A Guide to the Earl Hamner, Jr. Papers, 1938-2014 #51368

Biographical Information

Earl Henry Hamner, Jr. was born in Schuyler, Nelson County, Virginia on 10 July 1923. He is the son of Earl Henry Hamner, Sr. and Doris Marion Gianinni. He attended the University of Richmond, and then served in the army during World War II. Following the war, Hamner worked for WMBG Radio in Richmond. He then briefly attended Northwestern University. In 1948, he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a major in broadcasting from the College of Music of the University of Cincinnati, and was employed as a writer for WLW. In 1949, Hamner moved to New York City, and worked as a radio and television writer until 1960. He married Jane Martin on 16 October 1954 in New York City. In 1960, Hamner moved to Hollywood to pursue film writing. His novel Spencer’s Mountain was made into a movie in 1961. He also wrote episodes for The Twilight Zone and CBS Playhouse, and was chosen to do a film version of the children’s book Charlotte’s Web. In 1970, Hamner wrote a television special based on his novel The Homecoming. The special became the inspiration for the series The Waltons, which ran from 1972 to 1981. He also worked on many other television shows, and wrote and produced the pilot episode of Falcon Crest. Afterwards, he formed a production company with Don Sipes. Most recently, Hamner has written numerous books, including Goodnight John-Boy (2002), The Twilight Zone Scripts of Earl Hamner (2003), Generous Women (2006), and Odette: A Goose of Toulouse. (2011). Hamner died in Los Angeles, California on 24 March 2016.

Contents List

Series I. Subject Files .

Boxes 1-2

Extent: 2 boxes.

The subject files include biographical material, miscellaneous correspondence (2003-2012), early writings, information on Hamner receiving the Literary Lifetime Achievement Award from the Library of Virginia, interviews, photographs, publicity, and speeches.

Box 1 Folder 1
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation Interview.
Box 1 Folder 2
Advice to Young Writers.
Box 1 Folder 3
Biographical Information.
Box 1 Folder 4
89th Birthday Cards, 2012 .
Box 1 Folder 5
Bradbury, Ray.
Box 1 Folder 6
Certificates.
Box 1 Folder 7
Correspondence, 2003-2012 .
Box 1 Folder 8-9
Early Attempts - 1940's.
Box 1 Folder 10
Early Education.
Box 1 Folder 11
Early Writings.
Box 1 Folder 12
Hamner Theater.
Box 1 Folder 13
Hargrove, Marion.
Box 1 Folder 14
Library of Virginia.
Box 1 Folder 15-16
Miscellaneous.
Box 2 Folder 1
"Mountain Memories: An Interview with The Waltons Creator Earl Hamner, Jr." by Karen Brewer.
Box 2 Folder 2
National Hall of Fame for Mountain Artisans.
Box 2 Folder 3
"Nelson County in Hollywood."
Box 2 Folder 4
"Paradise on Five Dollars a Day."
Box 2 Folder 5-6
Personal.
Box 2 Folder 7
Photographs.
Box 2 Folder 8-10
Publicity and Interviews.
Box 2 Folder 11
Speech - Peabody Award Lunch, 2 May 1973 .
Box 2 Folder 12
Speech - National Association of Television Program Executives, 20 February 1974 .
Box 2 Folder 13
Speech - Walton Museum Opening, 25 October 1992 .
Box 2 Folder 14
Speech - Missouri Southern State College, 2000 .
Box 2 Folder 15
Speech - Virginia Festival of the Book, 19 March 2002 .
Box 2 Folder 16
Speech - Roanoke VA, 4 October 2008 .
Box 2 Folder 17
Speech - Virginia Literary Awards, 15 October 2011 .
Box 2 Folder 18
Speech - Smithsonian Radio Unveling at Walton Museum.
Box 2 Folder 19
University of Cincinnati.
Box 2 Folder 20
Waggoner Road Middle School (Reynoldsburg, OH).
Box 2 Folder 21
Writer's Digest - Minna Bardon, 1947 .

Series II. Books, Motion Pictures, Television, and Other Works .

Boxes 3-27

Extent: 25 boxes.

