Donna Douglas - #94

Donna Douglas, who played Elly May in 'The Beverly Hillbillies,' dies

She was number 94 on the list.

Donna Douglas, who starred as Elly May Clampett in the 1960s sitcom "The Beverly Hillbillies," died in Louisiana on Thursday.

Her niece told the Associated Press that Douglas died in Baton Rouge, La., near her hometown of Zachary, and a spokeswoman for the East Baton Rouge Parish coroner's office also confirmed her death to the Los Angeles Times.

 

The Beverly Hillbillies were: Donna Douglas as Elly May Clampett, Irene Ryan as Granny (holding the Australian televion industry's award, the "Logie"), Max Baer Jr. as Jethro Bodine and Buddy Ebsen as Jed Clampett.

 Donna Douglas as Elly May Clampett and Buddy Ebsen as Jed Clampett in "The Beverly Hillbillies" episode titled "Hair-Raising Holiday." It aired for the first time on Oct. 2, 1963.

The closing credits featured Max Baer Jr., Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas and Buddy Ebsen waving goodbye.

The cause of death was pancreatic cancer, Charlene Smith said. Her age was variously reported as 81 or 82.

Douglas played Elly May, the naive but lovable daughter of Jed Clampett, who lived to take care of her "critters" in the famed CBS sitcom, which ran from 1962 to 1971. "The Beverly Hillbillies" chronicled the fish-out-of-water tale of the Clampetts' move from the Ozarks to Beverly Hills after the family struck oil.

Douglas starred in one of the most iconic scenes in the science-fiction series The Twilight Zone.

Douglas' longtime agent, Jacqueline Stander, described the actress as a "country angel."

"She was a sweetheart," Stander said. "She used to go around and talk at churches and stuff the last few years of her life, and just speak of God and love.”

Douglas had been living in Louisiana for a number of years, and spent the last few years of her life making personal appearances in the area, Stander said.

"Last time Donna and I spoke she was fine and just as spry and of God as she usually is. I always got a kick talking with her. She was Elly May, just an older version and as sweet as can be," she told The Times.

Douglas attended St. Gerard Catholic High School, where she played softball and basketball,[4] and was a member of the school's first graduating class. Douglas was named Miss Baton Rouge[4] and Miss New Orleans in 1957.

Douglas moved to New York City to pursue a career in show business, and started as an illustration model for toothpaste advertisements. She was featured as the "Letters Girl" on NBC's The Perry Como Show in 1957 and as the "Billboard Girl" on NBC's The Steve Allen Show in 1959. These and other television appearances led New York photographers and newspaper reporters to award her the "Miss By-line" crown, which she wore on CBS' The Ed Sullivan Show.

Douglas appeared in a 1958 episode of The Phil Silvers Show "Bilko and the Crosbys" credited as Doris Bourgeois, her given name and her married name from her first marriage.

Hal B. Wallis saw the Sullivan episode and cast her in the role of Marjorie Burke in the movie drama Career (1959), starring Anthony Franciosa, Dean Martin, and Shirley MacLaine. This was followed by a bit part in the musical comedy Li'l Abner (1959) and the role of a secretary in the comedy/romance Lover Come Back (1961), starring Rock Hudson and Doris Day.

She made numerous television appearances in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including The Twilight Zone episode "Eye of the Beholder" (1960). She played Barbara Simmons in four 1961 episodes of the CBS detective series Checkmate. Her other credits include U.S. Marshal, Tightrope, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Bachelor Father, Adam-12, and Route 66. Douglas also appeared in Thriller, season one, episode 16, "The Hungry Glass".

Filmography

Career (1959) as Marjorie Burke

Li'l Abner (1959) as Chorus Dancer (uncredited)

Bells Are Ringing (1960) as Party Guest (uncredited)

Strangers When We Meet (1960) as Neighbor (uncredited)

Lover Come Back (1961) as Deborah

Frankie and Johnny (1966) as Frankie

Chronicles of Life Trials (2013) as Marjorie (final film role)



Television

Bachelor Father (1959) as Alice in episode "Kelly's Secret"

U.S. Marshal (1959) as Joyce Markham in episode "Trigger Happy"

The Twilight Zone (November 11, 1960) as Janet Tyler in episode "Eye of the Beholder" and (May 25, 1962) as Woman #1 in episode "Cavender Is Coming"

Lock-Up (1960) as Gloria Larkey in episode "The Case of Dan Gray"

Whirlybirds (1960) as Girl in episode "Four Little Indians"

The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor (1960) as Sandra Hoyle in episode "Alibis"

Route 66 (November 2, 1960) as Model in episode "Layout at Glen Canyon"

Thriller (January 3, 1961) in episode "The Hungry Glass"

77 Sunset Strip (April 28, 1961) as Rhoda Sheridan in episode "The Celluloid Cowboy"

Hennesey (May 22, 1961) as Sheree in episode "His Honor, Dr. Blair"

The Aquanauts (1961) as Nancy Gard in episode "The Stakeout Adventure"

Michael Shayne (1961) as Dusa Quick in episode "Murder Is a Fine Art"

Surfside 6 (two episodes, 1961)

Dr. Kildare (1961) as Jenny in episode:"Second Chance"

Pete and Gladys (two episodes, 1961)

Mister Ed (three episodes, 1961–1962) as Jane Parker in episode "The Busy Wife"

Sam Benedict (1961) as Francine in episode "Hanigan"

The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971) (a main character) as Elly May Clampett

The Defenders (1964) as Mary Andrews in episode "Drink Like a Lady"

Night Gallery (January 26, 1972) as Mildred McVane in episode "Last Rites for a Dead Druid"

Adam-12 (1972, season 5) as Nina Draper in episode "18 — The Beast"

McMillan and Wife (January 6, 1974) as Barmaid in episode 5 "The Man Without a Face"

Return of the Beverly Hillbillies (1981) as Elly May Clampett

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! (one episode, 1989) as Ellie Mae

The Jerry Springer Show (1993)

The Nanny (March 31, 1999) as herself in episode "California, Here We Come"