Grandma comes home

[River]

When Ellen returned, I wonder if the children were given any instructions in how to interact with her? Did someone come to the set and explain to them about Ellen's limitations and condition? They all interacted so well with her.

[navywife]

I, too, have noticed how well they did with her, and their affection towards her character seemed real...directed towards her as a person, too. I never felt it was stiff or acted. I was sorry that Ellen Corby had a stroke but it was good to see the kids on the show treating her well..made for some memorable scenes. I noticed they seemed to hug and kiss her more after the stroke than before.

[JeriJet]

May 11, 2013 9:07:44 GMT -5 navywife said:

I, too, have noticed how well they did with her, and their affection towards her character seemed real...directed towards her as a person, too. I never felt it was stiff or acted. I was sorry that Ellen Corby had a stroke but it was good to see the kids on the show treating her well..made for some memorable scenes. I noticed they seemed to hug and kiss her more after the stroke than before.

Heh, heh.... yeah, she wasn't as vinegary after the stoke

[carol]

[/quote]Heh, heh.... yeah, she wasn't as vinegary after the stoke [/quote]

I guess she couldn't be since she wasn't able to speak. Also she wrote in her diary that she prayed that if she could go home again that she wouldn't be so vinegary with the family. She also wrote that she thought that was why the Lord took her voice away.

[Brenda]

I would guess that the children were given some instruction on how to interact with her. It would be nice if Eric or one of the other cast members would weigh in on this and tell us how the children were prepared.

No, Grandma wasn't as vinegary after her stroke. As Carol said, it would be hard to be vinegary given her difficulty with speech. I think she always felt a little guilty that she was often so short-tempered with Zeb and the children, which is why she wrote what she did in her journal. That was a part of her personality, though, and she never really lost it. Remember when she gave Cindy the broom and told her to go after Ben with it, just as she had taken the broom to Grandpa in the past? "Old fool, young fool." Typical vinegary Grandma personality coming out there.

[nedandres]

Mary McDonough aludes to this in her book with a reference to an incident when she created tension for coaching Ellen during a scene.

[Deleted]

I think that because this group of actors had all been working together for many years before Ellen's stroke, they just treated her the way they would have treated their own grandmother.
I was so happy to see her back on the show. I think everyone handled it perfectly. In fact, her scenes were so endearing, it made me want to reach through the screen and hug her!

[Brenda]

May 13, 2013 10:29:07 GMT -5 @nickie said:

I think that because this group of actors had all been working together for many years before Ellen's stroke, they just treated her the way they would have treated their own grandmother.
I was so happy to see her back on the show. I think everyone handled it perfectly. In fact, her scenes were so endearing, it made me want to reach through the screen and hug her!

I think you are right, Nickie. I do think the children thought of her as another grandmother. They probably had to be taught how to react to her, though, just as children in real life would have to be instructed on how to react to a family member who has suffered a stroke. I've always felt that this was one of the most courageous moments in television history, when Ellen Corby returned from a debilitating stroke to reprise her role as Grandma Walton. She could have just given up, but she didn't. She obviously worked very hard to be able to return the way she did. I think it could be a source of encouragement to others who might be facing similar physical obstacles.