This series contain annotated drafts and final versions of many of Hamner's works, including Aesop's Fables , Appalachian Autumn , The Avocado Drive Zoo , Charlotte's Web , Falcon Crest , Generous Women , Goodnight John-Boy , Heidi , The Homecoming , Morningstar/Eveningstar , Murder in Tinseltown , Odette: A Goose of Toulouse , The Ponder Heart , Spencer's Mountain , White Otter , and You Can't Get There From Here , as well as numerous episodes of The Twilight Zone and The Waltons . There are also exploratory notes, step outlines, cast and set lists, rehearsal and shooting schedules, correspondence, publicity, and reviews. In additon, there is material relating to ideas and proposals for books, motion pictures, and televison by Hamner that were not produced or published. This series also includes information on Walton's Mountain Museum, located in Hamner's hometown of Schuyler, Virginia. This series is organized alphabetically by name of the work. Complete bound sets of final scripts for Apple's Way and The Waltons are located in Special Collections.

Box 3 Folder 1-4
Aesop's Fables .
Box 3 Folder 5-9
Appalachian Autumn - CBS Playhouse .
Box 4 Folder 1-4
Appalachian Autumn - CBS Playhouse .
Box 4 Folder 5
Apple's Way .
Box 4 Folder 6-9
The Avocado Drive Zoo .
Box 5 Folder 1-2
The Avocado Drive Zoo .
Box 5 Folder 3
Beware the Clock .
Box 5 Folder 4
Boom! .
Box 5 Folder 5-9
Boomerang .
Box 5 Folder 10
Call of the Wild .
Box 5 Folder 11
Celebrate Virginia! .
Box 5 Folder 12
Charlie's Christmas .
Box 6 Folder 1-4
Charlotte's Web .
Box 6 Folder 5
Christmas in America (Kenny Rogers).
Box 6 Folder 6
The City .
Box 6 Folder 7
The Dark of the Moon - NBC Theatre of the Aire .
Box 6 Folder 8-10
The Driftwood Arrangement .
Box 6 Folder 11
Episode: An Intimate Behone the Scenes Visit with America's Favorite Family The Waltons .
Box 7 Folder 1-4
Falcon Crest .
Box 7 Folder 5
Fifty Roads to Town .
Box 7 Folder 6-10
Fish Stories .
Box 7 Folder 11
"Fishing the Gap" - Gray's Sporting Journal .
Box 8 Folder 1-5
Foundations .
Box 8 Folder 6-11
Generous Women .
Box 9 Folder 1-3
Generous Women .
Box 9 Folder 4-9
Goodnight John-Boy .
Box 9 Folder 10-11
Heidi .
Box 10 Folder 1-10
Heidi .
Box 11 Folder 1-4
The Homecoming .
Box 11 Folder 5-7
The Homefront .
Box 11 Folder 8
The Horror Zine .
Box 11 Folder 9
How Beautiful With Shoes - Five Star Matinee .
Box 11 Folder 10
Jesse-Belle: The Musical .
Box 12 Folder 1-3
Jubilee .
Box 12 Folder 4-5
A Lantern in Her Hand .
Box 12 Folder 6
Leafy Rivers .
Box 12 Folder 7
Little Tree - An Animated Easter Special .
Box 12 Folder 8
The Magic Paintbrush .
Box 12 Folder 9-10
Morningstar/Eveningstar .
Box 13 Folder 1-2
Morningstar/Eveningstar .
Box 13 Folder 3-5
Murder in Tinseltown .
Box 13 Folder 6
New Orleans on the River - Wide Wide World .
Box 13 Folder 7-8
The Night Before Christmas .
Box 13 Folder 9-10
Odette: A Goose of Toulouse .
Box 14 Folder 1-5
Odette: A Goose of Toulouse .
Box 14 Folder 6-7
Palm Springs Weekend .
Box 14 Folder 8
The People Trap - ABC Stage '67 .
