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More than just another Hollywood writer
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| The Walton's were not just a fictional family typically created from the minds of Hollywood writers. They were, for the creator, the memories of growing up in rural Virginia... memories of family and neighbors... memories of a country still living in a time of innocence. |
| Prior to creating The Waltons Earl Hamner Jr.'s career began in Radio but he quickly made the move to Television as it was becoming the dominant format for entertainment programming. |
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| While establishing his career in the brodcast world Earl Hamner rose to prominence as an author. |
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 First Published - 1953 |
(From the dust jacket of "Fifty Roads to Town") About the Author The author of this first novel is thirty years old, the eldest of eight children. He was born Schuyler, Virginia, a villiage in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Mr. Hamner has been writing since he was seven years old when the Richmond Times Dispatch published his first poem. In between reading everything in sight as he grew up, he milked cows, slopped hogs, caught posseums and paid for his tuition at the University of Richmond by working as a dispatcher for a trucking company and census taker. After serving in the army for three years, he returned to Richmond and began to work in radio, first as assistant program director and then moving on to Cincinatti, he obtained a job as radio writer. Mr. Hamner began to work on Fifty Roads To Town during one summer in Arkansas Ouachita Mountains where the state paid 23ยข a head for each crow brought in, but the author's aim was bad and he returned from the vacation with a fragment of the present novel and flat broke. He gradually worked his way up to New York and a job with a large advertising agency and finally, to NBC as a radio script writer where he is now happily employed. |
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 First Published - 1961 |
 First Published - 1965 |
 First Published - 1970 |
 First Published - 1999 |
| In 1963, his second book was made into a film starring Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara. |
Along with the novels that he would continue to write Earl Hamner made the move from the east coast to California and would write numerous teleplays for various television shows throughout the 1960's including 8 episodes of The Twilight Zone.
Rod Serling gave Hamner his first break in Hollywood. |
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Hamner also created other family dramas
In 1968 he wrote the teleplay for the TV movie Heidi
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In 1971 his book The Homecoming was turned in to a Television Christmas special.
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In 1972 he wrote the screenplay for the animated version of Charlotte's Web
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In 1974 he wrote the screenplay for a story about an Appalacian family more info at the |
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Based on the success of The Homecoming, the broadcaster, CBS, ordered one season of episodes based on the same characters. As a result The Waltons were born. | |
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Earl Hamner - 2015 |
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| Earl's legacy of work did not go uncredited so it didn't take long for fans of his work to realize who was behind their favorite program. |
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 The Homecoming, 1971 |
 The Waltons, 1972 |
 The Waltons, 1973-81 |
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As soon as The Walton's became an award-winning-smash-hit, Lorimar Productions tried to capture the genie in a bottle and tasked Earl Hamner to create a contemporary family oriented show following a similar formula of family focussed dramas that take place in a rural setting. Apple's Way was the result. This TV Guide Ad makes a direct comparison to Earl Hamner's successful hit, The Waltons. For a fascinating look at this forgotten series, click the image. |
| After the Waltons, Earl immediately created another succesful show that would run for 9 sesons as well, only this time the family would NOT be as nice as the Waltons. |
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Hamner would return to his post on the Waltons during the movie specials in the 90's |
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More recently Earl co-wrote two children's books with Donald Sipes
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Earl continues to make appearances and be honored for his body of work
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Videos
Watch a short documentary about Earl Hamner by the University of Cincinnati
A short promo from INSP where Earl discusses the importance of The Waltons
| Earl Hamner, creator of The Waltons, knows the power of television to elevate people and show our best -- and our worst -- sides. When done right, he believes television can be a positive influence on individuals and society. |
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A short interview by where Earl comments about writing and his fans
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Earl Hamner Jr.
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or continue on to the next page
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