Totally true; check it out online if you don't believe me.
Will Geer, the actor who played Grandpa Walton on the much-beloved by Christians American television program the Waltons, was not only gay, but a member of the communist party. He met his lover, activist Harry Hay, while both were members of the party in the 1930's. Will you still watch the Waltons?
(I probably just started a nationwide boycott of Walton DVD's!)
This "say it ain't so" question has been brought to you courtesy of Jack
2007-06-28 09:30:48 · 26 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Edit:
Fallen Angel, I've never seen an episode myself, although I'm old enough to have---I'll be 37 in a few months, and the Waltons ran until 1980. I know about this subject because I've read Harry Hay's biography, "The Trouble With Harry Hay".
2007-06-28 09:45:39 · update #1
As a non-christian, it doesn't change my opinion at all. He did his job well.. he was an actor.
What he did in real life is of no consequence to me. Personally I see nothing wrong with his being gay.
2007-06-28 09:41:05 · answer #1 · answered by Kallan 7 · 9⤊ 3⤋
Wow I didn't know that.
I never liked that show, I have very bad childhood memories related to when that show was on, that's why.
Come to think of it, my grandmother couldn't STAND Will Geer, not in that show nor any other he was in.
She said she thought there was something wrong with him, that he was some sort of pervert, and said she could tell just by looking at him.
Now keep in mind that my grandmother didn't hate anyone, she had gay and lesbian friends both in her hometown of Chicago, and she was a very kind person. She didn't think being gay was a perversion. She figured God just makes all kinds of people, is all, and we all have a lot more important things to do than worry about what two adults do in their bedroom.
But she could spot a REAL perv a mile away, so I think when she said that about Will Geer she was talking more along the lines of a child molester. That was the inference I got when she said it. I've always wondered that about him since I was a kid, because of that.
2007-06-28 09:40:16 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋
Hello,
I feel nothing. A persons sexuallity is between him or her and God. America is a free country and one can belong to a communist party or have that ideal if they wish. What counts for thpeople like Will Greer is their craft of acting and doing a great job at it. The likes of Oscar Wilde, Trachovski through to Danny Kay and Liberachi are still revered and enjoyed by audiences today not for their sexuality or so called sinful lives but for their geniuses as artists.
Michael
2007-06-28 09:39:45 · answer #3 · answered by Michael Kelly 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I did not know that and I plan to look that up...d...is googling Grandpa Walton as we type! Who cares what he was, he was an actor and a beloved one for his work not his personal convictions...I shall continue to love the Waltons.......it right up there with Little Fairies on the Prairie....great stuff, mindless and sweet
2007-06-28 09:38:55 · answer #4 · answered by becca 2 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Great...a crusty old communist gay dude...
The communism part doesn't surprise me as many actors where apart of the communist party in the thirties...they knew where the hot chicks were and that was during the depression era...down and out people were looking for answers, anywhere they could find them...
But the homosexual part (sorry but Will Greer never looked gay, grouchy maybe but not gay....) was a surprise...
2007-06-28 10:00:12 · answer #5 · answered by ? 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I'm mainly a Christian. But I honestly don't care if someone was gay or Communist. Communism is actualy a good ideology, but unfortunately, like many other things, it doesn't work in today's society. And what is there to really care about homosexuals? -.-
2007-06-28 09:34:51 · answer #6 · answered by lufiabuu 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
the man has been dead for yrs, I've have always hated that show even when I was forced to watch as a kid,we only had one television then and that was my mothers favorite show, that dosent mean I'm not a Christian. As for being gay don't care just don't throw it in my face, and a communist,what are we suppose to do now about it?
2007-06-28 09:41:24 · answer #7 · answered by firefly 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
>>Christians, how does it make you feel, knowing that your beloved Grandpa Walton was gay & a communist?<<
Jack, how does it make you feel, knowing you can't tell the difference between an actor and a character they play?
2007-06-28 09:43:25 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
Ummmm... never seen the waltons but... he's an actor. An actor. That means that you can like his character but not the actual person's lifestyle choices. Good grief. Are people that ridiculous?
2007-06-28 09:33:56 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 7⤊ 0⤋
It's not Grandpa's fault that they play the "back then" prime time show on Christian channels now! Leave Grandpa alone!
2007-06-28 09:34:50 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