Box 14 Folder 9
Poe's Lighthouse .
Box 14 Folder 10-12
The Ponder Heart .
Box 15 Folder 1-6
The Ponder Heart .
Box 15 Folder 7
The Silent Stars Go By .
Box 15 Folder 8-10
Snowy River .
Box 15 Folder 1-2
Spencer's Mountain - Novel and Screenplay.
Box 16 Folder 3-11
Television Shows - Concepts and Notions.
Box 17 Folder 1-2
Television Shows - Concepts and Notions.
Box 17 Folder 3
Thomas, Richard - Poems.
Box 17 Folder 4
The Treasure .
Box 17 Folder 5-7
The Twilight Zone - "A Piano in the House," 16 February 1962 .
Box 17 Folder 8-13
The Twilight Zone - "Jess-Belle," 14 February 1963 .
Box 18 Folder 1-3
The Twilight Zone - "Ring-a-Ding Girl," 27 December 1963 .
Box 18 Folder 4-6
The Twilight Zone - "You Drive," 3 January 1964 .
Box 18 Folder 7-9
The Twilight Zone - "Black Leather Jackets," 31 January 1964 .
Box 18 Folder 10-12
The Twilight Zone - "Stopover in a Quiet Town," 24 April 1964 .
Box 19 Folder 1-3
The Twilight Zone - "The Bewitchin' Pool," 19 June 1964 .
Box 19 Folder 4-5
The Twilight Zone - The Lost Episodes .
Box 19 Folder 6-8
The Twilight Zone - Miscellaneous.
Box 19 Folder 9
The Twilight Zone Scripts of Earl Hamner By Earl Hamner and Tony Albarella.
Box 20 Folder 1
"Waltonmania".
Box 20 Folder 2-5
The Waltons - British Fan Club.
Box 20 Folder 6-11
The Waltons - Cast.
Box 21 Folder 1-4
The Waltons - Correspondence.
Box 21 Folder 5
The Waltons - Guideline.
Box 21 Folder 6
The Waltons - McGreevey, John.
Box 21 Folder 7
The Waltons - Miscellaneous.
Box 21 Folder 8-11
The Waltons - Miscellaneous Scripts.
Box 21 Folder 12
The Waltons - Museum of Broadcasting, 10 March 1989 .
Box 21 Folder 13
The Waltons - Olvey, John B.
Box 21 Folder 14
The Waltons - Photographs.
Box 22 Folder 1-8
The Waltons - Publications on Nelson County and Area.
Box 22 Folder 9
The Waltons - The Real Walton's Mountain .
Box 22 Folder 10-11
The Waltons - Reviews, Articles, Publicity.
Box 23 Folder 1-3
The Waltons - Reviews, Articles, Publicity.
Box 23 Folder 4
The Waltons - Rich, Lee (Obituary).
Box 23 Folder 5-7
The Waltons - Testimonials.
Box 23 Folder 8-11
The Waltons - Walton's Mountain Museum (Schuyler, VA).
Box 24 Folder 1-4
The Waltons - Walton's Mountain Museum (Schuyler, VA).
Box 24 Folder 5
The Waltons - "Willy" Spin-Off.
Box 24 Folder 6-8
The Waltons - A Waltons Thanksgiving Reunion , (1993) .
Box 24 Folder 9
The Waltons - A Walton Wedding , (1995) .
Box 24 Folder 10
The Waltons - A Waltons Easter , (1997) .
Box 25 Folder 1
The Waltons - A Fire on Walton's Mountain , (1998) .
Box 25 Folder 2-3
The Wanda Snow Story - Wagon Train .
Box 25 Folder 4-7
Welcome to My Garden .
Box 25 Folder 8
Where the Lillies Bloom .
Box 25 Folder 9
White Otter .
Box 26 Folder 1-4
White Otter .
Box 26 Folder 5
The Wild Thornberrys - The Anniversary .
Box 26 Folder 6-11
You Can't Get There From Here - The Novel.
Box 27 Folder 1
You Can't Get There From Here - The Novel.
Box 27 Folder 2-6
You Can't Get There From Here - Movie and Television.

Series III. Books (Hard Copy) .

Boxes 28-30

Extent: 3 boxes.

