Connection to Ellen Corby

[flossieskid]

I think many people assume that most every working actor knows every other working actor in the Screen Actors Guild. While I know that is not the case, often times an actor will work with someone a few times. That is how long term, lasting friendships begin.
Both my parents have a unique connection to Grandma Walton, Ellen Corby. My father left New York where he was performing in numerous radio shows (many written by Earl Hamner) to go to Hollywood to check out this new thing called “television”. But, the very FIRST movie my Dad filmed in Hollywood was called “Illegal” starting Edward G. Robinson. Who do you think was his secretary? Fabulous Ellen Corby! Now, fast forward about 25 years and my Mom’s LAST performance was in The Waltons - starring the equally talented ‘older’ Ellen Corby. Then, as I mentioned in a prior post, when my Mom was admitted to The Motion Picture Hospital, five days before she died, she was put in a room that we were told Ellen Corby stayed in after her stroke, doing her rehab, before going home.
So, it is extremely rare for any child of actors to have one parent START their career with an amazing actress and then have the other parent END their career, 25 years later, with the exact same actress! What are the odds?!?!
One other interesting coincidence - Jayne Mansfield was also in the movie “Illegal”. Her grandson, Mik, is my son Ryan’s best friend. They have known each other since the 2nd grade and Ryan was best man at Mik’s wedding. So BOTH their grandparents are in the same movie decades before they were even born! Now, THAT is an amazing coincidence, right?!?!
Show business has a lot of very interesting stories, but my parents’
connection to Ellen Corby is quite unique and I thought deserved a shout-out!

[Easton]

It's like playing '6 degrees of Kevin Bacon' except that you're probably the only person who can play '2 degrees of Ellen Corby'.

[Brenda]

Thanks for sharing this story. I believe the last episode your mother appeared in was The Grandchild, Season 6. Sadly, Grandma was gone during most of Season 6 due to Ellen Corby’s stroke, and only appeared in the last episode of that season, Grandma Comes Home. Watching that episode always makes me sad because I know it’s the last episode Grandpa appeared in since Will Geer died before Season 7 began. It must have been a sad time for the rest of the cast. 

Attachments:

[nedandres]

Yes, it was sad that "The Waltons" lost Will and Nora and Ellen (to a degree because her role was much-reduced) at the same time. The show, in my opinion, was never the same after that.

[patriciaanne]

What a fabulous story! Thank you so much for sharing it with us. 💗