As the CW prepares a new version of "Homecoming" to celebrate the TV movie's semi-centennial, with a new cast tackling the iconic characters, now is a good time to look back and discover what happened to the original Waltons during and after their TV stardom. President of the Jury and President of the Honorary Advisory Committee of the Syracuse International Film Festival - 2005 to Present. The episode "The Wedding" introduced him, and he and Mary Ellen married that same episode. If you were watching The Waltons when it originally aired back in the '70s, you probably remember hearing the news that Will Geer the man who played Grandpa Zebulon Walton had died. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. Because I said, theyre not going to kill off one of the sons who were going to war. He also appeared in numerous stage productions, including runs on Broadway in "Fifth of July," David Mamet's "Race," and a 2017 production of "The Little Foxes," which earned him a Tony nomination. In season six, they welcome a son, John Curtis Willard. Many of the plotlines in the 172 episodes that featured Ike focused on his marriage to Corabeth Walton (Ronnie Claire Edwards), second cousin to John Sr. and as introverted and stubborn as Ike is outgoing and generous. ANSWER: Mary Ellen (Judy Norton-Taylor) married Dr. Curtis Willard in the 1977 season, and they had a baby. All four Walton boys serve in the military as does Mary Ellen's husband. But, Judy Norton mentions that sending Curt to Pearl Harbor really brought the war home for the Walton family. It was a perfect time for me to be a part of the show., Though he had appeared on the show before, the actor joined the main cast in its fifth season. A staple of Western-related events for the next decade, he died at the age of 93 at his home in Paso Robles, California, on February 22, 2019. The Waltons actor Tom Bower revealed a behind-the-scenes look into how he got cast on the long-running series. The Reverend Matthew Fordwick arrives in Season 1 of "The Waltons" to serve as the first Baptist minister on Walton's Mountain. It was a perfect time for me to be a part of the show., It was a little intimidating to meet the family, Bower said. Didn't quite work out that way, and so his hobby of acting seemed to be the next course of action. The Waltons Star Tom Bower Called Joining the Cast Intimidating, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN80uB7j6MU, The Waltons Behind the Scenes With Guest Tom Bower (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN80uB7j6MU). And he explained a principle that will be familiar to fans of the CBS drama Blue Bloods, with its epic family dinner scenes. Initially, the mother of seven moves to Washington D.C. to be with her eldest son John-Boy, whos injured while reporting on the war in Europe. Hes also been the founder of three legitimate theatre companies including the MET Theatre, which included such associates as James Gammon, Tim Scott, Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, Holly Hunter, and Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, Beth Henley. Although we appreciate all the love and support our viewers have given to The Waltons these past 50 years and hopefully many more years to come, you are welcome to embrace this new rendition, not as a copy, but as something new.. Bower revealed this pick as he appeared on Judy Norton, another alum of The Waltons, and her YouTube show. The two worked for so many audience members and so many fond memories that Toms character made a lot of sense for Judys. Three years later, he joined the cast of "The Waltons" as Jason, the second oldest son in the family. But yeah, they put me through the hurdles to get that job, and I felt so very lucky to have gotten it. The role gave Walmsey the opportunity to showcase his talents as both a musician and songwriter in numerous episodes. "I probably had to come back three or four times. Because all of you had been together for a while. Meanwhile, the Baldwin sisters are disappointed when no one accepts their invitations to a reunion, prompting the Waltons to track down people to come to their celebration. His list of credits which continues growing to this day includes appearances in TV series ranging from "The Bionic Woman" and "Murder, She Wrote," to "Monk" and "Ray Donovan." He has appeared in a wide variety of television and film roles, including Die Hard 2 and The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Then Curt was killed at Pearl Harbor in the 1978 season, and Mary Ellen found new love with Arlington Wescott Jonesy Jones (Richard Gililand) while taking premed courses. In season seven, Mary Ellen receives a telegram notifying her that Curt has been killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor, but in season nine she learns he is still alive, using an assumed name. Subscribe to our newsletter for new stories, tips & events. Conley began acting as a child on radio, but paused his career for college and military service in the Korean War, during which he was wounded. Recently, "The Waltons" star Judy Norton had a special guest on her YouTube channel; her former TV husband, Tom Bower. Many of the actors who appeared as members of theWalton family in the TV movie reprised their roles in the series, including Richard Thomas (who played John-BoyWalton) and Judy Norton Taylor (who played his sister, Mary Ellen). This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. From there, Fordwick adopts a more kind-hearted approach, which helps him meet and eventually marry Rosemary Hunter, the local schoolteacher. A dedicated activist, Geer toured the United States with folk singers Woody Guthrie and Burl Ives, even recording an album with Guthrie in 1956. Tom Bower, Other Works Mary Ingalls did indeed lose her sight when she was 14, in 1879. He also recurred many times on "Dallas" as Marvin "Punk" Anderson, an advisor to the Ewings. Education instead became her primary interest. She returned briefly in 1977 and eventually rejoined the cast, albeit as a recurring character, for the remainder of the series and in five of the six reunion movies. Mary Ellen finds him after the war a bitterly changed man living in Florida. After Meeting Dr. Spencer, and quickly becoming Engaged to Marry, Mary Ellen started a job working for Dr. Curtis Willard, a new to town and Mysterious, sharply edged Doctor. Not every member of the Waltons clan was as big-hearted as John-Boy, Olivia, and the others. John Ritter played the Reverend Fordwick from Seasons 1 through 5 of "The Waltons." But he persevered, and hes grateful he did. Richard Thomas (John-Boy): Plays Frank Gaad on the FX drama The Americans. The Waltons (TV Series 19721981) Tom Bower as Dr. Curtis Willard, Rex Barker IMDb. Tom was the Lifelong Achievement Honoree and was awarded "The Sophia" by the 2011 Syracuse International Film Festival recognizing him for all of his work and outstanding dedication to the Festival. Arrives at the Walton home and wakes up Erin at 3am to take her out for a drive. Straight jobs were necessary to provide for a young family and after running the gamut of all kinds of employment endeavors, Tom broke into the field of private investigation and that became his calling card for the next 15 years. [2] Contents 1 Filmography 1.1 Film 1.2 Television 2 References 3 External links Veteran actor and activist Will Geer played the Walton family patriarch, Zebulon Tyler Walton (a.k.a. As Olivia Daly Walton, Michael Learned oversaw her sprawling extended family for six seasons, during which she netted six Emmy nominations (winning three), and four Golden Globe Awards. Drew goes away to college. It was a strong episode, I thought, said Norton, I thought it was a beautiful episode. Tom now splits his time between acting and producing. There hasn't been a full explanation on why Ralph Waite left The Waltons , just short of the ending of the show. Mary McDonough (Erin): Authored Lessons From the Mountain: What I Learned from Erin Walton . Mary Ellen (Judy Norton Taylor) is the eldest of Olivia and Johns daughters and third child, born in April 1920, aged 13 in season one. Does Mary Ellen become a doctor on The Waltons? As mentioned before, Bowers appeared on The Waltons prior to becoming a series regular. Bower said, I asked for a very small raise, so they sent me to Pearl Harbor. This was a joking way of alluding to how the show wrote him out of the series. One of the great things about growing up and consistently working as a child actor if you have a nice career as a child actor, when you get these people playing your parents, you get all these fantastic people to learn from. Will passed away from respiratory failure on April 22, 1978, shortly after filming Season 6 of The Waltons. After earning her degree from the University of California, Berkeley, Cotler taught at schools in Virginia before returning to California to teach. For his part, Thomas appreciated all that The Waltons allowed him to learn. The two balanced each other out. I probably had to come back three or four times. Corby worked steadily in features and television throughout the 1950s and 1960s, netting appearances in Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo" and on dozens of series, including "The Andy Griffith Show" (as hubcab thief Mrs. Lesh), "I Love Lucy," "The Addams Family" (as Lurch's mother) and even "Batman.". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Photo: Brian Putnam/Filmmagic. Who was the actor who played Curt on the Waltons? Subscribe to our newsletter for new stories, tips & events. She shared an ill-fated romance with John-Boy, played by Richard Thomas. Remembering the 59 Slain Victims of the Las Vegas Concert Massacre, 3 Years Later, Catching Up with the Cast of 'The Brady Bunch', Iconic Roles That Were 'Almost' Played by Someone Else. Heres the line from the Little House novel By the Shores of Silver Lake: Mary and Carrie and baby Grace and Ma all had scarlet fever. In fact, even though he left after five seasons, he returned with a few guest appearances in Season 6 and in a slew of 1990s movies adapted from the show. My opinion is that The Waltons is a 50-year-old classic, said Thomas. Peggy Rea played Rose Burton in Seasons 8 and 9, as well as one TV movie. After a year and a half at the Academy, he shifted gears and began studying at John Cassavetes Shadows Workshop, and Tom's first film work ever was in Cassavetes first film "Shadows", shot in 1957. Good luck to them.. Actor Tom Bower originally played Curtis 'Curt' Willard, introduced to the series in episode 5.7 "The Wedding" and appearing periodically through season 7, when the character was listed as killed in action during the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor in episode 7.10. Who was John Curtis on the Waltons? With the departure of Richard Thomas and Michael Learned in Seasons 6 and 7, and Ralph Waite reduced to a recurring character in Season 9, the Walton children were in need of a parental figure. I think he was right, Bower laughed. Then when they went to do the episode about Curt still being alive.they approached him about doing it. Walmsley reunited with his "Waltons" TV family for several TV movies, but devoted most of his energies to his career as a musician. She spoke specifically about the character Arlington Wescott Jones III otherwise known as Jonesy (played by Richard Gilliland) and how he became a great stepfather to John-Curtis. One of the more iconic love stories on The Waltons was the love and eventual marriage between Judy Norton and Tom Bowers characters on the program. Mary Ellen finds him after the war a bitterly changed man living in Florida. | Romantic tension arose between the two which led to an Engaged Mary Ellen kissing Curt, and Erin becoming aware of the relationship that could end her Engagement. The fourth Waltons film is set in 1963. He joined the cast of "The Waltons" in 1975 and remained with the series until 1978, but also worked at a breathless clip before, during, and after his run on the program. He remained with the series until its conclusion in 1981, and he returned to his lucrative real estate work while also re-teaming with his "Waltons" castmates in the reunion movies. Where was the Dayton peace agreement signed? And you really had your drills down. I did have quite an extensive audition process, said Bower in an interview with The Waltons costar Judy Norton. Case in point: Zeb's cousin, Boone Walton (played by Morgan Woodward), a loud-mouthed cuss who seemed to attract trouble like a magnet. . Recently, "The Waltons" star Judy Norton had a special guest on her YouTube channel; her former TV husband, Tom Bower. When "The Waltons" ran its course. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Matching Curts rough interior was a rough exterior; Bower then shared a memory of Ralph Waites preference for the more unkempt doctor. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Self - Narrator. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Can the Constitution be changed by the president? Trivia Actor Tom Bower originally played Curtis Curt Willard, introduced to the series in episode 5.7 The Wedding and appearing periodically through season 7, when the character was listed as killed in action during the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor in episode 7.10. Edwards's acting career began on the New York stage in the early 1960s; television and films, including "The Waltons" and a recurring stint on "Designing Women," followed from the 1970s through the early 2000s. For Tom Bower, who played Curt, Mary Ellens (Judy Norton) husband, on The Waltons, it wasnt easy joining the sprawling television clan. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Kami Cotler was cast as Elizabeth in "The Homecoming" and played her for the show's entire network run, as well as in six of the reunion TV movies. Ritter fell ill on the set of "8 Simple Rules" and was rushed to a hospital in Burbank, California. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. He returned to performing with a small role in the 1950 film "The Sound of Fury," and would work steadily on television while also supporting himself through his own real estate agencies. It needed someone as strong as Curts character to match up with her, and not just be walked over., I think he forwardness with all the people in town, Bower continued, He had that effect. I dont remember specifically. And I hope the new version finds its audience as ours did in 1971. Although the Depression is hard for the family to navigate, WWII caused even more hardship in their community. Why did tom bower leave the waltons? 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