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‘The Waltons’ Star Perfectly Explained Why Show Was Nostalgic in the 1970s and Today

“The Waltons” provided a nostalgic look to its viewers. One of the show’s stars explained why that happened in the 1970s as well as today.

Eric Scott, who played Ben Walton on the CBS family drama, talked about this in a 2011 interview with Herbie J Pilato.

“When I talk to people that grew up watching it within my generation,” Scott said, “I think they are connecting it back to the wonderful time they had growing up in the ’60s and the ’70s.

“So I think that nostalgia is probably part of the attraction now,” he said in the 2011 interview. “And remember, too, because it was based in the 1930s, it was nostalgic even then (when it debuted in the ’70s).”

‘The Waltons’ Star Said He Didn’t Think About Effect Show Had On Anything

Scott, “The Waltons” actor who now runs a parcel delivery service in Encino, Calif., said it’s funny while clarifying what he means by that.

“Because when we were doing the show, I didn’t think about the effect it had on anything,” Scott, who appeared in all of “The Waltons” episodes, said. “We were just working. It was a production. I looked at it from an acting standpoint or learned from it from a post-production standpoint.”

Scott said the entire process was technical to him. He added that he didn’t look at it as entertaining or think about the public enjoying the show.

“I could never control any of that,” he said. “And we would never change what we were doing to appease others. We just did what we felt was right for the show and with each script, and we honored that.”

Besides Scott, three other actors on “The Waltons” appeared in each episode. They were Jon Walmsley [Jason Walton], Mary McDonough [Erin Walton], and Kami Cotler [Elizabeth Walton].

Scott Fondly Remembered Show Creator Hamner Jr. Being Involved

“The Waltons” aired for nine seasons on CBS. Show creator Earl Hamner Jr. was intimately involved in aspects of the show.

Scott said the cast was a “troupe all the way” and that extended to Hamner. “I had never worked with a producer/writer like we did with Earl,” Scott said. He went on to say that having Hamner Jr. on set was like having an in-house writer on hand.

He said Hamner Jr. paid close attention to the show’s scripts. Hamner Jr. always was there to talk to about the characters and plotlines, according to Scott. Hamner Jr. looked over each script with metaphorical “magnified glasses.”

Ralph Waite and Michael Learned starred as John and Olivia Walton, respectively, on the show. Other cast members included Richard Thomas and Judy Norton. The show’s nostalgia remains an attractive element for people just watching it for the first time.