The Baldwin sisters on The Waltons died almost exactly two years apart

Helen Kleeb and Mary Jackson both lived well into their nineties.

Mamie and Emily Baldwin created many great moments on The Waltons. They brought a quirky yet refined charm to the show.

The Baldwins lived nearby and would always drop in with a friendly smile, even if it wasn’t the most opportune moment for the Walton family. The sisters proclaimed the virtues of their father’s “recipe,” which was a lot more alcoholic than they seemed to realize. Emily Baldwin always pined for her lost love, Ashley Longworth, waiting for him to return one day.

The brilliant performances by Helen Kleeb and Mary Jackson were what made the Baldwin sisters so memorable. They were funny, endearing and sophisticated all at the same time. They seemed so much like real sisters, whether they were bickering or supporting each other.

Just like the sisters they played, Kleeb and Jackson shared many things in common. They were both born at the beginning of the twentieth century. The depression hit right as they were entering the entertainment industry but they persevered and eventually made it to Hollywood.

Mary Jackson appeared on many different shows before The Waltons. She acted in My Three Sons, The Fugitive and The Invaders. She was also on The Twilight Zone and The Andy Griffith Show, two shows her future TV sister also performed on. Helen Kleeb plays Mattie Glover in The Twilight Zone episode Jess-Belle. The episode involves an Appalachian girl who asks a witch to make her a love potion. The episode was written by none other than Earl Hamner, Jr. himself, a decade before he created The Waltons!

Both Kleeb and Jackson continued to act through the late 1990s. They reprised their roles as the Baldwin sisters for TV movies A Walton Wedding (1995) and A Walton Easter (1997). Helen Kleeb passed away just shy of her 97th birthday in late December, 2003. Two years later, Mary Jackson died shortly after her 95th birthday in December of 2005.

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22 Comments

Mtn2704kurt67 10 months ago
Call me lucky! Not long after the Waltons I got to spend 3 weeks with the cast of Threes Company!!!! My friends hounded me for autographs. They were hilarious!! One episode took 7 plus hours to record. The mistakes would have you rolling!! John Ritter took me to lunch on the set one day. It was just on studio grounds but he made me feel like a big shot! Those were the days!
Mtn2704kurt67 10 months ago
Growing up I was lucky enough to spend almost an entire season during the recording of season 4. I actually became friends with will greers daughters. He was a genuine person. Rick (Richard Thomas) was another kind hearted soul. The entire cast signed a shirt for me when I had to go back. My uncle was a screener for the show.
Mblack 21 months ago
When the series started, the Baldwins were not welcome in theWalton house. Because of the "recipe", maWalton didn't like them. It changed over time, even when Jason did some work for them, she wasn't happy. But later, Erin wrote down their memoirs.Don't you know?
MrJL 32 months ago
Miss Mamie had two babies with Big Daddy Deveroux.
Virginia and Blanche.

Blanche became one of The stars of The Golden Girls….
MrJL MrJL 32 months ago
Oops, sorry, four babies. I forgot Charlemagne and Phil.
GaleGrove 39 months ago
Erin is meeting a young suitor by the name of Ashley Longworth in The Lost Sheep episode. Ashley Longworth is also the name of the lost beau of Emily Baldwin, the Baldwin sister who still pines for him. Obviously a reuse of the name!!
AnnieM GaleGrove 38 months ago
I thought they said in the episode that he was a relative of Miss Emily's Ashley?
DeborahGipe AnnieM 32 months ago
There was Ashley Sr, and Ashley Jr. Ashley Jr. came to tell Miss Emily that his father died and to give her a letter from his father. That's how he and Erin met.
MrJL DeborahGipe 32 months ago
Yeah but Miss Emily thought the young one was her suitor ….
BrianHarris 47 months ago
Simon says Doo Doo what I Do Da Do
TQuat63 52 months ago
I was watching a movie with Bette Davis and saw Ellen Corby (Grandma Walton) and Helen Kleeb (Mamie Baldwin) playing town gossips in the movie, titled "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte (1964). They were immediately recognizable. All of their acting credits go back to 1951. I loved the scenes with Emily Baldwin. She was so funny with her sister. She also has a long acting list to around the same year.
RedjacArbez 56 months ago
When this show first aired...I thought it sucked....too saccharine sweet. I was not within the targeted demog. Now 40+ years later......great show.
kathy 56 months ago
I loved the show.always loved that old house.
Smith2017 56 months ago
I just watched one of the Baldwin sister play on Gunsmoke, I think it was Mamie, they were outstanding actress, and Grandma on the Walton, she always threw shade on any women that looked at Grandpa 🤣
Dwight 56 months ago
Another TV show they both had in common, post “The Waltons”, was “Star Trek: Deep Space 9”. They were not in any episodes together though.
ETristanBooth Dwight 56 months ago
And Ashley Longworth, Jr. was played by Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: TNG).
zekezeus1 56 months ago
Loved the Baldwin Sisters! Who could forget Esther Walton throwing shade or giving them “the look” and they were totally oblivious lol. Fantastic acting from three amazing actresses. 👍🏼
Lillyrose 56 months ago
The Baldwin Sisters were hilarious!
JamesTiscareno 56 months ago
They just don't make TV shows like " The Waltons " anymore. It's still a great show. I still enjoy watching reruns when I can and loved the Baldwin sisters.
Pacificsun JamesTiscareno 56 months ago
Rare shows like that come from the depth of the actors' experiences, much of it having to do with theater, and classic training. You just don't see the transition between performers on "Broadway" moving into television that much anymore.
Evelyn 56 months ago
I just love the Waltons! Miss Mamie n Miss Emily is very special ladies on there! They are two of my favorite characters on there. I love where they drive their car! It was so sad when grandpa died!
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