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. 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. Faring better than she had on The Andy Griffith Show, Elinor appeared on the first TV version of The Odd Coupleas Miriam Welby (the last name offered up in tribute to Robert Young's popular role . Plus, when you rewatch a show, you spot details that you may have missed the first time. 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. Then he said, Oh, that was very nice. Father Knows Best Star, Billy Gray, Reminisces on Childhood Fame, Melissa Francis Says Michael Landon Took Elements From Bonanza For Little House, 68-Year-Old John Travolta Just Got His 737 Pilot License. Sheriff Andy liked to call her the "lady pharmacist.". She was last seen in the episode "The Guitar Player Returns." After that, we saw that her character sudd. Thankfully, she was able to leave the show with no bad blood. 1 views . The only person who called me from the show was your dad, the actor said. I didnt know that much about it except that I was going to be in the show with Andy Griffith, Donahue said. 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. Very good. In 1966, she guest-starred on the TV series A Man Called Shenandoah, episode 8, "Town On Fire". That could have been part of it. Griffith later admitted that it was his own fault, because he had a hard time showing affection on-screen, and as a result, the relationship didn't appear real or believable. Just a rehearsal. We started singing and sang through the whole thing. Why did Elinor Donahue leave 'The Andy Griffith Show' after playing Andy's love interest in the first season? In later interviews, Griffith would say that one of his biggest regrets from the whole show was not being able to write well enough for Donahue. In 1978, Donahue starred in the NBC sitcom Please Stand By. But imposter syndrome can be difficult to manage. Thelma Lou and Barney parted ways when he left Mayberry to join the Raleigh police force and Knotts left the series after five years. Ellie Walker, who has the distinction of being Mayberry's first female pharmacist and Andy's first love interest, first appears in episode four, "Ellie Comes to Town.". Why Did Elinor Donahue Leave Andy Griffith Show? She guest-appeared on Star Trek in the second-season episode "Metamorphosis" (1967) as commissioner Nancy Hedford. ELINOR DONAHUE. A friend and fellow actor from the show, Elinor Donahue, said Lynn . But there was a reason that Andy didnt have Ellie in his life for long. I didnt feel like I had all my feathers yet and I didnt feel capable. I was just not a happy camper. Born in Tacoma, Washington, Mary Eleanor Donahue grew up dancing and performing. Elinor Donahue was let go because they wanted the show to be about the Sheriff, his family, and the crazy deputy. Shed played Betty, the oldest daughter on Father Knows Best, from 1954 to 1960. Plus, the two helped bring Barney and Thelma Lou, together. In 1990, she played Bridget, a Beverly Hills clothing-store manager, in the film Pretty Woman. Later, Andy took the blame and said he is not very good at showing affection while filming. Learn how your comment data is processed. Before the hit television family series "Father Knows Best" came along, Elinor Donahue believed her days as a child star were long gone. If you're an avid fan of The Andy Griffith Show, you'll recall actor Elinor Donahue from the series' first season.She played "lady druggist" Ellie Walker on the CBS comedy for about a . But I felt that it was because I was so terrible.. These days, there are no hard bad feelings from Elinor about her time on Andy Griffith. In 1992, she voiced the mother on the Fox Kids animated series Eek! Distractify is a registered trademark. In the episode, Danny Thomas drives through the town of Mayberry and gets pulled over by Sheriff Taylor for running an unnoticed stop sign. He wanted to make sure I was all right. It was the strangest feeling. 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. "Andy couldn . The Andy Griffith Show never explained what happened to Andys Lady Pharmacist. Welcome to early network television. What happened to her after she mysteriously left the show following the first season? Her character mysteriously disappeared without any kind of explanation for the viewers. She played one of the daughters in Three Daring Daughters in 1948 and appeared as Mamie Van Doren's sister in Girls Town (1959). 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]. 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. According to her IMDb page, she played Mariam in The Odd Couple, Kate Honeycutt in Days of Our Lives, had a small role in Pretty Woman, and much more. Id gone directly fromFather Knows Bestto having a couple of months of turmoil in my personal life that was not settled at all. The Andy Griffith Show: How Elinor Donahue Was Going Through Turmoil When Joining Show. So he would take things that were actually written for Miss Ellie and the sheriff and give them to your dad, Donahue told Karen. While she was on tour, Maggie was discovered by The Andy Griffith Show director Bob Sweeny and producer Aaron Ruben. 