40 Behind-The-Scenes Waltons Facts John-Boy Would Never Have Admitted

Cast grievances, on-set tensions, health problems… There’s a lot about The Waltons that its creators probably wouldn’t want you to know. Yes, while the much-loved TV show was super charming and wholesome, behind the scenes it was a whole other matter. Read on to find out more…

40. CBS predicted that the show would bomb

Can you believe that CBS actually expected The Waltons to tank? That’s right: apparently, the network had little faith that a “rural” show could survive against such ’70s TV stalwarts as The Flip Wilson Show and The Mod Squad. However, not only did The Waltons kick both shows’ butts in the ratings, but it also set a trend for homespun classics like Little House on the Prairie.

39. The show was made to keep Congress happy

Yup, the U.S. Congress reportedly wasn’t pleased with TV programming at the turn of the ’70s. That’s presumably because it wasn’t wholesome enough, and so The Waltons was created in response to the complaint. In 2012 Cami Cotler, who played youngest Walton Elizabeth, told the Los Angeles Times, “The rumor was that [CBS] put it against Flip Wilson and The Mod Squad because they didn’t think it would survive. They thought, ‘We can just tell Congress [that] America doesn’t want to see this.’” How wrong the bosses were.

38. The Waltons began life as a movie

Yes indeed, folks. The classic feel-good drama was adapted from a film, released in 1971, called The Homecoming: A Christmas Story. While John Walton Sr., Olivia and Grandpa are all played by different actors, all the Walton kids from the series star in the made-for-television movie – which, as the name suggests, sees the family getting set for Christmas. But with John Walton working in another state, anxiety grows over whether he will make it back in time for the holidays. Not exactly a high-stakes scenario, but it worked!

37. The show was filmed in Hollywood

Sorry to shatter the illusion, but Walton’s Mountain doesn’t actually exist. In fact, the show’s rural scenes weren’t even filmed in Virginia but on a slope of the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles. And the Waltons’ house? That was actually located in what’s known as the “jungle” area of the Warner Bros. Studios lot in Burbank, California. Mind blown.