What happened to John Curtis on 'The Waltons'? Learn about the character (2024)

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What happened to the character John Curtis on The Waltons? ›

In spite of the fact that the character was introduced in later seasons of the show, his storyline was left underdeveloped by the creators. Although the show ended in 1981 and had many subsequent reunion special films, what happened to John Curtis on The Waltons still remains a mystery.

In these early episodes, baby John Curtis charmed audiences so much that at least one critic deemed the new baby "the perfect child," if there ever was one seen on TV. Playing John Curtis was a set of twins named Michael and Marshall Reed.

In the final seasons of The Waltons, it's revealed that Curt is still alive and living off of Walton's Mountain, in a relationship with another woman, pretending not to know of Mary Ellen or John Curtis's existence.

Scott Hylands plays Curt Willard when he reappears after a 2 year absence in "The Tempest" (s9-ep10). John Curtis Willard is the son of Mary Ellen and Curt Willard and the first Walton Grandchild. He appears in 52 episodes of the series.

'The Waltons': Tom Bower Says Curt Was Killed Off After He Asked For a Raise. One of the more iconic love stories on The Waltons was the love and eventual marriage between Judy Norton and Tom Bower's characters on the program.

Morgan Stevens, the TV star of such shows as The Waltons and Fame, has passed away. The world has lost another figurehead of television history. Morgan Stevens, best known for his role in The Waltons, passed away on January 26th, TMZ reports.

Mary Ellen marries Dr. Curtis Willard and they have 1 child, John Curtis, before he is lost and presumed dead after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Eventually she remarries Arlington Westcott Jones "Jonesy" and together they have 2 children, Clay and Katie.

He meets Janet Gilchrist who is an editor for Harper's magazine. The two are married on Walton's Mountain.

Episode 209 The Tempest Mary Ellen discovers that her husband is indeed alive and is living in Florida, but he is quite different from the man she remembers.

Does Curtis come back? ›

Fans of Coronation Street were not happy to see Curtis Delamere back on the cobbles tonight. While his ex-fiancée Emma Brooker was overjoyed to see him after failed attempts to contact him, fans were only left frustrated as the couple reunited.

During the end voice over , John boy states that Erin's marriage is as strong today as it was when they got married , but in A Walton Thanksgiving reunion , she is divorced and states that it was because she found out Paul was cheating on her .

The cast may be new, but the story remains the same. In fact, one very familiar face was invited back to Waltons Mountain to narrate it. Hamner Jr. passed in 2016, after leaving an indelible impression in pop culture, so producers had to find a replacement.

Mary Ellen's husband, Dr. Curtis Williard, was written out of the show by having him killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The love stories carried over behind the scenes. Ma and Pa Walton — Ralph Waite and Michael Learned — quietly fell on love on set. And remember Jason and Toni, who we just mentioned in the prior paragraph? Well, actors Jon Walmsley and Lisa Harrison tied the knot in real life in 1979!

Her character's abrupt disappearance was explained by Olivia developing tuberculosis and entering a sanatorium in Arizona. She made occasional guest appearances until the show's cancelation and later appeared in four of the six Waltons reunion movies made during the 1980s and 1990s.

Elizabeth breaks both legs in a fall from a log pile. When she comes home from the hospital, the family must adjust to her injuries and devise ways to help her walk again, something the Doctors aren't sure she'll be able to do.

The final episode, titled “The Revel,” aired on June 4, 1981. In the episode, John-Boy goes to New York to pursue his writing career but arrives to find that his manuscript has been rejected. His publisher's secretary gives him enough money to return home and advises him to start a new book.

A girl (Jennifer Jason Leigh) claims she is pregnant with Jim-Bob's baby. POW Ben protests his captors by flying a makeshift American flag.

Grandpa Zeb (Will Greer) has died and everyone is mourning. Neighbor Flossie Brimmer has also died. Mary Ellen and Erin move to Charlottesville into an apartment to be on their own.

Is Rose from The Waltons still alive? ›

In 2019, it was reported that Learned and Waite “were in love” off-screen. However, the pair did not pursue a romance. “I loved him very much,” she explained. “And we loved each other as much as anybody could love anybody.

Virginia is only ever depicted on screen as a baby (in the show's final two seasons) and a toddler (in the 1982 reunion special Mother's Day on Walton's Mountain), but her eventual death at the age of 17 is mentioned in the fourth TV film, A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion.

In “The Whirlwind,” Betty Howell arrives at the Walton's home with a picture of Curt. She tells Mary Ellen that Curt calls himself Curt Packer and is alive in Florida.

Almost all of Erin's romances are ill-fated: the object of her affections either dies or proves to have poor character. Eventually she meets and marries Paul Northridge; they have three children: Susan, Amanda, and Peter.

In The Waltons episode "The Revelation," John-Boy proposes to his girlfriend Daisy, and when she said yes, it was a real moment on the show. But by the episode's end, Daisy has called off the wedding, and the next time we see her, Daisy is just an old flame to John-Boy, never to be rekindled.

Real lives

All of the Waltons were based on real people — Hamner's family, his grandfather and grandmother, his father and mother, and his brothers and sisters, of whom there were seven in the show but eight in real life.

We had a marriage that didn't work. This happens. She's somebody I love and respect, but to whom I shouldn't be married any longer.” “Ultimately, we tried, we tried, we tried because we had kids, but both of us felt like we didn't want this to be the model that our kids see of marriage,” he continued.

