pride and wholesomeness are still relevant to viewers today.”
“The Waltons,” which made its network television premiere on September 14, 1972 on CBS, follows one family’s journey as they run a lumber mill during the Great Depression in rural Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Created and narrated by author Earl Hamner, Jr., the program is a reflection of Hamner’s own upbringing during the same era, with his experiences re-told to
the viewer through the eyes of aspiring writer John Boy Walton (originally portrayed by Richard Thomas). The close-knit family includes father John Walton, Sr. (Ralph Waite), his wife Olivia (Michael Learned), and their children John Boy, Mary Ellen, Jim-Bob, Elizabeth, Jason, Erin and Ben. Grandparents Zeb (Will Geer) and Esther (Ellen Corby) serve as the elders of this large and loving family, who together face the challenges of the 1930s and 1940s while living on Walton’s Mountain.
Season eight aired on CBS from September 20, 1979 to March 13, 1980 and featured 24 episodes.
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