1960-Season 1), 1960-68. In 1988, she appeared in a Newhart episode ("Courtin' Disaster"), and she appeared in a 1989 episode of The Golden Girls as the newest wife of Dorothy Zbornak's ex-husband, Stan. 47 6 thatphanom.techno@gmail.com 042-532028 , 042-532027 who replaced warren on the andy griffith show. Your email address will not be published. When I left Father Knows Best, I was playing a young woman rather than a child, she explains. Her co-stars were Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Billy Gray as her . She played the part of Lorraine, Luther Van Dam's girlfriend, in season five of Coach in the early 1990s. Additionally, in 1963, she played Letty May in the episode "The Burning Tree" on Have Gun Will Travel. She was a pharmacist who helped her uncle. He was as gracious to me as you could imagine, she smiles. I did 11 episodes, just there for the first season, Donahue said in a 2006 interview with the Archive of American Television. In 2015, Donahue played the role of Mrs. Chumley in Judson Theatre Company's production of the Pulitzer Prize play Harvey, by Mary Chase. I was called in to the office to meet with the producers, went home that afternoon, and found out I had the part. 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? 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." They tried other women periodically, but then Aneta Corsaut came in. Years later, Elinor attended an event and saw him there. There didnt seem to be any fight about it, so I left the show at the end of the first year.. The Andy Griffith Show actress Elinor Donahue said she was not a happy camper while working on the show. Donahue called the role her "swan song."[7]. Which Teeth Are Normally Considered Anodontia. 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 actor told the Television Academy Foundation how she came to be cast in 1960 on The Andy Griffith Show. She went up and apologized for having left the show. 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. Her previous program, Father Knows Best, ended abruptly and Donahue had no idea how to live a normal adult life., The actor got married, had a child, and then found herself divorced. tyler florence sunglasses; bailey and . Fife appeared on The Andy Griffith Show from the show's beginning in 1960 until 1965, when Knotts left the show to pursue a career in feature films . why did kim fischer leave the mentalist. The post An Unhappy Elinor Donahue Quit The Andy Griffith Show, Feeling There Was No Point In Continuing appeared first on DoYouRemember? In 1979, she appeared on Diff'rent Strokes as a fiance to Mr. Drummond in season 1. This is because Elinor Donahue wished to leave the show. I was actually 23 when we stopped, but I was playing 19. Donahue appeared in a 1981 episode of One Day at a Time, as Alex's mother Felicia. That could have been part of it. Walker was Mayberry's pharmacist. They tried other women periodically, but then Aneta Corsaut came in. Howard Morris, a character actor in the Golden Age of television best known for his work with Sid Caesar and for his brief, memorable role as the manic hillbilly poet Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show, died on Saturday at his home in Los Angeles. The magazine added part of the reason was due to a strike of the Writers Guild of America lasted from January to June 1960. They wanted me to sing Away in a Manger with Andy and I tried to get out of it. Donahue was a musical judge in ABC's Jukebox Jury (195354). So at the end of filming one day, we met at a recording studio and he got a key. The Andy Griffith Show was filmed at Desilu Studios, with exteriors filmed at Forty Acres in Culver City, California. I didnt sing anymore, so I avoided it like the plague, she admits. "Nip It In the Bud": $20 'Andy Griffith Show' Tee Is a Funny, Cozy Memory. I didnt sing anymore, so I avoided it like the plague, she admits. Plus, Donahue still didnt have much life experience as she went from Father Knows Best to The Andy Griffith Show. The commonality is actually actress Elinor Donahue, who became a part of Classic TV history on Father Knows Best and ever so briefly The Andy Griffith Show, the latter for about a dozen episodes. Why Do Cross Country Runners Have Skinny Legs? And I didnt read or anything. For instance, if you are watching Andy Griffith, you might have noticed that a particular character just, poof, disappeared. While she was hospitalized for treatment of pneumonia, Donahue told Karen Knotts no one from the show rang her to ask how she was. Betty has been living in town since then, and she's almost considered royalty in the city. 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. 