jakeem Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Actress Donna Douglas, who played Elly May Clampett on "The Beverly Hillbillies" and co-starred with Elvis Presley in a 1960s film, died New Year's Day of pancreatic cancer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Her age had been listed as 81. But USA Today quoted a family member, Charlene Smith, as saying that Douglas was 82 when she died. "She's going to haunt me for that," Smith said. Before she became the animal-loving Elly May on the long-running CBS sitcom, Douglas appeared in "Eye of the Beholder," a popular 1960 episode of "The Twlight Zone" with a surprise ending. Written by Rod Serling for the second season of the CBS series, the teleplay was about a woman who had undergone several surgeries to fix her facial features. After her latest surgery, she spends almost the entire episode in bed with her head bandaged. Several doctors and nurses enter and leave the darkened room at various times, but we never see their faces until the end. Maxine Stuart played the woman in bandages. Douglas took over when the bandages were removed. She also played Elvis' love interest in the 1966 film "Frankie and Johnny." In real life, it was a pairing of Southern neighbors: He was born in Mississippi; she was from Louisiana. Unfortunately, the movie is not scheduled as a part of Turner Classic Movies' morning and afternoon salute to Elvis on January 8, 2015, which would have been the King's 80th birthday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJF4ecOpdG0 http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-donna-douglas-20150103-story.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roverrocks Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 I was most definitely in love with the beautiful Elly May in my teenage years. RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primosprimos Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Actress Donna Douglas, who played Elly May Clampett on "The Beverly Hillbillies" and co-starred with Elvis Presley in a 1960s film, has died at the age of 81. Before she became the animal-loving Elly May on the long-running CBS sitcom, she appeared in "Eye of the Beholder," a popular episode of "The Twlight Zone" with a surprise ending. She also played Elvis' love interest in "Frankie and Johnny." In real life, it was a pairing of Southern neighbors: He was born in Mississippi; she was from Louisiana. And only 81. Sheesh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dabb Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 R.I.P. Ms. Douglas I believe Max Baer, Jr. is (now) the only surviving regular castmember Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakeem Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 But Douglas always will be remembered as the fetching tomboy Elly May. She appeared in all 274 episodes of "The Beverly Hillbillies," which ran from 1961 to 1971. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmlover Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Awww. Liked her in the Sixties. I saw her once in person about ten years ago; she was at a street corner in downtown L.A., asking for donations to a pet charity or something religious-based, I can't recall which. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepiatone Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Lovely woman. And a better actress than given credit for. I'm still trying to master the "double barreled slingshot". Plus, whenever a couple of guys started a "Mary Anne or Ginger" debate, I'd throw in "Elly Mae" just to stir things up. Here's hoping she runs into Dash Riprock in the hereafter! Rest In Peace, Donna. You did well, and many of us loved you! Sepiatone 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkblue Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 So, when I was 12, I had this huge crush on her - just like most of the guys in school who watched the Hillbillies every week. Does anyone remember the rumour from around 1963 or so that she had lost her legs to a shark attack? I was horrified at the time - really broken hearted. Turned out to be untrue, of course - but it was temporarily devastating "news" to me at that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Actress Donna Douglas, who played Elly May Clampett on "The Beverly Hillbillies" and co-starred with Elvis Presley in a 1960s film, died New Year's Day of pancreatic cancer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Her age had been listed as 81. But USA Today quoted a family member, Charlene Smith, as saying that Douglas was 82 when she died. "She's going to haunt me for that," Smith said. Before she became the animal-loving Elly May on the long-running CBS sitcom, Douglas appeared in "Eye of the Beholder," a popular 1960 episode of "The Twlight Zone" with a surprise ending. Written by Rod Serling for the second season of the CBS series, the teleplay was about a woman who had undergone several surgeries to fix her facial features. After her latest surgery, she spends almost the entire episode in bed with her head bandaged. Several doctors and nurses enter and leave the darkened room at various times, but we never see their faces until the end. Maxine Stuart played the woman in bandages. Douglas took over when the bandages were removed. She also played Elvis' love interest in the 1966 film "Frankie and Johnny." In real life, it was a pairing of Southern neighbors: He was born in Mississippi; she was from Louisiana. Unfortunately, the movie is not scheduled as a part of Turner Classic Movies' morning and afternoon salute to Elvis on January 8, 2015, which would have been the King's 80th birthday. http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-donna-douglas-20150103-story.html Hard to beleive "The Beverly Hillbillies" is 50 years old. Donna has aged quite well. RIP By the way, it takes a lot of GUTS to have an opossum on one's shoulder!! I hate those things - to me a giant rat! I'm getting chills looking at this photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedracer5 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I really liked her Elly May character on The Beverly Hillbillies. She seemed so sweet and genuine. She wasn't nuts like Granny, or an idiot like Jethro, she was just a nice girl who loved her critters. I also liked Elly May because even though she was pretty and seems harmless, Elly was a badass. I'm sorry to hear that she passed away from something as horrible as pancreatic cancer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakeem Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 I really liked her Elly May character on The Beverly Hillbillies. She seemed so sweet and genuine. She wasn't nuts like Granny, or an idiot like Jethro, she was just a nice girl who loved her critters. Now Jethro was the coolest thing about the sitcom. He could cypher and do his gazentas (two gazenta four two times, two gazenta six three times...). And I loved it when he wanted to be a "double-naught" spy and opened his own office with Elly May as his secretary. One of the funniest things I've ever seen on television was when Jethro the budding espionage agent put his one-way mirror in backwards. Everybody in the office could see him, but he couldn't see outside! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NipkowDisc Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Now Jethro was the coolest thing about the sitcom. He could cypher and do his gazentas (two gazenta four two times, two gazenta six three times...). And I loved it when he wanted to be a "double-naught" spy and opened his own office with Elly May as his secretary. One of the funniest things I've ever seen on television was when Jethro the budding espionage agent put his one-way mirror in backwards. Everybody in the office could see him, but he couldn't see outside! yeah, and he kept spritzin' it with windex. no luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Now Jethro was the coolest thing about the sitcom. According to Max Baer, it has been a curse that sank his acting career. It was hard for people to accept him outside the Jethro image when he produced and starred in "Macon County Line" (1974) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midnight08 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I liked Donna Douglas. She was such a nice person. She was beautiful and had a great shape but never flaunted it. She was perfect as Elly May. Whenever I saw her on the show with the various animals (from possums and raccoons to bears and a hippo) I could see the bond she had with them. She was a great lover of animals. May she rest in peace. I also loved her spunk. She had a lot of spirit. The Bradley sisters were pretty but they were boring next to Elly May. They were very one dimensional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Kimble Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 According to Max Baer, it has been a curse that sank his acting career. It was hard for people to accept him outside the Jethro image when he produced and starred in "Macon County Line" (1974) Although it took him some time to get comfortable in the role, Baer eventually grew into the character and invented a hilarious play on the Li'l Abner archetype. Many Jethro episodes are classics. But as for his psychotically smiling Reb soldier in A Time For Killing... That's a curse that should've sunk any acting career. If you haven't seen it, you haven't lived. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Although it took him some time to get comfortable in the role, Baer eventually grew into the character and invented a hilarious play on the Li'l Abner archetype. Many Jethro episodes are classics. But as for his psychotically smiling Reb soldier in A Time For Killing... That's a curse that should've sunk any acting career. If you haven't seen it, you haven't lived. I would had lived if those 2 got hitched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepiatone Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Y'know, to this very day, I STILL refer to my younger daughter as "Elly Mae"---NOT because she LOOKS like her( she doesn't!), but because like Elly Mae, my daughter had (and STILL has) an uncanny rapport with animals. She was the ONLY family member who could go anywhere NEAR our house cat without getting slashed at or "spit" at. She could, if she wanted, pick that cat up by the whiskers, and that cat would've probably LET her! She also was able to sway and hold our neighbor's black lab "Bear" whenever he escaped their backyard. That dog would practically do anything she asked! And the dogs she's had over the last decade or so were seemingly religiously devoted to her. The two she now has worship the ground she walks on! Yeah, Elly Mae, alright! Sepiatone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Y'know, to this very day, I STILL refer to my younger daughter as "Elly Mae"---NOT because she LOOKS like her( she doesn't!), but because like Elly Mae, my daughter had (and STILL has) an uncanny rapport with animals. She was the ONLY family member who could go anywhere NEAR our house cat without getting slashed at or "spit" at. She could, if she wanted, pick that cat up by the whiskers, and that cat would've probably LET her! She also was able to sway and hold our neighbor's black lab "Bear" whenever he escaped their backyard. That dog would practically do anything she asked! And the dogs she's had over the last decade or so were seemingly religiously devoted to her. The two she now has worship the ground she walks on! Yeah, Elly Mae, alright! Sepiatone How's her cooking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Sorry to hear this. I remember that Twilight Zone episode (i watched part of the NY marathon on the SCIFI channel, but didnt see that one. i heard she became a successful real estate agent after the show in CA.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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