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. 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 . Very good. We just wish poor Ellie had been given a better send-off her character certainly deserved it! The only person who called me from the show was your dad, the actor said. 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 actress was born on 19 April 1937. He was just absolutely precious. 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. However, the episode "The Guitar Player Returns" was her last. Okay, thats it. I said, What? He faked me out, because he knew how nervous I was, andthatwas the take that they used. I was called in to the office to meet with the producers, went home that afternoon, and found out I had the part. Elinor Donahue decided not to return after the first season, because she felt she had no on-screen chemistry with Andy Griffith. Marshal. Now, we finally know how Elinor Donahue felt about the show and why she decided to leave.Lets learn about Elinor Donahues life and career and why she left The Andy Griffith Show Elinor Donahue Finally Reveals Why She Left the Andy Griffith Show . she and Andy Griffith didn't have enough chemistry. This is because Elinor Donahue wished to leave the show. I didnt think there was any real chemistry there. 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. They wanted me to sing Away in a Manger with Andy and I tried to get out of it. judy norton children; court ordered community service california 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 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. But I felt that it was because I was so terrible.. After twelve appearances in the first season, Ellie disappeared with no explanation offered to the audience. She played one of the daughters in Three Daring Daughters in 1948 and appeared as Mamie Van Doren's sister in Girls Town (1959). All Rights Reserved. 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. And I didnt read or anything. The trouble started with his very first onscreen girlfriend, Ellie Walker, played by Elinor Donahue. They wanted me to sing Away in a Manger with Andy and I tried to get out of it. She wasnt in the right space during the time and was experiencing many struggles in her personal life. Part of that, she believes, was because she had more or less grown up on the former. In 1987, she played the title character's mother in the short-lived Fox series The New Adventures of Beans Baxter. the Cat. The actor told the Television Academy Foundation how she came to be cast in 1960 on The Andy Griffith Show. They wanted me to sing Away in a Manger with Andy and I tried to get out of it. Elinor Donahue, who portrayed Ellie, wanted off the show almost immediately. Why did Elinor Donahue leave Mayberry? 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. 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. 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. It was the strangest feeling. 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. 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). In retrospect, from things that people have said to me very lovely things I was doing OK. Then came her three-year contract with The Andy Griffith Show. 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. Sheriff Andy liked to call her the "lady pharmacist.". Copyright 2023 Distractify. 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. 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 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. Thankfully, she was able to leave the show with no bad blood. The Early Days of The Andy Griffith's Show. Study Guides . Donahue is one of the show's cast members who is still alive today. I was very, very touched by that. Andy later took the blame and said he wasn't very good at showing affection while being filmed. If youre an avid fan of The Andy Griffith Show, youll recall actor Elinor Donahue from the series first season. Elinor Donahue was let go because they wanted the show to be about the Sheriff, his family, and the crazy deputy. She was a pharmacist who helped her uncle. 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. She played lady druggist Ellie Walker on the CBS comedy for about a dozen episodes until her unexpected departure. And of course, they were funny, and they made those two characters so rich and terrific. The Andy Griffith Show actress Elinor Donahue said she was "not a happy camper" while working on the show. He was as gracious to me as you could imagine, she smiles. Woodsy locales were filmed north of Beverly Hills at Franklin Canyon. "People of all ages hug me. She needed to take a break for her emotional health. The actor told the Television Academy Foundation how she came to be cast in 1960 on The Andy Griffith Show. Author, Ed Gross, Your email address will not be published. ELINOR DONAHUE. I did 11 episodes, just there for the first season, Donahue said in a 2006 interview with the Archive of American Television. 'The Andy Griffith Show' is one of the most revered series in history. Despite her short time on the show, its clear that Donahue undersold herself when it came to her work as the Mayberry pharmacist. So, what happened? Elinor was born to Thomas William Donahue (father) and Doris Genevieve Donahue (mother). They tried a lot of other women periodically, but then Aneta Corsaut (Helen Crump) came in. Ellie even ran for City Council. 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. Then he said, Oh, that was very nice. She went up and apologized for having left the show. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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 later rejoined the original cast forThe Father Knows Best Reunionin 1977. Long-time fans of The Andy Griffith Show fans probably enjoyed the relationship between Sheriff Taylor and Ellie Walker. 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. It was an ongoing whirlwind. 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. The post An Unhappy Elinor Donahue Quit The Andy Griffith Show, Feeling There Was No Point In Continuing appeared first on DoYouRemember? Distractify is a registered trademark. If anything, Griffith felt bad that he couldnt do more. She hasn't appeared in any onscreen roles since 2011. 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. 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. She was set to play a very different role. What happened to kitten on Father Knows Best? 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. It was the strangest feeling.. Part of that, she believes, was because she had more or less grown up on the former. 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