Kami Cotler portrayed Elizabeth, the youngest member of the Walton family. Since her time acting on the show she has become a teacher, educator and school principal. Recently, Kami has become quite active on her Facebook page, sharing her memories of working on The Waltons. Preserved here are those memories that she has shared for your easy reference and enjoyment.
If you want to read the comments click the date of each post to go to the original post on Facebook.
Hollywood's award season reminds me that The Waltons Mountain School did have an Emmy. Will gave it to us and it sat in our school trailer by stage 26 until he passed away. Now it lives with his real family at Theatricum Botanicum-- his theater in the mountains near L.A.
Will Geer and Ellen Corby Win Best Supporting Actor and Actress In A Drama | Emmys Archive (1975)
Alan Hefty asks why Patricia Neal was not cast in The Waltons series. At the time, we thought she wasn't interested in a series, but in her memoir she wrote that no one asked her. Michael was horrified when she read that, but Patricia was much too kind and sensible to feel any anger towards her. Now we think the studio was hesitant to use her because of her stroke.
Rod asks, "In the house when you entered the front door, there was a door to the left. I don't recall ever seeing that door opened. Was it just a prop door or was it supposed to go somewhere? I" It's a real door and I think we might have even used it in a few episodes. In real life, it opened to the Grandparents' room. So did the door on the stairs' landing. If you think about it, people climbed 4 or 5 steps, opened the door on the landing, then climbed down 4 or 5 steps.
Janel Radetski asks about mistakes in filming. Let's talk about story errors. For example, I remember cast members commenting on a piece of dialog about there being no twins in the Walton family, but an episode years before had established Jim-Bob was a twin. And of course story continuity really went off the rails when we made the first reunion special, set in 1963. What other story errors can you recall?
“I reckon I don’t have much to give but my stories,” Grandma said to John Boy as she sat on the bed beside him and wished for a better gift to give her eldest grandson. John Boy reassured her that the gift was the inherent love of storytelling passed down from generations of her elders through her to him. In that tender moment on Walton’s Mountain, John Boy told Grandma that he cherished her. She took his hand, stared lovingly into his eyes, and uncharacteristically for a woman often called sharp-tongued, she said simply, “And I cherish you, John Boy.”
It was good television then. It is good television now in reruns. It is also a lot more.
It was such a fun time! Can't wait for work to slow down so I can visit again.
Back row L to R- Jimmy Fortune (Composer/Singer, Nelson County native & Earl Hamner's fav), Hal Williams (Harley Foster). Tom Bower (Curt Willard)
Middle row L to R- Reen Bula (Marcia Woolery), David Doremus (G.W.), Mary McDonough (Erin), Jon Walmsley (Jason), Mike McGreevey, (Hobie)
Next row, Rachel Longaker (Aimee Godsey), Cissy Wellman (Cissy Walker)
Front row David Harper (Jim-Bob) Judy Norton (Mary-Ellen), me, Leslie Winston (Cindy), Eric Scott (Ben)
My Mom taped The Waltons when it was originally broadcast, so she'd have the shows forever. Now she's wondering if these recordings of the shows have any value, since you can purchase everything on DVD. What do you all think?
I'll be! Here's an excerpt of "The Heist". I appear at the beginning and middle. I think the order went, "The Homecoming", "Me and the Chimp" and then "The Heist".
JULY 10 IN TWILIGHT ZONE HISTORY: REMEMBERING WRITERS GEORGE CLAYTON JOHNSON AND EARL HAMNER JR. ON THEIR BIRTHDAYS
Today, July 10th, This Day in Twilight Zone History and The Twilight Zone Encyclopedia celebrate the birth of two marvelous TZ writers: George Clayton Johnson, born on this day in 1929, and Earl Hamner Jr. born in 1923.
Not sure which episode this photo is from. At some point we filmed an interview with one of the morning shows... Good Morning America? And they had decorated the set with giant photographs from the show, including this image. They let us each take a couple home and this one ended up at my Mom's house.
Tim asks if we were required to memorize the lines perfectly or was it OK if we were close to the script as written and did we ever ad-lib. I think the aim was to say the lines as written, though I never felt pressure for it to be word for word. We often adlibbed, but typically that was indicated in the script-- "kids adlib".....When the show first started the adult cast would gather to read through the script before filming began, and this was a chance for the actors to give feedback and the writers to make tweaks. In later years this practice was abandoned, but Ralph, Michael or Richard would still sometimes have concerns over a scene, in which case a story editor would come to set and they'd hash it out.
Ralph Senesky, a recurring Walton director, has written an amazing blog that really gives a picture of what it was like to make an episode. This one tells the story of "The Conflict" with the extraordinary Beaulah Bondi.
