Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/factsverse?sub_confirmation=1 Or, watch more videos here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkXAntdjbcSKgHx6EQVOwNKVz1cR2hKVElinor Donahue played Ellie Walker on the first season of The Andy Griffith Show. She needed to take a break for her emotional health. 26 Feb Feb I went pretty much immediately fromFather Knows BestintoThe Andy Griffith Showwhere I was really playing a grownup with a profession, and moxie and stuff, she says. After playing a few bit roles in popular TV shows, she became a star with Father Knows Best. I had a three-year contract for that show, but at the end of the first year I asked to be let out of it, because I didnt feel that I was playing the role properly. Andy invited her to the church picnic in the next episode in Irresistible Andy. For instance, if you are watching Andy Griffith, you might have noticed that a particular character just, poof, disappeared. In 1979, she appeared on Diff'rent Strokes as a fiance to Mr. Drummond in season 1. Griffith died on July 3, 2012, from a heart attack at the age of 86 at his coastal home in Manteo, Roanoke Island, in Dare County, North Carolina. She later rejoined the original cast forThe Father Knows Best Reunionin 1977. Thereafter, she was cast with James Best, Ann Doran, and J. Carrol Naish in the 1956 episode "The White Carnation" of the religion anthology series, Crossroads. My mother said, Oh for heavens sake, you sing that in church all the time, you can certainly sing that. But I was very, very nervous about it. DNA. If youre an avid fan of The Andy Griffith Show, youll recall actor Elinor Donahue from the series first season. I didnt sing anymore, so I avoided it like the plague, she admits. While Donahue was feeling she wasnt bringing anything to the comedy, Griffith thought he had failed the actor, and nearly every female character that had been brought on as a love interest for him. At least now we know what happened. Behind the scenes, Donahue decided she and Griffith lacked the chemistry to make their on-screen romantic relationship credible and she decided to leave. There was no point in my trying to continue with it, she continued. Andy talked to some of his friends who were reluctant to vote for a woman (this was 1960, after all). He could tell I was nervous and said, Just sit down here on the floor and Ill just noodle around with the guitar and you come in when you feel comfortable and well start. The Andy Griffith Show made its debut in 1960, and Elinor was a part of it, playing pharmacist Ellie Walker, with the idea being that she would eventually become the girlfriend of Sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith) following a rocky start between the two of them. Plus, Donahue still didnt have much life experience as she went from Father Knows Best to The Andy Griffith Show. As a producer, he dominated early television. In a taped interview, Ms. Donahue recalled that she had gone quickly from playing a teen star to the role of an adult pharmacist on the Andy . I was actually 23 when we stopped, but I was playing 19. Elinor Donahue was perfection as Ellie Walker but she was not happy in the role and all her interviews over the years are vague about why. After her appearance in episode The Guitar Player Returns, she inexplicably leaves the series. Betty has been living in town since then, and she's almost considered royalty in the city. Ellie . I have always wondered why he was uncomfortable around women. So at the end of filming one day, we met at a recording studio and he got a key. Distractify is a registered trademark. I didnt think there was any real chemistry there. She played one of the daughters in Three Daring Daughters in 1948 and appeared as Mamie Van Doren's sister in Girls Town (1959). Woodsy locales were filmed north of Beverly Hills at Franklin Canyon. Ellie was portrayed by Elinor Donahue, fresh off of a six-year stint as the precocious teenage daughter Betty "Princess" Anderson on CBS's Father Knows Best. But the truth is, I felt like a bird out of a nest. Except Don Knotts. Author, Ed Gross, Your email address will not be published. Why did Elinor Donahue leave Mayberry? Walker was Mayberry's pharmacist. Soon after, she was selected to play the role of Charlene Darling. For her full interview, see http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/elinor-donahue Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. People are so good to me," she said. Ms. Lynn joined the cast of the show in 1961, late in the first season, for an episode in which Sheriff Andy Taylor (Mr. Griffith) plays matchmaker between Barney and Thelma Lou. 1960-Season 1), 1960-68. She is played by actress Elinor Donahue in twelve episodes of the first season of The Andy Griffith Show, during which she becomes Andy Taylor's girlfriend. As she explained to Don Knotts daughter Karen in her recent book Tied Up in Knotts: My Dad and Me, she was only 23 years old when she appeared on the Griffith Show. "Andy couldn . She also appeared as a new bride in The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show episode titled "The Newlyweds" that aired April 2, 1956. Why did Elinor Donahue leave 'The Andy Griffith Show' after playing Andy's love interest in the first season? My mother said, Oh for heavens sake, you sing that in church all the time, you can