Max Baer on Donna "Elly May" Douglas' passing:

[Gidney N Cloyd]

Max Baer Jr. On Donna Douglas: ‘She Was Elly May Until The Day She Died’

Coming from the 77-year-old, that means a lot, because he says, “I’m such a bastard that if you’re a dick when your living — you’re a dead dick.” But he says that wasn’t the case with the 81-year-old actress, who died of pancreatic cancer Thursday at her home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

“She was Elly May until the day she died,” he tells us exclusively. “When I saw her for autograph signings or other gatherings, she always dressed the same with pink or blue” and of course those signature pigtails.

Max, who was the youngest star on the show, says, “I spoke to her on a semi-regular basis. We weren’t the kind of people who would text, but we would call each other when there was something to share.”

The Beverly Hillbillies star says the last time he saw the blonde beauty was in January 2013 for an autograph signing in Los Angeles. And, he didn’t know she was sick until she passed away.

Max says Donna had pancreatic cancer for the past four months, “but she was a very private person — nothing like me.” A friend told him Donna had a message for him: “Tell Maxie I thought I was going to get better.”

The actor, who still embraces Jethro, has fond memories of Donna and the show that made him famous: “Some of those shows — if you didn’t laugh, you had to be a pretty strange person. They were as much slapstick as Chaplin.”

With a sad tone in his voice, Max says, “I’m the last man standing. All the actors, producers — everybody on the show is gone.”

Read more at http://rumorfix.com/2015/01/max-baer-jr-donna-douglas-elly-may-day-died/#RBzl1Y6PXCIjCIo5.99

[CBGLuthier]

1. The show had a certain charm that too many dismisss.

Some of the early seasons featured really great writing.

[CatWoman]

2. this bit of Jethro's always makes me laugh until it hurts

[Cooley Hurd]

4. Absolutely crystallizes The Jethro character...

I was a kiddo back then, but this show *always* fascinated me. A teleplay about the 99% vs the 1%, and how the 1% was CHEESED that a few of the (newly-rich) 99% showed up at the Country Club!

Cross Gently, Donna.

[hedda_foil]

7. OMG! I'd forgotten how hilarious that show could be.

[Octafish]

12. My fave, too.

Thank you, CatWomansita!

[renate]

23. lovely memories... thank you!

I used to watch this show with my honorary grandmother.

[joeybee12]

5. Very true, and very talented actors on the show...

Particularly Irene Ryan and Nacy Kulp.

[CatWoman]

6. Nancy Kulp ran for office and Buddy Ebsen campaigned for her opponent

Politics, academia and retirement

In 1984, after working with the Democratic state committee in her home state of Pennsylvania "on a variety of projects" over a period of years, Kulp ran unopposed as the Democratic nominee for the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district. [11] As an opponent of Republican incumbent, Bud Shuster, in a Republican district, Kulp was the underdog.

Sixty-two years old at the time, Kulp said some people might feel her background as an actress was "frivolous." But she noted that Ronald Reagan had taken the route from screen to politics and she said anyone who "listens and cares" can do well.[12]

To her dismay, Hillbillies co-star Buddy Ebsen called the Shuster campaign and volunteered to make a radio campaign ad in which he called Kulp " too liberal."[13] Kulp said of Ebsen, "'He's not the kindly old Jed Clampett that you saw on the show... It's none of his business and he should have stayed out of it.' She said she and Ebsen 'didn't get along because I found him difficult to work with. But I never would have done something like this to him.'" Garnering 59,449 votes, or just 33.6% to Shuster's 117,203 votes and 66.4%, she lost.[14]

After her defeat, she worked at Juniata College, a private liberal arts college in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania as an artist-in-residence.[15] Later she taught acting.

She subsequently retired; first to a farm in Connecticut and later to Palm Desert, California.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Kulp#Politics.2C_academia_and_retirement

[joeybee12]

9. I recall that...he was a d*ck...nt

[Capt.Rocky300]

15. Yeah, old Buddy.........

and Ronnie Reagan were good friends. Two greedy assholes.

[maddiemom]

13. My mom, a "child of the Depression," never got the "silly" humor of our (her kids) day.

When my brother and I and our friends roared with laughter over shows such as "The Beverly Hillbillies," she was honestly puzzled as to why we thought the obvious and stupidly silly stuff was so funny... when we KNEW it was stupid and silly. She also never got parodies such as "Airplane" and "Hot Shots." Because she wondered why an obviously beautiful girl like Donna Douglas would "demean" herself as Elly Mae, I was reminded of her attitude by the news of Donna's death. Forgive the tangent, but I always felt badly that my mom never "got" the delight most of us had with characters such as Elly Mae (sic on the spelling). I should add that our sense of humor went far past being youngsters and continued into adult life...an even bigger puzzle to mom (bless her, even so).

