The Secrets Behind The Nation’s Favorite Family: The Waltons

Several shows have gone down in history, just like ‘The Waltons.’ However, a lot took place behind the scenes of the show that never made it to the air.

‘The Waltons’ was so popular that it ran for nine seasons and spawned several spin-off movies as people couldn’t get enough of the characters. The story focused on the Waltons as they tried to raise a family and run a lumber mill all at the same time. Just because they seemed like the perfect all-American family on screen doesn’t mean that everything was the same in real life. It turns out there were plenty of secrets hidden behind the scenes of ‘The Waltons.’ That’s right; not everything was as it seemed on the once-beloved TV show.

The mountains in The Waltons were actually the real Hollywood Hills

One of the things that many people remember from the American drama ‘The Waltons’ are the rolling mountains that often sat as the backdrop to the show. They were supposed to be the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, but would you believe that Hollywood wasn’t showing us the whole truth? Fans of the show would have never spotted the truth about where the show was filmed thanks to some clever camera angles.

It turns out those mountains were actually the Hollywood Hills themselves. The ranch was south of the Warner Bros. Studios and away from any flashing lights, speeding cars, and, yes, the Hollywood sign. It turns out a former studio employee actually burned the ranch down in 1991 before it was rebuilt.

Grandpa in The Waltons was a huge LGBTQ activist in his spare time

Grandpa Walton, aka Zebulon Tyler Walton aaka Will Geer – the actor behind the character – was one of the most beloved people on the show. Just like his on-screen character, Will always wanted to stand up and fight for what he believed was right. Perhaps that’s why he was a keen LGBTQ activist away from the screen?

The actor befriended the founder of the Mattachine Society, Harry Hay Jr, in 1950 and instantly knew that he wanted to be a part of something great. Will and Harry often worked together as some of the first people to talk about LGBTQ rights and equality. In fact, the duo would often appear at protests and rallies together in the hopes of changing America’s way of thinking.

Some of the cast members hid they were a part of the LGBTQ community

‘The Waltons’ was filmed in a time where things were very different. It was common for people to hide their true selves, especially when it came to being a part of the LGBTQ community. It might be no surprise that some of the cast hid aspects of their lives from Hollywood, including Ellen Corby.

The actress played Grandma Walton and was even married to one of the directors of ‘The Waltons.’ Sadly, being a part of the most-loved all-American family meant Ellen felt she needed to hide. The actress eventually had an affair with a woman named Stella Luchetta, and the pair lived together for 45 years. Will Geer was another who initially hid he was a part of the LGBTQ community.

Michael Learned wasn’t impressed with Olivia Walton’s clean image on the show

Olivia Walton was the much-loved mother hen of ‘The Waltons’ and Michael Learned, the actress behind the character, brought her to life with ease. However, Michael didn’t always want things to be so squeaky clean. She believed that giving Olivia a few flaws might make her more relatable to women across America.

As a result, she would often ask Earl Hamner Jr., creator and writer on the show, to make some changes. The actress wanted storylines that included Olivia dressing the kids in the wrong outfits and punishing the wrong child. At first, Earl was reluctant to change the character as Olivia was based on his own mom. However, he eventually agreed, and Michael was pleased with her less-than-perfect character.

The Waltons is based on the life of the creator of the show

Many shows have some real-life influences, and it turns out, ‘The Waltons’ is no exception. Earl Hamner Jr. is the show’s creator, who grew up at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains with his parents and seven siblings. To start, Earl turned his family’s story into a novel that was later turned into a movie in 1963.

The show’s creator is also the one that narrates the entire thing, and Earl often added personal snippets. One of the biggest things he wanted to include was the goodnight scene at the end of each episode. Apparently, having so many siblings meant they would all say “goodnight” to each other until their dad shouted, “Alright! That’s enough!” to calm things down.

