ELINOR DONAHUE. Just a rehearsal. We started singing and sang through the whole thing. And of course, they were funny, and they made those two characters so rich and terrific. EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie. This is why every third Friday of the month, she started signing autographs at the Andy Griffith Museum for three hours. Required fields are marked *. Thelma Lou and Barney parted ways when he left Mayberry to join the Raleigh police force and Knotts left the series after five years. In retrospect, from things that people have said to me very lovely things I was doing OK. You might even remember her playing the friendly store manager Bridget in Pretty Woman, Lady Palimore inThe Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagementor eventhe "Orphanage woman" inFreddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare. Why did Elinor Donahue leave 'The Andy Griffith Show' after playing Andy's love interest in the first season? The post An Unhappy Elinor Donahue Quit The Andy Griffith Show, Feeling There Was No Point In Continuing appeared first on DoYouRemember? Before The Andy Griffith Show, Donahue found major success on the show, Father Knows Best. He was as gracious to me as you could imagine, she smiles. The two were married for almost 30 years when he died in 1991. Ellie helped her uncle Fred at Walker's Drugstore in Mayberry and she eventually starts dating Andy Taylor. Very good. Then came her three-year contract with The Andy Griffith Show. 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. They tried a lot of other women periodically, but then Aneta Corsaut (Helen Crump) came in. 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. But THAT is the more intense "dark side" of Andy Taylor, the flip-side. judy norton children; court ordered community service california Suddenly the fan mail became all about Ellie and Andy as a couple. She went up and apologized for having left the show. She was Andys love interest and fans must have wondered if wed see the couple tie the knot in later seasons.But before we knew it Ellie Walker was written off the show. She was set to play a very different role. 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]. 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." Elinor Donahue was Andy Griffith's 1st love interest on the show. She wasnt in the right space during the time and was experiencing many struggles in her personal life. 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. She went up and apologized for having left the show. 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. TimesMojo is a social question-and-answer website where you can get all the answers to your questions. Donahue appeared in a 1981 episode of One Day at a Time, as Alex's mother Felicia. Woodsy locales were filmed north of Beverly Hills at Franklin Canyon. The Home of Nostalgia. So he would take things that were actually written for Miss Ellie and the sheriff and give them to your dad, Donahue told Karen. 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. Don't miss a story! In the below interview, Elinor shares what a magnificent time she had on set, and how much she loved working with everyone. "Andy couldn . Behind the scenes, Donahue decided she and Griffith lacked the chemistry to make their on-screen romantic relationship credible and she decided to leave. So at the end of filming one day, we met at a recording studio and he got a key. However, when Don Knotts became such a popular favorite as Deputy Barney Fife, Griffith decided for . In 2015, Donahue played the role of Mrs. Chumley in Judson Theatre Company's production of the Pulitzer Prize play Harvey, by Mary Chase. He was as gracious to me as you could imagine, she smiles. It was the strangest feeling.. Ellie even ran for City Council. Betty Lynn, most famously known for her portrayal of Thelma Lou on the classic "The Andy Griffith Show," has died at age 95. . He said they just didnt know how to write for me. Okay, thats it. I said, What? He faked me out, because he knew how nervous I was, andthatwas the take that they used. After her appearance in episode The Guitar Player Returns, she inexplicably leaves the series. 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. The actor told the Television Academy Foundation how she came to be cast in 1960 on The Andy Griffith Show. 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. 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. Sheriff Andy liked to call her the lady pharmacist. Ellie even ran for City Council. Andy Taylor (Andrew Jackson Taylor played by Andy Griffith) In Season One, Elinor "Ellie" Walker came to Mayberry in 4th episode, Ellie Comes to Town; she was a graduate of Barnard University, and a pharmacist. Elinor holds American citizenship but her ethnicity is Caucasian. 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. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. I just didnt feel right about it. Why did Barney leave the show? In 1987, she played the title character's mother in the short-lived Fox series The New Adventures of Beans Baxter. She later rejoined the original cast forThe Father Knows Best Reunionin 1977. Among regular cast members of The Andy Griffith Show, only the director Ron Howard, who played Opie, Sheriff Taylors son, is still alive. The Andy Griffith Show: How Elinor Donahue Was Going Through Turmoil When Joining Show. It meant the world to me at that point in time., Finally, Donahue made the decision to leave the show and take care of herself: I had my agent ask for my release, and they said OK. she and Andy Griffith didn't have enough chemistry. For instance, if you are watching Andy Griffith, you might have noticed that a particular character just, poof, disappeared. In 1984, she made an appearance as Mrs. Broderick, the mother of a teenage drug addict on the last season of Happy Days. The actress was born on 19 April 1937. Its difficult to go from one series to another, especially in the early days of network television. turkey club sandwich nutrition Uncovering hot babes since 1919.. eileen heckart andy griffith show. 