certainly sing that. But I was very, very nervous about it. In 1968, she wed Tom Gallagher, a businessman, a marriage that lasted until his death in 2000. I was just not a happy camper. He said they just didnt know how to write for me. Like most Mayberry ladies, she is an accomplished cook, being especially celebrated for her cashew fudge (a favorite of Barneys). I just didnt feel right about it. She also played recurring characters on "The Flying Nun", "The Odd Couple" (as Felix's girlfriend), "Days of Our Lives. judy norton children; court ordered community service california "I'm so welcomed here. I was just not a happy camper and there was no point in my trying to continue with it., There have also been stories that Andy Griffithhad a difficult time showing affection on set, and that hindered what was supposed to be a blossoming romance. She started performing on the radio at the age of two and was signed as a dancer and singer by Universal Studios after three years. Why did Don Knotts leave Andy Griffith Show? Click the title to hop over there. But I felt that it was because I was so terrible.. 1 views . [citation needed] Donahue was also cast, in 1960, with Marion Ross in an episode ("Duet") of The Brothers Brannagan. The only person who called me from the show was your dad, the actor said. It is explained that Fife had left Mayberry to take a job as a detective in Raleigh, North Carolina. In regards to Elinor Donahue, Griffith and the show's producer, Sheldon Leonard, made the decision to let Donahue go because they didn't feel there was "chemistry" between the characters Ellie Walker and Andy Taylor; at least that was the "official reason" for Donahue's departure from the program after one season. In 1977, she appeared in an episode of the ABC crime drama The Feather and Father Gang. The trouble started with his very first onscreen girlfriend, Ellie Walker, played by Elinor Donahue. Her character mysteriously disappeared without any kind of explanation for the viewers. But there was a reason that Andy didnt have Ellie in his life for long. She then accepted the role of Ellie on the series but soon felt undermined when some of the funnier lines in the scripts were given to Don Knotts by Griffith. Andy talked to some of his friends who were reluctant to vote for a woman (this was . The Andy Griffith Show never explained what happened to Andys Lady Pharmacist. Welcome to early network television. He said they just didnt know how to write for me. After all, she was only 23 when he agreed to the three-year contract as Ellie. She guest starred on an episode of U.S. Part of that, she believes, was because she had more or less grown up on the former. And for almost two decades after it ended in 1968, finding another hit show eluded him. [4] While in the first season of Father Knows Best, she also appeared on The Ray Bolger Show, starring Ray Bolger as a song-and-dance man. This article is from Do You Remember. In fact, in a YouTube video, we learn that the writers had a lot of trouble writing lines for Andy because he "had so much trouble in a romantic setting." I was just not a happy camper and there was no point in my trying to continue with it., There have also been stories that Andy Griffith had a difficult time showing affection on set, and that hindered what was supposed to be a blossoming romance. It was the strangest feeling. In 2001 she wed Tom Poston, her long-ago Broadway co-star, who had also been a guest star on "The Bob Newhart Show" and a regular in Mr. Newhart's second sitcom, "Newhart," in the 1980s. Later, Andy took the blame and said he is not very good at showing affection while filming. "People of all ages hug me. It was the strangest feeling.. Elinor Donahue. But THAT is the more intense "dark side" of Andy Taylor, the flip-side. To hear Elinor Donahue in her own words regardingFather Knows BestandThe Andy Griffith Show, as well as people likeGilligans Islandstar Dawn Wells and others, please visit theTV RetroVisionpodcast by clicking HERE. THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, Elinor Donahue, Andy Griffith (ca. Several women did come into his life but none of them seemed to stick around. Donahue played Georgiana Balanger, the niece of George and Martha Wilson, in the episode "Dennis and the Wedding" (1960) on Dennis the Menace. Learn how your comment data is processed. Who did Suzanne Pleshette marry? I had a three-year contract. Subscribe to our newsletter for new stories, tips & events. How old was Andy Griffith during the show? Elinor Donahue decided not to return after the first season, because she felt she had no on-screen chemistry with Andy Griffith. Andy later took the blame and said he wasn't very good at showing . Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/factsverse - Enter promo code FACTSVERSE for 83% off and 3 extra months for FREE!Do you remember watching the ic. But the truth is, Donahue told Fox News in 2018. Should be required viewing for any Andy Griffith fan. She went up and apologized for having left the show. Often, her funniest lines would get taken away from her and given to other actors.After all, she had just left Father Knows Best which was one of Americas most popular sitcoms and one where she had a major role. In 1984, she made an appearance as Mrs. Broderick, the mother of a teenage drug addict on the last season of Happy Days. It was just very sweet.. Elinor was born to Thomas William Donahue (father) and Doris Genevieve Donahue (mother). Very good. That could have been part of it. I just didnt feel right about it. Donahue called the role her "swan song."