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‘The Waltons’: Mary Ellen Actress Judy Norton’s Biological Brother Makes a Cameo Appearance in ‘The Long Night Episode’

If you’re a fan of The Waltons, you know it’s all about family. The show took place in Depression and WWII-era Appalachia. So, many of the plotlines dealt with the challenges of the time. However, at the end of the day, it was all about how a strong family unit weathered those storms. Over the course of the show, they went through all manner of trials and tribulations. The Walton clan saw death, depression, addiction, and so much more. Judy Norton, who played Mary Ellen was there for all of it.

Currently, Judy Norton is working to preserve the memory of the iconic family drama. She hosts a web series in which she talks at length about The Waltons. Sometimes, she talks about broad concepts. Other times, she will break down a specific episode. It doesn’t matter what she’s talking about, though. If you tune in, you will always be getting first-hand information from behind the scenes of one of television’s best classic shows.

In a previous installment of her web series, Judy Norton pointed out that they liked to “keep it in the family” on The Waltons. Usually, that meant hiring crew members or actors who worked on the show previously. On the other hand, it could mean that they worked on other shows for the production company. Sometimes, it meant hiring married actors to play the roles of a married couple. Either way you look at it, family was a theme on the show both in front of and behind the camera.

Today Judy Norton posted an installment of her show that focuses on the episode, “The Long Night,” from season five of The Waltons. During her breakdown of the episode, she points out another instance of “keeping it in the family.”

Judy Norton’s Brother Made a Cameo on The Waltons

“The Long Night,” focuses on Grandma being in the hospital. Grandpa Walton wants to go visit her but is forbidden. Grandma needs her rest. So, she can’t have visitors. There are several scenes in the hospital as Grandpa tries to sneak in to see his wife. It is in one of these scenes that we get to see Judy Norton’s brother, Dave.

As she’s breaking down the scenes and pointing out all the little things she noticed, Judy Norton takes a moment to call attention to the hospital’s lobby area. There are three people sitting in chairs waiting. One of them is a young boy. About him, Norton said, “I’m pretty darn sure that is my own brother, Dave, sitting there in the waiting room. I did a double-take like, ‘Whoa, whoa, wait a minute, I think that’s my brother.’ It was so fun to see him highlighted there.”