Richard Thomas made impression as a teen actor in racing movie

Richard Thomas in a scene from "Winning." (Universal Studios photo)

When I worked at The Indianapolis Star for 43 years, I spent most of that time as an entertainment reporter, covering movies, musicals, plays, concerts and interviewing celebrities. Some of my interviews were memorable, including the one I had with a young man who later became famous for a different role.

Because I live in Indianapolis, the Motor Speedway is a popular place to visit and sometimes make movies. In 1968, the race car movie "Winning" (released in 1969) was filming at the track and my boss sent me out to do an interview. Oh boy! Paul Newman? Richard Wagner?

Nope, some unknown kid named Richard Thomas who played Paul's stepson in the movie.

The interview took place in a trailer in the parking lot. In came this gangly 17-year-old with a big smile and a handshake (OK, that was impressive). I wasn't much older than he was. We chatted about the movie, how he loved working with such talented actors, his Broadway debut at age 7 and his stint doing several daytime soap operas.

Then the whole conversation turned to an unusual topic: dogs. He said his family raised and showed Brussels Griffons and how wonderful it was to always have four-legged companions. He was well-spoken, engaging, friendly, a really fun interview.

And just a few years later he became John-Boy on “The Waltons.”

Richard as John-Boy Walton

I faithfully watched the series and still catch the reruns. The coolest thing about his character on the show was that he was interested in writing at a young age. He wrote a lot of short stories that became a book about Walton’s Mountain, and became a reporter/editor of his own newspaper, The Blue Ridge Chronicle.

I ate it up; my journalistic ambitions were similar. John-Boy was just a character, but I'd love to talk to Richard Thomas today about that storyline thread.

John Boy: Call me.

P.S. In 2024 I was able to see him on stage when he appeared as Atticus Finch in "To Kill A Mockingbird," presented by Broadway in Indianapolis. He was, of course, excellent in the role.

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