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Earl Hamner Jr.

Earl Hamner Jr.

Writer, producer and actor · Died March 24, 2016, aged 92 · Schuyler, Virginia, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Earl Henry Hamner, Jr. (born on July 10, 1923 in Schuyler, Virginia) is an American television writer and producer (sometimes credited as Earl Hamner), best known for his work in the 1970s and 1980s on the long-running CBS series The Waltons and Falcon Crest. As a novelist, he is best known for the novel Spencer's Mountain, which was inspired by his own childhood and formed the basis for both the film of the same name and the television series The Waltons, for which he provided voiceover narration. He based the cantankerous Walton family grandparents in the popular television series on his own maternal Italian-American grandparents, Ora Lee and Colonel Anderson Gianniny, an anglicized version of the Italian surname "Giannini". In 1954, Hamner wrote "Hit and Run", an episode of the NBC legal drama Justice in which guest star E.G. Marshall plays a man haunted by his crime of striking a newsboy on a bicycle and fleeing the scene of the accident. Hamner also contributed eight episodes in the early 1960s to the CBS science fiction series The Twilight Zone. His first script acceptance for the series was his big writing break in Hollywood. He created two less successful series, Boone on NBC (1983–1984), starring Tom Byrd and Barry Corbin, and Apple's Way (1974–1975) on CBS with Ronny Cox. Hamner used family names to title his projects: Spencer (Spencer's Mountain) is the maiden name of his paternal grandmother Susan Henry Spencer Hamner. "The Waltons" comes from his paternal grandfather Walter Clifton Hamner and great-grandfather Walter Leland Hamner. Description above from the Wikipedia article Earl Hamner, Jr., licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 10, 1923
Died
March 24, 2016 (aged 92)
From
Schuyler, Virginia, USA
Works as
Writer, producer and actor
Titles
22 on MovieCove · 38 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 8% in 30 days

What are Earl Hamner Jr.'s films like?

Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Society.

Genres

Drama13 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Animation2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 46th percentile
: browse their Animation movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
59%
Society
13%
Survival
13%
Morality
7%
Self
6%
Ideas
2%
Power
1%
Family bonds15 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 17 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 12 · Serious 4 · Dark 1

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 17 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 12 · Charged 5 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 16 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 1

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 16 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 17 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 17 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

1 analyzed role

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
14
Hopeful
12
Melancholic
9
Bittersweet
7
Romantic
2
Other
6

How their films linger

Feel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet11

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Earl Hamner Jr.'s films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 22 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Earl Hamner Jr.'s titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

38 credits, 22 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Charlotte's Web(2006)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Night Before Christmas: A Mouse Tale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Screenplay · Story

  • Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure(2002)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • The Wild Thornberrys(1998)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all shows

  • The Education of Little Tree(1997)

    Teleplay

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • A Walton Easter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Writer

  • A Mother's Gift(1995)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • A Walton Wedding (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Characters

  • A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion(1993)

    Characters · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Magic Paintbrush (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Writer

  • Brewster Place(1990)

    Show Writer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all shows

  • Christmas in America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Executive Producer · Writer

  • The Gift of Love: A Christmas Story(1983)

    Producer · Teleplay

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Boone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Show 1 episode · Creator · Writer

  • A Day for Thanks on Walton's Mountain(1982)

    Producer · Writer · as Narrator

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • A Wedding on Walton's Mountain(1982)

    Producer · Writer · as Narrator (voice)

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Mother's Day on Waltons Mountain(1982)

    Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Falcon Crest(1981)

    Show 227 episodes · Creator · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all shows

  • The Waltons: A Decade of the Waltons(1980)

    Producer · Writer · Actor

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Joshua's World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Executive Producer · Writer

  • Lassie: A New Beginning(1978)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Where the Lilies Bloom(1974)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Apple's Way (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Show 28 episodes · Creator · Producer

  • A Dream for Christmas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Story

  • Charlotte's Web(1973)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Waltons(1972)

    Show 210 episodes · Creator · Producer · Writer · as Narrator

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • The Homecoming: A Christmas Story(1971)

    Novel · Teleplay

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Aesop's Fables (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Writer

  • Nanny and the Professor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Show 4 episodes · Writer

  • Heidi(1968)

    Teleplay

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Gentle Ben (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 5 episodes · Writer

  • The Invaders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

  • CBS Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

  • ABC Stage 67 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Show 1 episode · Teleplay

  • Palm Springs Weekend(1963)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Spencer's Mountain(1963)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • The Twilight Zone(1959)

    Show 8 episodes · Writer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • The Hound Of Heaven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Writer

Career shape

A full career of 34 titles from 1953 to 2002.

Biggest box office

Charlotte's Web (2006)

$149M worldwide

Highest rated

The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (1971)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

The Waltons (1972)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting4 of 34: 1 only acting, 3 with another roleWriting32 of 34: 24 only writing, 8 with another role · typical Midcredits score75thProducing6 of 34: 0 only producing, 6 with another roleOther crew4 of 34: 0 only other crew, 4 with another role

34 titles, 9 with more than one role — writing and producing overlap on 5 of them.

By decade

1950s2 · crew1960s7 · crew1970s9 · 1 acting · 9 crew1980s8 · 3 acting · 7 crew1990s7 · crew2000s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Earl Hamner Jr.'s films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 71st percentile, the median of all 17; across their 17 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 63rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Approval · how many liked their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Reach · how many have seen their films

41stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Midcredits score across 22 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 22 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · writer

Brewster Place (1990)

90th percentile spread · 29% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

The Twilight Zone (1959)

Midcredits 97th · 89% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 49/100 and the plot and story 48/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Earl Hamner Jr.'s work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Profanity3 titlesmedian 19 · mildMedian of all films: 36

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Earl Hamner Jr. work with?

People who share at least 2 of Earl Hamner Jr.'s MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; David W. Harper shares the most, 6.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles