'Waltons' writer, actor come home

Watching writer Earl Hamner Jr. and actor Richard Thomas greet each other is like watching members of a family reunite after a long absence.

Family is what they became during the nine seasons of "The Waltons." Hamner wrote the series and a preceding Christmas TV movie, "The Homecoming," based on his life growing up during the Depression in Nelson County. Thomas portrayed John-Boy Walton, the character that Hamner modeled after himself.

So when they got together at a Library of Virginia gala in Richmond before Thomas introduced Hamner for a Literary Lifetime Achievement Award, the big hugs and grins were genuine.

Hamner, 88, and Thomas, 60, each won Emmy awards for "The Waltons." Each went on to a long career, but each is best known for the show that ran from 1971 to 1978 and continues in reruns around the world.

"I get tremendous mail. I can't answer it all," Hamner said. "It comes in two categories. One is people who say this is the way I grew up or my parents grew up and the other is (people who say) this is the way I wish I had grown up. It's a kind of wish fulfillment."

The personal friendships that began with "The Homecoming" 40 years ago show no signs of ending.

"Let me tell you one thing about Richard that he probably won't mention," Hamner said. "He played a teenage boy when we knew each other (on 'The Waltons')." In the years since then, his work on the stage as well as the screen led to him being called "the foremost interpreter of Shakespeare's works today," Hamner said.

Thomas, a few minutes later, had a tidbit to tell about Hamner.

"The one thing he won't tell you is he has the wickedest sense of humor you could possibly imagine. He's demure, forbearing, charming, absolutely the sweetest man in the world with just the wickedest sense of humor," Thomas said.

"Oh dear, now I have something to live up to," Hamner said.

Hamner lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Jane. They celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary last weekend with a trip to Nelson County on Sunday followed by a trip to New York, where they married. He goes to his office daily to write from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a break for lunch and a 10-minute nap.

His most recent work is a children's book, "Odette: A Goose of Toulouse." His next book, he said, will be the " 'Golden Years for Dummies.' The opening chapter is called how to get out of bed. The first clue is carefully."

Thomas was on Broadway last year in David Mamet's "Race" and had the title role this year in "Timon of Athens," the inaugural production of the Public LAB Shakespeare at the Public Theater.

"Summer vacation is drifting into autumn unemployment," he said. "I've been happily unemployed for a couple of months. Soon I'll be unhappily unemployed, but it never lasts for long."

Seven years ago, Thomas moved back to New York City, where his parents were ballet dancers. "My mother was on stage when she was carrying me," he said.

He had his first acting role when he was 6, and took on the role of John-Boy when he was 20. He has a son and triplet daughters with first wife Alma Gonzales and a 15-year-old son with Georgiana Bischoff, whom he married in 1994. He considers her two daughters to be his children, too.

The world of show business has been good to Thomas and Hamner, whose other credits include the prime-time soap opera, "Falcon Crest," which ran from 1981 to 1990.

"It's a business where most of the people you meet are doing what they want to do. That creates a wonderful atmosphere," Thomas said.

"And business is the word," Hamner added. "Most people think of Hollywood as a place of glamour. What time were you on the set?"

"I think 7 a.m.," Thomas answered. "When you're a regular on an hour show, there are features that are grueling. It's one of the most rigorous jobs in L.A.

"I remember that, even if you've been given the gift of a part like that in a series, you can become kind of jaded."

"It's the way human nature is. One of the great things for me was having Will Geer (Grandpa) on the set, who had been blacklisted for his and his family's political affiliations. He was very rarely cranky. He was so happy about work every day. ... I might come to the set and say 'Awww, it's early and I'm tired,' and I'd look at him and say (to myself), 'You know what, just shut up.' You don't know when and how this could be taken away from you," Thomas said.

Hamner said he will never forget Ellen Corby, who played Grandma in the show as well as on the set. "I remember her shouting at the children, 'Slow down, you're going to run over that cable and break your necks.' "

Thomas was a role model for the younger children, Hamner said.

"I was an impossible, callow, narcissistic 21-year-old actor, but everyone put up with me very nicely," Thomas demurred. "When I think back about it, I blush. It was truly the greatest professional experience and personal experience."

A family-oriented show such as "The Waltons" could probably succeed today, they said.

"But it's different every time out. It wasn't like any other show. If you did it today, it would have to be different," Thomas said.

"It would have to have a perfect mixture of writing, acting and directing, every element," Hamner said.

"It was kismet," Thomas agreed. "The elements went together in the most extraordinary way."