Buddy Ebsen
Encyclopedia
Buddy Ebsen was an American character actor
and dancer. A performer for seven decades, he had starring roles as Jed Clampett in the long-running television series The Beverly Hillbillies
and as the title character
in the 1970s detective series Barnaby Jones
, and played Barnaby Jones in the movie version of The Beverly Hillbillies
. Ebsen also played Fess Parker
's sidekick in Walt Disney
's Davy Crockett
miniseries (1953-54), and was cast as the Tin Man
in The Wizard of Oz
(1939) until he fell ill due to an allergy to the makeup.
. His father, Christian Rudolph Ebsen, Sr., was Danish and his mother, Frances, was Latvian
. He was reared in Belleville until the age of 10, when his family moved to Palm Beach County, Florida
. After a brief stay, Ebsen and his family relocated to Orlando, Florida
, in 1920. Ebsen and his sisters learned to dance at the dance studio his father operated in Orlando.
He graduated from Orlando High School in 1926. Initially interested in a medical career, Ebsen attended the University of Florida
in Gainesville, Florida
, from 1926 to 1927, and then Rollins College
in Winter Park, Florida
, from 1927 to 1928. Family financial problems caused by the collapse of the Florida land boom
forced him to leave college at the age of 20.
, arriving with only $26.75 in his pocket, equal to $ today and worked at a soda fountain. He and his sister Vilma Ebsen
performed as a dance act in supper clubs and in vaudeville
— they were known as "The Baby Astaires". On Broadway
they appeared as members of the chorus in Whoopee, Flying Colors
and the Ziegfeld Follies of 1934
. A rave review from Walter Winchell
, who saw them perform in Atlantic City, led to a booking at the Palace Theatre
, the pinnacle of the vaudeville world.
for a screen test, and signed a two-year contract, with a two-year option, for $1,500 a week each, equal to $ today. After relocating to Hollywood, they made their film debuts in Broadway Melody of 1936
. This was to be Vilma's only film — a contract problem prevented her from making others and she soon retired from show business — but Buddy appeared in numerous films, both musicals and non-musicals, including Born to Dance
, Captain January
(in which he danced with Shirley Temple
), Broadway Melody of 1938
(with Judy Garland
as his dance partner), and The Girl of the Golden West
. He partnered with Eleanor Powell
and Frances Langford
, among others, and also danced solo.
Ebsen was noted for his unusual, surreal dancing and singing style (for example, his contribution to the "Swingin' the Jinx Away" finale of Born to Dance
), which may be a reason that Walt Disney
chose Ebsen to be filmed dancing in front of a grid as an aid to animating Mickey Mouse
's dancing in Disney's Silly Symphonies.
When Ebsen turned down Louis B. Mayer
's offer of an exclusive contract with MGM, he was warned by Mayer that he would never get a job in Hollywood again. However, he was cast in the role of the Scarecrow in the 1939 The Wizard of Oz
. He then swapped roles with Ray Bolger
, who was originally set to play the Tin Man. Ebsen recorded all his songs, went through all the rehearsals, and started filming. Shortly thereafter, he began experiencing cramps and shortness of breath, eventually leading to hospitalization. The cause was determined to be an allergy to the aluminum dust used for his makeup; he left the film as a result.
In an interview included on the 2005 DVD release of the movie, Ebsen recalled that the studio heads did not believe he was sick until someone tried to order him back to the set and was intercepted by an angry nurse. Ebsen was replaced by Jack Haley
, with the makeup quietly changed to a paste. As noted in a documentary on the 2005 DVD, MGM did not publicize the reason for Ebsen's departure; even Haley was not told until later. Although Haley re-recorded most of Ebsen's vocals, Ebsen's midwestern voice (as opposed to Haley's Bostonian accent), with the enunciated "r" in the word "wizard", can still be heard on the soundtrack during several reprises of the song "We're Off to See the Wizard". Ebsen's recording of the Tin Man's only solo song, If I Only Had a Heart
, still exists and is included on the 2-CD Deluxe Edition of the film's soundtrack, while a still photo recreation of the sequence featuring shots of Ebsen as the Tin Man was included as an extra with all VHS
and DVD releases of the film since 1989. Until his dying day, Ebsen complained of lung issues from his involvement in "that damned movie." Ironically, Ebsen outlived all of the major cast members of The Wizard of Oz by at least 16 years, and lived at least 10 years longer than any of them.
officer candidates. In 1941, he applied several times for a commission in the Navy, but was repeatedly turned down. He applied for a Coast Guard
commission, was accepted, and promptly given the rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade
. This war-time rank was one step up from the rank of Ensign
, the usual rank given newly appointed naval officers in peacetime. He served as damage control officer and later as executive officer
on the Coast Guard-manned Navy frigate
, which recorded weather at its “weather station” 1,500 miles west of Seattle. These patrols consisted of 30 days at sea, followed by 10 days in port at Seattle. He was honorably discharged as a lieutenant
in 1946.
, Corky and White Shadow, the H.J. Heinz Company's Studio 57, Screen Directors Playhouse, two episodes of Climax!, The Martha Raye Show
, Playhouse 90
, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, Johnny Ringo
, two episodes of Bonanza
, an episode of The Andy Griffith Show
, three episodes of Maverick
playing assorted homicidal villains, and 77 Sunset Strip
, among others. He received wide television exposure when he played Georgie Russell, a fictional loyal companion to Davy Crockett
, in the wildly popular Disneyland television miniseries Davy Crockett
(1954–1955).
In the 1958-1959 season, Ebsen co-starred in the 26-episode half-hour NBC
adventure series Northwest Passage
, a fictionalized account of Major Robert Rogers
, a colonial American fighter for the British in the French and Indian War
. Ebsen played the role of Sergeant Hunk Marriner. Keith Larsen
(1924–2006) played Rogers. Northwest Passage was an early color program.
