The series takes place from the spring of 1933 to June 1946.
Series creator Earl Hamner Jr. grew up with 7 siblings, each of whom served as the basis for a young Walton character. He based the Waltons' grandparents on composites of all four of his grandparents.
The TV series is loosely based on the movie "Spencer's Mountain", staring Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara. This was also written by Earl Hamner, Jr.
A CBS executive wanted a major star for the series, and suggested Henry Fonda as the patriarch. The network showed him the two-hour pilot movie. According to executive producer Lee Rich, Fonda said, "What do you want me for? The kid is the star! The whole family is the star! You don't need me."
Patricia Neal was cast as Olivia Walton in the pilot. Health problems prevented her from continuing, so the role ultimately went to Michael Learned.
The first season was the only one in which the opening credits showed live shots of the Walton Family. They are all involved in various activities when John brings a new radio home, and the family stops what they are doing and gather around him.
The "goodnight" routine at the end of each show was an actual activity in creator Earl Hamner, Jr.s home when he was a child. He said the activity would go on until his father finally told them to be quiet. One instance of this not happening was the two-part episode "The Outrage"; at the end of part 2, President Roosevelt dies and the family goes to Charlottesville early in the morning to pay their last respects as the train carrying his body passes by.
In contrast to his character, who rarely attended church, Ralph Waite was a licensed minister in real life and assisted John Ritter in his role as Reverend Fordwick.
According to Judy Norton who played Mary Ellen, during the earlier seasons of "The Waltons," she and some of other kids used to go around barefoot, showing that it was during the Great Depression, and the family couldn't always afford shoes. However that changed when one of the other kids injured their foot on set and the show's producers decided that the kids needed to wear shoes.
Michael Learned (Olivia Walton) and Karen Grassle (Caroline Ingalls) of "Little House on the Prairie" (1974) were voted the best moms on TV.
Jon Walmsley (Jason) and Eric Scott (Ben) are the only actors to appear in every episode.
It was not certain that Ellen Corby would be able to return to the show after suffering a massive stroke in November 1976, 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." Fortunately, Corby would recover enough to be able to return to the show 16 months later, in March 1978.
Will Geer died after filming had ended for the 1977-1978 season. His character, Grandpa Walton, died during the next season.
John Ritter left the show after the 1975-76 season because he was offered the lead role in "Three's Company". He said his only regret in taking the "Three's Company" role was leaving his role as Reverend Fordwick.
When Richard Thomas quit the show to pursue a film career, his replacement was 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 in fact at the top of the credits list; even before Ralph Waite and Michael Learned, the parents.
Richard Thomas came back to the show for a few guest appearances after his character role of John-Boy Walton was taken by Robert Wightman. His contract was for the first five seasons, not full time.
The "Walton House" was actually located in the northern section of the Jungle area of Warner Brothers studios in Burbank. Walton's Mountain, which could be seen from the house's front porch, was actually a slope of the Hollywood Hills directly south of the Warner Bros. Studios. Interiors of the house were filmed on Stage 26. The roadway leading to the Walton house through the remaining portion of the jungle still existed in 2003 and is visible during the studio tour, although Ike Godsey's store has long since disappeared. The house had been dismantled a few years before to make way for a parking lot and was moved to the Warner Bros. Ranch lot at Hollywood Way and Verdugo Avenue, where it still functions as a workable exterior set.
Several Academy Award nominees and winners have appeared on "The Waltons" (1972), including Sissy Spacek, Bruce Davison, Catherine Burns, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ned Beatty ,Beulah Bondi , Ron Howard, Kathleen Quinlan, Lynn Carlin and Dean Jagger.
Trivia items from IMDB
Listen to my fun conversation with actress Michael Learned by clicking on the links below. Enjoy!
Episode 21 - HERE
Episode 22 - HERE
