The Waltons
The Secret
TV Flash files “The Secret” as hour 90 of 220 in the TV Flash guide — The Waltons (1972–1981) on CBS, season 4, episode 16, aired 1976-01-08, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S04E16: listed hour 90 of 220 in the The Waltons guide, hour 16 of 25 in season 4. It aired 1976-01-08 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “The Search” (S04E15). Next is “The Fox” (S04E17).
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
When Jim Bob starts to wonder if he was adopted by the family because of how everyone is making fun of his interests, he soon learns the truth surrounding his birth when he starts investigating what happened when he was born.
Viewer FAQ
Where does The Secret sit in the The Waltons guide?
S04E16 is listed hour 90 of 220 — hour 16 of 25 in season 4, season 4 episode 16.
When did The Waltons S04E16 air?
The Secret aired 1976-01-08 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…