The collection contains books in hard copy that were written by Hamner, including The Avocado Drive Zoo, Fifty Roads to Town, Generous Women, Good Night John-Boy, The Homecoming, Odette: A Goose of Toulouse, Spencer's Mountain, and You Can't Get There From Here. There are foreign language versions of some of the works. Also, there are copies of books in which Hamner contributed stories or essays. This series also includes books by associates of Hamner, including cast members of The Waltons, and others. Finally, there are numerous works related to the Appalachian Mountains, Blue Ridge Mountains, and Virginia. This series is arranged alphabetically by book title.

Box 28 Folder n/a
Aesop's Fables (Golden Press, 1970).
Box 28 Folder n/a
Appalachian Heritage: A Literary Quarterly of the Southern Appalachians (Berea College, Spring 2007).
Box 28 Folder n/a
Appalachian Heritage: A Literary Quarterly of the Southern Appalachians (Berea College, Fall 2007) - Two Copies.
Box 28 Folder n/a
As I Am: An Autobiography by Patricia Neal (Simon and Schuster, 1988).
Box 28 Folder n/a
The Avocado Drive Zoo: At Home With My Family and the Creatures We've Loved by Earl Hamner (Cumberland House, 1999) - Two Copies.
Box 28 Folder n/a
The Bleeding Edge: Dark Barriers, Dark Frontiers William F. Nolan and Jason V. Brock, eds. (Cycatrix Press, 2009).
Box 28 Folder n/a
Blue Ridge Nature Journal: Reflections on the Appalachian Mountains in Essays and Art by George and Elizabeth Ellison (Natural History Press, 2006).
Box 28 Folder n/a
Celebrate Virginia! Cookbook: The Hospitality, History, and Heritage of Virginia by Rowena J. Fullinwider, James A. Crutchfield, and Winette Sparkman Jeffery (Cool Spring Press, 2002).
Box 28 Folder n/a
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White (Harper and Row, 1952).
Box 28 Folder n/a
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White (HarperTrophy, 1995).
Box 28 Folder n/a
Dark Discoveries James R. Beach, ed. (Dark Discoveries Publications, Summer 2009).
Box 28 Folder n/a
The Devil's Coattails: More Dispatches from the Dark Frontier Jason V. Brock and William F. Nolan, eds. (Cycatrix Press, 2011).
Box 28 Folder n/a
Earl Hamner: From Walton's Mountain to Tomorrow: A Biography by James E. Person, Jr. (Cumberland House, 2005).
Box 28 Folder n/a
A Feast of Frights From the Horror Zine Jeani Rector, ed. (Horror Zine Books, 2012).
Box 28 Folder n/a
Fifty Roads to Town by Earl Hamner, Jr. (Random House, 1953).
Box 28 Folder n/a
Generous Women by Earl Hamner (Cumberland House, 2006).
Box 28 Folder n/a
Goodnight John-Boy: A Celebration of an American Family and the Values That Have Sustained Us Through Good Times and Bad by Earl Hamner and Ralph Giffin (Cumberland House, 2002).
Box 28 Folder n/a
The Grand Adventure: A Year by Year History of Virginia by James A. Crutchfield (Dietz Press, 2005).
Box 28 Folder n/a
The Height of Our Mountains: Nature Writing From Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah Valley Michael P. Branch and Daniel J. Philippon, eds. (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998).
Box 28 Folder n/a
The Hollywood Zoo: My Life With the Animals by Earl Hamner (Blue Ridge Publications, 1997).
Box 28 Folder n/a
The Homecoming by Earl Hamner, Jr. (Avon Books, 1973).
Box 28 Folder n/a
The Homecoming: A Musical by Evelyn Swensson (Dramatic Publishing, 1998).
Box 28 Folder n/a
The Homecoming and Other Plays (Scholastic Magazines, 1975) - Two Copies.
Box 28 Folder n/a
Ike Godsey of Walton's Mountain by Joe Conley (BearManor Media, 2010).
Box 28 Folder n/a
Journey on the James: Three Weeks Through the Heart of Virginia by Earl Swift (University Press of Virginia, 2001).
Box 28 Folder n/a
The Knife Thrower's Assistant: Memoirs of a Human Target by Ronnie Claire Edwards (HAWK Publishing, 2000).
