Producers on The Waltons tried making Olivia Walton look older - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 11-12-2025, 04:44 AM

https://www.metv.com/stories/produce...ton-look-older

The casting description called for an actress in her early to mid-40s, with long, reddish hair. Michael Learned was the opposite.

biffbronson · 12-22-2025, 10:22 AM

The article describes her as "a 32-year-old actress with short blonde hair."

But here she is in her 1973 episode of Gunsmoke, with gorgeous, very long red hair (aired Sept. '73):

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Size: 387.9 KB

So apparently she was wearing a wig on Gunsmoke, as that was a year after the debut of The Waltons.

stevea · 12-22-2025, 11:14 AM

They tried to give her kind of a frumpy look. Impossible with Michael.

11-12-2025, 04:44 AM	#1
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 124,928	Producers on The Waltons tried making Olivia Walton look older https://www.metv.com/stories/produce...ton-look-older The casting description called for an actress in her early to mid-40s, with long, reddish hair. Michael Learned was the opposite.

12-22-2025, 10:22 AM	#2
biffbronson Sentimental Fool Forum Star Join Date: Aug 22, 2009 Location: Near Notre Dame Posts: 10,323	The article describes her as "a 32-year-old actress with short blonde hair." But here she is in her 1973 episode of Gunsmoke, with gorgeous, very long red hair (aired Sept. '73): So apparently she was wearing a wig on Gunsmoke, as that was a year after the debut of The Waltons.

12-22-2025, 11:14 AM	#3
stevea 22 Years On Sitcoms Moderator Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 13, 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 44,344	They tried to give her kind of a frumpy look. Impossible with Michael.