There were a handful of inconsistencies in The Waltons’ timeline throughout the show

It’s common for many shows to have a few inconsistencies in the timeline. It appears ‘The Waltons’ is one on the list. Sometimes, the characters’ ages didn’t add up, or they seemed to forget what happened in the past. One major example is John Walton Sr. and the ever-growing question about what really happened at high school.

In one episode, John heads to his high school’s 25th reunion, meaning he would have graduated in 1911. However, another episode tells the tale of John’s struggle to get a government contract because he never finished high school. John says that he couldn’t graduate because he was shipped off to serve in WWI – that began in 1914. Did John ever really graduate or not?

The Waltons house appeared in another hit TV show for many years

The picket fence, the homely feel – the Waltons’ house had it all. It wasn’t long before many fans recognized the house and fell in love with the comforting feel that radiated from the property. Unfortunately, the end of ‘The Waltons’ meant that it was also time to say goodbye to the once-loved home – or was it?

The ranch has been dismantled and rebuilt a handful of times throughout history, including the time it was built to star as the Dragonfly Inn in the comedy-drama ‘Gilmore Girls.’ Sookie St. James and Lorelai Gilmore brought it back to its former glory. Fans of either show can still enjoy it for themselves as the Waltons’ ranch sits in Burbank, California, on the Warner Bros. lot.

Michael Learned had to add ‘Miss’ to her name to avoid any confusion

You’re not alone if you got a little confused about Michael Learned’s name. The actress was relatively unknown before she landed the part of Olivia Walton in ‘The Waltons.’ The crew was worried that some fans might be confused about the gender of the person in the opening credits, so they decided to add ‘Miss’ to the beginning of her name.

Actually, Michael was married when she signed up for the series as she wed Peter Donat when she was 17 years old and was, therefore, a ‘Mrs.’ Sadly, the couple split the same year the show first hit the air, hence the change. That changed yet again as Michael remarried in 1974 and has been married to her current husband, John Doherty, since 1988.

Judy Norton-Taylor wanted to break away from her time as a child star

Several stars have tried to break away from their on-screen personas over the years. Judy Norton-Taylor was the sweet and innocent face of Mary throughout ‘The Waltons,’ but the actress had enough of playing such a clean character for so many years. Judy wanted to show the world she was nothing like the child she’d played all those years. Her idea?

To pose for Playboy in 1985. The shoot saw Judy wear nothing but her birthday suit as she broke the idea she was nothing more than a kid on a ranch. Apparently, the actress is quite an adrenaline junkie who loved skiing, skydiving, and anything else that gets her blood pumping. Stripping down for the magazine was the perfect adrenaline rush for the star.

None of the cast walked away from The Waltons with riches

‘The Waltons’ was enough to kickstart the careers of many young stars. The kids took on some of the show’s biggest storylines and grew up in front of our eyes. Just because many fans fell for the Walton kids doesn’t mean they were paid for their time. Eric Scott, who brought Ben Walton to life, confessed none of the kids got rich from the show.

They would often spend all their time working on set and heard lines like “Stop making it difficult” on a regular basis. Apparently, the child actors were expected to get everything right in the first take, or there would be hell to pay. The problem? They barely earned anything for all that work.

Richard Thomas was the only child from The Waltons to continue acting

It might be no surprise that many of the kids turned to other careers after years of having to deal with so much on the set of ‘The Waltons.’ However, the experience wasn’t enough to put Richard Thomas off his game. The actor played the eldest Walton, John-Boy, throughout many of the seasons and movies. That was just the beginning.

Richard went on to land roles in the likes of the horror miniseries ‘It,’ the spy thriller show ‘The Americans,’ the drama ‘Billions,’ and the crime drama ‘NCIS: New Orleans.’ Richard has been up for several prominent awards over the years, but that’s not all. The actor has even appeared on Broadway more than once in shows like ‘The Little Foxes.’

Kami Cotler turned to teaching after years of acting on The Waltons

The youngest Walton, Elizabeth Walton, was brought to life by none other than Kami Cotler. Elizabeth was the brainy bookworm of the family who loved nothing more than burying her head in a good book and sharing her knowledge with the world. It turns out that wasn’t far from Kami’s real life.