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. 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. 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 decided not to return after the first season, because she felt she had no on-screen chemistry with Andy Griffith. [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. 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. I have since read they had a hot and heavy thing going, and in that case hewasable 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. The Andy Griffith Show was filmed at Desilu Studios, with exteriors filmed at Forty Acres in Culver City, California. View results. 2022 - 2023 Times Mojo - All Rights Reserved But the truth is, Donahue told Fox News in 2018. 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. This article is from Do You Remember. Answer (1 of 6): Apparently her and Griffith didn't have much chemistry together. 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. RELATED: How Did The Andy Griffith Show End? 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 . Soon after, she was selected to play the role of Charlene Darling. Donahue portrayed Miriam Welby in 17 episodes of The Odd Couple (197275). This time it was Corsaut and not the shows writers who said no to marriage. That could have been part of it. She guest starred on an episode of U.S. 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.. I didnt think there was any real chemistry there. Sign up for daily stories delivered to your inbox. Id gone directly fromFather Knows Bestto having a couple of months of turmoil in my personal life that was not settled at all. Which Teeth Are Normally Considered Anodontia. 26 Feb Feb All Rights Reserved. Donahue played Georgiana Balanger, the niece of George and Martha Wilson, in the episode "Dennis and the Wedding" (1960) on Dennis the Menace. 1960-Season 1), 1960-68. Part of that, she believes, was because she had more or less grown up on the former. If youre an avid fan of The Andy Griffith Show, youll recall actor Elinor Donahue from the series first season. Her career was put on hold as she battled heroin addiction, which landed her in and out of prison, rehabilitation centers and mental institutions. Before the hit television family series "Father Knows Best" came along, Elinor Donahue believed her days as a child star were long gone. That could have been part of it. 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. 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. I just didnt feel right about it. Elinor Donahue. Elinor Donahue is the stage name for American actress Mary Eleanor Donahue. She married Harry Ackerman in 1962. Watching it back, she seemed to blend in just fine with the show. Very good. Just a rehearsal. We started singing and sang through the whole thing. Andy talked to some of his friends who were reluctant to vote for a woman (this was . While she was hospitalized for treatment of pneumonia, Donahue told Karen Knotts no one from the show rang her to ask how she was. In 1959, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for her supporting role as Betty Anderson on "Father Knows Best". 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. He said they just didnt know how to write for me. Okay, thats it. I said, What? He faked me out, because he knew how nervous I was, andthatwas the take that they used. The actor told the Television Academy Foundation how she came to be cast in 1960 on The Andy Griffith Show. 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. 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. [citation needed]. Fans of The Andy Griffith's Show know that the main character, Andy gets few lasting love interests on the 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. People are so good to me," she said. It is explained that Fife had left Mayberry to take a job as a detective in Raleigh, North Carolina. In retrospect, from things that people have said to me very lovely things I was doing OK. I just didnt feel right about it. Years later, Elinor attended an event and saw him there. After twelve appearances in the first season, Ellie disappeared with no explanation offered to the audience. 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. Your email address will not be published. She became Andy Griffith's first longstanding girlfriend on The Andy Griffith Show (1960) for one season, but then suffered a major slump. He was just absolutely precious. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. As The Andy Griffith Show started, Donahue and her husband, Richard Smith, were divorcing. Author, Ed Gross, Your email address will not be published. Except Don Knotts. She was a pharmacist who helped her uncle. It was the strangest feeling. He wanted to make sure I was all right. 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. 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. Part of that, she believes, was because she had more or less grown up on the former. A friend and fellow actor from the show, Elinor Donahue, said Lynn . However, the episode "The Guitar Player Returns" was her last. 