Susan asked about the amount of time that passed between the time an episode was made and the day it aired. It took about 3 weeks to make an hour of filmed TV-- a week for the director to prep, a week to film and a week to edit and do post production. We started filming each year in early summer (maybe June?). The network broadcast season started in fall (maybe September). We made about 25 episodes and typically didn't go on hiatus until late spring. The airing got closer to the making as we proceeded through the year.
Lori asked about filming schedule. Episodes were filmed out of order. They would schedule according to location, because moving and setting up the equipment takes time and time is money. So, all the kitchen scenes in a row (one gets quite full). And then break down the lights and sound and camera equipment and move it to the living room. The interior house, store and Baldwin house scenes were shot on Stage 26. Other interiors were on Stage 23. Exteriors were on the Warner Brothers back lot.
Snow on Waltons Mountain was achieved in a range of ways. The Homecoming exteriors were filmed in Jackson Hole, WY, so that's real snow on the ground, though my Mom reports there wasn't always enough snow, in which case they trucked it in from nearby snowy places. We were kids from LA, so snow was a big deal and we had snowball fights and made snowmen in the courtyard of the motel while on location in Wyoming. The scene in the yard from the Christmas Carol features plastic snow flakes, artfully placed on the hood of the truck and sprinkled from above, just out of the camera's frame.. The ice I broke to water the cow is made of wax. They also sometimes used a foaming substance as snow.
Kristy asks where we filmed the beach scenes. Most of Hollywood filmed at Paradise Cove in Malibu.
It was a treat to get to film at the beach and I learned to body surf between takes.
- Here are a few screen grabs from episodes filmed at this beach which is a stand in for Virginia Beach - AATW editor
During the peak of The Waltons, CBS frequently arranged public appearances for "the kids". Janet Allston was the network PR person I remember arranging many of the events. One day I went into CBS for a photo session and discovered they'd assembled a range of fun props and costumes. The photographer was playful and we had a great time together. Years later Janet Allston let my Mom go through CBS's photo file of me and take home these two transparent slides. I think they are called acetates?
- Below is a cover of a TV schedule magazine using one of the images from this photo shoot. - AATW editor
Spent Saturday helping my Mom unpack from her move and uncovered this interesting tidbit-- a list of the foreign countries the Waltons were shown in and the estimated gross amounts Lorimar, the production company, made from showing it abroad.
Deb asks how we all got along with the ‘animals’ of the cast, like Chance and Reckless and in particular, Rover. Trying to keep to schedule is always a priority on a TV set and animals add uncertainty. I don't remember any difficulties with Rover, but as I remember it untrainable animals (like Rover or Pete the racoon) were sometimes tied down with fishing wire. I remember they sedated and tied Pete down when he was supposed to be sick. I also remember a director doing everything in his power to get a chicken to walk from point a to point b for a scene. Dogs, mules, horses were fun to have around, because you can interact with them. Myrtle the goat was not my favorite. I know she butted me at least once during filming.
In California child actors are protected by the Child Actor's Bill (also known as Coogan Act). The law is designed to safeguard a portion of their earnings until they turn 18. The original Bill was passed in 1939 by the State of California in response to the plight of Jackie Coogan, who earned millions of dollars as a successful child actor only to discover, upon reaching adulthood, that his parents had spent almost all of his money. Fun fact, Keith Coogan, who played Jeffery on The Waltons, was Jackie Coogan's grandson. When I was a child, the practice was for studios to put the protected money in savings bonds. In the 70's bonds have a low rate of interest compared to savings accounts, so my Mom had to petition a court to allow my earnings to go to a savings and loan. This also allowed her to track the production company's deposits to the trust and there were many times she'd have to call them to inquire why only part of the funds deducted had appeared in my account. #SavvyMom
My contract from 1972. Notice the series title is tentatively "The Homecoming" and my character name is "Patty-Cake", even though the movie had already aired and my character name was already Elizabeth.
Like all network TV production, "The Waltons" was a union show. The crew belonged to a range of unions and the actors belonged to the Screen Actors Guild. When the show started, my salary and work environment were determined by that union contract. SAG was created in the 30's by actors who were concerned about working conditions. Like any work place, the drive to get the job done and cut costs can lead to unsafe conditions. In California, I was protected not just by the union contract but also by state labor laws, limiting the hours a child actor could work and ensuring a social worker was present to advocate for the child's well-being.
Eric Scott will know better than I do, but here's my best answer to a question about what factors determined different pay rates per the SAG contract. From what I understand, the contract didn't have different rules for minors and adults. There was a base amount that actors received. Speaking and non-speaking roles were compensated differently. I think if you had more than 5 lines, you were paid more.