In 1960, he appeared in episodes of Rawhide
and Tales of Wells Fargo
, which he would reprise in episodes of both shows during 1962 in the roles of different characters. While he shared screen time with Sheb Wooley
and Paul Brinegar
in the earlier Rawhide
episode, he would act alongside Clint Eastwood
in the second, in which Eastwood made his singing debut (as opposed to the film Paint Your Wagon
, which is usually credited and mistakenly confirmed on Eastwood's own website).
In 1961-1962, he had a recurring role as Virge Blessing in the ABC
series Bus Stop
starring Marilyn Maxwell
in the role played in the original movie by Marilyn Monroe
, a drama about travelers passing through the bus station and diner in the fictitious town of Sunrise, Colorado
. Several episodes were directed by Robert Altman
. Ebsen's role had been played by Arthur O'Connell
in the earlier film version upon which the series was loosely based. Ebsen also appeared twice as "Mr. Dave", a homeless hobo
, on The Andy Griffith Show
, playing opposite Ron Howard
.
, in 1961's Breakfast at Tiffany's. This role brought Ebsen to the attention of the casting director of the CBS sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies.
in the long-running, fish-out-of-water CBS sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies
. Aside from the top-billed Ebsen, other principal cast members included Irene Ryan
as Jed's mother-in-law, Daisy Moses, also known as Granny; Max Baer, Jr.
as Jed's dim-witted nephew Jethro Bodine; Donna Douglas
as Jed's only child, the curvaceous, critter-loving Elly May Clampett; Raymond Bailey
as Milburn Drysdale, a bank president who oversees the Clampett fortune; and Nancy Kulp
as Jane Hathaway, Drysdale's secretary.
Although scorned by critics, The Beverly Hillbillies attracted as many as 60 million viewers between 1962 and 1971 and was several times the highest rated show on TV. The show also spawned simliar Paul Henning
produced rural sit-coms such as Green Acres
and Petticoat Junction
which were eventually linked together in cross-over episode arcs. It was still earning good ratings when it was canceled by CBS (because programmers began shunning shows that attracted a rural audience
). One episode, "The Giant Jack Rabbit", was the highest rated half-hour on television to that time and remains the most watched half-hour sitcom episode. A decade after the show ended, Ebsen reprised his role in the 1981 TV movie Return of the Beverly Hillbillies.
Not all was harmony among cast members, especially between the politically conservative Ebsen and the more liberal Kulp. Said Douglas, "They had a different view, so they had some heated discussions about that. They would go at it for weeks." In 1984, Kulp unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat from Pennsylvania
. To her dismay, Ebsen supported her Republican opponent, incumbent Bud Shuster
, going so far as to tape an ad for Shuster that labeled Kulp as "too liberal." Ebsen claimed she was exploiting her celebrity status and did not know the issues.
, which proved to be his second long-running television series. Barnaby Jones was a milk-drinking detective who came out of retirement to investigate the death of his son. Critics and CBS
executives ridiculed the age of the show's audience, but it lasted eight and a half seasons, and 178 episodes. When it was pulled off the air, it was one of the last surviving 1970s detective dramas. Lee Meriwether
, 1955 Miss America
, played Barnaby's widowed daughter-in-law, Betty Jones. Ebsen appeared as Barnaby Jones on two other productions as well: a 1975 episode of Cannon
, and in the 1993 film, Beverly Hillbillies, a big screen version of his other hit television show.
(Season 2 - Episode 21) in 1961.
His last regular television series was Matt Houston
on ABC
, starring Lee Horsley
. Ebsen played Matt's uncle, Roy Houston, during the show's third season in 1984-1985.
Ebsen narrated the documentary series Disney Family Album
during the 1980s on the Disney Channel
and Steven Kellogg
's "Paul Bunyan" on the PBS
series Reading Rainbow
in 1985. He made his final guest-starring appearance in 1994 on an episode of the short-lived TV series revival, Burke's Law
.
was cast in Ebsen's role as Jed Clampett in the film, at the time a rare movie role for Varney since he was not portraying his Ernest P. Worrell
character. Ironically, despite being 41 years older, Ebsen would eventually outlive Varney, a cigarette smoker who died of lung cancer at 50 while Ebsen lived to be 95.
In 1999, he provided a voice for an episode of King of the Hill
(becoming the oldest person to ever star on the show). Illness and infirmity kept him from a cameo on the Howard Stern-produced syndicated sitcom Son of the Beach
.
Buddy Ebsen has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 1765 Vine Street, as well as a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame
.
at Torrance Memorial Medical Center
in Torrance, California
, on July 6, 2003, at the age of 95. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea.
Ebsen had four sisters, Helga, Leslie, Norma, and Vilma Ebsen
, the last a dance instructor at their father's dance studio. Almost all of Buddy's siblings lived long lives, like Buddy himself. Both of his sisters, Helga (b. 1902) died in 1994 (of natural causes) and Norma (b. 1904) died in 1996 (also of natural causes). Vilma died in 2007, also of natural causes.
Throughout his long life, Ebsen had many hobbies: public speaking, traveling, singing, playing guitar, golfing, spending time with his family, riding horses, swimming, gardening, fishing, sailing, painting, and building sailboats. He became a folk artist and, as an avid coin collector, co-founded the Beverly Hills Coin Club in 1987 with much younger actor Chris Aable. Ebsen's favorite leisure time activity undoubtedly was dancing. As Ebsen entered his 90s, he continued to keep active, and there were media reports that he had begun work on his first novel about a year before his death.
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
and dancer. A performer for seven decades, he had starring roles as Jed Clampett in the long-running television series The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
and as the title character
Title role
The title role in the performing arts is the performance part that gives the title to the piece, as in Aida, Giselle, Michael Collins or Othello. The actor, singer or dancer who performs that part is also said to have the title role....
in the 1970s detective series Barnaby Jones
Barnaby Jones
Barnaby Jones is a television detective series starring Buddy Ebsen and Lee Meriwether as father- and daughter-in-law who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles. A spin-off from Cannon, the show ran on CBS from January 28, 1973 to April 3, 1980, beginning as a midseason replacement...