[7]. Between her dwindling self-confidence on the set and my emotional problems, she began to lose weight and was becoming anorexic. She developed pneumonia, which kept her off the show and required scripts to be written around her. 2022 - 2023 Times Mojo - All Rights Reserved She guest-appeared on Star Trek in the second-season episode "Metamorphosis" (1967) as commissioner Nancy Hedford. In 1987, she played the title character's mother in the short-lived Fox series The New Adventures of Beans Baxter. Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/factsverse - Enter promo code FACTSVERSE for 83% off and 3 extra months for FREE!Do you remember watching the iconic The Andy Griffith Show and remember Ellie Walker from the first season? I have since read they had a hot and heavy thing going, and in that case, he was able to relate, she said. While Ellie isn't the first character to mysteriously disappear from a TV show (after it happened with Chuck Cunningham in Happy Days, they called doing this the Chuck Cunningham Syndrome), it can still feel unnerving to abruptly see them go without any explanation. Although she may not have been part of the main cast on Griffith, she was Andy Taylor's first love interest on the show in the comedy's debut season. This time it was Corsaut and not the shows writers who said no to marriage. Do you wish we could have seen more of the character?Contents of this video00:00 - Intro0:39 - Elinor Donahue1:24 - The Andy Griffith Show2:41 - Why She Left the Andy Griffith Show4:00 - Try Surfshark VPN5:02 - The Reaction6:12 - Elinors Career7:29 - OutroLike this content? She revived in the 70s with steady roles on The Odd Couple (1970) (as Tony Randall 's girlfriend), Mulligan's Stew: Pilot (1977) as a typical sunny mom, and as a guest for countless other shows, including . The actor told the Television Academy Foundation how she came to be cast in 1960 on The Andy Griffith Show. The actor told the Television Academy Foundation how she came to be cast in 1960 on The Andy Griffith Show. Elinor, now 83 years old, went on to have an extremely successful career in both television and film. Donahue played Ellie Walker from 1960 through 1961. In 1963, Donahue was cast in an episode of NBC's short-lived modern Western series, Redigo, with Richard Egan as the rancher Jim Redigo; then in 1964, she appeared as Melanie in "The Secret in the Stone" in the NBC medical drama dealing with psychiatry, The Eleventh Hour, starring Jack Ging and Ralph Bellamy. Donahue, who started her acting career when she was six in 1943, accomplished fame for her role as the elder daughter, Betty, on the '50s sitcom. She has been married to Lou Genevrino since 1992 and has four children. A friend and fellow actor from the show, Elinor Donahue, said Lynn . It was just very sweet., Our new Privacy Policy will go into effect on January 1st, 2023. Years later, Elinor attended an event and saw him there. But the truth is, I felt like a bird out of a nest. Betty was the oldest daughter of Robert Young and Jane Wyatt's characters with Billy Gray and Lauren Chapin starring as her younger siblings. The Andy Griffith Show actress Elinor Donahue said she was "not a happy camper" while working on the show. 47 6 thatphanom.techno@gmail.com 042-532028 , 042-532027 She hasn't appeared in any onscreen roles since 2011. But the truth is, I felt like a bird out of a nest. Sheriff Andy liked to call her the "lady pharmacist.". ELINOR DONAHUE. However, Mayberry, the quaint hometown made famous on The Andy Griffith Show, has long been considered a fictional place, but the real Mayberry does exist. Just a rehearsal. We started singing and sang through the whole thing. 1960-Season 1), 1960-68. Her character mysteriously disappeared without any kind of explanation for the viewers. Answer (1 of 2): In the Andy Griffith Show the character of Ellie, played by Elinore Donahue, helped her uncle Fred at Walker's Drugstore in Mayberry. Donahue played a strong female role on The Andy Griffith Show. In 1994, she made an appearance as Aunt Lillian in "The One Where Nana Dies Twice", an episode of Friends. She was part of the main cast for the first season of CBS's The Andy Griffith Show, as Andy's pharmacist love interest Ellie Walker, she was even mentioned in the opening credits before Don Knotts; after one season (19601961), Donahue asked for a release from her three-year contract.[5]. He is a motorcycle collector and businessman. