Late actor Ralph Waite is largely remembered for his role as John Walton, Sr. on the hit ’70s drama, The Waltons. MeTV.com reported that Waite revealed he once tried to leave the set while filming the first season of the show, which premiered in 1972.
In an interview for the 2002 book, Goodnight, John-Boy, co-written by the show’s creator, Earl Hamner Jr., Waite shared that Season 1, Episode 4, “The Hunt,” which involved John and John-Boy coming across a bear while hunting, “was the first show [they] filmed.” Waite also noted that the episode called for John to be rather brave when it came to the bear.
“I recall my shock and anxiety that on my first Walton episode, I was going to have to wrestle a bear. When I read the script, I kind of skipped over the part about bear wrestling, and then I got to the set, and there was the bear, and he was huge!” said Waite in the interview for Goodnight, John-Boy, per MeTV.com.
Waite said he almost left the set before he was informed he didn’t actually have to interact with the bear.
“I was about to run off then and there when I was told that the man who trained the bear would actually wrestle with me. He would be dressed in a bear suit, and the scene would be shot in such a way that it would appear that I was actually wrestling a bear,” stated the actor, who died in 2014 at the age of 85.
In addition, Waite shared that he was “glad now [he] didn’t run off” while filming his first Waltons episode.
“It was the beginning of a lifetime of memories from those extraordinary years we all spent together,” stated Waite, as reported by MeTV.com.
Ralph Waite Shared His Thoughts About The Dedicated Fans of ‘The Waltons’
Waite, who remained on the show throughout its nine-season run, discussed the show’s legacy in a 2013 interview with INSP. The actor shared that fans would often approach him about the series, which ended in 1981.
“My experience, ever since we did The Waltons, is that whenever I go, people have a deep appreciation for that series, for some reason. It struck a nerve. I don’t take seriously being a hero or an icon. I don’t see myself as that,” said Waite. “But I do see myself as someone who is a part of a group of actors that brought to people a sense of the dignity of life and the importance of love and education. Those values permeate The Waltons. I appreciate that.”
In addition, Waite said he was grateful for the show’s dedicated fans.
“I appreciate the people coming up to me and thanking me for that. It doesn’t go to my head too much, but it does go to my heart,” said Waite in the 2013 interview.
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