| Buddy Ebsen | |
|---|---|
 Buddy Ebsen as "Jed Clampett" on The Beverly Hillbillies |
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| Birth name | Christian Rudolph Ebsen, Jr. |
| Born | April 2 1908 Belleville, Illinois, USA |
| Died | July 6 2003 (aged 95) Torrance Memorial Medical Center, Torrance, California, USA |
| Spouse(s) | 1) Dorothy Knott (1985 – 6 July 2003) (his death) 1 child 2) Nancy Wolcott (1944 – 1985) (divorced) 5 children 3) Ruth Cambridge (1936 – 194?) (divorced) 2 daughters |
| Official site | The Official Webisite of Buddy Ebsen |
Buddy Ebsen (April 2, 1908 – July 6, 2003) was an American actor and dancer, who is best-remembered for his role as Jed Clampett in the popular television series The Beverly Hillbillies.
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Early years
Born Christian Rudolf Ebsen, Jr., in Belleville, Illinois; his father, Christian Rudolf Ebsen, Sr., was Danish and his mother, Frances, was Latvian. He was raised in Belleville until age 10, when his family moved to Palm Beach County, Florida. After a brief stay there, Ebsen and his family, in 1920, relocated to Orlando, Florida. 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 1926-1927; and then Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, from 1927-1928. Family financial problems that resulted from the collapse of the Florida land boom forced him to leave college for good at age 20.
Professional career
Ebsen left Orlando in the summer of 1928 to try his luck as a dancer. When he arrived in New York, he had $26.75 in his pocket. He and his sister Vilma Ebsen formed an act and performed 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 from Walter Winchell, who saw them perform in Atlantic City, gave them a boost and led to a booking at the Palace Theatre, the pinnacle of the vaudeville world. In 1936, the Ebsens were approached by MGM for a screen test, and signed a two year contract with a two-year option, with their salary to be $1,500 a week for each of them. They moved to Hollywood, and made their film debut in Broadway Melody of 1936. This was to be Vilma's first and only film – a contract problem prevented her from making any other films, and she shortly retired from show business – but Buddy appeared in numerous screen musicals including Born to Dance and Captain January (in which he danced with Shirley Temple), Broadway Melody of 1938 (in which he danced with a young Judy Garland) 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, almost surreal dancing and singing style (see, 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.
Despite having turned down Louis B. Mayer's offer of an exclusive contract with MGM, earning Mayer's warning that he would never get a job in Hollywood again, he was cast in the role of The Scarecrow in the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz, but later swapped roles with Ray Bolger, who was to play the Tin Man. Ebsen recorded all his songs, went through all the rehearsals, and started filming with the rest of the cast, but he was rushed to the hospital nine days after filming began when his lungs seized after a week of inhaling aluminum dust from the "tin" makeup. While Ebsen was in the hospital for two weeks, recovering from his near-fatal reaction to the dust, he was replaced by Jack Haley. Haley did not run the same risk, as the makeup was changed in the meantime from a dust to a paste. (Although Haley re-recorded most of Ebsen's vocals, Ebsen's midwestern voice with the enunciated "r" in the word "wizard" can still be heard on the soundtrack during a couple of the reprises of "We're Off to See the Wizard".) As noted in a documentary included with the 2005 DVD release of Wizard of Oz, MGM did not publicize the reasons for Ebsen leaving the film, and even Haley was not made aware of why Ebsen left until later. In an interview videotaped before his death (also included on the DVD), Ebsen recalled that the studio heads did not believe he was sick until someone tried to order Ebsen back to the set and was intercepted by an angry nurse. Footage of Ebsen as The Tin Man was included as an extra with the U.S. 50th anniversary video release of the film. Until his dying day, Ebsen complained of lung issues due to his involvement in "that damned movie." [1] Ironically, Ebsen outlived all of the major cast members of The Wizard of Oz.
Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1971)
Ebsen finally became truly famous with The Beverly Hillbillies. Although the 1962 series was scorned by critics, the show was a massive hit, attracting as many as sixty million viewers on CBS between 1962 and 1971. Although Irene Ryan as Granny received the most critical notice, earning two Emmy nominations, and Donna Douglas received the most fan mail and media publicity, Ebsen was the show's most prominent star in the ensemble cast. The series was still earning good ratings when it was canceled by CBS because advertisers began shunning shows that attracted a rural audience. Ebsen, like his friends Ronald Reagan and George Murphy, was a conservative Republican. When his Beverly Hillbillies co-star Nancy Kulp ran for congress as a Democrat in Pennsylvania, Ebsen not only didn't endorse her, but filmed a commercial for Kulp's opponent. Directly addressing Kulp, Ebsen said, "Nancy, you know I love you, but you're too liberal." The wealthy, conservative Republican Bud Shuster, ended up crushing Kulp with 67% of the vote.
Barnaby Jones (1973-1980), and beyond
Ebsen later starred in a hit CBS television detective series, Barnaby Jones with actress Lee Meriwether, beginning in 1973 and running through 1980. His last work was mainly in television, reprising his Beverly Hillbillies and Barnaby Jones roles, though his last regular television series was Matt Houston on ABC, where he played the role of Matt's uncle, Roy Houston, during the show's third season in 1984-1985. He also narrated the documentary series Disney Family Album during the 1980s on the Disney Channel.
Later Years
Although generally retired from acting as he entered his 80s, he had an amusing cameo in the film version of The Beverly Hillbillies, again playing "Barnaby Jones", with the TV theme underscoring the scene. This cameo would prove to be his final motion picture appearance, although Ebsen would go on to appear in an episode of the 1994 revival of Burke's Law and, in 1999, make his final acting appearance anywhere, providing a voice for an episode of King of the Hill. Illness and infirmity kept him from a cameo on Son of the Beach. 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 at the age of 95. During these later years, Buddy Ebsen became an avid coin collector and co-founded the Beverly Hills Coin Club in 1987 along with a much younger actor, Chris Aable. One of the last known on camera interviews with Buddy Ebsen was conducted by Steven F. Zambo. A small portion of this interview can be seen in the 2005 PBS program The Pioneers of Primetime. His last known radio interview was conducted by Opie and Anthony. 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.
Filmography
- Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)
- Captain January (1936)
- Born to Dance (1936)
- Banjo on My Knee (1936)
- Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937)
- Girl of the Golden West (1938)
- Yellow Jack (1938)
- My Lucky Star (1938)
- Four Girls in White (1939)
- The Kid from Texas (1939)
- Hollywood Hobbies (1939) (short subject)
- They Met in Argentina (1941)
- Parachute Battalion (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 People (1954)
- Red Garters (1954)
- Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (1954)
- Davy Crockett and the River Pirates (1956)
- Attack (1956)
- Between Heaven and Hell (1956)
- Mission of Danger (1959)
- Frontier Rangers (1959)
- Fury River (1961)
- Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
- The Interns (1962)
- Mail Order Bride (1964)
- The Mike Bialka Story (1966)
- The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968)
- Tom Sawyer (TV) (1973)
- Fire on the Mountain (1981)
- The Beverly Hillbillies (1993) (Cameo)
Notes
- ^ Cox, Stephen (1988, rev. 2003). The Beverly Hillbillies: A Fortieth Anniversary Wing Ding. Cumberland House Publishing; Rev Exp edition. ISBN 1581823029.
