The Waltons ... an historical irony

We are back to watching the Waltons with our kids. The funniest thing is that neither Corb nor I want to miss an episode!! Last night we decided we needed an early night with the kids and wanted to have a movie night together (this is a challenge lately as the kids go to bed later!!).

We had an early dinner and all sat down together for an episode of the Waltons called "The Abdication." The story was about, among other things, the fact that the King of England needed to "abdicate" or step down from the throne because he was in love with and wanted to marry a woman from Baltimore, who was either divorced or close to it (mid-1930's). His brother, the Duke of York, would become the King of England. Through the Waltons' radio we listened to the King's abdication speech. We peacefully put our children to bed.

Then Corbin and I began to watch "The King's Speech." As the story unfolded, we realized that the main character was, in fact, the Duke of York. The movie told the story of how he had to take over as King because his brother had taken up with a woman from Baltimore. I was already dumbfounded by the irony ... the fact that I'd never learned this part of history and had been exposed to it through these two odd vehicles on the same night. Then as I listened to the speech given by the King as he stepped down from the throne and realized it was the exact recording I'd heard earlier on the Waltons (through the radio), I had newfound respect for the historical integrity of the writers of the Waltons series!

I remain wide-eyed by this irony.