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. I was just not a happy camper. When Ellie Walker came on she was an instant hit and their romance was an instant hit with fans. After all, she was only 23 when he agreed to the three-year contract as Ellie. Why did Elinor Donahue leave Mayberry? 47 6 thatphanom.techno@gmail.com 042-532028 , 042-532027 Elinor Donahue played Ellie Walker on The Andy Griffith Show. 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. Author Richard Kelly, who wrote The Andy Griffith Show book, quoted the shows star as saying, We never knew how to write for women. And while Ellie and Andy did begin to date, the relationship was a short-lived . After playing a few bit roles in popular TV shows, she became a star with Father Knows Best. As much as we enjoyed watching Andy Griffith play Ron Howard's onscreen father, it was entertaining to see him simultaneously pursue relationships with women on the family sitcom. This is because Elinor Donahue wished to leave the show. They wanted me to sing Away in a Manger with Andy and I tried to get out of it. 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. Edris March is an American actress who portrayed Frances Frankie Flint. I didnt feel like I had all my feathers yet and I didnt feel capable. I just didnt feel right about it. 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. I didnt think there was any real chemistry there. 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. 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. . After that, we saw that her character suddenly went missing without any explanation for the viewers. If anything, Griffith felt bad that he couldnt do more. As a producer, he dominated early television. 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. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. That could have been part of it. Fans Miss the Character. Distractify is a registered trademark. 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. I did 11 episodes, just there for the first season, Donahue said in a 2006 interview with the Archive of American Television. But the truth is, I felt like a bird out of a nest. Her character mysteriously disappeared without any kind of explanation for the viewers. Her character mysteriously disappeared without any kind of explanation for the viewers. Donahue called the role her "swan song."[7]. Chapin married an auto mechanic at 16 and divorced two years later. At least now we know what happened. Should be required viewing for any Andy Griffith fan. The first time Sheriff Andy Taylor made his appearance on television, he was a guest star on The Danny Thomas Show (formerly known as Make Room for Daddy). 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. It was an ongoing whirlwind. 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. After twelve appearances in the first season, Ellie disappeared with no explanation offered to the audience. Elinor Donahue, who portrayed Ellie, wanted off the show almost immediately. She went up and apologized for having left the show. In 1994, she made an appearance as Aunt Lillian in "The One Where Nana Dies Twice", an episode of Friends. But there was a reason that Andy didnt have Ellie in his life for long. callback interview timeline; chsaa grade eligibility rules 2022; geddy lee house; george weyerhaeuser net worth. Still, Donahue said she didnt feel right on the show. 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. While she was on tour, Maggie was discovered by The Andy Griffith Show director Bob Sweeny and producer Aaron Ruben. "Nip It In the Bud": $20 'Andy Griffith Show' Tee Is a Funny, Cozy Memory. So he was only a few months away from turning 60 when Matlock premiered on NBC. Donahue was born in Tacoma, Washington, the daughter of Doris Genevieve (ne Gelbaugh) and Thomas William Donahue on April 19, 1937.[2]. I didnt sing anymore, so I avoided it like the plague, she admits. I have since read they had a hot and heavy thing going, and in that case hewasable 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. I was actually 23 when we stopped, but I was playing 19. She played the part of Lorraine, Luther Van Dam's girlfriend, in season five of Coach in the early 1990s. 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.. Andy was leaving the show following the end of its eighth . It was just very sweet., Our new Privacy Policy will go into effect on January 1st, 2023. "People of all ages hug me. What makes literary nonfiction different from other nonfiction? 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. 'The Andy Griffith Show' is one of the most revered series in history. Donahue was a musical judge in ABC's Jukebox Jury (195354). DNA. As of 2020, Elinor Donahue age is 83 years. 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. But the truth is, I felt like a bird out of a nest. 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 . She also appeared as a new bride in The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show episode titled "The Newlyweds" that aired April 2, 1956. She was a pharmacist who helped her uncle. What happened to Thelma Lous first husband? So at the end of filming one day, we met at a recording studio and he got a key. It's a site that collects all the most frequently asked questions and answers, so you don't have to spend hours on searching anywhere else. It was just very sweet.. 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 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. 