Someone asked if Will Geer was as fun in real life as Grandpa was on the show. And I'd say, "yes". Will really appreciated being on the Waltons. He'd was old enough and wise enough to have perspective and see the show as a rare gift. I'm hoping to get up to his theater, Theatricum Botanicum, this month and see a play. If you live in or visit LA, I highly recommend it. https://theatricum.com/
The treehouse was a favorite place to play when I wasn't working and a favorite place for writers to locate scenes between John-Boy and Elizabeth. It was real-- up in the pepper tree that sat by the barn and held the tire swing. To film in it, they'd put the camera up a scaffold or rent Chapman camera crane. I fell out of it when I was about 7. Scared the crew to death. They didn't let me play up there after that!
Lisa Marie Miller asks, "Kami, how did you like the episode where the carnival people were there? My mom and I watched it the other day, and we were both curious." I remember enjoying it and being so impressed with Billy Barty. I remember following his career after that, because I'd worked with him and we were so close in size.
My memory of falling out of the tree house can't be quite right. At the time, there was a wooden bucket attached to the tree house with a rope. I was playing with it, raising and lowering it. I recall thinking, be careful not to get entangled in the rope and fall. So I stepped back, to avoid the rope coiling at my feet, and stepped directly into the opening in the floor. I fell straight down/ I don't recall bumping anything, which is odd because the steps up were nailed into the truck of the tree. I remember everything going into slow motion. I could see ropes (from the bucket? The swing? It doesn't make sense logistically) and I thought I should grab one, but I didn't. then I landed.
Several folks have commented that Mary (Erin) writes about my tree house fall in her memoir. If you haven't read her autobiography or her novels, you can find them here
It always makes me crazy when news outlets publish stories shaming former actors for doing anything that isn’t acting. As if any other choice is a tragedy. I had a Star reporter keep repeating how hard it must be for me to have a Job that didn’t pay as much as TV acting. He refused to believe that I liked my job and I felt fine about my income. Every 10 minutes he’d repeat, “But it must be hard to make so much less money. “ And then he wrote an article that was essentially fiction. https://apple.news/ACB-JD9StTuuRpRQwK3a9ng
Visiting Mary McDonough on the set of the Hallmark movie based on her book, The House on Honeysuckle Lane, starring Alicia Witt. Lots of redheads on this set!
Check out Alicia Witt's Instagram posts about Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane, a Hallmark movie based on Mary's book.
aliciawittyit’s a whole lot of redheads round here on Honeysuckle Lane!! beauties #lauraleighton as my sister, and author @therealmarymcdonough as our mom - in flashbacks
Jeff asks, "Did you ever feel as though Elizabeth was more immature than she should have been? I've seen stories that Anissa Jones (Buffy on Family Affair) grew tired of having to carry Mrs Beasley around even though she was 11 or 12 yrs old. " YES. I was about 8 when I went to the producers and asked them to stop writing in jokes about Elizabeth not knowing where babies came from-- she lived on a farm! And I had to protest being picked up (poor Richard, there were scenes where he picked me up and my feet practically dragged on the ground). And at some point the other actors and I insisted I was too old to sit on people's laps. I think the writers don't always realize how old the baby of the family actually is.
Day 2 of filming Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane. It is so nostalgic, visiting the set! As a child, I was fascinated by all the equipment and gear. And the crew members, who were also so patient and answered all my questions.
One of the side porches on the amazing house they are using for Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane. Notice the fire engine in the background? The haze machine tripped the house's fire alarm and all filming stopped while the alarm blared and we waited for the fire marshal to arrive and turn it off. Unexpected things ALWAYS happen when shooting, especially on locations!
Someone asked if I have a part in Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane. I don't! I'm visiting the set because my Walton sister, Mary, wrote the book the Hallmark Christmas movie is based on, AND my best friend since middle school is the Executive Producer. (Photo pinched from the lovely Alicia Witt's instagram)
Just arriving at the Family Film Awards in Universal City where Michael is receiving the Lifetime Achievement in Television Award. I’m in makeup, heels and the whole 9 yards.
Normally, when the Waltons cast gathers at a banquet, we are the naughty table. We enjoy each other's company and want to catch up, which means we aren't always as attentive as we should be. However, last night the Pointer Sisters' table had even more fun than we did! Here they are presenting an award to prolific songwriter Diane Warren.
As a kid on a TV set, I was always fascinated by the equipment, and our crew members were terribly patient with me, answering all my questions about how things worked. When I spent a day visiting Mary on the set of the Hallmark Christmas movie based on her book, I found myself taking more photos of equipment than people! Look at all the parts of this light! See how they diffuse the light with the filter? Imagine the challenges of filming in a real house-- look at how they have to cover all the windows. So much easier to film on a sound stage!
Here's the house from Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane all dressed with fake snow. How magical to see a novel Mary wrote come to life on the screen? How cool that my best friend from 7th grade is producing?
