Donna Douglas, ‘Beverly Hillbillies’ Elly May Clampett, dies aged 82
NEW YORK – Donna Douglas, who played seductive tomboy Elly May Clampett on the hit 1960s sitcom “The Beverly Hillbillies,” has died.
Douglas died Thursday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, near her hometown of Zachary. Her niece, Charlene Smith, said the cause of death was pancreatic cancer. Douglas is 82 years old this year.
She is best known for her role in “The Beverly Hillbillies,” the CBS comedy about a backwoods Ozark family who move to Beverly Hills after becoming wealthy from oil discovered on the land. their. .
The series, which ran from 1962 to 1971, also starred the late Buddy Ebsen and Irene Ryan as well as Max Baer Jr., who turns 77 on Sunday.
As Elly May, she seems blissfully unaware of her status as an awkward blonde. Usually, she wears a fitted flannel shirt and tight jeans with a rope belt, and she seems to enjoy her creature more than any beauty.
Chosen from over 500 other actresses, Douglas said she felt comfortable playing the role because like her character, she grew up a poor Southern tomboy. Her childhood in Pride, Louisiana came in handy when she was asked to milk goats during an audition.
“I used to milk cows,” she recalled in a 2009 interview with The Associated Press. “I thought they were equipped the same so I did it.”
The show was criticized not only by critics but also by the network boss that aired it: “I HATED it,” Michael Dann confirmed much later. “After the pilot, I don’t think I’ve ever seen another segment.”
However, the public felt exactly the opposite: The show ran for nine seasons, often reaching the Top 10. In their own way, CLAMPetts were the forerunners of the 60s counterculture movement.
Smith’s niece said that Douglas’s integration into the troupe was not too difficult.
“She was always happy and really loved animals – just like her character in ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’. She was a wonderful woman, a very kind Christian woman.”
Indeed, when Douglas signed her autograph, she included a bible verse (“Trust in the Lord with all your heart…”), according to New Orleans television station WAFB.
Douglas’s career began with beauty pageants – she was Miss Baton Rouge and Miss New Orleans – followed by a trip to New York to pursue a career in entertainment.
“This was my first time on a plane,” Douglas said.
While modeling didn’t appeal to her — “I don’t want to be that skinny” — television did. Douglas was introduced as Letters Girl on “The Perry Como Show” in 1957 and as Billboard Girl on “The Steve Allen Show” in 1959.
She received a prominent role in the 1959 film “Career,” starring Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine, and a small role in the musical film “Li’l Abner.” She also played a small role as Tony Randall’s secretary in the 1961 romantic comedy “Lover Come Back” alongside Rock Hudson and Doris Day.
Douglas starred in one of the most memorable episodes of Rod Serling’s “The Twilight Zone” – titled “Eye of the Beholder”, which was the episode where her head was bandaged nearly half an hour after plastic surgery. America. America aims to correct his “ugliness”, which is beauty in the monster universe. And she starred alongside Elvis Presley in the 1966 film “Frankie and Johnny.”
After “The Beverly Hillbillies,” Douglas worked in real estate, recorded country and gospel albums, and wrote a children’s book based on Biblical themes.
In 2010, she sued CBS and toy manufacturer Mattel over a Barbie doll that used Elly May’s name and likeness. The lawsuit was settled in 2011.
She said she never minded being seen as her “Hillbillies” character.
“There are all kinds of people involved with Elly May,” Douglas said. “There are so many people who love her and that means a lot to me.”
Douglas was married twice, to Roland John Bourgeois, Jr. until 1954, and then with The Beverly Hillbillies director Robert M. Leeds. They divorced in 1980 after 9 years of marriage. Survivors include her son, Danny P. Bourgeois.