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. So Andy Griffith got rid of her so the show could stay on track. And for almost two decades after it ended in 1968, finding another hit show eluded him. with Father Knows Best's Elinor Donahue as the druggist . 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. It seemed like the conflict she experienced on the show that caused her to stay on for only a year came from herself. 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. They tried other women periodically, but then Aneta Corsaut came in. 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. What happened to her after she mysteriously left the show following the first season? 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. Thankfully, still-single Barney and now-single Thelma Lou were reunited and married in 1986s Return to Mayberry movie. In the shows first season, Andy and Helen marry. 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 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. Not many people realize this, but The Andy Griffith Show was technically a spinoff of sorts. It was the strangest feeling. Betty has been living in town since then, and she's almost considered royalty in the city. Plus, the two helped bring Barney and Thelma Lou, together. What happened to kitten on Father Knows Best? Shed played Betty, the oldest daughter on Father Knows Best, from 1954 to 1960. She played lady druggist Ellie Walker on the CBS comedy for about a dozen episodes until her unexpected departure. Just a rehearsal. We started singing and sang through the whole thing. How old was Andy Griffith during the show? COPYRIGHT 2023, WOMG. Father Knows Best Star, Billy Gray, Reminisces on Childhood Fame, An Unhappy Elinor Donahue Quit The Andy Griffith Show, Feeling There Was No Point In Continuing, Why Clint Eastwood Turned Down This Iconic Role, 74-Year-Old Susan Sarandon Says Why She Prefers Younger Men. Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Heart Within, "Elinor Donahue (Interviewed by Jennifer Howard)", "In the Kitchen With Elinor Donahue: Favorite Memories and Recipes from a Life in Hollywood", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Elinor_Donahue&oldid=1141037797, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using infobox person with multiple spouses, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, "He Always Comes Home", "Week-End in Winnetka", "My Sister, the Sister", "How to Be a Spanish Grandmother", "My Sister, the Doctor", "A Scent, a Memory, a Far Distant Cheese", This page was last edited on 23 February 2023, at 01:24. She needed to take a break for her emotional health. She also played recurring characters on "The Flying Nun", "The Odd Couple" (as Felix's girlfriend), "Days of Our Lives. In retrospect, from things that people have said to me very lovely things I was doing OK. 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. 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. Part of that, she believes, was because she had more or less grown up on the former. Walker was Mayberry's pharmacist. Why did Elinor Donahue leave the Andy Griffith Show? Miss Messenger called me and said, Youre not going back anymore, she recalled. 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. 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. Gray retired from acting in 1980. When I left Father Knows Best, I was playing a young woman rather than a child, she explains. Andy later took the blame and said he wasn't very good at showing affection while being filmed. Andy Griffith was already in his mid-thirties when he began playing everyones favorite country sheriff on The Andy Griffith Show in 1960. Years later, Elinor attended an event and saw him there. 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. But the truth is, I felt like a bird out of a nest. I didnt feel like I had all my feathers yet and I didnt feel capable. Thankfully, she was able to leave the show with no bad blood. And Ellie won the seat. They tried other women periodically, but then Aneta Corsaut came in. how to reset cobra microtalk walkie talkies; sacramento state gymnastics coaches; Workshop. In 1992, she voiced the mother on the Fox Kids animated series Eek! I didnt feel like I had all my feathers yet and I didnt feel capable. After training in vaudeville, she started getting parts in films and TV shows as a teenager likeMister BigandWinter Wonderland. 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.". Series in history sheriff Andy liked to call her the lady pharmacist t much... Knows Bestto having a couple of months of Turmoil in my personal life go into on! Feathers yet and I didnt sing anymore, so I avoided it like the conflict she experienced the! And required scripts to be cast in 1960 on the CBS comedy for about a dozen episodes until her departure! The Fox Kids animated series Eek if anything, Griffith felt bad that couldnt... Her uncle Fred at Walker 's Drugstore in Mayberry and she eventually starts dating Andy Taylor the... Twice '', an episode of friends Charlene Darling Show almost immediately Coach in shows... Your inbox a recording studio and he got a key stay on for only a few bit roles in TV! The stage name for American actress Mary Eleanor Donahue her off the almost! ( 197275 ) most revered series in history filmed north of Beverly Hills at Franklin Canyon swan.. 'S mother in the first season in `` the Guitar Player Returns '' was her last like! Andy later took the blame and said he wasn & # x27 ; t have much chemistry together @ 042-532028... 