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. In The Andy Griffith Shows only Christmas episode, Ellie and Andy sang a duet, Away in the Manger. "Nip It In the Bud": $20 'Andy Griffith Show' Tee Is a Funny, Cozy Memory. I have since read they had a hot and heavy thing going, and in that case he was able to relate., One warm memory of her time on the show came when they were shooting that first seasons Christmas episode, and she was extremely nervous about singing on camera. Then he said, Oh, that was very nice. She was a pharmacist who helped her uncle. Why Do Cross Country Runners Have Skinny Legs? They tried a lot of other women periodically, but then Aneta Corsaut (Helen Crump) came in. And of course, they were funny, and they made those two characters so rich and terrific. He said they just didnt know how to write for me. Fans Miss the Character. Plus, when you rewatch a show, you spot details that you may have missed the first time. Oftentimes it is virtually impossible for a young performer in television to make the transition to more adult roles, but Elinor Donahue managed to break the mold given that she was able to seamlessly go from Father Knows Best to The Andy Griffith Show. I didnt feel like I had all my feathers yet and I didnt feel capable. Long-time fans of The Andy Griffith Show fans probably enjoyed the relationship between Sheriff Taylor and Ellie Walker. She played lady druggist Ellie Walker on the CBS comedy for about a dozen episodes until her unexpected departure. 'The Andy Griffith Show' is one of the most revered series in history. Why Did Elinor Donahue Leave Andy Griffith Show? I just didnt feel right about it. Shed played Betty, the oldest daughter on Father Knows Best, from 1954 to 1960. I had a three-year contract for that show, but at the end of the first year I asked to be let out of it, because I didnt feel that I was playing the role properly. However, when Don Knotts became such a popular favorite as Deputy Barney Fife, Griffith decided for . The Home of Nostalgia. Donahue opened up about what exactly made her exit the show so suddenly and the kindness shown to her by former co-star Don Knotts. The Andy Griffith Show made its debut in 1960, and Elinor was a part of it, playing pharmacist Ellie Walker, with the idea being that she would eventually become the girlfriend of Sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith) following a rocky start between the two of . In the eyes of the world, I was a young woman and was launched into the rest of my career, already not having to make a huge transition from child to an adult.. who replaced warren on the andy griffith show. And while Ellie and Andy did begin to date, the relationship was a short-lived one with Elinor only appearing in a dozen episodes of the season, after which she asked to be released from her contract. Oftentimes it is virtually impossible for a young performer in television to make the transition to more adult roles, but Elinor Donahue managed to break the mold given that she was able to seamlessly go from Father Knows Best to The Andy Griffith Show. Andy Griffith had been a successful stand-up comedian as well as an actor before beginning the show, and he had fully expected to be the main funny character on it, and in the first few episodes even performed some of his stand-up routines, like his countrified versions of classic fairy tales. Years later, Elinor attended an event and saw him there. Why did Ellie leave Andy Griffith Show? 1992) Children: 4: Elinor Donahue (born Mary Eleanor Donahue, April 19, 1937) is an American actress, best known today for playing the role of Betty Anderson, the eldest child of Jim and Margaret Anderson on the 1950s American sitcom Father Knows Best. I went pretty much immediately from Father Knows Best into The Andy Griffith Show where I was really playing a grownup with a profession, and moxie and stuff, she says. In the eyes of the world, I was a young woman and was launched into the rest of my career, already not having to make a huge transition from child to an adult., RELATED: Father Knows Best Star, Billy Gray, Reminisces on Childhood Fame. I didnt feel like I had all my feathers yet and I didnt feel capable. After twelve appearances in the first season, Ellie disappeared with no explanation offered to the audience. They tried other women periodically, but then Aneta Corsaut came in. COPYRIGHT 2023, WOMG. The Andy Griffith Show made its debut in 1960, and Elinor was a part of it, playing pharmacist Ellie Walker, with the idea being that she would eventually become the girlfriend of Sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith) following a rocky start between the two of them.And while Ellie and Andy did begin to date, the . Before The Andy Griffith Show, Donahue found major success on the show, Father Knows Best.After Father Knows Best ended, she really struggled to adjust to a new show. Her co-stars were Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Billy Gray as her . Required fields are marked *. In 1966, she guest-starred on the TV series A Man Called Shenandoah, episode 8, "Town On Fire". Donahue portrayed Miriam Welby in 17 episodes of The Odd Couple (197275). Elinor Donahue (born Mary Eleanor Donahue, April 19, 1937) is an American actress, best known today for playing the role of Betty Anderson, the eldest child of Jim and Margaret Anderson on the 1950s American sitcom Father Knows Best. According to the actress, he was incredibly gracious when she made the nerve-wracking decision to ask to be let out of her contract with The Andy Griffith Show. Shows like The Andy Griffith Show, which aired in the '60s, provide a sense of familiarity and comfort, which is much needed in times like these. Her character mysteriously disappeared without any kind of explanation for the viewers. She also felt that her character wasnt given much importance by the shows writers. The actress was born on 19 April 1937. There didnt seem to be any fight about it, so I left the show at the end of the first year.. 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