, and played Barnaby Jones in the movie version of The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies (1993 film)
The Beverly Hillbillies is a 1993 20th Century Fox comedy motion picture starring Jim Varney, Diedrich Bader, Erika Eleniak, Cloris Leachman, Lily Tomlin, Dabney Coleman, Lea Thompson, Rob Schneider and Penny Fuller...
. Ebsen also played Fess Parker
Fess Parker
Fess Elisha Parker, Jr. was an American film and television actor best known for his portrayals of Davy Crockett in the Walt Disney 1955-56 TV mini-series and as TV's Daniel Boone from 1964-70...
's sidekick in Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
's Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett (TV miniseries)
Davy Crockett is a five part serial which aired on ABC in one-hour episodes on the Disneyland series. The series stars Fess Parker as real-life frontiersman Davy Crockett and Buddy Ebsen as his fictional best friend, George Russel....
miniseries (1953-54), and was cast as the Tin Man
Tin Woodman
The Tin Woodman, sometimes referred to as the Tin Man or the Tin Woodsman , is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum...
in The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
(1939) until he fell ill due to an allergy to the makeup.
Early years
He was born Christian Rudolph Ebsen, Jr. in Belleville, IllinoisBelleville, Illinois
Belleville is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city has a population of 44,478. It is the eighth-most populated city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area and the most populated city south of Springfield in the state of Illinois. It is the county...
. His father, Christian Rudolph Ebsen, Sr., was Danish and his mother, Frances, was Latvian
Latvians
Latvians or Letts are the indigenous Baltic people of Latvia.-History:Latvians occasionally refer to themselves by the ancient name of Latvji, which may have originated from the word Latve which is a name of the river that presumably flowed through what is now eastern Latvia...
. He was reared in Belleville until the age of 10, when his family moved to Palm Beach County, Florida
Palm Beach County, Florida
Palm Beach County is the largest county in the state of Florida in total area, and third in population. As of 2010, the county's estimated population was 1,320,134, making it the twenty-eighth most populous in the United States...
. After a brief stay, Ebsen and his family relocated to Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, in 1920. Ebsen and his sisters learned to dance at the dance studio his father operated in Orlando.
He graduated from Orlando High School in 1926. Initially interested in a medical career, Ebsen attended the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, from 1926 to 1927, and then Rollins College
Rollins College
Rollins College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Winter Park, Florida , along the shores of Lake Virginia....
in Winter Park, Florida
Winter Park, Florida
Winter Park is a suburban city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 24,090 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 28,083. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, from 1927 to 1928. Family financial problems caused by the collapse of the Florida land boom
Florida land boom of the 1920s
The Florida land boom of the 1920s was Florida's first real estate bubble, which burst in 1925, leaving behind entire new cities and the remains of failed development projects such as Aladdin City in south Miami-Dade County and Isola di Lolando in north Biscayne Bay...
forced him to leave college at the age of 20.
Professional career
Ebsen left Orlando in the summer of 1928 to try his luck as a dancer in New YorkNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, arriving with only $26.75 in his pocket, equal to $ today and worked at a soda fountain. He and his sister Vilma Ebsen
Vilma Ebsen
Vilma Ebsen was an American musical theatre and film actress best known for dancing in Broadway shows and MGM musicals in the 1930s with her more famous brother, Buddy Ebsen....
performed as a dance act in supper clubs and in vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
— they were known as "The Baby Astaires". On Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
they appeared as members of the chorus in Whoopee, Flying Colors
Flying Colors (musical)
Flying Colors is a musical revue with a book, lyrics, and music by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz and sketch contributions by George S. Kaufman, Corey Ford, and Charles Sherman....
and the Ziegfeld Follies of 1934
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
. A rave review from Walter Winchell
Walter Winchell
Walter Winchell was an American newspaper and radio gossip commentator.-Professional career:Born Walter Weinschel in New York City, he left school in the sixth grade and started performing in a vaudeville troupe known as Gus Edwards' "Newsboys Sextet."His career in journalism was begun by posting...
, who saw them perform in Atlantic City, led to a booking at the Palace Theatre
Palace Theatre, New York
The Palace Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1564 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.-History:Designed by architects Kirchoff & Rose, the theatre was built by Martin Beck a California vaudeville entrepreneur and Broadway impresario. The project experienced a number of business problems before...
, the pinnacle of the vaudeville world.
MGM signing
In 1935, the Ebsens were approached by MGMMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
for a screen test, and signed a two-year contract, with a two-year option, for $1,500 a week each, equal to $ today. After relocating to Hollywood, they made their film debuts in Broadway Melody of 1936
Broadway Melody of 1936
Broadway Melody of 1936 is a musical released by MGM in 1935. It was a follow up of sorts to the successful The Broadway Melody, which had been released in 1929, although, beyond the title and some music, there is no story connection with the earlier film.The film was written by Harry W. Conn, Moss...
. This was to be Vilma's only film — a contract problem prevented her from making others and she soon retired from show business — but Buddy appeared in numerous films, both musicals and non-musicals, including Born to Dance
Born to Dance
Born to Dance is an American musical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and directed by Roy Del Ruth.The film stars dancer Eleanor Powell and was a follow-up to her successful debut in Broadway Melody of 1936...
, Captain January
Captain January (1936 film)
Captain January is a 1936 American comedy drama film directed by David Butler. The screenplay by Sam Hellman, Gladys Lehman, and Harry Tugend is based on the story The Lighthouse at Cape Tempest by Laura E. Richards. The film stars Shirley Temple, Guy Kibbee, and Sara Haden in a story about a...
(in which he danced with Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
), Broadway Melody of 1938
Broadway Melody of 1938
Broadway Melody of 1938 is a 1937 musical film, produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and directed by Roy Del Ruth. The film is essentially a backstage musical revue, featuring high-budget sets and cinematography in the MGM musical tradition...