As soon as the youngster was finished with ‘The Waltons,’ she decided it was time to follow her true passion. She enrolled at the University of Berkeley, where she earned her major in Social Sciences and eventually became a teacher. It appears Kami couldn’t keep away from Virginia as her first teaching job was at a school at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Kami continues to teach to date.

Richard Thomas left The Waltons to pursue other interests

Some shows face a difficult dilemma: what do they do when one of the leading actors wants to leave, but they’re not through with the character? ‘The Waltons’ faced that issue when Richard Thomas decided that he wanted to quit the show. The actor played the eldest John-Boy in the show for the first seven seasons and even appeared in one of the movie sequels.

That was until Richard decided that he wanted to leave to pursue other passions in life. It turned out the star of the show wanted to try his hand at more hard-hitting roles that showed off his skills as an actor rather than end up typecast as one of the Walton kids. It certainly seemed to pay off.

Fans thought that recasting John-Boy altered the show too much

Just because Richard Thomas was off to explore bigger and better things didn’t mean everyone was happy. The show was left wondering how they would cope with one of the stars leaving, and fans were less than impressed with their idea. Richard Thomas was quickly replaced by Robert Wightman for the final two seasons of the show.

Sadly, it turned out that fans of ‘The Waltons’ weren’t ready to see someone new on the screen. Many argued they should have left John-Boy out of the finale as they believed Robert’s presence turned the entire thing into some kind of absurd comedy. The producers thought keeping John-Boy in the show was what the fans really wanted to see the entire time.

Michael Learned demanded the kids were rewarded for their work

Many of us would have been thrilled with a muffin or two when we were kids. What about if that muffin was the only thanks you got for all your hard work? Michael Learned was used to receiving gifts from the crew as the producers often offered the actress flower arrangements and other gifts. However, she felt the kids needed someone to look after them, too.

Michael demanded the producers show them some kind of appreciation as the actors had all given the team several years of their lives. The producers felt a little ashamed, but not so ashamed they tried to overcompensate. The producers sent the kids just three muffins. Yup, half a muffin each was all the thanks they got.

Ralph Waite and Richard Thomas had already played father and son

Believe it or not, but ‘The Waltons’ wasn’t the first time that Ralph Waite and Richard Thomas played father and son. The pair had already acted alongside one another in the 1969 coming of age movie ‘Last Summer.’ The story follows the lives of teenagers as they spend the summer on Fire Island. Here, they spend the time hanging around, making friends, and experimenting with one another.

It turns out that Ralph and Richard weren’t the only ones that reunited on the show. Bruce Davidson and Catherine Burns also starred in ‘Last Summer’ before they went on to guest star in seasons two and three of ‘The Waltons.’ The film saw the group bond as a unit, and it seems that bond never broke.

The crew initially wanted Henry Fonda to play John Walton Sr.

Looking for the right person to play a role can be tough. However, it turns out the crew working on ‘The Waltons’ had one person in mind when it came to John Walton Sr.: Henry Fonda. The actor had already played the father in the drama movie ‘Spencer’s Mountain,’ and they thought he would be the perfect guy to guide the Walton children.

Sadly, the actor had other ideas. Henry was sent the first pilot script and liked the idea of the show, but he thought ‘The Waltons’ was more focused on storylines about a mother and her children with no room for a fatherly figure. The writers rewrote some of the scenes not once but twice. Unfortunately, nothing convinced Henry to join the show.

The Waltons was supposed to bring old morals back to Hollywood

Hollywood was going through a strange time when ‘The Waltons’ first hit our screens. Many shows and movies were accused of showing controversial content and lacking morals as people thought values were being thrown to one side and replaced with disrespectful behavior. A show focused on a rural family living on a ranch in Virginia was the perfect answer.

