The Waltons
The Birthday
TV Flash files “The Birthday” as hour 64 of 220 in the TV Flash guide — The Waltons (1972–1981) on CBS, season 3, episode 15, aired 1974-12-19, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S03E15: listed hour 64 of 220 in the The Waltons guide, hour 15 of 25 in season 3. It aired 1974-12-19 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “The Visitor” (S03E14). Next is “The Lie” (S03E16).
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
When Grandpa has a heart attack and becomes depressed not long before his birthday, his family and friends set out to lift his spirits and restore his will to live.
Viewer FAQ
Where does The Birthday sit in the The Waltons guide?
S03E15 is listed hour 64 of 220 — hour 15 of 25 in season 3, season 3 episode 15.
When did The Waltons S03E15 air?
The Birthday aired 1974-12-19 and is listed at 60 minutes.
Where should I start?
Start with the early years while Richard Thomas is John-Boy. The Depression-era Virginia household and the good-night ritual are the premise.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Earl Hamner's Depression-era mountain family says good night until the roll call becomes national ritual. Richard Thomas's John-Boy, Ralph Waite, and Michael Learned hold a Virginia porch against 1970s cynicism. Family drama with patience and place — hearth, not sneer.
Good night, John-Boy — and good night to a whole mountain of Depression-era family mythology sold as weekly weather. CBS's The Waltons (1972–1981), from Earl Hamner Jr.'s autobiographical vein and Spencer's Mountain lineage, ran nine seasons, some 220 hours, with Richard Thomas, Ralph Waite, and Michael Learned at the emotional core. Will Geer and Ellen Corby held the grandparents' porch. Soft-focus values met real economic strain. The show became the gentle counterweight to 1970s cynicism. On the palate: radio…
Filed against
- Richard Thomas as John-Boy Walton
Richard Thomas's John-Boy Walton kept The Waltons' Virginia porch against 1970s cynicism — Earl Hamner's Depression-era mountain family saying good night until the roll call became national ritual. Hearth, not sneer. TV Flash files him as…
- Ralph Waite as John Walton Sr.
Ralph Waite played John Walton Sr. on The Waltons, Earl Hamner’s 1970s Depression-era mountain family that said good night until the roll call became national ritual. Richard Thomas’s John-Boy, Michael Learned, a Virginia porch against…
- Michael Learned as Olivia Walton
Michael Learned’s Olivia Walton held a Virginia porch against 1970s cynicism on The Waltons — Earl Hamner’s Depression-era mountain family, Richard Thomas’s John-Boy, Ralph Waite, good night until the roll call became national ritual. TV…
- Will Geer as Zebulon Walton
Will Geer’s Zebulon Walton said good night on The Waltons until the roll call became national ritual — Earl Hamner’s Depression-era mountain family, Richard Thomas’s John-Boy, Ralph Waite and Michael Learned holding a Virginia porch…
- Ellen Corby as Esther Walton
Ellen Corby said good night as Esther Walton on The Waltons — Depression-era mountain patience, a Virginia porch against 1970s cynicism, and a roll call that became national ritual. Hearth, not sneer. TV Flash files her as catalog…