Earl Hamner Jr. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Earl Hamner Jr.
Hamner on the set of The Waltons in 1976
Born	Earl Henry Hamner Jr. (1923-07-10)July 10, 1923 Schuyler, Virginia, U.S.
Died	March 24, 2016(2016-03-24) (aged 92) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Writer, producer
Nationality	American
Spouse	Jane Martin ​ (m. 1954)​
Children	2, including Scott Hamner
Relatives	Nora Spencer Hamner (aunt)

Earl Henry Hamner Jr. (born July 10, 1923 – died March 24, 2016) was a famous American writer and producer for television. He was best known for creating two popular TV shows in the 1970s and 1980s: The Waltons and Falcon Crest.

As a novelist, Earl Hamner Jr. wrote Spencer's Mountain. This book was inspired by his own childhood. It became a movie and later the TV series The Waltons. He also narrated The Waltons TV show.

Earl Hamner Jr.'s Early Life

Earl Hamner Jr. was born on July 10, 1923, in Schuyler, Virginia. His parents were Doris Marion and Earl Henry Hamner Sr. He was the oldest of eight children. He had four brothers and three sisters.

His mother's family, the Gianninis, came to the United States from Lucca, Italy, in the 1700s. His father's family came from Wales to Virginia. For a long time, the Hamners were tobacco farmers near the James River. Later, they moved to Schuyler, which is in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Schuyler was a town where most people worked for a soapstone mining company. During the Great Depression, the company closed. This made life very hard for the town. Earl's father lost his job at the mines. He found new work as a machinist at a factory about 30 miles away.

Because of the distance, Earl Sr. lived in a boarding house during the week. He would travel home to his family in Schuyler on weekends. One snowy Christmas Eve in 1933, he walked six miles to get home. This long walk inspired Earl Hamner Jr.'s 1970 book, The Homecoming. This book later became a Christmas TV special and then the famous TV series The Waltons.

During his childhood, Earl and his family went to a small church called Schuyler Baptist Church. In 2014, the church honored Earl.

Earl Hamner Jr. was studying at the University of Richmond when he joined the Army during World War II. He served in France after the D-Day invasion. After the war, he continued his education and earned a degree in broadcast communications from the University of Cincinnati.

Earl Hamner Jr.'s Career

In 1954, Earl Hamner Jr. started writing for television. One of his first scripts was for a show called Justice. He later wrote eight episodes for the science fiction series The Twilight Zone. This was a big step for his writing career in Hollywood.

He also wrote for other TV shows. These included Gentle Ben (1967–1969) and Nanny and the Professor (1970).

Earl Hamner Jr. created other TV series too, like Apple's Way (1974–1975) and Boone (1983–1984). He often used family names for his projects. For example, Spencer's Mountain used his paternal grandmother's maiden name, Spencer. The Waltons was named after his paternal grandfather and great-grandfather, both named Walter.

Earl Hamner Jr.'s Death

Earl Hamner Jr. passed away in Los Angeles, California, on March 24, 2016. He was 92 years old.

Earl Hamner Jr.'s Works

Novels

• Fifty Roads to Town (1953)
• Spencer's Mountain (1961)
• You Can't Get There from Here (1965)
• The Homecoming: A Novel About Spencer's Mountain (1970)
• Lassie: A Christmas Story (1997; co-written with Don Sipes)
• Murder in Tinseltown (2000; co-written with Don Sipes)

Non-fiction Books

• The Avocado Drive Zoo (a memoir) (1999)
• Good Night, John Boy (2002; memories of making The Waltons TV series)
• Generous Women (2006; collection of memoirs)

Screenplays (Movies)

• Palm Springs Weekend (1963)
• Charlotte's Web (1973)

Teleplays (TV Shows and Movies)

• Highway (1954)
• Episodes of The Twilight Zone:
  • "The Hunt" (1962)
  • "A Piano in the House" (1962)
  • "Jess-Belle" (1963)
  • "Ring-a-Ding Girl" (1963)
  • "You Drive" (1964)
  • "Black Leather Jackets" (1964)
  • "Stopover in a Quiet Town" (1964)
  • "The Bewitchin' Pool" (1964)
• Heidi (1968)
• Appalachian Autumn (1969)
• Aesop's Fables (1971)
• The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (1971; for CBS)
• Where the Lilies Bloom (1974)
• The Gift of Love: A Christmas Story (1983)

See also

In Spanish: Earl Hamner Jr. para niños