One of the fun things about being a kid on a TV set is running through the natural obstacle course the equipment creates. Cables strewn across the ground. Grip stands (they hold the lights and one is pictured here weighed down with sandbags) to squeeze past and jump over. And crew members saying, "Careful!" It was a point of pride being little and agile and zooming around a set.
My husband sent me this crazy story about Humphrey Bogart stealing John Barrymore's corpse and sitting it in a chair in Errol Flynn's house. The prank was that Barrymore drank to excess in Flynn's house to frequently that Flynn wouldn't notice. It sounded like an urban legend, so I looked it up, and I found that a man named Gene Fowler had denied the truth of story, saying he'd sat with Barrymore's body all night and therefore no one could have stolen it. Hmmmm. Gene Fowler? Turns out he's the father of The Waltons' editor Gene Fowler, Jr., which gives me 4 degrees of separation from Errol Flynn!!
Season two.. The Substitute. It looks like they still weren't putting any makeup on us kids. This the episode where Elizabeth picks a bouquet of wildflowers for the teacher, who then scolds her for being late and Elizabeth sadly throw them away. I remember that scene. In my memory, I thought they would shoot an insert of the flowers dropping into the trashcan, they didn't, and I was disappointed about it. However, everyone is letting me know they did shoot the flowers in the trashcan. Memories are very unreliable! (Thank you to all the posters for correctly my faulty remembering!)
The thing I regret about being on The Waltons is being too young to understand the amazing lives of the folks around me. Here is Will with Jimmy Stewart in Winchester '73. I wish I'd asked Will 1,000 questions...(Thank you Susan Tyma for the post about this)
Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane
(Nov. 24, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
STARS: Alicia Witt, Colin Ferguson
CONTAINS: Sibling reunion, bittersweet sifting through dead parents’ belongings
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: “Emma (Witt) returns home to celebrate Christmas for the last time with her siblings in the house they grew up in. After their parents’ recent passing, the siblings reluctantly agree to sell the family home on Honeysuckle Lane, leaving Emma in charge of its belongings. While Emma’s mother’s collection is being appraised, they find a hidden surprise that takes them on a journey to discover the power of love and family during the holidays.
Based on the book by Mary Elizabeth McDonough.”
The opening narration from "The Ceremony": "When I was growing up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia during the Depression of the 1930s times were often difficult and unsure, but I don't think any of us ever realized how safe and secure our lives really were until that summer when a family arrived on Waltons Mountain from Germany."
It can happen anywhere, right? People who feel scared or hard done by can easily direct their anger at others who are different, until the others don't seem like humans at all and then terrible things are possible. When you feel afraid and you think it's all the fault of some other people, I encourage you to seek out the folks who are different and look for your shared humanity. And bless the Waltons writers and producers who took the risk of telling stories like the one in "The Ceremony".
Mary is always so good about making sure to get photos! Here are some from my visit to the set of Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane. Had a lovely chat with Colin Ferguson about education and how we think it ought to be done.
Watch Mary & Michael talk about the reasons for the appeal of "The Waltons" and then on November 24 at 9pm watch the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries' "Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane" based on the novel Mary wrote.
Here are some scenes from "Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane." Be sure to tune in and watch a Christmas movie based on a story written by a Walton, Mary McDonough. Mary is a featured actress, too. Watch it on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Saturday November 24 at 9pm.
It's on NOW on the east coast-- Hallmark Movies & Mysteries and at 9pm on the west coast. Be sure to tune into Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane, based on a story written by a Walton and you'll see a few Waltons on screen, too. Then let Hallmark know when you love it and want to see more just like it! E-mail them at Viewers@crownmedia.com
Terry asks: I'm curious: "Elizabeth" had such compassion for animals. Did you have that same compassion growing up? Still?" It's a great question and I don't know why they gave my character so many pets. I like animals, but I am not one of those people who LOVES all animals. I have a cat and I'm fine stopping there. And I didn't particularly like working with the goat!
If you have never been to the Missouri Cherry Blossom Festival, I have to recommend it! This year there will be quite a few Waltons, many presidential descendants, and other cool folks from TV history. Look for it on facebook under "Missouri Cherry Blossom Festival in Marshfield, MO
Who lives near Pittsburgh? Richard Thomas (John Boy on “The Waltons”) plays Scrooge in the Pittsburgh CLO’s “A Musical Christmas Carol” opening Friday at the Byham Theater in Pittsburgh.
I'm tempted to fly out to Pittsburgh!!
Tickets are $33 to $52. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Fridays; noon, 4 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; noon and 4 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 23.
Here's a trailer for The Homecoming. They had to teach me to sing "Away in the Manger". Normally when you sing in a TV show there is a "playback"-- a recording of the song that you sing along to, ensuring you keep the same tempo and key. I don't think we had one that cold night in Jackson Hole...