Reunited and it feels so good. Ben Stiller revealed that he is back together with wife Christine Taylor, nearly five years after the couple first announced their separation.

Elizabeth Walton and Kevin Heil's Wedding Website - The Knot.

What episode does Mary Ellen marry Jonesy? ›

Appearing first in the appropriately titled episode "The Whirlwind," Jonesy strikes up a passionate romance with Mary Ellen. Things don't work out on the show but thanks to the sequel TV movies, that wasn't the last time audiences saw Jonesy. He and Mary Ellen marry in Mother's Day on Walton's Mountain.

"The Waltons" The Grandchild (TV Episode 1977) - IMDb.

"Ralph Waite was fired from his role on due to budgetary issues," the site wrote.

With fans of the soap already aware that Curtis has Factitious Disorder – a mental illness whereby people deceive others by pretending to be unwell – this could have been the moment that Curtis came clean about everything to Emma, but instead he opted to spin another web of lies to cover his tracks.

Corrie fans were stunned on Wednesday evening as the truth about Curtis and his lies about his life-threatening illness were confirmed. The newcomer told his girlfriend Emma Brooker that he had a heart condition earlier this year, with him seemingly deteriorating.

Emma Brooker has made the sad decision to end things with Curtis Delamere in Coronation Street. Friday's New Year's Eve special saw Emma finally reach the end of the rope with Curtis' lies over his heart condition after she happened to see him going into A&E after her driving lesson.

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. The romance was threatened when Curt was discovered not to have died after all, but the two decided their marriage had ended and divorced.

Erin graduates from high school still having no direction for her life. She gets a job as a switchboard operator to buy a typewriter for John-Boy. Family members sneak a look at John-Boy's novel about them and the community. Earl Hamner Jr.

Problems arise when he says he does not want to be married in a church. Serena (Rose's granddaughter) follows Elizabeth all the time. Ashley Longworth Jr returns to the mountain. He proposes to Erin and she accepts.

His career ambitions are cut short by World War II. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, John-Boy, like the other men in the family, has to enroll in the military. He eventually becomes a war correspondent, writing for the Stars and Stripes.

Where is the house that The Waltons was filmed in located? ›

The location of the Walton's house, barn and mill was filmed on the backlot at The Burbank studios. Visible from certain angles Walton's Mountain could be see through the trees. Drucilla's pond was part of the Jungle set.

According to Fame 10, Patricia Neal first was given the role of Olivia Walton on “The Waltons.” At the time, Patricia Neal had been dealing with serious health issues and was replaced by Michael Learned. Producers were unsure if she'd be able to take on the long-term role. Ralph Waite played John Walton Sr.

Olivia is leaving Walton's Mountain, hustled off with tuberculosis to an Arizona sanatorium while her family somehow forges a path between unbearable grief and unbearable stoicism.

'The Waltons': Tom Bower Says Curt Was Killed Off After He Asked For a Raise. One of the more iconic love stories on The Waltons was the love and eventual marriage between Judy Norton and Tom Bower's characters on the program.

While speaking with The Press-Telegram in 1972, Michael Learned, otherwise known as Olivia from The Waltons, said that her unusual name was chosen long before she was even conceived.

He meets Janet Gilchrist who is an editor for Harper's magazine. The two are married on Walton's Mountain.

Ritter, who played Reverend Fordwick, left the show after the 1975-76 season.

In March of 1977, Thomas left the series and his role was taken over by Robert Wightman. However, Thomas returned to the role in three Waltons TV movies in the 1990s, including A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion in 1993. Thomas won an Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Dramatic Series in 1973.

14 April 1999

Ellen Corby / Date of death

Why did The Waltons get Cancelled? ›

The announcement shocked fans, but the network's decision came after The Waltons had spent years on a gradual descent from the top of the TV ratings. The show had dipped from No. 2 in its second season, down to the nation's No. 42 show by its ninth.

In The Waltons episode "The Revelation," John-Boy proposes to his girlfriend Daisy, and when she said yes, it was a real moment on the show. But by the episode's end, Daisy has called off the wedding, and the next time we see her, Daisy is just an old flame to John-Boy, never to be rekindled.

Mary Ellen marries Dr. Curtis Willard and they have 1 child, John Curtis, before he is lost and presumed dead after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Eventually she remarries Arlington Westcott Jones "Jonesy" and together they have 2 children, Clay and Katie.

Her character's abrupt disappearance was explained by Olivia developing tuberculosis and entering a sanatorium in Arizona. She made occasional guest appearances until the show's cancelation and later appeared in four of the six Waltons reunion movies made during the 1980s and 1990s.

Ritter was initially treated by emergency room physicians for a heart attack; however, his condition quickly worsened. Ritter was then diagnosed with aortic dissection and was taken into surgery but he was pronounced dead at 10:48 p.m.

The final episode, titled “The Revel,” aired on June 4, 1981. In the episode, John-Boy goes to New York to pursue his writing career but arrives to find that his manuscript has been rejected. His publisher's secretary gives him enough money to return home and advises him to start a new book. He returned home dejected.

Later during the service the Reverend announces to the congregation's surprise that Jim-Bob has chosen to become a preacher.

The love stories carried over behind the scenes. Ma and Pa Walton — Ralph Waite and Michael Learned — quietly fell on love on set. And remember Jason and Toni, who we just mentioned in the prior paragraph? Well, actors Jon Walmsley and Lisa Harrison tied the knot in real life in 1979!