People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. It really affected him. So at the end of filming one day, we met at a recording studio and he got a key. 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. 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. 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. After twelve appearances in the first season, Ellie disappeared with no explanation offered to the audience. 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. Since the pandemic crisis has kept many of us at home, some have used this as an opportunity to rewatch old favorites on TV. I didnt think there was any real chemistry there. Miss Messenger called me and said, Youre not going back anymore, she recalled. 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'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. Years later, Elinor attended an event and saw him there. I felt like a bird out of a nest. The widow of TV executive producer Harry Ackerman (he was 25 years her senior), whose list of credits included Leave It to Beaver (1957), Bewitched (1964) and Gidget (1965), and a mother of four sons, Elinor married third husband, contractor Louis Genevrino, in 1992. 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. I was exhausted.. She played Miriam Welby on ABC's The Odd Couple, Jane Mulligan on Mulligan's Stew, and Nurse Hunnicut on Days of Our Lives. Her character mysteriously disappeared without any kind of explanation for the viewers. Donahue played Ellie Walker from 1960 through 1961. She began her career as a dancer during her childhood and found roles on stage, in vaudeville, and feature films. In 1998, Donahue published a memoir entitled In the Kitchen with Elinor Donahue, in which she relived some of her memories of Hollywood along with providing more than 150 of her recipes.[6]. Donahue is one of the show's cast members who is still alive today. 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 Andy Griffith Show: How Elinor Donahue Was Going Through Turmoil When Joining 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. Donahue played Georgiana Balanger, the niece of George and Martha Wilson, in the episode "Dennis and the Wedding" (1960) on Dennis the Menace. For instance, if you are watching Andy Griffith, you might have noticed that a particular character just, poof, disappeared. According to celebritynetworth.com, Betty Lynns net worth is estimated to be around $3 million. Why did Elinor Donahue leave Mayberry? So, what happened? In the shows first season, Andy and Helen marry. It was the strangest feeling. It was the strangest feeling.. Donahue was a musical judge in ABC's Jukebox Jury (195354). Walker was Mayberry's pharmacist. It was just very sweet.. Plus, the two helped bring Barney and Thelma Lou, together. The Andy Griffith Show actress Elinor Donahue said she was not a happy camper while working on the show. "Nip It In the Bud": $20 'Andy Griffith Show' Tee Is a Funny, Cozy Memory. 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. Then he said, Oh, that was very nice. 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. Despite her short time on the show, its clear that Donahue undersold herself when it came to her work as the Mayberry pharmacist. 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. 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 ic. She went up and apologized for having left the show. 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. Was she fired from the show, or did she leave the show and how did everyone react?First, lets look into how Elinor Donahue got her start in life. 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. In 1991, she portrayed the "Orphanage woman" in Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare. At least now we know what happened. All Rights Reserved. As The Andy Griffith Show started, Donahue and her husband, Richard Smith, were divorcing. Elinor Donahue was let go because they wanted the show to be about the Sheriff, his family, and the crazy deputy. Ellie Walker is a pharmacist (or "lady druggist" as Andy called her) who assists her uncle Fred Walker at Walker's Drugstore in Mayberry. He was as gracious to me as you could imagine, she smiles. Why did Don Knotts leave Andy Griffith 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. 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 became Andy Griffith's first longstanding girlfriend on The Andy Griffith Show (1960) for one season, but then suffered a major slump. It was the strangest feeling. Among his 21 shows were Father Knows Best,Dennis the Menace,Leave It to Beaver,Hazel,Bewitched,The Flying Nun, andGidget. Betty Lynn, most famously known for her portrayal of Thelma Lou on the classic "The Andy Griffith Show," has died at age 95. . Don't miss a story! Donahue played a strong female role on The Andy Griffith Show. Why did Elinor Donahue leave Mayberry? I just didnt feel right about it. 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. Actors Andy Griffith (L) and Don Knotts pose backstage after accepting the Legend Award for their series "The Andy Griffith Show" during a taping of the second annual TV Land Awards in Hollywood . 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. 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. 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. Except Don Knotts. This article is from Do You Remember. There was no mean spiritedness to it. However, Father Knows Best would be abruptly canceled. 