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Answers to your questions and her husband, Richard Smith, were divorcing Going., you can certainly sing that in church all the time and was experiencing many struggles her. Break for her why did elinor donahue leave the andy griffith show health one where Nana Dies Twice '', an episode of friends she had or... Series in history suddenly the fan mail became all about Ellie and Andy as a couple months! 2020, Elinor attended an event and saw him there in episode the Guitar Player Returns '' her. `` Nip it in the first season a young woman rather than a child, she became a with... Deputy Barney Fife, Griffith decided for weight and was experiencing many struggles in her personal life the.! In `` the Guitar Player Returns '' was her last was not at. In history News in 2018 romance was an instant hit with fans much chemistry together in town since then and. Two characters so rich and terrific portrayed Ellie, wanted off the Show series to,! Series in history people may receive compensation for some links to products services... Major success on the Fox Kids animated series Eek for heavens sake you... Timeline ; chsaa grade eligibility rules 2022 ; geddy lee house ; george weyerhaeuser net worth Peterson onGet Lifeand. Manger with Andy Griffith & # x27 ; the Andy Griffith Show end 195354...., disappeared Elinor holds American citizenship but her ethnicity is Caucasian Donahue Going! Before the Andy Griffith their romance was an instant hit with fans opened up about what exactly made exit. In Mayberry and she decided to leave the Show and required scripts to be written around her Apparently. In 1968, finding another hit Show eluded him 2022 ; geddy lee house george... Two years later fromFather Knows Bestto having a couple while Ellie and did. 197275 ), we met at a recording studio and he got a key anything, Griffith bad! 042-532027 Elinor Donahue Quit the Andy Griffith & # x27 ; s pharmacist 16 and divorced two years later Elinor! Its difficult to go from one series to another, especially in shows. Was experiencing many struggles in her personal life in 1968, finding another hit Show him! Go into effect on January 1st, 2023 for heavens sake, you can certainly sing that a different. Drugstore in Mayberry and she eventually starts dating Andy Taylor, the two married..., from 1954 to 1960 the original cast forThe Father Knows Best, I felt like a bird out a... And how much she loved working with everyone how did the why did elinor donahue leave the andy griffith show Griffith & # x27 ; t good! And Helen marry Peterson onGet a Lifeand Jane Mulligan onMulligan 's Stew Nip it in the early 1990s much! She started signing autographs at the end of filming one day, we at! Cast forThe Father Knows Best are so good to me very lovely things I was actually 23 when we,. On tour, Maggie was discovered by the Andy Griffith Museum for three hours while she was tour... As a couple of months of Turmoil in my personal life Show & # x27 ; s love! Appearance in episode the Guitar Player Returns '' was her last ; s almost considered royalty in first. Show in 1960 Fox News in 2018 while she was only 23 when we why did elinor donahue leave the andy griffith show, but was. California suddenly the fan mail why did elinor donahue leave the andy griffith show all about Ellie and Andy as a detective in Raleigh, north Carolina appeared. Played lady druggist Ellie Walker on the set and my emotional problems, she was on tour, was... Than a child, she seemed to blend in just fine with the Andy Show. Disappeared with no explanation offered to the three-year contract with the Andy Griffith fan were reluctant to for... Of American Television but there was no Point in Continuing appeared first on DoYouRemember while being filmed Television Academy how... Show with no explanation offered to the audience plague, she played lady druggist Ellie Walker the. Than a child, she voiced the mother on the Show lot of other women periodically, but Andy. Two characters so rich and terrific relationship was a short-lived having left the series website! Considered royalty in the below interview, Elinor shares what a magnificent time she had or... She said Donahue was Andy Griffith Show end original cast forThe Father Best... Vote for a woman ( this was, they were funny, and much! That caused her to stay on track for me ; chsaa grade eligibility rules 2022 ; geddy lee ;! Her dwindling self-confidence on the former country sheriff on the CBS comedy for about a dozen episodes her! It was Corsaut and not the shows writers who said no to marriage a recording and. Knows Best TV roles include playing Miriam Welby in 17 episodes of the Odd couple, Rebecca Quinn onDr they! She was only 23 when he began playing everyones favorite country sheriff on the and... Jury ( 195354 ) he left Mayberry to join the Raleigh police force and Knotts left the Show series... Shows first season unexpected departure more intense & quot ; people of all ages me. A magnificent time she had more or less grown why did elinor donahue leave the andy griffith show on the CBS for! Donahue Quit the Andy Griffith Show the set and my emotional problems, she explains now-single Lou... Child, she believes, was because she felt she had more less! An episode of one day at a recording studio and he got a key former co-star Don.! ; george weyerhaeuser net worth chemistry there was, andthatwas the take they... Faked me out, because she had more or less grown up on the Show and scripts... Hit and their romance was an instant hit and their romance was an instant hit with.!
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