Box 29 Folder n/a
Lassie: A Christmas Story by Earl Hamner and Don Sipes (Tommy Nelson, 1997).
Box 29 Folder n/a
Lessons from the Mountain: What I Learned From Erin Walton by Mary McDonough (Kensington Books, 2011).
Box 29 Folder n/a
Looking Back...at Live Televison and Other Matters by Delbert Mann (Directors Guild of America, 1998).
Box 29 Folder n/a
Mr. Godsey Asked Me to Marry Him and I Said "Yes!: Exit Sobbing by Ronnie Claire Edwards (Arwood Publishing, 2012).
Box 29 Folder n/a
More of Paul Harvey's The Rest of the Story by Paul Aurandt (William Morrow and Company, 1980).
Box 29 Folder n/a
Murder in Tinseltown by Earl Hamner and Don Sipes (HAWK Publishing, 2000).
Box 29 Folder n/a
My Life With a Thousand Characters by Iwao Takamoto (University Press of Mississippi, 2009).
Box 29 Folder n/a
Nursery Songs from the Appalachian Mountains (Second Series) by Cecil T. Sharp and Esther B. Mackinnon (Novello and Company).
Box 29 Folder n/a
O, Appalachia: Artists of the Southern Mountains by Ramona and Millard Lampell with David Larkin (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 1989).
Box 29 Folder n/a
Odette: A Goose of Toulouse: A Celebration of Life and Music by Earl Hamner and Don Sipes (BearManor Fiction, 2011).
Box 29 Folder n/a
Pages From the Virginia Story by George Bowles (Maiden Lane Press, 1979).
Box 29 Folder n/a
The Pebble of Gibraltar: An Autobiography by Ellen Corby (Vantage Press, 1988).
Box 29 Folder n/a
Poe's Lighthouse Christopher Conlon, ed. (Cemetery Dance Publications, 2006).
Box 29 Folder n/a
Raising Up Waltons: A Father's Hear for His Children; Reflections on the Timeless Values Showcased in the Depression-Era Based Television Series by Jason Pendleton (2011).
Box 29 Folder n/a
Remember Me When I'm Gone by Larry King (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 2004).
Box 29 Folder n/a
Spencer's Mountain by Earl Hamner (Dial Press, 1961).
Box 29 Folder n/a
Spencer's Mountain by Earl Hamner (Dell, 1973) - Two Copies.
Box 29 Folder n/a
Spencer's Mountain by Earl Hamner (German Edition, 1963).
Box 29 Folder n/a
Spencer's Mountain by Earl Hamner (Japanese Edition).
Box 29 Folder n/a
Spencer's Mountain by Earl Hamner (Slovakian Edition, 1971).
Box 29 Folder n/a
State Historical Markers of Virginia (Sixth Edition) Issued by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Development (1948).
Box 29 Folder n/a
The Strand Magazine Issue XXV (June-September 2008).
Box 29 Folder n/a
Television: Ethics for Hire? by Robert S. Alley (Parthenon Press, 1977).
Box 29 Folder n/a
Thank You Earl Hamner... by Dagmar Burger and Manfred Schmitt.
Box 30 Folder n/a
Traces on the Appalachians: A Natural History of the Serpentine in Eastern North America by Kevin T. Dann (Rutgers University Press, 1988).
Box 30 Folder n/a
The Twilight Zone: 19 Original Stories on the 50th Anniversary Carol Serling, ed. (Tom Doherty Associates, 2009) - Hardcover and Paperback.
Box 30 Folder n/a
The Twilight Zone Scripts of Earl Hamner by Earl Hamner and Tony Albarella (Cumberland House, 2003).
Box 30 Folder n/a
Under the Blue Ledge: Nelson County, Virginia by Oliver A. Pollard, Jr. (Dietz Press, 1997).
Box 30 Folder n/a
The Virginia Way by Wolfgang Roth and Guy Friddell (Dr. Franz Burda, 1973).
Box 30 Folder n/a
We All Live Downstream: Writings About Mountaintop Removal Jason Howard, ed. (Motes Books, 2009).
Box 30 Folder n/a
Where the Lillies Bloom by Vera and Bill Cleaver (J.B. Lippincott, 1969).
Box 30 Folder n/a
Where the Lillies Bloom by Vera and Bill Cleaver (Scholastic Book Services, 1974).
Box 30 Folder n/a
Where the Lillies Bloom by Vera and Bill Cleaver (HarperTrophy, 1989).
Box 30 Folder n/a
You Can't Get There From Here by Earl Hamner, Jr. (Random House, 1965).
Box 30 Folder n/a
You Can't Get There From Here by Earl Hamner, Jr. (German Edition).