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? 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. Very good. Several women did come into his life but none of them seemed to stick around. The Andy Griffith Show never explained what happened to Andys Lady Pharmacist. Welcome to early network television. But there was a reason that Andy didnt have Ellie in his life for long. When Ellie Walker came on she was an instant hit and their romance was an instant hit with fans. It is explained that Fife had left Mayberry to take a job as a detective in Raleigh, North Carolina. 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. She went up and apologized for having left the show. He said they just didnt know how to write for me. Just a rehearsal. We started singing and sang through the whole thing. I just didnt feel right about it. was joyce bulifant on the andy griffith show was joyce bulifant on the andy griffith show [citation needed]. 'The Andy Griffith Show' is one of the most revered series in history. Andy Griffith had been a successful stand-up comedian as well as an actor before beginning the show, and he had fully expected to be the main funny character on it, and in the first few episodes even performed some of his stand-up routines, like his countrified versions of classic fairy tales. 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. What makes literary nonfiction different from other nonfiction? Elinor Donahue. 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 1990, she played Bridget, a Beverly Hills clothing-store manager, in the film Pretty Woman. It goes to show just how much of the kindness of Mayberry and its characters was just as important behind the scenes. The happy years that followed Donahue's time in Mayberry were filled with countless acting roles. 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. 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. "People of all ages hug me. In real life, Griffith and Helen Crump actor Aneta Corsaut were romantically involved, to the point that he asked her to marry him several times. He was just absolutely precious. She eventually starts dating Andy Taylor. She hasn't appeared in any onscreen roles since 2011. That could have been part of it. 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. They wanted me to sing Away in a Manger with Andy and I tried to get out of it. 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. Andy talked to some of his friends who were reluctant to vote for a woman (this was 1960, after all). I have since read they had a hot and heavy thing going, and in that case, he was able to relate, she said. He said they just didnt know how to write for me. Why did Elinor Donahue leave the Andy Griffith 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. In other interviews, she said she didnt share much on-screen chemistry with Andy Griffith. Fans Miss the Character. Donahue portrayed Miriam Welby in 17 episodes of The Odd Couple (197275). Click the title to hop over there. In retrospect, from things that people have said to me very lovely things I was doing OK. She went up and apologized for having left the show. Years later, Elinor attended an event and saw him there. Why Did Elinor Donahue Leave Andy Griffith Show? Very good. I didnt think there was any real chemistry there. Betty Lynn, who portrayed Thelma Lou, died earlier this month at age 95. judy norton children; court ordered community service california with Father Knows Best's Elinor Donahue as the druggist . georgetown child psychiatry; the sardine can morro bay. 47 6 thatphanom.techno@gmail.com 042-532028 , 042-532027 Father Knows Best was canceled in 1960 when Young left the show. Elinor Donahue, who portrayed Ellie, wanted off the show almost immediately. The post An Unhappy Elinor Donahue Quit The Andy Griffith Show, Feeling There Was No Point In Continuing appeared first on DoYouRemember? There was no point in my trying to continue with it, she continued. In retrospect, from things that people have said to me very lovely things I was doing OK. This is why every third Friday of the month, she started signing autographs at the Andy Griffith Museum for three hours. 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., RELATED: Father Knows Best Star, Billy Gray, Reminisces on Childhood Fame. 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. "Andy couldn . Author Richard Kelly, who wrote The Andy Griffith Show book, quoted the shows star as saying, We never knew how to write for women. I was actually 23 when we stopped, but I was playing 19. 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. Known professionally as Elinor Donahue, she made a name for herself in Hollywood starring as Betty Anderson on the CBS sitcom Father Knows Best. Learn how your comment data is processed. She needed to take a break for her emotional health. Elinor holds American citizenship but her ethnicity is Caucasian. Are any cast members of The Andy Griffith Show still alive? 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. After all ) when Young left the show so suddenly and the kindness shown to her by former Don... Detective in Raleigh, North Carolina: the Final Nightmare much on-screen with. Who is still alive today Thelma Lou, together detective in Raleigh, North Carolina me very lovely things was... By former co-star Don Knotts that Andy didnt have Ellie in his life but none of them seemed to around. Was let go because they wanted the show in ABC 's Jukebox Jury ( 195354 ) very! 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