[hunter]

17. "Hogan's Heroes" too.

I've tales I can't tell (yet) about that show.

I've never been certain if those who lived through the Great (World) Depression and World War II "got it" or not. Maybe some of them were pretending, maybe some of them were expressing a deep dark gallows humor, the humor arising in the denial itself.

There are things both good and bad, but deeply twisted here.

As a child of Hollywood questioning those shows when they were new, I never did get a straight answer.

[maddiemom]

18. Wow...good to connect with you.

My Dad's "outfit" liberated a concentration camp (Nordhausen). Because he'd carried a camera throughout much of the war, I'd always assumed he'd taken the album of pictures of the skeleton-like victims, and human bodies stacked in piles like firewood (sadly, actually stolen from my Mom's home many years later). We try to insulate our kids these days, but I always appreciated the truth. Anyway...another teacher I worked with years later had the same photos and carefully was displaying them to her students. I learned that one of the higher officers in that unit, had taken the pictures and had them copied at his own expense to the officers under him (including my dad and my friend's uncle). Never EVER forget was the point. Leaving at that.

[maddiemom]

19. Oh, and get a grip, Hunter. I don't give a shit about you personal life.

Or anything else for that matter. Just thought you might be interesting.

[maddiemom]

20. Many appologies, Hunter, for my #19 response in the thread. It was meant for someone else.

[hunter]

25. No apology needed! I always dress appropriately for the internet.

[riverwalker]

27. my Dad was like that

a former POW, captured by Nazis before the Bulge. However, the one thing thing on TV that made him laugh (a beautiful glorious sound) was Benny Hill. When I discovered this, I got him every Benny Hill tape I could find, just to hear his laugh.
God, I miss him.

[maddiemom]

28. I definitely get that. My own dad, who died at sixty ( Long story includling a tragic

misdiagnosis my mom chose not to pursue), was, I now realize, functioning, but severely depressed due to some really horrific WWII experiences. Post traumatic stress syndrome was never considered in his generation. I really wish I'd understood that when he was still alive and we clashed constantly. But hey, former soldiers were just Tough! My brother, a Viet Nam vet , and I are just beginning to thrash a lot of this out in retirement age.

[maddiemom]

22. Jumping back in: I had an aunt, same era as my mom, who definitely had the

"gallows humor" about the time. Although she'd raised stepchildren in her own marriage, by the time I was a young adult, I realized that I had always been her surrogate daughter and that she pretty much thought my mom, her sister-in-law, was way too much a "Suzy Sunshine." My dad, as usual for the time, never knew how deal with a GIRL who was too much like him. Way too late by the time I figured this out, but my mom, who traveled a lot and was always interested in life, still had no sense of humor. My aunt actually worked on J. Edgar Hoover's office staff, and thought he was really weird long before it was common knowledge. Sorry, but it's getting late and I'm rambling. Good bye.

[renate]

24. I'd love to hear your stories...

... maybe someday.

[NewDeal_Dem]

3. rip

[ZX86]

8. RIP Donna

A life well lived.

[johnnyreb]

16. That poor woman in the 2d photo.. the doctors really botched her cosmetic surgery.

Much love to Donna and all the crew of Beverly Hillbillies. Forever in out hearts.

[Doctor_J]

21. Looks like Nat Cole to Donna's right in photo 1

[Brother Buzz]

29. It is

The Dodgers had an annual Hollywood Stars game, featuring a game between celebrities (Stars) and sportswriters/sportscasters (Angles) before one of their games.


I spy Chuck Connors, James Garner, Dean Martin...and maybe a Ricky Nelson

[Doctor_J]

30. one of my dad's favorites, and thus mine as well

Same with James garner.

[Hoyt]

26. I remember the plastic surgery episode. One of my favorites.

[Liberal_in_LA]

10. rip

[PCIntern]

11. You'll all love the E! 2 hour special on the Hillbillies...

utterly fascinating...I was completely gripped from start to finish. turns out Ebsen was not only a RWer, but also a real SOB.

[Ex Lurker]

14. People would see her around the Baton Rouge area, she was always very nice

An acquaintance of mine had a son who played on the same Little League team as her grandson, or maybe great-grandson. She made the team cookies.

[cwydro]

31. Loved that show.

My favorite was Miss Hathaway.