One of the most air-headed comments over the years has been "This series does not in anyway depict the average depression era family." I heard this comment just recently by a talk show host talking about 70's TV shows. Well, duh!, it depicts the depression era family of Earl Hamner the show's creator and has nothing to do with "the average depression era American family." How even some supposed TV critics came up with that for a reason to be negative against the show has always puzzled me. The show was as I understand it true to life for the area around Schuyler, VA., the home of Earl Hamner. A couple of the characters on the show were composites of his actual siblings (he had one more sibling than the Waltons). A special that aired in the late 1970's united his real brothers and sisters with their TV counterparts. The program is hugely successful worldwide and I'm glad that most comments are by and large supportive of the show and always have been save for that few who can't get their facts straight.
Review of The Waltons