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? Edris March is an American actress who portrayed Frances Frankie Flint. It was an ongoing whirlwind. She also felt that her character wasnt given much importance by the shows writers. Mrs. Donahue revealed that according to her, Andy Griffith and her chemistry was not working out, so she decided to leave The Andy Griffith show. The wedding took place in front of the Abbotts' new home, which just happened to be a replica of the Anderson house from Father Knows Best. 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. It was just very sweet.. Chapin married an auto mechanic at 16 and divorced two years later. 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. He was just absolutely precious. That could have been part of it. Why did Miss Ellie leave The Andy Griffith Show? Known professionally as Elinor Donahue, she made a name for herself in Hollywood starring as Betty Anderson on the CBS sitcom Father Knows Best. The actor told the Television Academy Foundation how she came to be cast in 1960 on The Andy Griffith Show. she and Andy Griffith didn't have enough chemistry. The actress, Elinor Donahue, later admitted that she felt like she and Andy Griffith didn't have enough chemistry to portray a believable couple on screen, so she decided to leave the show. Donahue played Gladys, the mother of Chris Peterson (Chris Elliott), in all 35 episodes of the sitcom Get a Life (199092), and had a recurring role as Rebecca Quinn on the CBS drama series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Is Ellie off of Andy Griffith Show still alive? 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. She is apparently self-sufficient; her occupation is never revealed despite references to a never-seen office, yet she lives in a roomy and well-decorated house of her own. Part of that, she believes, was because she had more or less grown up on the former. Okay, thats it. I said, What? He faked me out, because he knew how nervous I was, andthatwas the take that they used. Her character mysteriously disappeared without any kind of explanation for the viewers. Betty was the oldest daughter of Robert Young and Jane Wyatt's characters with Billy Gray and Lauren Chapin starring as her younger siblings. She was set to play a very different role. They tried a lot of other women periodically, but then Aneta Corsaut (Helen Crump) came in. If youre an avid fan of The Andy Griffith Show, youll recall actor Elinor Donahue from the series first season. Why did Elinor Donahue leave Mayberry? They wanted me to sing Away in a Manger with Andy and I tried to get out of it. Years later, Elinor attended an event and saw him there. DNA. Watching it back, she seemed to blend in just fine with the show. Click the title to hop over there. 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. RELATED: How Did The Andy Griffith Show End? 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. Pleshette married twice. 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. I didnt feel like I had all my feathers yet and I didnt feel capable. Ellie even ran for City Council. So at the end of filming one day, we met at a recording studio and he got a key. 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. Donahues character, Ellie, arrives in Mayberry having taken over the drugstore from her uncle, and eventually begins dating the towns sheriff, Andy Taylor. His very first love interest in the series was Ellie Walker, played by actress Elinor Donahue. THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, Elinor Donahue, Andy Griffith (ca. 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. Her character mysteriously disappeared without any kind of explanation for the viewers. In retrospect, from things that people have said to me very lovely things I was doing OK. In September 2010, Donahue made an appearance on The Young and the Restless as Judge Anderson, one of Nikki Newman's old friends and also as the woman minister who will officiate at the wedding of Billy Abbott and Nikki's daughter, Victoria Newman. Then came her three-year contract with The Andy Griffith Show. As The Andy Griffith Show started, Donahue and her husband, Richard Smith, were divorcing. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Donahue played Georgiana Balanger, the niece of George and Martha Wilson, in the episode "Dennis and the Wedding" (1960) on Dennis the Menace. 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 for almost two decades after it ended in 1968, finding another hit show eluded him. I just didnt feel right about it. She has been married to Lou Genevrino since 1992 and has four children. So Andy Griffith got rid of her so the show could stay on track. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Report Content | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. Andy liked to call her the & quot ; lady pharmacist. & quot.. 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Faked me out, because he knew how nervous I was playing 19 after five years to!
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