On October 5, 1971, The Waltons officially began—but the cast had no idea what they were getting into. The CBS drama series based on Earl Hamner Jr.’s book Spencer’s Mountain aired for nine seasons, from 1972 to 1981, but it started with a TV movie in December 1971.
The Homecoming: A Christmas Story starred all of the future Waltons children— Richard Thomas, Jon Walmsley, Judy Norton, Mary McDonough, Eric Scott, David Harper and Kami Cotler—as well as grandma Ellen Corby. The Walton parents were played by Patricia Neal and Andrew Duggan, and grandpa Zebb Walton was played by Edgar Bergen.
In a Facebook post on Oct. 5, 2026, Walmsley, who played Jason Walton in the TV movie and on the long-running series, looked back on the first day of filming just days after he was told he got the part at age 15.
“The 5th of October, 1971, was our first day of production on The Homecoming. It’s hard to believe it was fifty-five years ago!” he wrote. “My mother had kept a diary since I was born. It reads: ‘Tue, first day on the set. We are able to drive on, and park near the stage. Patricia Neal was there, and the director is excellent. There seems to be quite a good crowd for the family including mothers! Mrs. King is teacher.’ Indeed. Parking on the lot was a big deal. Much later, when we started filming The Waltons, there was no such luxury. It was nice to meet and work with such a pleasant group of kids (and mums!) who got on so well.”
“There had been a ‘call back’ audition for the kids on the 29th of September,” Walmsley continued. “An excited mum wrote, ‘Jon is in!! has got his script. It’s going to be a Christmas special and hope it will be an annual.’ Little did we know…”
Kami Cotler, who played youngest child Elizabeth Walton, was just six years old when filming for The Homecoming began 55 years ago. She previously looked back on filming exterior shots in Wyoming.
In an Instagram post, Cotler posted a still photo of the movie’s opening scene with the Walton children walking home in the deep snow.
“I am not sure that I truly remember filming the opening scene from The Homecoming, but I do have clear memories of filming in Jackson Hole, Wyoming,” she wrote. “I do clearly also remember the snow coming up to my knees when we filmed the scene where the kids walk from the barn to the house. I also remember that I started out in front and everyone passed me by. My Mom recalls the director, Fielder Cook, being so excited when this organically happened.”
RELATED: ‘The Waltons’ Star Reveals the One Famous Line He Still Hears From Fans 50 Years Later
The TV movie about a family waiting for the Christmas Eve arrival of their patriarch, John Walton, during the early years of the Great Depression was so popular that it was picked up for a series—even though there had been no talk of a TV show prior.
Speaking with the Television Academy Foundation, Thomas recalled being cast as eldest son John-Boy Walton in The Homecoming.
“There was a call from my agent that you have an offer to do this Christmas special, not a series,” he said. “It wasn’t a pilot, it was no series thought of, and all I knew is that it was with Patricia Neal … I was like, oh, fantastic, I want to work with Patricia Neal, great, you know. And I read the script, and it was I mean it was just a fabulous part.”
For the TV series, Ralph Waite and Michael Learned were cast as John and Olivia Walton, and Will Geer made his debut as Grandpa.
More than 50 years later, The Waltons remains one of the most beloved television series of the 1970s, while The Homecoming has become a cherished Christmas classic.
Related: In 1977, Richard Thomas Left ‘The Waltons’; Producers Replaced John-Boy and the Cast Thought They’d ‘Lost Their Minds’
Hence then, the article about 55 years ago today a young waltons cast began filming the homecoming was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( 55 Years Ago Today, a Young ‘Waltons’ Cast Began Filming ‘The Homecoming’ )
Also on site :
- In 1974, three artists buried 10 Cadillacs nose-first in an Amarillo, Texas wheat field; the row was moved 2 miles west in 1997 as the city grew
- Flavio Bolsonaro sorprende, Lula se tambalea y Trump sonríe: 4 claves de una elección que puede cambiar a la región
- In 1987, Jim Reinders built a 96-foot circle of 39 cars in a Nebraska field as a memorial to his father; an estimated 4,000 people later watched an eclipse from it