why did elinor donahue leave the andy griffith show

I didnt think there was any real chemistry there. In The Andy Griffith Shows only Christmas episode, Ellie and Andy sang a duet, Away in the Manger. The Home of Nostalgia. 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. Offers may be subject to change without notice. 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. It was just very sweet.. Appearing in dancing-chorus film roles from the age of five, Donahue was at one point a ballet-school classmate of future Fred Astaire partner Barrie Chase. Part of that, she believes, was because she had more or less grown up on the former. 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. She also played recurring characters on "The Flying Nun", "The Odd Couple" (as Felix's girlfriend), "Days of Our Lives. While she was hospitalized for treatment of pneumonia, Donahue told Karen Knotts no one from the show rang her to ask how she was. She guest-appeared on Star Trek in the second-season episode "Metamorphosis" (1967) as commissioner Nancy Hedford. Betty Lynn, who portrayed Thelma Lou, died earlier this month at age 95. Why did Elinor Donahue leave Mayberry? . In 1968, she wed Tom Gallagher, a businessman, a marriage that lasted until his death in 2000. So he would take things that were actually written for Miss Ellie and the sheriff and give them to your dad, Donahue told Karen. 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. In other interviews, she said she didnt share much on-screen chemistry with Andy Griffith. 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.". I did 11 episodes, just there for the first season, Donahue said in a 2006 interview with the Archive of American Television. 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. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Report Content | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. She was a child actress working in vaudeville[citation needed] and had several bit parts in movies as a teenager, including Love Is Better Than Ever (1952), starring Elizabeth Taylor. Author, Ed Gross, Your email address will not be published. She hasn't appeared in any onscreen roles since 2011. Several women did come into his life but none of them seemed to stick around. 1960-Season 1), 1960-68. Very good. Andy was leaving the show following the end of its eighth . Should be required viewing for any Andy Griffith fan. Donahue portrayed Miriam Welby in 17 episodes of The Odd Couple (197275). . 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. I just didnt feel right about it. Her character mysteriously disappeared without any kind of explanation for the viewers. Behind the scenes, Donahue decided she and Griffith lacked the chemistry to make their on-screen romantic relationship credible and she decided to leave. Her co-stars were Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Billy Gray as her . Subscribe to our newsletter for new stories, tips & events. She guest starred on an episode of U.S. So at the end of filming one day, we met at a recording studio and he got a key. Father Knows Best was canceled in 1960 when Young left the show. Follow the link to read our updated Privacy Policy, John Travolta Celebrates 69th Birthday By Dancing With Daughter Ella, Jamie Lee Curtis Attributes Stardom To Being Nepo Baby During SAG Award Speech. Then he said, Oh, that was very nice. Learn how your comment data is processed. The Andy Griffith Show ran for eight seasons and highlighted the innocent joys of small-town living, but under the surface, the main cast harbored their share of scandalous secrets. Woodsy locales were filmed north of Beverly Hills at Franklin Canyon. 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. But the truth is, Donahue told Fox News in 2018. 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. 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. The Andy Griffith Show actress Elinor Donahue said she was "not a happy camper" while working on the show. Copyright 2023 Distractify. A friend and fellow actor from the show, Elinor Donahue, said Lynn . We just wish poor Ellie had been given a better send-off her character certainly deserved it! She was a pharmacist who helped her uncle. "Nip It In the Bud": $20 'Andy Griffith Show' Tee Is a Funny, Cozy Memory. 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. Why Did Elinor Donahue Leave Andy Griffith Show? Walker was Mayberrys pharmacist. I was just not a happy camper. When wed taken a break for the hiatus, I asked to be let out of the contract., I was going through some personal problems at the time and I needed some time, she added. 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 1994, she made an appearance as Aunt Lillian in "The One Where Nana Dies Twice", an episode of Friends. Suddenly the fan mail became all about Ellie and Andy as a couple. But the truth is, I felt like a bird out of a nest. And for almost two decades after it ended in 1968, finding another hit show eluded him. COPYRIGHT 2023, WOMG. the Cat. 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. 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. 26 Feb Feb He was as gracious to me as you could imagine, she smiles. Years later, Elinor attended an event and saw him there. I didnt sing anymore, so I avoided it like the plague, she admits. Then he said, Oh, that was very nice. Don Knotts' Exit From 'The Andy Griffith Show' Explained 55 Years Later, The Cast of 'Happy Days', 36 Years Later, Honor Garry Marshall, Where Did 'Man with a Plan' Daughter Emme Go? It was the strangest feeling. She also appeared as a new bride in The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show episode titled "The Newlyweds" that aired April 2, 1956. Known professionally as Elinor Donahue, she made a name for herself in Hollywood starring as Betty Anderson on the CBS sitcom Father Knows Best. who replaced warren on the andy griffith show. Donahue called the role her "swan song."[7]. She eventually starts dating Andy Taylor. For The Andy Griffith Show, Peterson initially read for the role of Ellie Walker, a love interest for Sheriff Andy Taylor, but the role went to Elinor Donahue. Donahue was a musical judge in ABC's Jukebox Jury (195354). Ellie Walker is a pharmacist (or "lady druggist" as Andy called her) who assists her uncle Fred Walker at Walker's Drugstore in Mayberry. Its difficult to go from one series to another, especially in the early days of network television. It really affected him. It came as no surprise that she was then the obvious choice for a lead role in the new sitcom The Andy Griffith Show.But alas, things didnt work out as everyone had planned. Part of that, she believes, was because she had more or less grown up on the former. 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. Her character mysteriously disappeared without any kind of explanation for the viewers. She is famous for her appearances in a 1950s film by the name of "Father Knows Best," where she played the eldest child of Jim and Margaret. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [citation needed]. I have always wondered why he was uncomfortable around women. While she was on tour, Maggie was discovered by The Andy Griffith Show director Bob Sweeny and producer Aaron Ruben. W.W. Answer: "All actors from the show received standard residuals as negotiated by the Screen Actors Guild at the time, generally for the original broadcast and six reruns for regular cast members," said Jim Clark, co-author of "The Andy Griffith Show Book" and "Presiding Goober Emeritus" of the show's fan club. However, the episode "The Guitar Player Returns" was her last. How old was Andy Griffith during the 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. 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. We never did know, and because of my peculiar nature, and my personal relationship with women, and the difficulty that Ive always had with them it became even more difficult for us to write for women.. 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. Part of that, she believes, was because she had more or less grown up on the former. She became Andy Griffith's first longstanding girlfriend on The Andy Griffith Show (1960) for one season, but then suffered a major slump. "Andy couldn . But the truth is, I felt like a bird out of a nest. 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. Elinor Donahue was Andy Griffith's 1st love interest on the 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. Betty Lynn, who portrayed Thelma Lou, died earlier this month at age 95 Conditions | Sitemap,! 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