(with Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
as his dance partner), and The Girl of the Golden West
The Girl of the Golden West (1938 film)
The Girl of the Golden West is a 1938 musical western film. It was adapted from the play of the same name by David Belasco, better known for providing the plot of the opera La fanciulla del West by Giacomo Puccini...
. He partnered with Eleanor Powell
Eleanor Powell
Eleanor Torrey Powell was an American film actress and dancer of the 1930s and 1940s, known for her exuberant solo tap dancing.-Early life:...
and Frances Langford
Frances Langford
Julia Frances Langford was an American singer and entertainer who was popular during the Golden Age of Radio and also made film appearances over two decades.-Birth:...
, among others, and also danced solo.
Ebsen was noted for his unusual, surreal dancing and singing style (for example, his contribution to the "Swingin' the Jinx Away" finale of Born to Dance
Born to Dance
Born to Dance is an American musical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and directed by Roy Del Ruth.The film stars dancer Eleanor Powell and was a follow-up to her successful debut in Broadway Melody of 1936...
), which may be a reason that Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
chose Ebsen to be filmed dancing in front of a grid as an aid to animating Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
's dancing in Disney's Silly Symphonies.
The Wizard of Oz
Louis B. Mayer
Louis Burt Mayer born Lazar Meir was an American film producer. He is generally cited as the creator of the "star system" within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in its golden years. Known always as Louis B...
's offer of an exclusive contract with MGM, he was warned by Mayer that he would never get a job in Hollywood again. However, he was cast in the role of the Scarecrow in the 1939 The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
. He then swapped roles with Ray Bolger
Ray Bolger
Raymond Wallace "Ray" Bolger was an American entertainer of stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of the Scarecrow and Kansas farmworker Hank in The Wizard of Oz.-Early life:...
, who was originally set to play the Tin Man. Ebsen recorded all his songs, went through all the rehearsals, and started filming. Shortly thereafter, he began experiencing cramps and shortness of breath, eventually leading to hospitalization. The cause was determined to be an allergy to the aluminum dust used for his makeup; he left the film as a result.
In an interview included on the 2005 DVD release of the movie, Ebsen recalled that the studio heads did not believe he was sick until someone tried to order him back to the set and was intercepted by an angry nurse. Ebsen was replaced by Jack Haley
Jack Haley
John Joseph "Jack" Haley was an American stage, radio, and film actor best known for his portrayal of the Tin Man and Kansas farmworker Hickory in The Wizard of Oz.-Career:...
, with the makeup quietly changed to a paste. As noted in a documentary on the 2005 DVD, MGM did not publicize the reason for Ebsen's departure; even Haley was not told until later. Although Haley re-recorded most of Ebsen's vocals, Ebsen's midwestern voice (as opposed to Haley's Bostonian accent), with the enunciated "r" in the word "wizard", can still be heard on the soundtrack during several reprises of the song "We're Off to See the Wizard". Ebsen's recording of the Tin Man's only solo song, If I Only Had a Heart
If I Only Had A Brain
"If I Only Had a Brain" is a song by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg . The song is sung in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz by the characters that meet Dorothy...
, still exists and is included on the 2-CD Deluxe Edition of the film's soundtrack, while a still photo recreation of the sequence featuring shots of Ebsen as the Tin Man was included as an extra with all VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and DVD releases of the film since 1989. Until his dying day, Ebsen complained of lung issues from his involvement in "that damned movie." Ironically, Ebsen outlived all of the major cast members of The Wizard of Oz by at least 16 years, and lived at least 10 years longer than any of them.
World War II
After recovering from the illness, he became embroiled in a contract dispute with MGM that left him idle for long periods. He took up sailing, eventually becoming so proficient in seamanship that he taught the subject to United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
officer candidates. In 1941, he applied several times for a commission in the Navy, but was repeatedly turned down. He applied for a Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
commission, was accepted, and promptly given the rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade
Lieutenant, Junior Grade
Lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, United States Merchant Marine USMM, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade...
. This war-time rank was one step up from the rank of Ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
, the usual rank given newly appointed naval officers in peacetime. He served as damage control officer and later as executive officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
on the Coast Guard-manned Navy frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
, which recorded weather at its “weather station” 1,500 miles west of Seattle. These patrols consisted of 30 days at sea, followed by 10 days in port at Seattle. He was honorably discharged as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1946.
Return to acting
Ebsen made his television debut on an episode of The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre in 1949. This led to TV appearances in: Stars over Hollywood, Gruen Guild Playhouse, four episodes of Broadway Television Theatre, Schlitz Playhouse of StarsSchlitz Playhouse of Stars
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, is a weekly CBS anthology television series, was telecast on Friday nights from 1951 until 1959. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by Schlitz beer...
, Corky and White Shadow, the H.J. Heinz Company's Studio 57, Screen Directors Playhouse, two episodes of Climax!, The Martha Raye Show
The Martha Raye Show
The Martha Raye Show is an hour-long comedy/variety show which aired live on NBC from January 23, 1954, to May 29, 1956. The series was hosted by the late Martha Raye, a Montana native, who often called herself "The Big Mouth." Her boyfriend on the program and a foil for her humor was portrayed by...
, Playhouse 90
Playhouse 90
Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California...
, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, Johnny Ringo
Johnny Ringo
John Peters "Johnny" Ringo was an outlaw Cowboy of the American Old West who was affiliated with Ike Clanton and Frank Stilwell in Cochise County, Arizona Territory during 1881-1882.-Early life:...
, two episodes of Bonanza
Bonanza
Bonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
, an episode of The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
, three episodes of Maverick
Maverick (TV series)
Maverick is a western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, a cagey, articulate cardsharp. Eight episodes into the first season, he was joined by Jack Kelly as his brother...
playing assorted homicidal villains, and 77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip is an hour-length American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes....
, among others. He received wide television exposure when he played Georgie Russell, a fictional loyal companion to Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett
David "Davy" Crockett was a celebrated 19th century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician. He is commonly referred to in popular culture by the epithet "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S...
