The Waltons Quotes
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Source: The Waltons
Speaker: The Waltons
Goodnight, John Boy.
Context
This line is spoken by the Waltons, played by a bunch of people, in the show The Waltons (1971-1981).
The Waltons was a ridiculously long-running show about a ridiculously wholesome family living in the foothills of Virginia during the Depression and WWII. Those Waltons sure saw a heap of trouble over the years, but each evening, they took the time to touch base. Every show ended with a classic shot of the house from outside with voice-overs of every member of the family saying goodnight.
For whatever reason, the goodnight to the oldest son, John Boy, is the one that stuck in our imagination—probably because it's funny that somebody was called "John Boy."
Don't take our word for it, though. Here's a clip.
Where you've heard it
The famous closing shot of the Waltons got an airing on an episode of Friends, when the gang watched it in Spanish. There was also an episode of Hot in Cleveland that spoofed the final shot. And of course, there was an immortal episode of Family Guy that gave us the Waltons saying their goodnights—but when it got to John Boy, he yelled at the family for interrupting his... um... private time.
Additional Notable References:
TV
Movies
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
Come on. If a quote from The Waltons is pretentious, then so is eating at Cracker Barrel.