Replies...
Name: Jodi
Message:
The Complete Directory of Prime-Time TV Shows gives the kids' ages when the show started in '77, as David 23, Mary 21, Joannie 20, Susan 19, Nancy 18, Elizabeth 15, Tommy 14, Nicholas 8. Tom and Joan were supposed to be married 25 years. Like Mary asked in the first episode, "Mom, why didn't you DO something?" Or maybe NOT do something. . .
Name: Nathan
Message:
Yeah, and what's weirder is that David had his high school reunion and it clearly said "Class of '71" on the banner outside which would have made him 28 in '81 (assuming he was 18 when he graduated- which maybe he wasn't) thus almost 24 in '77 when the series began. Oh, let's also not forget that Tom turned 50 in the 1987 TV movie reunion at which point David would have been 34. Wait a minute....
Name: Jodi
Message:
Did you ever watch the Walton's reunion shows? First they resurrected Grandma after she "died" during the series run. Then Olivia and John had their 40th anniversary in 1967, which would have made them just married in 1927, but the series started during the mid-30s and John-Boy was a teenager. The writers don't necessarily watch the old shows like the fans do.
Name: ?
Message:
Jodi, I understand your point exactly. However, don't you think that the writers on EiE would get the ages right during the first season? I guess my question should be - did anyone hear David stating his age. Maybe the subsequent information about David's age is wrong? Did you hear David saying his age?
Name: Jodi
Message:
You would think so, but I think I do remember him saying he was 22 to Dr. Max in 77. That would have made him born in '55 (approx.) and graduating from high school in 72/73, not 71, unless he started at age 5 or skipped a year. Who knows? I don't think the writers were really too concerned about accuracy.
Name: Gwynne
Message:
I don't remember the grandmother in the Walton's dying, she was sick, and had a stroke in real life, and then was back on the show ocasionally.
Name: Jodi
Message:
I was going by the info in the "Complete Directory" that says, "With Olivia gone and Grandma now having passed away, Olivia's cousin Rose arrived. . ." I can't remember whether I ever saw any episode that mentioned Grandma dying, because I quit watching about this time. The show was fizzling out and yet they kept trying to keep it going, and I didn't care about all the new people. Maybe someday when I have lots of time (ha) I'll watch all the reruns and find out.
Name: Gwynne
Message:
yes, those episodes with Rose are showing now on TNN. Even though, John, Olivia, the grandfather are gone, I still like these episodes. Sorry to get off the subject of EIE, but they did have the same producers.
Name: Jodi
Message:
We have sort of gotten off the subject, but another show from the 60s that sent lots of its actors to EIE is the old gothic soap, Dark Shadows. The reason I bring it up: Once at a convention, some of the writers/producers were talking about how they made sure a new situation would fit in with what had happened before.They went out in back of the studio where all the kids (fans) were hanging out and asked them what had happened before on the show, and they knew. See, EIE writers needed to consult their fans! We could have told them.
I always felt like most of the actors on EIE were playing characters who were their own age or thereabouts. Except of course, Laurie Walters. Lucky for her she could play ten years younger.
Name: Gwynne
Message:
I didn't know Laurie was 10 years older than her character. I wonder what she is doing now; I never hear anything about her, like you do some of the others. I know that Susan was considerably older than the character she played, in fact just a few years younger than Betty.
Name: Julie
Message:
Laurie is a few months older than Betty, I think you got her confused with Susan, who is younger than Laurie and Betty.