, in the wildly popular Disneyland television miniseries Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett (TV miniseries)
Davy Crockett is a five part serial which aired on ABC in one-hour episodes on the Disneyland series. The series stars Fess Parker as real-life frontiersman Davy Crockett and Buddy Ebsen as his fictional best friend, George Russel....
(1954–1955).
In the 1958-1959 season, Ebsen co-starred in the 26-episode half-hour NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
adventure series Northwest Passage
Northwest Passage (TV series)
Northwest Passage is a 26-episode half-hour adventure television series produced by Metro Goldwyn Mayer about Major Robert Rogers during the time of the French and Indian War . The show derived its title and the main characters Rogers, Towne, and Marriner from the 1937 novel of the same name by...
, a fictionalized account of Major Robert Rogers
Robert Rogers (soldier)
Robert Rogers was an American colonial frontiersman. Rogers served in the British army during both the French and Indian War and the American Revolution...
, a colonial American fighter for the British in the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. Ebsen played the role of Sergeant Hunk Marriner. Keith Larsen
Keith Larsen
Keith Larsen was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer who starred in three short-lived television series between 1955 and 1961.-Background:...
(1924–2006) played Rogers. Northwest Passage was an early color program.
In 1960, he appeared in episodes of Rawhide
Rawhide (TV series)
Rawhide is an American Western series that aired for eight seasons on the CBS network on Friday nights, from January 9, 1959 to September 3, 1965, before moving to Tuesday nights from September 14, 1965 until January 4, 1966, with a total of 217 black-and-white episodes...
and Tales of Wells Fargo
Tales of Wells Fargo
Tales of Wells Fargo is an American Western television series that ran from March 18, 1957 to June 2, 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season when it expanded to an hour.-Synopsis:...
, which he would reprise in episodes of both shows during 1962 in the roles of different characters. While he shared screen time with Sheb Wooley
Sheb Wooley
Shelby F. "Sheb" Wooley was a character actor and singer, best known for his 1958 novelty song "Purple People Eater"...
and Paul Brinegar
Paul Brinegar
Paul Brinegar was an American character actor.Brinegar made over 100 appearances between 1946 and 1994, appearing in many western films, and played the barman in Clint Eastwood's High Plains Drifter in 1973...
in the earlier Rawhide
Rawhide (TV series)
Rawhide is an American Western series that aired for eight seasons on the CBS network on Friday nights, from January 9, 1959 to September 3, 1965, before moving to Tuesday nights from September 14, 1965 until January 4, 1966, with a total of 217 black-and-white episodes...
episode, he would act alongside Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
in the second, in which Eastwood made his singing debut (as opposed to the film Paint Your Wagon
Paint Your Wagon
Paint Your Wagon is a Broadway musical comedy, with book and lyrics by Alan J. Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story centers around a miner and his daughter and follows the lives and loves of the people in a mining camp in Gold Rush-era California. Popular songs from the show included...
, which is usually credited and mistakenly confirmed on Eastwood's own website).
In 1961-1962, he had a recurring role as Virge Blessing in the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
series Bus Stop
Bus Stop (TV series)
Bus Stop is a 26-episode drama which aired on ABC from October 1, 1961, until March 25, 1962, starring Marilyn Maxwell as Grace Sherwood, the owner of a bus station and diner in the fictitious town of Sunrise in the Colorado Rockies...
starring Marilyn Maxwell
Marilyn Maxwell
Marilyn Maxwell , born Marvel Marilyn Maxwell, was an American actress and entertainer.Noted for her blonde hair and sexually alluring persona, she appeared in several films and radio programs, and entertained the troops during World War II and the Korean War on USO tours with Bob Hope.-Career:She...
in the role played in the original movie by Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
, a drama about travelers passing through the bus station and diner in the fictitious town of Sunrise, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Several episodes were directed by Robert Altman
Robert Altman
Robert Bernard Altman was an American film director and screenwriter known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective. In 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized his body of work with an Academy Honorary Award.His films MASH , McCabe and...
. Ebsen's role had been played by Arthur O'Connell
Arthur O'Connell
Arthur O'Connell was an American stage and film actor. He appeared in films in 1941 and television programs...
in the earlier film version upon which the series was loosely based. Ebsen also appeared twice as "Mr. Dave", a homeless hobo
Hobo
A hobo is a term which is often applied to a migratory worker or homeless vagabond, often penniless. The term originated in the Western—probably Northwestern—United States during the last decade of the 19th century. Unlike 'tramps', who work only when they are forced to, and 'bums', who do not...
, on The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
, playing opposite Ron Howard
Ron Howard
Ronald William "Ron" Howard is an American actor, director, and producer. He came to prominence as a child actor, playing Opie Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show for eight years, and later the teenaged Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days for six years...
.
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Throughout the 1950s, Ebsen performed in films, mainly Westerns. One notable exception was an acclaimed role as Doc Golightly, an older, rural veterinarian deserted by his young wife, played by Audrey HepburnAudrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn was a British actress and humanitarian. Although modest about her acting ability, Hepburn remains one of the world's most famous actresses of all time, remembered as a film and fashion icon of the twentieth century...
, in 1961's Breakfast at Tiffany's. This role brought Ebsen to the attention of the casting director of the CBS sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies.
The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1971)
Ebsen became famous as Jed Clampett, an easygoing backwoods mountaineer who strikes oil and moves with his family to Beverly Hills, CaliforniaBeverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
in the long-running, fish-out-of-water CBS sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
. Aside from the top-billed Ebsen, other principal cast members included Irene Ryan
Irene Ryan
Irene Ryan was an American actress, one of the few entertainers who found success in vaudeville, radio, film, television and Broadway....
as Jed's mother-in-law, Daisy Moses, also known as Granny; Max Baer, Jr.
Max Baer, Jr.