Series IV. Videotapes and DVD's .

Boxes 30-31

Extent: 2 boxes.

Many of Hamner's works were issued on videotape and DVD. The collection contains a complete set of The Waltons and The Twilight Zone . There are also copies of Charlotte's Web, Heidi, The Homecoming , and Spencer's Mountain . There is also a copy of the grand opening ceremony of Walton's Mountain Museum in 1992, and an interview with Hamner conducted by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation in 2003 for their Archive of American Television series.

Box 30 Folder n/a
Charlotte's Web (Bantam Audio Cassette, 1970).
Box 30 Folder n/a
Charlotte's Web (VHS Videotape).
Box 30 Folder n/a
Falcon Crest - Season 2 (DVD Spanish Edition).
Box 30 Folder n/a
Heidi (DVD).
Box 30 Folder n/a
The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (DVD).
Box 30 Folder n/a
Richard Thomas Reads "The Homecoming" (Audio Renaissance Cassette Tapes, 1995).
Box 30 Folder n/a
The Bosque Conservatory Tin Building Theatre Presents "The Homecoming" (DVD, 2004).
Box 30 Folder n/a
South Orange County Community Theatre Presents "The Homecoming" (VHS Videotape).
Box 30 Folder n/a
The Ponder Heart (VHS Videotape, 2000).
Box 31 Folder n/a
Snowy River (VHS Videotape).
Box 31 Folder n/a
The Man From Snowy River - Read by Leonard Teale (Cassette Tape).
Box 31 Folder n/a
Spencer's Mountain (Warner Home Video, VHS).
Box 31 Folder n/a
Richard Thomas Reads "Spencer's Mountain" (Audio Renaissance Cassette Tapes, 1995).
Box 31 Folder n/a
Charles Beaumont: The Short Life of Twilight Zone's Magic Man (JaSunni Productions DVD, 2009).
Box 31 Folder n/a
The Twilight Zone - The Definitive Edition - Seasons 1-4 (CBS DVD, 2004).
Box 31 Folder n/a
The Waltons - Seasons 1-9 (Warner Home Video DVD, 2004-2009).
Box 31 Folder n/a
The Waltons Movie Collection (Warner Home Video, 2010).
Box 31 Folder n/a
A Walton Thanksgiving - Dailies (Warner Bros. TV VHS Videotape, 1993).
Box 31 Folder n/a
The Waltons - John-Boy's Wedding - Production Dailies, Network Cut, Final Viewing (Warner Bros. VHS Videotapes).
Box 31 Folder n/a
The Walton Legacy - WVPT Public Television (VHS Videotape, 1997).
Box 31 Folder n/a
The Waltons After They Were Famous - NTSC Viewing Copy (VHS Videotape, 2002).
Box 31 Folder n/a
The Waltons International Fan Club Presents Special Memories (DVD, 2009).
Box 31 Folder n/a
Waltons Creator (VHS Videotape).
Box 31 Folder n/a
Walton's Mountain Museum Grand Opening Ceremony (VHS Videotape, 1992).
Box 31 Folder n/a
A Sing Along on Walton's Mountain (VHS Videotape, 1993).
Box 31 Folder n/a
A Walton's Christmas - Together Again (Cassette Tape, 1999).
Box 31 Folder n/a
Writing Out Loud (VHS Videotape, 2000).
Box 31 Folder n/a
Earl Hamner Interview - Archive of American Television Series (Four VHS Videotapes, 2003).