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. The only person who called me from the show was your dad, the actor said. In 1990, she played Bridget, a Beverly Hills clothing-store manager, in the film Pretty Woman. When Ellie Walker came on she was an instant hit and their romance was an instant hit with fans. 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? But the truth is, I felt like a bird out of a nest. Donahue portrayed the sister of Sister Bertrille (Sally Field) in three episodes of ABC's The Flying Nun (196870). This article is from Do You Remember. Her character mysteriously disappeared without any kind of explanation for the viewers. The series tried with other actresses, like the ones who played Peggy (Joanna Moore) and Helen (Aneta Corsaut), but it was difficult to make the relationships look natural. [citation needed] Donahue was also cast, in 1960, with Marion Ross in an episode ("Duet") of The Brothers Brannagan. COPYRIGHT 2023, WOMG. 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. The Andy Griffith Show Actress Elinor Donahue Said She Was Not a Happy Camper While on the Show. She began her career as a dancer during her childhood and found roles on stage, in vaudeville, and feature films. 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 . I just didnt feel right about it. Donahue was a musical judge in ABC's Jukebox Jury (195354). She later rejoined the original cast forThe Father Knows Best Reunionin 1977. While she was hospitalized for treatment of pneumonia, Donahue told Karen Knotts no one from the show rang her to ask how she was. The trouble started with his very first onscreen girlfriend, Ellie Walker, played by Elinor Donahue. Part of that, she believes, was because she had more or less grown up on the former. Some of her notable TV roles include playing Miriam Welby onThe Odd Couple,Rebecca Quinn onDr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,Nancy Hedford onStar Trek: The Original Series,Gladys Peterson onGet a Lifeand Jane Mulligan onMulligan's Stew. In 1979, she appeared on Diff'rent Strokes as a fiance to Mr. Drummond in season 1. She played Miriam Welby on ABC's The Odd Couple, Jane Mulligan on Mulligan's Stew, and Nurse Hunnicut on Days of Our Lives. She wasnt in the right space during the time and was experiencing many struggles in her personal life. 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 The Andy Griffith Shows only Christmas episode, Ellie and Andy sang a duet, Away in the Manger. According to celebritynetworth.com, Betty Lynns net worth is estimated to be around $3 million. It is explained that Fife had left Mayberry to take a job as a detective in Raleigh, North Carolina. I was actually 23 when we stopped, but I was playing 19. 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. Betty Lynn, who portrayed Thelma Lou, died earlier this month at age 95. He said they just didnt know how to write for me. After her appearance in episode The Guitar Player Returns, she inexplicably leaves the series. Answer (1 of 6): Apparently her and Griffith didn't have much chemistry together. 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. Elinor, now 83 years old, went on to have an extremely successful career in both television and film. 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. Very good. THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, Elinor Donahue, Andy Griffith (ca. Just a rehearsal. We started singing and sang through the whole thing. After training in vaudeville, she started getting parts in films and TV shows as a teenager likeMister BigandWinter Wonderland. She was a pharmacist who helped her uncle. georgetown child psychiatry; the sardine can morro bay. 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.. It really affected him. judy norton children; court ordered community service california 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. 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. Part of that, she believes, was because she had more or less grown up on the former. 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. 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. I was very, very touched by that. Why did Elinor Donahue leave the Andy Griffith Show? In 1994, she made an appearance as Aunt Lillian in "The One Where Nana Dies Twice", an episode of Friends. It goes to show just how much of the kindness of Mayberry and its characters was just as important behind the scenes. Why did Ellie leave Andy Griffith Show? 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. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. DNA. "Nip It In the Bud": $20 'Andy Griffith Show' Tee Is a Funny, Cozy Memory. Walker was Mayberry's pharmacist. All Rights Reserved. I didnt think there was any real chemistry there. Elinor Donahue, who portrayed Ellie, wanted off the show almost immediately. Donahue called the role her "swan song."[7]. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. While The Andy Griffith Show was full of eclectic characters in the fictional town of Mayberry, it was always fun to follow along with the love stories. Why Did Elinor Donahue Leave Andy Griffith Show? 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. turkey club sandwich nutrition Uncovering hot babes since 1919.. eileen heckart andy griffith show. 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. Why did Don Knotts leave Andy Griffith Show? But imposter syndrome can be difficult to manage. In 1992, she voiced the mother on the Fox Kids animated series Eek! She later ran for City Council in Episode 10, and . But the truth is, I felt like a bird out of a nest. Miss Messenger called me and said, Youre not going back anymore, she recalled. 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. I was actually 23 when we stopped, but I was playing 19. Then he said, Oh, that was very nice. Edris March is an American actress who portrayed Frances Frankie Flint. 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. 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. Years later, Elinor attended an event and saw him there. 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. Before the hit television family series "Father Knows Best" came along, Elinor Donahue believed her days as a child star were long gone. Elinor Donahue decided not to return after the first season, because she felt she had no on-screen chemistry with Andy Griffith. Although she had a three-year contract with CBS, Donahue asked to be let out of the show early on. He said they just didnt know how to write for me. Offers may be subject to change without notice. But THAT is the more intense "dark side" of Andy Taylor, the flip-side. Several women did come into his life but none of them seemed to stick around. He was as gracious to me as you could imagine, she smiles. 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]. As The Andy Griffith Show started, Donahue and her husband, Richard Smith, were divorcing. 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 . Part of that, she believes, was because she had more or less grown up on the former. 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 didnt think there was any real chemistry there. Is Ellie off of Andy Griffith Show still alive? 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 Elinor Donahue leave 'The Andy Griffith Show' after playing Andy's love interest in the first season? Why did Elinor Donahue leave Mayberry? The Andy Griffith Show actress Elinor Donahue said she was not a happy camper while working on the show. She married Harry Ackerman in 1962. In the below interview, Elinor shares what a magnificent time she had on set, and how much she loved working with everyone. Andy was leaving the show following the end of its eighth . It was the strangest feeling.. Pleshette married twice. 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