Max Baer Jr is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, and director. He is best known for playing Jethro Bodine on The Beverly Hillbillies.-Early life:...
as Jed's dim-witted nephew Jethro Bodine; Donna Douglas
Donna Douglas
Donna Douglas is an American actress best known for her role as Elly May Clampett, in the long-running television series The Beverly Hillbillies.-Early life:...
as Jed's only child, the curvaceous, critter-loving Elly May Clampett; Raymond Bailey
Raymond Bailey
Raymond Thomas Bailey was an American actor on the Broadway stage, movies, and television. He is best known for his role as wealthy banker, Milburn Drysdale, in the television series The Beverly Hillbillies....
as Milburn Drysdale, a bank president who oversees the Clampett fortune; and Nancy Kulp
Nancy Kulp
Nancy Jane Kulp was an American character actress best known as Miss Jane Hathaway on the popular television series The Beverly Hillbillies.-Early life:...
as Jane Hathaway, Drysdale's secretary.
Although scorned by critics, The Beverly Hillbillies attracted as many as 60 million viewers between 1962 and 1971 and was several times the highest rated show on TV. The show also spawned simliar Paul Henning
Paul Henning
Paul William Henning was an American producer and writer. Most famous for the successful TV sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies, he was crucial in the development of several "rural" comedies for CBS.-Early life:...
produced rural sit-coms such as Green Acres
Green Acres
Green Acres is an American television series starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm...
and Petticoat Junction
Petticoat Junction
Petticoat Junction is an American situation comedy produced by Filmways which originally aired on CBS from 1963 to 1970. The series is one of three interrelated shows about rural characters created by Paul Henning; the others are The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres.The setting for the series...
which were eventually linked together in cross-over episode arcs. It was still earning good ratings when it was canceled by CBS (because programmers began shunning shows that attracted a rural audience
Rural purge
The "rural purge" of American television networks was a series of cancellations between 1969 and 1972, the majority of which occurred at the end of the 1970-71 television season, of still popular rural-themed shows and shows with demographically-skewed audiences...
). One episode, "The Giant Jack Rabbit", was the highest rated half-hour on television to that time and remains the most watched half-hour sitcom episode. A decade after the show ended, Ebsen reprised his role in the 1981 TV movie Return of the Beverly Hillbillies.
Not all was harmony among cast members, especially between the politically conservative Ebsen and the more liberal Kulp. Said Douglas, "They had a different view, so they had some heated discussions about that. They would go at it for weeks." In 1984, Kulp unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. To her dismay, Ebsen supported her Republican opponent, incumbent Bud Shuster
Bud Shuster
Elmer Greinert "Bud" Shuster is an American politician who represented Pennsylvania in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican from 1973 to 2001. He is best known for his advocacy of transportation projects that critics deride as "pork barrel" spending.-Career:Shuster was born...
, going so far as to tape an ad for Shuster that labeled Kulp as "too liberal." Ebsen claimed she was exploiting her celebrity status and did not know the issues.
Barnaby Jones (1973-1980)
Ebsen returned to television in 1973 as the title character of Barnaby JonesBarnaby Jones
Barnaby Jones is a television detective series starring Buddy Ebsen and Lee Meriwether as father- and daughter-in-law who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles. A spin-off from Cannon, the show ran on CBS from January 28, 1973 to April 3, 1980, beginning as a midseason replacement...
, which proved to be his second long-running television series. Barnaby Jones was a milk-drinking detective who came out of retirement to investigate the death of his son. Critics and CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
executives ridiculed the age of the show's audience, but it lasted eight and a half seasons, and 178 episodes. When it was pulled off the air, it was one of the last surviving 1970s detective dramas. Lee Meriwether
Lee Meriwether
Lee Ann Meriwether is an American actress, former model, and the winner of the 1955 Miss America pageant. She is perhaps best known for her role as Betty Jones, the crime-solving partner in the long-running 1970s crime drama, Barnaby Jones. The role earned her two Golden Globe Award nominations in...
, 1955 Miss America
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
, played Barnaby's widowed daughter-in-law, Betty Jones. Ebsen appeared as Barnaby Jones on two other productions as well: a 1975 episode of Cannon
Cannon (TV series)
Cannon is a CBS detective television series produced by Quinn Martin which aired from March 26, 1971 to March 3, 1976.The primary protagonist was the title character, Frank Cannon, played by William Conrad....
, and in the 1993 film, Beverly Hillbillies, a big screen version of his other hit television show.
Other television credits
He was Jimbo in The Twilight Zone episode The Prime MoverThe Prime Mover
"The Prime Mover" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:Ace Larsen discovers his partner, Jimbo Cobb, has telekinetic powers after a car crashes outside their café. Ace plans to use those powers to win big in Las Vegas, and he takes his girlfriend...
(Season 2 - Episode 21) in 1961.
His last regular television series was Matt Houston
Matt Houston
Matt Houston is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1982 to 1985. Created by Lawrence Gordon, the series was produced by Aaron Spelling.-Synopsis:...
on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, starring Lee Horsley
Lee Horsley
Lee Arthur Horsley is an American film, television, and theater actor known for starring roles in the television series, Nero Wolfe , Matt Houston , and Paradise . He starred in the 1982 cult film, The Sword and the Sorcerer, and recorded the audiobook edition of Lonesome Dove...
. Ebsen played Matt's uncle, Roy Houston, during the show's third season in 1984-1985.
Ebsen narrated the documentary series Disney Family Album
Disney Family Album
Disney Family Album is a half hour documentary series on the Disney Channel that aired during the 1980s. It is narrated by Buddy Ebsen. The series looks at the artists and performers that help create Disney's movies and parks.-The Episodes:* Milt Kahl...
during the 1980s on the Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
and Steven Kellogg
Steven Kellogg
Steven Kellogg is an author and illustrator who has contributed over 90 books for children. He is best known for writing books about animals, for which he credits his grandmother ....