According to Kami Cotler, the actress behind the youngest Walton, the show was a response to the backlash. ‘The Waltons’ wanted to prove a family could still show wholesome scenes and didn’t have to focus on people misbehaving. It was such a success that even President George Bush referenced the family in 1992 when he announced in a speech he wanted more families to be like the Waltons.

Ralph Waite had a very different career after his time in The Waltons

After many years of playing the wholesome father on ‘The Waltons,’ Ralph Waite decided to make quite the career change. The actor dove headfirst into politics and surprised many people living in California when he tried to run for congress. Ralph tried to get a seat not once, not twice, but three times throughout his new career.

His first attempt came in 1990. Ralph tired again in 1998 after Sonny Bono lost his life. Ralph ran in both elections but never landed a seat. In the end, Ralph decided it was time for another career change as he signed up to work in rehabilitation centers. Here, the former actor wanted to help people overcome their addictions and forge a new life for themselves.

Ralph Waite was an ordained minister before he joined The Waltons

On the show, many of us were used to seeing John Waltons Sr. avoid church as much as he could. That couldn’t have been further from the real life of the man behind the character, Ralph Waite. Before joining the show, Ralph earned a master’s degree when he graduated from Yale Divinity School and was quickly ordained as a Presbyterian minister.

Ralph used his new role to work at the United Church of Christ in Garden City and was one of the most regarded people in the community. The actor worked as a minister for many years, edited religious books for a publishing house, and worked as a social worker before Ralph swapped the church for acting at 32 years old.

John Walton Sr. officiated Jon Walmsley and Lisa Harrison’s real-life wedding

Many TV shows have brought couples together. It turns out that Jon Walmsley, who played Jason Walton on the show, and Lisa Harrison, who portrayed Toni, fell for one another throughout their time on ‘The Waltons.’ That wasn’t all. The couple also grew close to Jon’s TV dad, Ralph Waite.

The group eventually formed such a bond that Jon and Lisa asked Ralph to officiate their wedding. The ceremony was held at an outdoor venue in Malibu, and everyone from ‘The Waltons’ was invited to the big day. Even John Ritter was on the guestlist. The actor had previously played a minister in the show and joked that he should have been the one officiating the wedding on the day.

The popularity of The Waltons spelled the end for other shows

It turns out ‘The Waltons’ was at the bottom of the ratings as other established shows continued to draw in viewers. NBC’s drama show ‘The Mod Squad’ and ABC’s variety show ‘The Flip Wilson Show’ were both taking too many viewers to get ‘The Waltons’ on the map. CBS had an idea. They ran a campaign called ‘Help Save the Waltons.’

The ad said the show was on the edge of being canceled, and they needed everyone’s help to keep it alive. Amazingly, it paid off as millions tuned in to watch the show and saw ‘The Waltons’ take the top spot by the end of the first season. In fact, it took so many people that both of the other shows were forced to cancel.

CBS never thought The Waltons would be a success

Hollywood has changed plenty of times over the years as trends come and go. When ‘The Waltons’ first hit the air, other shows focused on rural families had already come to an end, while others seemed to give the nation what they needed. CBS thought adding a new show would be too much, and no one would turn away from their favorites.

The network believed ‘The Waltons’ would last just two or three seasons before it was on the chopping block, but thankfully, the show proved to be just the thing many people needed. The ad campaign teamed with the new storylines ‘The Waltons’ brought to life meant it far surpassed everyone’s expectations and lasted a whopping nine seasons before it came to an end.

Ralph Waite and Michael Learned were spiritually married in real life

Have you ever wondered how Micahel Learned and Ralph Waite managed to play such a strong couple? It turns out that was all thanks to their off-screen chemistry. That’s right; playing one of the strongest couples on the small screen is easy when you really have eyes for one another. Both Michael and Ralph were single with ‘The Waltons’ first hit the air.

