Donna Douglas

## Personal History

**Donna Douglas** (born **Doris Smith**; September 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American actress and singer, known for her role as Elly May Clampett in CBS's *The Beverly Hillbillies* (1962–1971). Following her acting career, Douglas became a real estate agent, a Gospel singer and inspirational speaker, and authored books for children and adults.

## Career

Douglas moved to New York City to pursue a career in show business and started out 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's *The Ed Sullivan Show*.

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 "The Eye of the Beholder" (1960). She played Barbara Simmons in four 1961 episodes of the CBS detective series *Checkmate*. Her other credits included in *U.S. Marshal*, *Tightrope*, *The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet*, *Bachelor Father*, *Adam-12* and *Route 66*. Douglas also appeared in *Thriller*, season 1, episode 16, "The Hungry Glass".

### *The Beverly Hillbillies*

Although Douglas was an active actress in the 1960s, she was still relatively unknown when selected from among 500 young actresses to work alongside veteran actor and dancer, Buddy Ebsen, on *The Beverly Hillbillies*. This series ran for nine consecutive seasons, beginning in 1962 and ending in 1971. Continually typecast as a result of her *Hillbillies* role, Douglas decided to focus on her career as a gospel singer. Template:Cn

With the 1973 death of *Hillbillies* co-star Irene Ryan, and Max Baer Jr.'s refusal to participate, Douglas joined Nancy Kulp and Buddy Ebsen as the only original cast members to appear in the reunion movie, *The Return of the Beverly Hillbillies*. Douglas was a guest star on a number of other television programs and the subject of paper dolls, dolls, coloring books, and various toys during the height of the show's popularity. In a 2003 interview with "Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict", she summed up her views on the role: "Elly May was like a slice out of my life. She is a wonderful little door opener for me because people love her, and they love the Hillbillies. Even to this day it's shown every day somewhere. But, as with any abilities, she may open a door for you, but you have to have substance or integrity to advance you through that door."

In 1992, Douglas and Baer attended Buddy Ebsen's 84th birthday celebration in Beverly Hills, California. In 1993, Douglas, Ebsen, and Baer reunited on *The Jerry Springer Show*, and for a final time in a CBS-TV television special, *The Legend of The Beverly Hillbillies*.

During the 1966 summer hiatus of *The Beverly Hillbillies*, Douglas made her only starring feature film appearance, cast as Frankie in Fred de Cordova's *Frankie and Johnny* (1966) along side Elvis Presley. The film proved popular and is among Presley's most frequently televised movies, but it did little to advance Douglas' big-screen career.

In December 2010, Mattel released a new collection of three Barbies called the Classic TV Collection. These dolls were Samantha Stephens (from *Bewitched*, played by Elizabeth Montgomery), Jeannie (from *I Dream of Jeannie*, played by Barbara Eden) and Elly May Clampett.

 File:Donna Douglas in Lawrenceburg, TN Parade 2.jpg

## Notes

### Post acting career

Douglas received her real estate license after *The Beverly Hillbillies* finished production. She did not work in that field long, however, as she remained in show business and found other projects.

Douglas frequently performed as a gospel singer and was a speaker at church groups, youth groups, schools and colleges across the United States. One focus of her charitable work was speaking in support of various Christian children's homes, mostly in the American South. She appeared at conventions and trade fairs. She recorded several gospel albums, the first released in 1982, and recorded a few minor country music records during the 1970s and 1980s.

Douglas wrote and published a religious-based children's book titled *Donna's Critters & Kids: Children's Stories with a Bible Touch.* The book included Bible stories featuring animals combined with a coloring book. In November 2011, she released a new children's book titled *Miss Donna's Mulberry Acres Farm*.

## References

1. ↑ Pink, Douglas (June 12, 1994). "A FEW MOMENTS WITH... Donna Douglas Elly May Still Loves Her Critters". *Orlando Sentinel*. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1994-06-12/news/9406081079\_1\_beverly-hillbillies-donna-douglas-pink. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
2. ↑ "Donna Douglas". *Filmbug*. http://www.filmbug.com/db/346490. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Moore, Frazier (January 2, 2015). "Donna Douglas, 'Beverly Hillbillies' Star, Is Dead". ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/donna-douglas-beverly-hillbillies-star-dead-27967328. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
4. ↑ "The Hungry Glass (January 3, 1961)". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0723102. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Template:Citation
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8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `SVoice`

## External links

* Donna Douglas at the Internet Movie Database
* Template:AllMovie name
* Interview (March 2014), amestrib.com. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
* Donna Douglas(Aveleyman.com)
* Donna Douglas at TriviaTribute.com