's "Paul Bunyan" on the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
series Reading Rainbow
Reading Rainbow
Reading Rainbow is an American children's television series aired by PBS from June 6, 1983 until November 10, 2006 that encouraged reading among children. The award-winning public television series garnered over 200 broadcast awards, including scores of Emmy Awards, many for "Outstanding Children's...
in 1985. He made his final guest-starring appearance in 1994 on an episode of the short-lived TV series revival, Burke's Law
Burke's Law
Burke's Law is a detective series that ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965 and was revived on CBS in the 1990s. The show starred Gene Barry as Amos Burke, millionaire captain of Los Angeles police homicide division, who was chauffeured around to solve crimes in his Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud...
.
Later years
Although generally retired from acting as he entered his 80s, he had a cameo in the 1993 film version of The Beverly Hillbillies as Barnaby Jones, with the TV theme underscoring the scene. This was his final motion picture role. Actor Jim VarneyJim Varney
James Albert "Jim" Varney, Jr. was an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, writer, voice artist, and comedian, best known for his role as Ernest P...
was cast in Ebsen's role as Jed Clampett in the film, at the time a rare movie role for Varney since he was not portraying his Ernest P. Worrell
Ernest P. Worrell
Ernest P. Worrell is a fictional character most principally portrayed by the late American actor Jim Varney in a series of television commercials, and later in a television series as well as a series of feature films. Ernest was created by the Nashville advertising agency Carden and Cherry and was...
character. Ironically, despite being 41 years older, Ebsen would eventually outlive Varney, a cigarette smoker who died of lung cancer at 50 while Ebsen lived to be 95.
In 1999, he provided a voice for an episode of King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
(becoming the oldest person to ever star on the show). Illness and infirmity kept him from a cameo on the Howard Stern-produced syndicated sitcom Son of the Beach
Son of the Beach
Son of the Beach is an American sitcom that aired from 2000 to 2002 on the FX network. The series was a spoof of Baywatch, with much of the comedy based on sexual jokes, innuendo and the like. The studly David Hasselhoff character is instead an average, pot-bellied, out-of-shape bald man but...
.
Buddy Ebsen has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 1765 Vine Street, as well as a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame
St. Louis Walk of Fame
The St. Louis Walk of Fame honors well-known people from St. Louis, Missouri, who made contributions to culture of the United States. All inductees were either born in the Greater St. Louis area or spent their formative or creative years there...
.
Death
Ebsen died of pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
at Torrance Memorial Medical Center
Torrance Memorial Medical Center
Torrance Memorial Medical Center is a private community hospital located in Torrance, California.Torrance Memorial was founded by the estate of Mateo Morales and Sidney Torrance in 1925, and merged with the smaller Riviera Community Hospital in 1967...
in Torrance, California
Torrance, California
Torrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...
, on July 6, 2003, at the age of 95. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea.
Personal life
Ebsen married Ruth Cambridge in 1936 and had two daughters, Elizabeth and Alix. The couple divorced in 1942. In 1944, he met and married Nancy Wolcott. They had five children: Susannah, Cathy, Bonnie, Kiersten, and Dustin. In 1985, the 41-year marriage ended in divorce. That same year, he met his third wife, Dorothy Knott. The couple had one child.Ebsen had four sisters, Helga, Leslie, Norma, and Vilma Ebsen
Vilma Ebsen
Vilma Ebsen was an American musical theatre and film actress best known for dancing in Broadway shows and MGM musicals in the 1930s with her more famous brother, Buddy Ebsen....
, the last a dance instructor at their father's dance studio. Almost all of Buddy's siblings lived long lives, like Buddy himself. Both of his sisters, Helga (b. 1902) died in 1994 (of natural causes) and Norma (b. 1904) died in 1996 (also of natural causes). Vilma died in 2007, also of natural causes.
Throughout his long life, Ebsen had many hobbies: public speaking, traveling, singing, playing guitar, golfing, spending time with his family, riding horses, swimming, gardening, fishing, sailing, painting, and building sailboats. He became a folk artist and, as an avid coin collector, co-founded the Beverly Hills Coin Club in 1987 with much younger actor Chris Aable. Ebsen's favorite leisure time activity undoubtedly was dancing. As Ebsen entered his 90s, he continued to keep active, and there were media reports that he had begun work on his first novel about a year before his death.
Quotes
- "You take a blank piece of paper and, whatever you're thinking, you write it down. I'm very satisfied if, in my mind, it increased the value of the paper. That's what writing should do. It should increase the value of the paper."
- "You get more negative reactions than positive reactions as you go through life, and the big lesson is nobody counts you out but yourself ... I never have, I never will."
- "'As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.' Often the values of the influences imposed on us by our mothers and fathers, our teachers and certain friends, are not realized until years later, when we, as a sailor does, look back at our wakes to determine the course we have steered that got us to where we are. Today when I look back, then look around me to see with whom I am standing, I fully realize the influence on my life that must be credited to DeMolay."
- On having written a romance novel at age 93: "There are a lot of me's."
- When asked why he had returned to the rigors of weekly show Matt Houston at the age of 76: "I'm used to getting up at dawn and going to the studio to be with my pals on the set. It's my lifestyle and I wouldn't trade it for any other."
- On being a best-selling author: "Writing fiction, there are no limits to what you write as long as it increases the value of the paper you are writing on."
- In 1965, about his stage performances: "I probably enjoyed show business most when I was doing plays like 'The Male Animal' and 'Good Night, Ladies,' when people would lay down their money and laugh and you'd see them walk out happy. By God, I'd feel honest. I could go home with a good taste in my mouth. You'd feel better, you'd feel more alive and like you were justifying your existence."
- Of The Beverly Hillbillies: "The one flaw in this is that you can't hear the people laughingLaugh trackA laugh track is a separate soundtrack invented by Charles "Charley" Douglass, with the artificial sound of audience laughter, made to be inserted into television programming of comedy shows and sitcoms.The term "laugh track" does not apply to the genuine audience laughter on shows that shoot in...
."
- "In the future, it won't matter what you have but what you can do. And that future is coming up awfully fast."
Filmography
- Broadway Melody of 1936Broadway Melody of 1936Broadway Melody of 1936 is a musical released by MGM in 1935. It was a follow up of sorts to the successful The Broadway Melody, which had been released in 1929, although, beyond the title and some music, there is no story connection with the earlier film.The film was written by Harry W. Conn, Moss...
