A Wedding on Walton's Mountain (1982) Ralph Waite, Jon Walmsley, Judy Norton, Mary Beth McDonough, Eric Scott, David W. Harper, Kami Cotler Movie Review

A Wedding on Walton's Mountain (1982)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Mary Beth McDonough and Morgan Stevens in A Wedding on Walton's Mountain (1982)

Erin's Choice

Love is in the air on Walton's Mountain as Elizabeth (Kami Cotler) is pining for her boyfriend as he has returned to college. But for Erin (Mary Beth McDonough) she finds herself torn as whilst Paul (Morgan Stevens) has asked her to marry her first love, Ashley (Louis Welch), has returned and now a widow has decided he wants to get back with Erin. It isn't all love in the air as not only is Jonesy (Richard Gilliland) struggling to set up his vets practice but Ben (Eric Scott) has taken on a big contract leading to someone trying to sabotage them. For John Walton (Ralph Waite) there is only one thing he can do, return home to help out as his children who need him.

It has been a while since I watched and reviewed the other "The Walton's" TV movies but if felt like it was just yesterday and that comes down to a lot of things starting with the great cast of actors playing the family. Yes there is no Richard Thomas or Michael Learned in "A Wedding on Walton's Mountain" but the rest of the actors are here, including Ellen Corby, and they still feel like family. As such there isn't a stand out performance in "A Wedding on Walton's Mountain" be it Mary Beth McDonough as the romantically troubled Erin or Ralph Waite as John Walton as they all bring so much warmth to their characters that you are just happy to be spending sometime with them.

But it isn't just the characters that makes "A Wedding on Walton's Mountain" entertaining as it is the interweaving storylines from Jonesy trying to set up his veterinary practice to Ben and Paul taking on a contract which could end up being the end of Walton's mill. Somehow despite feeling like separate ideas these stories all manage to blend nicely so that one minute there can be issues over milling enough wood to fill the contract and then it moves seamlessly into the turmoil of Erin being torn between Paul and Ashley. Even a subplot involving Corabeth Walton Godsey interfering in the love life of Reverend Tom Marshall manages to feel like part of the main story despite actually being completely separate and mainly there for some typical Corabeth humour.

What this all boils down to is that "A Wedding on Walton's Mountain" delivers everything you expect from a "Walton's" TV movie which is wholesome entertainment from that wonderful family which even now I wish were my own.


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