Her character mysteriously disappeared without any kind of explanation for the viewers. She played Miriam Welby on ABC's The Odd Couple, Jane Mulligan on Mulligan's Stew, and Nurse Hunnicut on Days of Our Lives. There didnt seem to be any fight about it, so I left the show at the end of the first year.. This is why every third Friday of the month, she started signing autographs at the Andy Griffith Museum for three hours. She appeared on numerous TV series including Many Happy Returns, The Flying Nun, Days of Our Lives, The Young and the Restless, Cold Case, The Golden Girls, The Virginian, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Happy Days, Ellenand Murder, She Wrote. Sign up for daily stories delivered to your inbox. 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. I have always wondered why he was uncomfortable around women. Just a rehearsal. We started singing and sang through the whole thing. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Why Did Elinor Donahue Leave Andy Griffith Show? 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. When I left Father Knows Best, I was playing a young woman rather than a child, she explains. As she grew older, she began seeking out roles in feature films.But it was television where she found her best work. I was very, very touched by that. In regards to Elinor Donahue, Griffith and the show's producer, Sheldon Leonard, made the decision to let Donahue go because they didn't feel there was "chemistry" between the characters Ellie Walker and Andy Taylor; at least that was the "official reason" for Donahue's departure from the program after one season. Andy was leaving the show following the end of its eighth . 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. What makes literary nonfiction different from other nonfiction? People are so good to me," she said. How old was Andy Griffith during the show? These days, there are no hard bad feelings from Elinor about her time on Andy Griffith. 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. So, what happened? The two were married for almost 30 years when he died in 1991. She needed to take a break for her emotional health. Why did Ellie leave Andy Griffith Show? Except Don Knotts. Like most Mayberry ladies, she is an accomplished cook, being especially celebrated for her cashew fudge (a favorite of Barneys). Before The Andy Griffith Show, Donahue found major success on the show, Father Knows Best. Then came her three-year contract with The Andy Griffith Show. Why did Elinor Donahue leave the Andy Griffith Show? 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. A few years after her stint in Mayberry, Elinor guest starred on the 1967 Trek episode "Metamorphosis," which, while not usually on Top 10 lists . In 1978, Donahue starred in the NBC sitcom Please Stand By. Miss Messenger called me and said, Youre not going back anymore, she recalled. 26 Feb Feb 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. Fans of The Andy Griffith's Show know that the main character, Andy gets few lasting love interests on the show. 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. Click the title to hop over there. Just a rehearsal. We started singing and sang through the whole thing. 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. Marshal. 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 1990, she played Bridget, a Beverly Hills clothing-store manager, in the film Pretty Woman. Are any cast members of The Andy Griffith Show still alive? In 1988, she appeared in a Newhart episode ("Courtin' Disaster"), and she appeared in a 1989 episode of The Golden Girls as the newest wife of Dorothy Zbornak's ex-husband, Stan. She played lady druggist Ellie Walker on the CBS comedy for about a dozen episodes until her unexpected departure. Donahue called the role her "swan song."[7]. 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. Then he said, Oh, that was very nice. Among his 21 shows were Father Knows Best,Dennis the Menace,Leave It to Beaver,Hazel,Bewitched,The Flying Nun, andGidget. Part of that, she believes, was because she had more or less grown up on the former. 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. But it didnt seem like Donahue ever had any sort of conflict with Andy Griffith or anyone else working on the show. Donahue played a strong female role on The Andy Griffith Show. The Andy Griffith Show actress Elinor Donahue said she was "not a happy camper" while working on the show. 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. He wanted to make sure I was all right. 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 . Gray retired from acting in 1980. ELINOR DONAHUE. 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. Very good. His very first love interest in the series was Ellie Walker, played by actress Elinor Donahue. 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. Elinor was born to Thomas William Donahue (father) and Doris Genevieve Donahue (mother). Very good. The wedding took place in front of the Abbotts' new home, which just happened to be a replica of the Anderson house from Father Knows Best. 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. [citation needed] Donahue was also cast, in 1960, with Marion Ross in an episode ("Duet") of The Brothers Brannagan. The Andy Griffith Show actress Elinor Donahue said she was not a happy camper while working on the show. 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. 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. 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. The trouble started with his very first onscreen girlfriend, Ellie Walker, played by Elinor Donahue. Griffith later admitted that it was his own fault, because he had a hard time showing affection on-screen, and as a result, the relationship didn't appear real or believable. Part of that, she believes, was because she had more or less grown up on the former. Despite her short time on the show, its clear that Donahue undersold herself when it came to her work as the Mayberry pharmacist. Answer (1 of 6): Apparently her and Griffith didn't have much chemistry together. 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 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.. [3] Her co-stars were Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Billy Gray as her younger brother, James "Bud" Anderson, Jr., and Lauren Chapin as her younger sister, Kathy. [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. 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. But the truth is, Donahue told Fox News in 2018. 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 exhausted.. When Ellie Walker came on she was an instant hit and their romance was an instant hit with fans. 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. 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. 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? She became Andy Griffith's first longstanding girlfriend on The Andy Griffith Show (1960) for one season, but then suffered a major slump. 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. Betty was the oldest daughter of Robert Young and Jane Wyatt's characters with Billy Gray and Lauren Chapin starring as her younger siblings. Ellie even ran for City Council. For her full interview, see http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/elinor-donahue What happened to kitten on Father Knows Best? They wanted me to sing Away in a Manger with Andy and I tried to get out of it. 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. Ellie . I was actually 23 when we stopped, but I was playing 19. Sheriff Andy liked to call her the "lady pharmacist.". Part of that, she believes, was because she had more or less grown up on the former. Donahue portrayed Miriam Welby in 17 episodes of The Odd Couple (197275). Edris March is an American actress who portrayed Frances Frankie Flint. Watching it back, she seemed to blend in just fine with the show. "People of all ages hug me. Donahue is one of the show's cast members who is still alive today. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Report Content | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. The Early Days of The Andy Griffith's Show. Andy later took the blame and said he wasn't very good at showing . Andy talked to some of his friends who were reluctant to vote for a woman (this was 1960, after all). Offers may be subject to change without notice. "I'm so welcomed here. "Andy couldn . Id gone directly fromFather Knows Bestto having a couple of months of turmoil in my personal life that was not settled at all. Andy invited her to the church picnic in the next episode in Irresistible Andy. I was just not a happy camper. Long-time fans of The Andy Griffith Show fans probably enjoyed the relationship between Sheriff Taylor and Ellie Walker. 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