TV Radio Magazine, April 1956, Three Young Musketeers

We didn’t plan it this way … it just happened. And, for a thing that just sort of grew all by itself, it’s been a wonderful experience and ever so much fun.” This is Mrs. Paul Walken’s way of explaining how she, a non-professional, has raised actors in their own rights … Ken, 16, Ronnie, 12, and Glenn, 9. And when she says it’s “ever so much fun,” she’s speaking for herself as much as for her boys. She freely admits she “always had a yen for the theater” (her mother had been a professional dancer) but evidently not enough of a desire to strike out for herself. Now, being able to sit on the sidelines in the reflected glory of her three actively acting young men is all the excitement she could ask.

However, it was certainly not for this reason that any of the Walken brothers entered the acting profession. It all goes back to when Ken was eight and Mrs. Walken took him from their Bayside home to New York to register him with the Conover modeling agency. Ken did very well with his modeling assignments and obviously enjoyed himself. If there had been even the slightest indication that he disliked what he was doing, she would have put a stop to the activities immediately. As Ronnie and Glenn came along, they had a natural entree into the business as a result of their older brother’s success. Along with his early Conover jobs, Glenn also worked with the famous baby photographer, Constance Bannister, and you’ll find a number of his pictures in her fabulous collection of baby pictures satirizing big business men.

Again following in their older brother’s footsteps, Ronnie and Glenn parlayed their modeling careers into TV and radio careers via that bill-payer of all time – commercials. When he was five, Glenn got his first call for a commercial try-out … on TV’s Chance Of A Lifetime. Among the other contestants was brother Ronnie. Eliminations were made and eventually it dwindled down to the two Walken boys. Mrs. Walken started worrying. This was the first time any of her boys had been in direct competition with each other. One had to lose! How would he take it? How should she handle the situation should friction and jealousy result?

As it turned out, her worries were all for naught. The directors obviously liked both boys, but the decision was made in favor of Glenn … Ronnie was a little too old and too tall. Upset? “Not one bit”, smiles Mrs. Walken. “And being the older and more experienced of the two – he had already done a number of commercials – Ronnie willingly did all he could to help Glenn over his first hurdle. In fact, it's been that way ever since.

“Despite the difference in their ages,” says Mrs. Walken, “Glenn and Ronnie sound very much alike. And until very recently, when The World of Mr. Sweeney moved out to the West Coast, Glenn had a running part in it, as well as his current assignment as young Mike Bauer in The Guiding Light. Glenn, did the Sweeney role, which was visual, while Ronnie subbed for him on the radio Guiding Light. Then Ronnie would coach Glenn so he’d be able to “duplicate” his own performance for the TV version of The Guiding Light! Ronnie takes great pride in his pupil.”

Just to keep the records straight, the “subbing” department is neither new nor one-sided. Two summers ago, Ronnie picked up a thirteen-week stanza for Exploring God’s World – with the understanding that, if it presented a conflict with previous commitments, brother Glenn could substitute … which he did.

For one so young in years, Glenn has shown a remarkable flair and ability dating right back to his early modeling days. “He always seemed to know just what to do,” his mother explains. “Long before the cameraman could tell him what pose to strike, Glenn would seem to sense that in this picture he probably should have his hand in his pocket, or be putting on his gloves, or whatever the case might be.”

When Glenn went into TV and radio, this ability stood him in good stead, as did his very quick memory. He not only memorizes his own lines quickly but, by the time rehearsals are over, he’s apt to know most of the lines of the other characters.

“Actually,” Mrs. Walken continues, “all three boys have fast memories, and when we’re studying scripts at night I’m always pleased to see how they honestly try to help each other and accept all criticism in the spirit in which it was intended.”

This somewhat unusual Walken spirit is quite the talk of the network casting departments, for when one is called in for a tryout and told he is either too big or too little, the casting director is sure to hear: “I’ve got a brother …”

Being the eldest, Ken has had a hand in the professional development of both of his younger brothers. Whether or not this has had any direct bearing on his future career thoughts, he is now of the mind that – after college – he would like to get into the directing and producing end of the business. But until such time, he continues to get as much experience in as many phases of acting as possible, and for the past several summers has sweated it out on the straw-hat circuit in Woodstock and Atlantic City. On Broadway, he appeared in “The Climate of Eden” and “Anniversary Waltz.” His TV credits would make many an older actor envious, and include such poplar shows as Studio One, Kraft Theater, Your Show Of Shows, Mama, The Jackie Gleason Show and Treasury Men in Action – to name of few.

