How many waltons were there

As the creator and writer of the show, he based the characters of the Walton family members, neighbors, tradespeople and the town itself on his own life and family growing up in Schuyler, Virginia during the Depression era.

But my father was a self-confessed heathen. And yet they had a wonderful marriage, there was a great deal of love between them.

Schuyler was a company town. My grandfather had infantile paralysis, so my father had to help the family. Though his parents did not have the opportunity to pursue higher education, they took school very seriously. She had graduated from high school, and she used to help each of us with our homework. We sat around the kitchen table, and each kid did their homework, and she helped them.

She said later because of eight children, she had been to high school eight times! A clerk at a store down the road from the Hamner home gave life to the character of Ike Godsey. The store, though rebuilt after a fire destroyed it in the early 90s still pays homage to the series that made it famous.

People often go by there. And they usually end up having an ice cream cone and soft drinks. That is a different David Harper. Welcome to MeTV! Find your local MeTV station. Where to watch. See when your favorite shows are on. See schedule. Personalize MeTV. Free sign-up. Shop your favorite shows in the MeTV Store. Shop Now. Did you know?

Let's take a look at what these seven actors did after The Waltons. Richard Thomas The Manhattan native began his acting career before he turned 10 years old, landing roles on Broadway and in daytime television.

Judy Norton Taylor shook her good girl image in the Eighties. Jon Walmsley Speaking of music, the guitar-strumming Walmsley often had a six-string in his hand playing Jason on The Waltons.

Eric Scott The erstwhile Ben Walton went into business. Kami Cotler Believe it or not, little redheaded Elizabeth Walton ended up in rural Virginia for real. David W.

Harper The man who once played Jim-Bob chose a private life after acting. Are you sure you want to delete this comment? Cancel Delete. Sign up with: Google Facebook Twitter Email. Upload a file: Or drag a file here to upload. Newest Oldest Top Comments. Tony 21 months ago. The section covering Judy Norton starts off "Taylor shook her good girl Like Reply Delete. JeanneHeckenlively Tony 16 months ago. Whomever wrote the article apparently left that part off, or Judy dropped it from her name later, and she just goes by Judy Norton now like how Meredith Baxter dropped Birney from her name after getting divorced.

Reply to username. Jim bob worked for ben's messenger service as well. Erin is 12 years old in but graduates from high school in , when she would have been Jim-Bob was born in , but does not graduate from high school until when he would have been 21, but during his last year in school he wants to join the Army but cannot because he is underage.

Elizabeth was born in but does not graduate until when she would have been Series creator Earl Hamner, Jr. Although set in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, the entire series was filmed almost exclusively on the Warner Brothers studio backlot in Hollywood.

Grandpa's name was mentioned several times during the run of the show as Zebulon, while Grandma's name was Esther. Ralph Waite does not appear in at least two episodes before Season 9 like The Genius saying he's working in Norfolk. Another poster said he was in every episode before season 9. The Walton's pets, animal and name were: Blue the mule, Chance the cow, Wreckless the dog, Rover the peacock, Lance the deer, Myrtle the goat and Calico the cat.

She was expecting a bird. Anyone else? In an interview with the Television Academy Foundation, Richard Thomas said that the character of John-Boy Walton forged a new kind of sensitive male character at the heart of a television series in America; "This was a guy on a television series who was quoting Gerard Manley Hopkins to his mother.

This is interesting shit. And not typical. Some of the cast members, particularly Richard Thomas, Michael Learned and Jon Walmsley, started out speaking with pronounced southern accents but dropped them as the show progressed. As a 21 year old; Richard Thomas demanded top billing over more seasoned actors Ralph Wait and Michael Learned; and he got it.

Saga of the Redheads: In The Homecoming: A Christmas Story , the actors playing the children all of whom reprised their roles in the series had red hair. Harper returned to their natural hair color. Michael Learned had her hair dyed red when the show started but eventually reverted to her natural blonde color after a few seasons. Some streaming services however, such as Amazon Prime, have corrected these issues and the episodes may be viewed as they were meant to be seen.

The Waltons Mountain school building was actually located in the Midwest Street section of the back lot, an exterior set which resembles a medium-sized town. The producers wanted a more rural look for the school, so whenever scenes were shot there, dirt was trucked in and spread around the front of the building to make it look like a dirt road.

Richard Thomas quit to pursue an acting career in the movies. The Waltons accurately reflects the segregated nature of southern communities in the s. While the family is shown to be friendly with their Black neighbors, their church is decidedly all-white, as is the Waltons Mountain school.

In The Waltons: The Hunt , John's hunting friend Hawthorne Dooley is identified as a preacher, establishing that there is a Black church in the area, but no mention is ever made of a Black school.

When Richard Thomas quit the show in Season 8 to pursue a film career, his replacement became Robert Wightman at the beginning of season 8. At this point John Boy was dropped from the opening credits sequence and Wightman was mentioned in an "Also Starring" credit in the closing. When Thomas played the role he was infact the top of the credits list; even before Ralph Waite and Michael Learned, the parents.

Most of the exterior scenes were shot in Burbank on the backlot known as the Warner Bros. Rural areas, such as the Waltons' house, various dirt roads, Ike Godsey's store and Drucilla's Pond were shot on the Jungle set. The Drucilla's Pond part of the exterior set was sometimes drained of water so it could be used as a different set.

It was not certain that Ellen Corby would be able to return to the show after suffering a massive stroke in November , or indeed if she would survive.

For that reason, any mention of Grandma's "illness" or why she was in the hospital was kept very vague, with most of the comments being along the lines of "she's feeling better," or "she's perking up. For a Depression-era storekeeper in rural Virginia, Ike Godsey sure seems to have a lot of cash to throw around, and for frivolous items at that. Must be nice. Ralph Waite had three marriages and two divorces; Michael Learned had four marriages and three divorces; Ellen Corby had one marriage and one divorce; Will Geer had one marriage and one divorce.

Ralph Waite directed sixteen episodes throughout the series, including his directorial debut.