It wasn’t long before the pair were drawn to one another and thought about dating. However, Michael knew they had to restrain themselves in case something went wrong. What if they split up and had to continue playing husband and wife? In the end, the pair fell for each other as best friends, with Michael referring to Ralph as her “spiritual husband.”

Grandma Esther’s health scares weren’t just a part of the storyline

It’s pretty common for shows to mirror the actors’ real lives, and it seems that Grandma Esther’s health was no exception. Ellen Corby, the actress behind the beloved character, had a real-life stroke in 1976 toward the end of season five. The show knew they needed to find a way to work it into the storyline, so Grandma Esther suffered the same fate.

It also helped to create an out for the actress as Ellen needed some time to recover. In the end, Ellen struggled to move, and her speech was severely impaired. The writers tweaked Ellen’s lines to ensure she never had any lengthy dialogue and wrote scenes that meant she could stay in one place. Amazingly, nothing held Ellen back.

Ralph Waite was cut from the show thanks to budget cuts

Being such a major part of the show meant many fans were surprised when John Walton Sr. wasn’t a leading part of the ninth and final season. After all, actor Ralph Waite had been there since the beginning, and many knew he was a leading part of the family. There were 22 episodes in the ninth season, and Ralph appeared in just eight of them.

There was a good reason: the final season was never supposed to happen. The producers were forced to tighten the budget as they had to find a way to make it work and thought that cutting some of the bills was the best option. In the end, Ralph was one of the things that had to go.

The Waltons kids all helped Ralph Waite beat his real-life addictions

‘The Waltons’ achieved a lot throughout its many years on the air. It helped to rebrand Hollywood and became a part of many of our lives. It turns out the show also helped some of the people behind the scenes. Ralph Waite was trying to deal with the passing of his real-life daughter and eventually found comfort in various substances.

His addictions meant Ralph had to put on a brave face and pretend everything was fine on the show. However, being around so many smiling children was enough to open the actor’s eyes. Judy Norton, the actress behind Mary Ellen Walton, says Ralph realized he needed to change when filming a family scene around the kitchen table. He ultimately sought help from the AA.

Michael Learned lived with some dark secrets and addictions throughout The Waltons

Ralph Waite wasn’t the only one hiding dark secrets on the set of ‘The Waltons.’ Michael Learned also had some demons of her own. For many years, the actress heavily relied on drink to get through the day. She even confessed she auditioned for Olivia with a bottle of drink in her pocket. This was a far cry from the mother of the family, who banned any drink from the family home.

Perhaps Michael gave such a convincing performance because she really did want to be like the mother hen of the family? Whatever the case, the actress continued to drink for six seasons before enough was enough. Michael took ten weeks off before season seven to get the help she needed to beat her addiction.

Erin Walton battled an eating disorder throughout The Waltons

‘The Waltons’ was a family-fun show, but one that came with a lot of pressure for one young actress. Mary Elizabeth McDonough played the part of Erin Walton throughout the show and was supposed to be the “pretty” sister. However, Mary was just 11 years old when she landed the part. Her body was going through a lot of changes – ones the producers didn’t want to see.

It’s rumored that Mary was often asked if she’d be able to fit into clothes or if she’d gained too much weight. The actress was 21 years old when ‘The Waltons’ came to an end, but the damage had been done. Mary lived with an eating disorder throughout most of the show and struggled to recover.

Erin Walton suffered cosmetic surgery that went wrong after The Waltons

The struggles she faced on ‘The Waltons’ didn’t end when Mary Elizabeth McDonough left the show. The actress decided she wanted to change, so at 24 years old, she signed up to get some breast implants. Initially, Mary was happy with her new look, but it didn’t take long for things to go wrong.

Mary lived with flu-like symptoms, headaches, and a lot of muscle pain for ten years before she got an answer. It turned out the implants had ruptured in her chest and had begun to decay. The actress eventually agreed to have them removed and started to feel better. That was until Mary was diagnosed with an inflammatory illness called lupus. Tragically, there is no cure, and Mary blames the implants.