‘Waltons’ actress shares ‘Lessons from the Mountain’

Actress Mary McDonough is familiar to most people in her role as the red-headed middle daughter Erin on “The Waltons.”

Cast to perform in the original television movie, “The Homecoming,” McDonough was kept on with the cast of children for the show that evolved from the movie, and for nine years literally grew up on television.

In her memoir, “Lessons from the Mountain: What I Learned From Erin Walton,” McDonough shares not only what it was like to be part of the rambunctious cast, but also how the role followed her into adulthood, sometimes with a negative effect.

McDonough’s book unfolds as a series of short stories, in which she reveals snippets of her life including how her painful shyness and recurring depression were nearly crippling during her adolescent years, and how difficult it was to find work as an actress after the show’s cancellation.

She also reveals how an effort to change her looks with breast implants in order to find work very nearly cost her life after faulty implants leaked silicone into her body, causing her to develop the painful disease of lupus as well as other conditions. As a result, she became an advocate for changes in the health care industry.

McDonough’s story is insightful as well as inspiring. Her stories of being with her “other” family on the set of “The Waltons” gives fans of the show a behind-the-scenes look at what was perceived as an idyllic family, and was in fact, a very close-knit group of actors.

McDonough’s stories of veteran actor Will Geer, who played Grandpa, and how he led the children of the show on a variety of adventures and mischief are wonderful and bring to mind stories any grandchild would share of her beloved grandparent. McDonough was also very close to Ellen Colby, who played Grandma, and who was very loving and nurturing, even after a debilitating stroke made it hard for her to continue working on the series.

Even though McDonough experienced the ups and downs of Hollywood as a child and teen, she seems to have become a fairly well-adjusted adult, and her shared memories in this autobiography are evidence of the strength of character and conviction she has cultivated.