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In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, during the Great Depression, the Walton family makes its small income from its saw mill on Walton's Mountain. The story is told through the eyes of John Boy, who wants to be a novelist, goes to college, and eventually fulfills his dream. The saga follows the family through economic depression, World War II, and through growing up, school, courtship, marriage, employment, birth, aging, illness and death. Here are 22-ish facts about one of our favorite tv families, The Waltons: 1. The basis for the Walton family was series creator Earl Hamner Jr.'s real life family members. Hamner grew up with 7 other siblings each of whom served as the basis for each young Walton character. He also based the characters of The Waltons' grandparents on composites of both sides of his Grandfathers and Grandmothers, his mother's mother, his mother's father, his father's mother and his father's father. 2. 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. 4. "The train bearing the body of Franklin Delano Roosevelt moved slowly from Warm Springs, Georgia toward the nation's capital. Where ever it went, the people who loved him gathered to mark its passing, remembering the man who led the nation out of its most crippling depression and toward victory in its greatest war. Planting seeds of brotherhood along the way...when it passed through Charlottesville my family was there to pay their last respects " - Earl Hamner Jr. Recollections of a Vagabonde - blogger 5. The "Walton House" was located in the northern section of the Jungle area of Warner Bros. Studios' lot and Walton's Mountain, which could be seen from the house's front porch, was actually a slope of the Hollywood Hills. Walton's House Set (Flickr) 7. The same house (exterior) was used as the old "Dragonfly Inn", purchased and renovated by Lorelai and Sookie in "Gilmore Girls" Dragonfly Inn on "Gilmore Girls" (Hooked on Houses) Pinterest 8. In the series' first episode, after their debut movie, The Waltons: The Foundling (1972), the family gathers around their new radio to listen to the Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show. Pinterest This was a nod to Bergen, who played the original Grandpa in the series' pilot movie, The Waltons: The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (1971). 9. When the show premiered on CBS at the beginning of the 1972-73 season, most media pundits felt it didn't have a chance, airing as it did opposite two longtime rating powerhouses, Flip (1970) on NBC, had been the number 2 show in America for the previous two seasons, and ABC's Mod Squad (1968) was a long-standing favorite, as well. JustWatch 10. "The Waltons" out-performed both shows in the ratings by a wide margin. "Mod Squad" was canceled by the end of the season, and Flip Wilson, rather than have the same thing happen to his show, announced that the 1973-74 season would be his last. Mod Squad/Flip Wilson (Pinterest) 11. Grandma Walton Disapproved Of Smoking "If the good Lord intended people to smoke, he would've put a chimney on the top of their head" 12. Ironically, in real life, Grandma Walton was a chain-smoker. No doubt, she had a cigarette in hand immediately upon finishing the scene! Click "Next" to continue reading 13. Grandpa Walton Was Gay Geer was the lover of homosexual activist Harry Hay. In 1934, Hay met Geer at the Tony Pastor Theatre, where Geer worked as an actor. They became lovers, and Hay credited Geer as his political mentor. Geer was blacklisted in the early 1950s for refusing to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Pinterest 14. When Will Geer died shortly after filming his sixth season of the show (1977-1978) the death of his character, Grandpa Walton was written off the show by having him die as well. Wikipedia 15. His final episode depicted his being reunited with his onscreen wife Esther (Ellen Corby, who played the character, had been absent for the entire season, due to a stroke). Geer's character was mourned onscreen during the first episode of the 1978–79 season. Pinterest 16. The college John-Boy Walton went to is known as BoatWright University. It was based on the University of Richmond. The Illustrated Waltons Episode Guide 17. John Walton (Ralph Waite) Was A Practicing Presbyterian Minister And An Alcoholic Ralph Waite was a licensed minister in real life. Which was a contrast to his character, who rarely went to church. Ralph began drinking as a result of the tragic circumstances of losing his nine-year-old daughter to leukemia in 1964. Drunkenness numbed the mourning pain, which never quite seemed to go away. He couldn't reconcile his daughter's death with a loving Lord, causing him to lose his faith in God and step down from the pulpit and pursued a full-time career in acting He said: 'The Waltons' was profoundly important after years of wandering around. I was 44 and cut off from family and friends. It nurtured me back to a sense of family and who I am. It was a transforming experience." TV Guide Click "Next" To Continue Reading 18. Patricia Neal was cast as Olivia Walton in the pilot. She was unable to continue with her role, due to her past health problems, so the role was ultimately given to Michael Learned. Pinterest 19. Olivia Walton was an Alcoholic. Learned states that at the time she was cast in The Waltons, she had "hit rock bottom". At age 32, she realized she was an alcoholic. Taking herself to ex-husband Peter Donat's cabin on the California coast to "get sober" and that her time there was the beginning of a spiritual journey. Her sobriety began in 1977. Cinephiled 20. This wasn't the first time that Ralph Waite and Richard Thomas played father and son. The two worked together three years earlier in the film Last Summer (1969). Thomas played the role of "Peter" and Waite (uncredited) played his father. 21. In the closing scene of the series' final episode The Waltons: The Revel (1981), the remaining Walton's family members and the Godsey's gathered at the Baldwin sisters' mansion for a party. As the sisters thanked their guests for coming, the viewer can see that several unnamed guests have joined the crowd. These are none other than series creator Earl Hamner Jr. and other long-running cast and crew members, giving the scene a wrap party look. 22. The Walton's pets, (animal and name) were: Blue the mule, Chance the cow, Reckless the dog, Rover the peacock, Lance the deer, Myrtle the goat, Calico the cat, Molly the horse... and somewhere along the line, Jim Bob gave Grandma a canary, Chirpee! (But there were others...) Blue The Mule (Pinterest) Chance The Cow (Pinterest) Reckless The Dog (INSP TV) Rover The Peacock (INSP TV) Myrtle the goat (All About The Walton's) Calico The Cat (Pinterest) Molly The Horse (All About The Walton's) Chirpee The Canary (All About The Walton's) Click "Next" To Continue... In Loving Memory.... "Goodnight Waltons" Did we miss your favorite fact about this beloved series? What was your favorite episode? Who was your favorite pet? Who was your favorite Family Member? SHARE your comments in the section below... (SOURCE: IMDb) How well do you know the Waltons? Play this quiz to find out