- Welcome back to another segment of
"Behind the Scenes of The Waltons".
Today, I'm literally going to be taking you
behind the scenes.
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Back at the time when we were filming "The Waltons"
from 1971, to 1981, and then into the reunion specials,
early on, there really wasn't--
everybody didn't have iPhones.
Everybody didn't have cameras, movie cameras,
built into their phones.
We didn't even have cellphones.
And also, cameras were pretty restricted on movie sets.
On TV sets, you weren't really supposed to come
and take pictures or anything like that, without permission.
This was just sort of standard,
that sets were considered confidential.
Not that there was a lot of secrets on "The Waltons"
in terms of the storylines,
but that was just kinda standard.
So everybody didn't have a phone in their back pocket.
So I have very few pictures, or video, or anything like that
from actually behind the scenes, filming "The Waltons".
When we were in Jackson Hole, Wyoming,
filming sections of "The Homecoming",
Kami's mom had a camera with her and shot some home movies.
When we did a Walton reunion,
I think it was for "The Homecoming" a number of years back,
Kami's mom was kind enough to share those home movies
with everybody who was there.
And it was really fun to see us,
building snowmen and things like that,
literally behind the scenes.
I did not have any of those sorts of home movies.
But when I went through my mom's things
when she passed away,
I took a number of her recordings and things
and home movies and stuff.
And recently, when I was moving,
I was like, "What are these things?"
And there was one labeled, "Studio".
And I was like, "What is that?"
So I sent it off to be converted.
And indeed, there're a few minutes here of footage
on the Warner Bros lot.
So I thought that I would share this with you.
There's no audio,
so I am going to narrate what you are looking at.
It's my mom and my grandmother, who was over visiting,
and an aunt of mine,
so people you won't recognize.
But I think some of these people you will recognize,
and I think some of these locations you will recognize.
[Judy Norton] This looks like the Malibu beach area,
where we came occasionally, to shoot beach sequences. (The Seashore)
Now, here we are at Warners Bros Studio.
And there we have, of course,
the Walton's Mountain School Room.
And this was a school room
that we all went and did our lessons at every day.
And there is, you see a piece of stage 26.
Oh, and here I am with Eric.
He looks like he is in wardrobe, and I am not yet.
So I was either not yet dressed in wardrobe,
or perhaps I didn't have filming to do that day
and was just coming in to go to school.
Here you see the set that was used for the Walton school.
And now, here we are on the actual back lot of the studio.
That is my mother and my grandmother,
who was over visiting from England, with Michael Learned.
There's Richard Thomas, hanging out with my mom and Michael.
He's got his little visor on,
and Michael's not in wardrobe obviously.
And there she is, looking oh so glamorous,
as she was and is.
She's just the most beautiful woman.
These are the dressing rooms that we all used
when we were on the set, or on the back lot.
Everybody would have their dressing room to change,
and they would line them all up.
Here it looks like we are on the back lot.
So, along the street that bordered where the house was
and where the jungle was,
where Godsey's store was,
they would bring all of the trailers,
all of our little dressing rooms, and put them there.
Now, here we are on the actual back lot,
and there is the Walton house,
at a point that we are not filming.
So you're just seeing whoever it was,
probably my grandmother, my grandfather,
who was shooting this video,
just taking shots of the house.
Those are the big shiny reflecting boards
that they would use to bounce the light around
to help fill the light for the scene.
John Boy's car.
And here is the Western street,
when it's not actually being filmed.
So these sets, when we are actually going to film on them,
then they would get 'set dressed',
and the vintage cars would come into play,
and they'd bring in the extras.
These sets were also used at times,
in episodes of Westerns and things like that,
that had been shot at Warner Bros over the years.
Joyce, who was there with my aunt,
was a guardian for David, for many years.
That picnic table was used just for...
It was never really used much on the actual show.
I think you may have seen this once in a while out there,
but it ended up out there, just for cast, crew, whatever.
These are the roads that lead to the left,
to Godsey's store
And there you go.
We are now outside Godsey's store.
And if you went to the right there,
you would end up back out on that road,
where all the dressing rooms were.
Here they are.
They're going to go into Godsey's store.
And this is the road coming from Godsey's store.
This is outside Godsey's store, where just the rocks were,
which you saw in "The Ferris Wheel."
You've got one of the big lights they used to light the set.
There were a lot of other sections
to the Warner Bros lot.
Some of those exterior sets are still in existence.
And if you were to take a tour, you would see them.
And then there's areas that aren't in existence anymore.
The whole back lot area, where we filmed, is gone now.
It is buildings and parking lots unfortunately.
The march of progress.
But there are sets that I really missed.
I used to go hang out at this one set that was used
for films like "Camelot",
in some of the exterior castle sequences.
Or in the movie, "Lost Horizon",
there's sequences that were shot there
and the TV series, "Kung Fu".
Sometimes I'd just go wander around this,
even when it wasn't dressed for a movie,
when it looked sort of like a sad, neglected castle,
I still enjoyed the history,
with all these kind of fake rocks
and these little hiding places,
and these stairs that you could wander around.
And I would just go explore.
Sometimes I'd go take my lunch and eat there.
And then when it was dressed for a shoot,
it was just gorgeous.
The art and greens department would come in
and just beautify it,
and it would be stunning,
and that was really special.
So I miss those locations.
They're a wonderful part of my years on the Warners lot,
when it was my second home.
But it's fun to have these few moments
that I recently found again,
of these home movies.
So I hope you've enjoyed this.
I'll see you next time for more
"Behind the Scenes of The Waltons".
I'll be answering more of your questions on "Ask Judy".
Till then, thanks for watching.