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John Ritter was a barrel of laughs during his time guest starring on The Waltons
As an actor, Ritter was known for his work in television shows like Three's Company.
While plenty of television fans remember John Ritter for his work on Three’s Company, few remember his guest appearance in Earl Hamner Jr.’s popular series, The Waltons. Ritter appeared in eighteen episodes of the series as Rev. Matthew Fordwick. A close friend of actor Richard Thomas, cast members recall that Ritter was as entertaining behind the scenes as he was in front of the camera.
“This episode marked the appearance of one of my favorite Walton characters, John Ritter as the Reverend Matthew Fordwick,” wrote Jon Walmsley, who played Jason Walton, in Goodnight John-Boy by Earl Hamner. “It was obvious that John was destined for comedic stardom. He kept us laughing constantly. John and Richard Thomas had something of a contest to see who could ‘gross out’ the other.”
Mariclare Costello, who played schoolteacher Rosemary Hunter Fordwick, also remembered Ritter fondly. “A vivid memory of working on The Waltons was on an episode in which we filmed outdoors on the Warner Brothers lot in a tree-filled area near a lake,” wrote Costello. “It was at a picnic with races and games. Richard Thomas, John Ritter, and I were in a series of scenes together that day. Richard and John were great friends - in life as well as in this episode - and they made each other laugh; oh, how they made each other laugh. And they both made me laugh.”
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