why did elinor donahue leave the andy griffith show

There was no point in my trying to continue with it, she continued. 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. Andy later took the blame and said he wasn't very good at showing affection while being filmed. 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. 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. 1 views . She later ran for City Council in Episode 10, and . 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. Walker was Mayberry's pharmacist. The Andy Griffith Show: How Elinor Donahue Was Going Through Turmoil When Joining 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. Learn how your comment data is processed. Miss Messenger called me and said, Youre not going back anymore, she recalled. Marshal. I didnt feel like I had all my feathers yet and I didnt feel capable. Just a rehearsal. We started singing and sang through the whole thing. The trouble started with his very first onscreen girlfriend, Ellie Walker, played by Elinor Donahue. 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. What happened to Thelma Lous first husband? Distractify is a registered trademark. Okay, thats it. I said, What? He faked me out, because he knew how nervous I was, and that was the take that they used. So at the end of filming one day, we met at a recording studio and he got a key. I just didnt feel right about it. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. She played the part of Lorraine, Luther Van Dam's girlfriend, in season five of Coach in the early 1990s. Donahue called the role her "swan song."[7]. 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. 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 actor told the Television Academy Foundation how she came to be cast in 1960 on The Andy Griffith Show. It was just very sweet., Our new Privacy Policy will go into effect on January 1st, 2023. "I'm so welcomed here. I didnt feel like I had all my feathers yet and I didnt feel capable. Still, Donahue said she didnt feel right on the show. Ellie . 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? 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. THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, Elinor Donahue, Andy Griffith (ca. After Father Knows Best ended, she really struggled to adjust to a new show. Andy invited her to the church picnic in the next episode in Irresistible Andy. 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. 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. But imposter syndrome can be difficult to manage. Are any cast members of The Andy Griffith Show still alive? Andy talked to some of his friends who were reluctant to vote for a woman (this was 1960, after all). 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. Very good. 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. "People of all ages hug me. who replaced warren on the andy griffith show. However, the episode "The Guitar Player Returns" was her last. 26 Feb Feb When I left Father Knows Best, I was playing a young woman rather than a child, she explains. When I left Father Knows Best, I was playing a young woman rather than a child, she explains. Ms. Lynn said that she could have stayed with the series, which ended in 1968, had she accepted the producers offer to make her the owner of a hairdressing salon. Known professionally as Elinor Donahue, she made a name for herself in Hollywood starring as Betty Anderson on the CBS sitcom Father Knows Best. Why did Don Knotts leave Andy Griffith Show? 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. 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. Edris March is an American actress who portrayed Frances Frankie Flint. Elinor holds American citizenship but her ethnicity is Caucasian. The two were married for almost 30 years when he died in 1991. Thankfully, still-single Barney and now-single Thelma Lou were reunited and married in 1986s Return to Mayberry movie. . 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. Your email address will not be published. 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. The Andy Griffith Show Actress Elinor Donahue Said She Was Not a Happy Camper While on the Show. 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. In retrospect, from things that people have said to me very lovely things I was doing OK. And Ellie won the seat. 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. Her career was put on hold as she battled heroin addiction, which landed her in and out of prison, rehabilitation centers and mental institutions. I didnt feel like I had all my feathers yet and I didnt feel capable. As for her personal life, Donahue was married to her second husband, Harry Ackerman until his death in 1991. And then went right into [The Andy Griffith Show]. Her character mysteriously disappeared without any kind of explanation for the viewers. Okay, thats it. I said, What? He faked me out, because he knew how nervous I was, andthatwas the take that they used. 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. Since the pandemic crisis has kept many of us at home, some have used this as an opportunity to rewatch old favorites on TV. Walker was Mayberrys pharmacist. I have always wondered why he was uncomfortable around women. 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. 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. 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. All Rights Reserved. [citation needed] Donahue was also cast, in 1960, with Marion Ross in an episode ("Duet") of The Brothers Brannagan. 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. While she was on tour, Maggie was discovered by The Andy Griffith Show director Bob Sweeny and producer Aaron Ruben. She later rejoined the original cast forThe Father Knows Best Reunionin 1977. Then he said, Oh, that was very nice. Although she had a three-year contract with CBS, Donahue asked to be let out of the show early on. Donahue portrayed the sister of Sister Bertrille (Sally Field) in three episodes of ABC's The Flying Nun (196870). Thankfully, she was able to leave the show with no bad blood. I just didnt feel right about it. Part of that, she believes, was because she had more or less grown up on the former. Who did Suzanne Pleshette marry? It goes to show just how much of the kindness of Mayberry and its characters was just as important behind the scenes. We just wish poor Ellie had been given a better send-off her character certainly deserved it! She married Harry Ackerman in 1962. 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. So he was only a few months away from turning 60 when Matlock premiered on NBC. View results. She played one of the daughters in Three Daring Daughters in 1948 and appeared as Mamie Van Doren's sister in Girls Town (1959). Chapin married an auto mechanic at 16 and divorced two years later. mike vernon royal household; are there snakes in gran canaria; shooting in laurel, md yesterday. 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. she and Andy Griffith didn't have enough chemistry. Plus, Donahue still didnt have much life experience as she went from Father Knows Best to The Andy Griffith Show. It was an ongoing whirlwind. Why Did Elinor Donahue Leave Andy Griffith Show? Shed played Betty, the oldest daughter on Father Knows Best, from 1954 to 1960. In 1987, she played the title character's mother in the short-lived Fox series The New Adventures of Beans Baxter. Away from turning 60 when Matlock premiered on NBC Luther Van Dam 's,... Was because she had more or less grown up on the Show with bad... When he died in 1991 first time second husband, Harry Ackerman until his death in.... At the end of filming one day, we met at a recording studio and he got key! Have always wondered why he was n't very good at showing affection while filmed! 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