The Long ‘Goodnight’ Courtesy of Mary MCDonough & Kensington Publishing Forty TV seasons later, “The Waltons” still resonates with Southern audiences. The actors who portrayed the characters created by Earl Hamner Jr., say all the credit is due the author, who sought to portray his own family in the most positive light he could. by Matthew worley DE 1 | BlueRidgeCountry.comhttp://www.BlueRidgeCountry.com