THE WALTONS: THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON (Warner Home Video, five discs, $39.95)
Family values may be buzzwords in the political campaigns of recent years, but it is the defining phrase of "The Waltons."
The critically acclaimed series of the 1970s focused on such bedrock values as family unity, love, marriage, self-sufficiency, spirituality, honesty, thrift and hard work. It was set in the Depression-era poverty of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains and was seen through the eyes of the oldest boy, John-Boy (Richard Thomas). Originally the series came from "Spencer's Mountain," a semiautobiographical novel by series creator John Hamner Jr. based on his life growing up in 1930s rural Virginia.
In its first season, the series was threatened with cancellation because of low ratings. It was slotted opposite of the two most popular series of 1972 — "The Mod Squad" and "The Flip Wilson Show." But CBS mounted a PR campaign and "The Waltons" had climbed to the No. 1 slot by the season's end.
Some critics have dismissed the series as too sentimental, yet it won 19 Emmys in its nine-year run, 1972-1981.
Warner's released the first season DVD in 2004, and in 2008 will release seasons six (now available) and season seven (April).
In 26 episodes of season six, which ran from September 1977 to March 1978, the close-knit, three-generation Walton clan emerges from the Depression but faces the uncertainty of the war in Europe.
By this stage, the series loses some of its original charm. The juvenile characters are maturing and the actors are leaving the show. Thomas only makes guest appearances as John-Boy. John-Boy is supposedly an Associated Press reporter in New York. Thomas had left the series in 1976.
While mother Olivia (Michael Learned) and father John (Ralph Waite) still live on Walton's Mountain, Grandma (Ellen Corby) has had a stroke, as did Corby in real life, and the script has her at a rehabilitation hospital. A disabled Corby later makes a guest appearance.
And this is the last season for the family patriarch, Grandpa Zebulon (Will Greer) Walton. Greer died during the 1978 summer hiatus.
Despite its flaws, "The Waltons," as in preceding seasons, remains a solid family drama — one that parents can watch with their children without fear of the suggestive sex themes and the profanity of today's TV.
These series of DVDs may just introduce the-cell-phone-and-IPod generation of young parents to the switchboard-and-radio era of their grandparents, even great-grandparents. When "The Waltons" ended in 1981, today's 27-year-olds were just being born.
Other new family-friendly DVDs and their release dates:
• The Artistocats, Special Edition (Disney Home Entertainment, Tuesday release, $29.99, rated G) The animated musical adventure about a pampered Parisian housecat and an irrepressible alley cat who foil a pet-napping plot. It's the last film that Walt Disney put in production himself. Digitally enhanced picture and sound. 79 minutes. Bonus materials: games and activities (Disney Virtual Kitten ROM, English Read-along "The Aristocats"; Disney song selection; "Bath Day," a 1946 cartoon short featuring Figaro; "The Aristocats" scrapbook.
• Snow Buddies (Disney Home Video, Tuesday release, $29.99, rating pending) The talking puppies — Hip-hoppin' B-Dawg, Rosebud, Buddha, MudBud and Budderball — are off to Alaska for a daring dogsled race. It features the voices of Kris Kristofferson, Whoopi Goldberg, Jim Belushi and Dylan Sprouse. 88 minutes. Bonus materials: bloopers, new music video featuring "Hannah Montana's" Mitchel Musso, behind-the-scenes "dog-u-mentary."
• Twitches Too (Disney Home Entertainment, released this week, $26.99, TV-G) A sequel to the Disney Channel original movie, "Twitches," the DVD features real-life twins Tia and Tamera Mowry as Alex and Camryn, magical princesses separated at birth to protect them from an evil force. 83 minutes. Bonus materials: a look behind the magic and alternate scenes.