Not to be left farther behind Ken than their ages necessitate, Ronnie and Glenn can list many of the same shows on their casting cards. In addition, they both appeared in the movie, ”The Marrying Kind,” starring Judy Holliday and Aldo Ray. And Ronnie – the only musical member of this Walken trio – also appeared in Broadway’s “Madame Butterfly.”

To other lively, fun-loving youngsters, this may seem like a lot of work … but not to the Walken boys, who all agree they’re having a ball. School? Well, that’s another thing. Ken and Ronnie are enrolled in New York’s Professional Children’s School, which they attend – except when on an acting assignment – from 10:00 A.M. to 2:15 or 2:30 P.M. Because of his running part on The Guiding Light, Glenn cannot attend the school and must be tutored after hours.

One of the questions most frequently asked of Mrs. Walken concerns what most people think of as the “irregular” lives of Ken, Ronnie and Glenn … don’t they miss the activities most boys include in their growing-up days? Actually, there are very few “regular” activities the brothers miss. As mother-secretary-manager of her brood, Mrs. Walken sees to it that their assignments never cut into their being “just boys.”

Just like all the other boys, they have certain and definite responsibilities around the house. Glenn, for instance, rakes leaves in the fall to earn money for the movies. During the rest of the year, he sweeps out the garage and driveway to earn his spending money. Last summer, Ronnie religiously mowed the lawn of a neighbor every Saturday morning for sixty-five cents.

Like most of their neighborhood friends, they, too, have pets … the only difference being they have a few more than most -- including two dogs of questionable ancestry, named Blondie and Penny, and a cat. As with most boys, they have their own private collections – Glenn, foreign coins, and Ronnie, knives. Both younger brothers are boat and plane enthusiasts … if you ask Glenn what he wants to do when he grows up, quick as a flash he replies: “Be an actor and buy a yacht for all the family.”

There’s a game room on the fourth floor of the Walkens’ ten-room home in Bayside, Long Island, which houses an elaborate train set and Ronnie’s lab. Glenn’s lab equipment is installed in the basement playroom, for it’s in this one activity that Mrs. Walken has found evidence of brotherly friction … the kind of experiment to take place, how it should be handled and the division of clean-up chores.

No, there’s very little these three boys have missed because of “working.” Rather, there’s a great deal they have gained. Although they’ve always enjoyed their “working” hours, they’ve learned to make the most of their leisure. And by working together they’ve developed a family pride that will stand by them throughout their lives.

When it comes to Walken family pride, perhaps the greatest exponent is Papa – Paul Walken, who owns his own bake shop in Astoria, Long Island. Three or four times a week there’s sure to be a large placard in his shop window reading: “Be sure to see my Glenn (or Ken or Ronnie) today in The Guiding Light (or Studio One or Robert Montgomery Presents, or whatever the show may be).”

So … whether their children remain in the acting profession after they’ve grown up or move on to other vocations … Mr. and Mrs. Walken have the satisfaction of knowing that -- because of the loyalty developed in their formative years -- Ken, Ronnie and Glenn will remain a one-for-all and all-for-one trio … three happy “musketeers” of the acting profession!

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Click on thumbnails to enlarge

Captions for photos, moving left to right from top to bottom:

1. There are marvelous model trains in the game room too, and it’s a toss-up as to who is the most eager engineer – Glenn (foreground) – Ronnie – or their dad.

2. Growing boys must have their collections and Mrs. Walken is glad that Glenn’s hobby is something so educational – and relatively tidy! -- as foreign coins.

3. Mr. and Mrs. Paul Walken have reason to be proud of all three of their talented sons: Ronnie, 12; Ken, 16; and Glenn, 9.

4. Dogs Penny and Blondie wait patiently, while Glenn and Ronnie do their regular chores for pocket – money.

5. Ronnie has his laboratory in the upstairs game room where Ken helps out. (Glenn’s lab equipment is in the basement playroom, so experiments won’t get mixed up.)

6. Dad shares the Walken boys’ enthusiasm for mechanical toys. Glenn’s particularly fascinated by boats, and he can’t wait to grow up and “buy a yacht for the family.”

7. There’s plenty of time for play, too -- and tree houses to play in!