(1935) - Captain January (1936)
- Born to DanceBorn to DanceBorn to Dance is an American musical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and directed by Roy Del Ruth.The film stars dancer Eleanor Powell and was a follow-up to her successful debut in Broadway Melody of 1936...
(1936) - Banjo on My KneeBanjo on My Knee (film)Banjo on My Knee is a 1936 American comedy film directed by John Cromwell. The film was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Sound Recording Banjo on My Knee is a 1936 American comedy film directed by John Cromwell. The film was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Sound...
(1936) - Broadway Melody of 1938Broadway Melody of 1938Broadway Melody of 1938 is a 1937 musical film, produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and directed by Roy Del Ruth. The film is essentially a backstage musical revue, featuring high-budget sets and cinematography in the MGM musical tradition...
(1937) - The Girl of the Golden WestThe Girl of the Golden West (1938 film)The Girl of the Golden West is a 1938 musical western film. It was adapted from the play of the same name by David Belasco, better known for providing the plot of the opera La fanciulla del West by Giacomo Puccini...
(1938) - Yellow JackYellow jackThe yellow jack, Carangoides bartholomaei , is a species of offshore marine fish in the jack family, Carangidae. It is one of only two representatives of its genus present in the Atlantic Ocean, inhabiting waters off the east coast of the Americas from Massachusetts in the north to Brazil in the...
(1938) - My Lucky Star (1938)
- Four Girls in WhiteFour Girls in WhiteFour Girls in White is a 1939 Drama directed by S. Sylvan Simon, starring Florence Rice and Una Merkel. The comical exploits of four nursing students enrolled in a three-year training course.-Cast:* Florence Rice as Norma Page* Una Merkel as Robbins...
(1939) - The Kid from Texas (1939)
- Hollywood Hobbies (1939) (short subject)
- They Met in Argentina (1941)
- Parachute BattalionParachute BattalionParachute Battalion is a 1941 film starring Robert Preston and Nancy Kelly. The supporting cast includes Edmond O'Brien, Harry Carey, and Buddy Ebsen, and the movie was directed by Leslie Goodwins.-Production:...
(1941) - Sing Your Worries Away (1942)
- Under Mexicali Stars (1950)
- Silver City Bonanza (1951)
- Thunder in God's Country (1951)
- Rodeo King and the Senorita (1951)
- Utah Wagon Train (1951)
- Night PeopleNight People (1954 film)Night People is a 1954 motion picture drama starring Gregory Peck, Broderick Crawford, Anita Bjork and Buddy Ebsen, directed by Nunnally Johnson. It was co-written by Jed Harris, a noted theatrical producer....
(1954) - Red GartersRed Garters (film)Red Garters is a 1954 film starring Rosemary Clooney, Guy Mitchell, and Jack Carson. It was a musical spoof of Westerns. The director was George Marshall....
(1954) - Davy Crockett, King of the Wild FrontierDavy Crockett, King of the Wild FrontierDavy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier is a 1955 live-action Walt Disney adventure film starring Fess Parker as Davy Crockett. This film is an edited compilation of the first three stories from the Disney television series Davy Crockett :...
(1954) - Davy Crockett and the River PiratesDavy Crockett and the River PiratesDavy Crockett and the River Pirates is a 1956 live-action Walt Disney adventure film starring Fess Parker as Davy Crockett. It was shot in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois...
(1956) - Attack (1956)
- Between Heaven and HellBetween Heaven and Hell (film)Between Heaven and Hell is a 1956 20th Century Fox Cinemascope colour war film based on the novel The Day the Century Ended by Francis Gwaltney that the film follows closely...
(1956) - Mission of Danger (1959)
- Frontier Rangers (1959)
- The Twilight ZoneThe Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
(episode "The Prime MoverThe Prime Mover"The Prime Mover" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:Ace Larsen discovers his partner, Jimbo Cobb, has telekinetic powers after a car crashes outside their café. Ace plans to use those powers to win big in Las Vegas, and he takes his girlfriend...
") (1961) - Fury River (1961)
- The Barbara Stanwyck ShowThe Barbara Stanwyck ShowThe Barbara Stanwyck Show is an American anthology drama television series which ran on NBC from September 1960 to September 1961. Barbara Stanwyck served as hostess, and starred in all but four of the half-hour productions. The four she did not star in were actually pilot episodes of potential...
as Dr. Mark Carroll in "Little Big Mouth" (NBC, 1961) - Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
- The Interns (1962)
- Mail Order BrideMail Order Bride (1964 film)Mail Order Bride is a 1964 western film starring Buddy Ebsen, Keir Dullea and Lois Nettleton. An old man who pressures the wild son of a dead friend into marrying a mail-order bride in an attempt to settle him down.-Cast:*Buddy Ebsen as Will Lane...
(1964) - The Mike Bialka Story (1966)
- The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family BandThe One and Only, Genuine, Original Family BandThe One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band is a 1968 musical film based on a biography by Laura Bower Van Nuys, directed by Michael O'Herlihy, with original music and lyrics by the Sherman Brothers...
(1968) - Tom Sawyer (1973) (TV) - Muff Potter
- Smashup on Interstate 5 (1976)
- Fire on the Mountain (1981)
- Stone FoxStone FoxStone Fox is a short children's novel by John Reynolds Gardiner. It is the first and best known of Gardiner's books. Stone Fox was acclaimed and very popular when it was published in 1980. It sold three million copies and was turned into a television movie starring Buddy Ebsen, Joey Cramer, and...
(1987) as Grandpa - Working TrashWorking TrashWorking Tra$h is a 1990 television film and one of the first TV movies made for the then-burgeoning Fox Network. The film stars George Carlin and also features a young Ben Stiller in his first leading role.-Cast:*George Carlin as Ralph...
(1990) as Vandevere Lodge - The Beverly Hillbillies (1993) (cameo as Barnaby Jones)