Olivia Walton: I'm disappointed...

[mauro43]

Hi everybody,

I have been watching the whole story of "The Waltons" (I have only 20 episodes left, unfortunately.. I wish it never ended...), and if there is one thing that I do not like is the way the character of "Olivia" has been developed, and the way it disappeared in the last seasons.

Her illness could be "realistic", but since she joined the Red Cross her absence at home in many important episodes is not "credible" at all. Too many crucial events happen without she comes back: marriage, departures for the war of her sons,...

Does anyone know if there have been some "hard quarrels" between Michael Learned and the production, and if she left or she has been cut out from the show? I think that something happened, because it seems to me pretty clear that there is a "cut" or a "detour" in the storyline....

Ciao from Italy!

[dfnmeows44]

I do know she appeared in numerous commercials for a sinus headache medication. This can be a long term
problem for someone especially if the sinus becomes infected. Although these commecials appeared in the
late 1980s and early 1990s after the series ended, she may have been a victim of this disorder for some
time and may have had to ask for time off from the series for either rest or treatments.

[kazk]

Michael did a lot of other work between 1980-81 including starring in a series called Nurse. She won an Emmy award for her performance in that show. I think she wanted to simply be able to take other acting roles.

[Marilyn]

I agree the way she exited the show made no sense at all. I don't know what the writer's were thinking. They made a few major gaffes with John Curtis going poof into thin air and both of Ben's kids disappearing as well.

[dfnmeows44]

Virginia, the daughter of Cindy and Ben, died sometime between the fall of 1961 and the spring of 1962
(CF The Walton Thanksgiving,1963) when it was said 'It's been almost two years". John Curtis may have
been written out of the specials for budget reasons. We do not know what happened to any of the others

[River]

She was tired of saying, "More coffee John." So she left to star in a 1980 TV movie titled Nurse, which ended up serving as the pilot for a show that ran for two seasons and 25 episodes, spanning April 1981 - May 1982.

[Marilyn]

Yeah I knew what happened to Virginia, but what a shame the second child was never mentioned as Cindy mourned.

Too funny about the coffee comment!

[davidm]

Michael Learned has said that the schedule was too grueling for her, she also wanted to play a character that wasn't such a goody two-shoe, she didn't want to be stereotyped, and she was offered a starring role in Nurse. To her credit she stayed with the Waltons as long as she could before having to devote all her time for Nurse. And yes, she didn't like serving coffee so much. She and Earl Hamner has bother stated that she once said to Earl, "I didn't study acting just to pour coffee for everyone all the time." So Earl had John serve coffee one time. Both also stated that she asked Earl one time if his mother really was as straight laced as Olivia is portrayed. I have no problem with Olivia's character until the last 3 reunion movies. She's not the mother she had been, not only is she somewhat of a feminist but God and church didn't seem to be so important to her as it once had been. My understanding was, that until Alzheimer took Doris Hamner's ability to think away her faith was very strong.

[Deleted]

Seems like most of us women have grown tired of saying "More coffee (insert his name here)." Never got us anywhere.

[davidm]

An interesting thing, Doris Hamner use to invite some of the visitors to the Walton's Mountain Museum in occasionally, not for a cup of coffee, but for a cup of tea. Could you fancy that? Wouldn't it have been nice if Olivia, just once, said, "No John, I won't make coffee. This time it's either tea or nothing! What's your pleasure?" Or, just once, have Olivia point to her forehead and say, "John, do you see Folgers written anywhere here?"