Christian Ludolf Ebsen, Jr., known as Buddy Ebsen, was an American character actor and
dancer. A performer for seven decades, he had starring roles as Jed Clampett in the
long-running CBS television series The Beverly Hillbillies and as the title character in
the 1970s detective series Barnaby Jones. Ebsen also played Fess Parker's sidekick in
Walt Disney's Davy Crockett miniseries, and was cast as the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz
until he fell ill from an allergy to the makeup. Ebsen had a cameo role in the 1993 film version
of The Beverly Hillbillies, not as Jed Clampett, but as his other famous character Barnaby
Jones.
Early years Buddy Ebsen was born Christian Ludolf Ebsen,
Jr. on April 2, 1908, in Belleville, Illinois. His father, Christian Ludolf Ebsen, Sr., was
Danish, and his mother, Frances, was Latvian. Ebsen was raised in Belleville until the age
of 10, when his family moved to Palm Beach County, Florida. In 1920, Ebsen and his family
relocated to Orlando, Florida. Ebsen and his sisters learned to dance at a dance studio
his father operated in Orlando. Ebsen graduated from Orlando High School in
1926. Initially interested in a medical career, Ebsen attended the University of Florida in
Gainesville, Florida, from 1926 to 1927, and then Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida,
from 1927 to 1928. Family financial problems caused by the collapse of the Florida land
boom forced Ebsen to leave college at age 20.
Professional career Ebsen left Orlando in the summer of 1928 to
try his luck as a dancer in New York City, arriving with only $26.75 in his pocket, equal
to $367 in 2012, and worked at a soda fountain shop. He and his sister Vilma Ebsen performed
as a dance act in supper clubs and in vaudeville — they were known as "The Baby Astaires".
On Broadway, the Ebsens appeared as members of the chorus in the musicals Whoopee, Flying
Colors and Ziegfeld Follies of 1934. A rave review from New York columnist Walter Winchell,
who saw them perform in Atlantic City, New Jersey led to a booking at the Palace Theatre
in New York City, the pinnacle of the vaudeville world.
MGM signing
In 1935, Ebsen and his sister were approached by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for a screen test.
They then signed a two-year contract, with a two-year option, for $1500.00 per week each,
equal to $25802 today. After relocating to Hollywood, the siblings made their film debuts
in the 1936 film Broadway Melody of 1936. This was to be Vilma's only film — a contract
problem prevented her making other films and she soon retired from show business.
Ebsen went on to appear in numerous films, both musicals and non-musicals, including
the 1936 Born to Dance, the 1936 Captain January, the 1938 Broadway Melody of 1938, and the
1938 The Girl of the Golden West. Ebsen partnered with actresses Eleanor Powell and Frances
Langford, among others, and also danced solo. Ebsen was noted for his unusual, surreal dancing
and singing style. His abilities might have been a reason filmmaker 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 1929 to 1939 Silly Symphonies animated short films.
The Wizard of Oz
When Ebsen turned down studio head Louis B. Mayer's offer of an exclusive contract with
MGM, Mayer warned him that he would never get a job in Hollywood again. Nonetheless,
MGM did cast Ebsen as the Scarecrow in its 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Ebsen then swapped
roles with actor Ray Bolger, who was originally cast as the Tin Man. Ebsen recorded all his
songs as Tin Man, went through all the rehearsals, and started filming. However, he soon began
experiencing cramps and shortness of breath, eventually leading to hospitalization. Doctors
determined that Ebsen was suffering an allergic reaction to the aluminum dust used in the
Tin Man makeup; he was forced to leave the production for health reasons.
In a posthumous interview included on the 2005 DVD release of The Wizard of Oz, Ebsen
recalled that the studio heads did not believe he was sick until someone tried to order him
back to the set and was intercepted by an angry nurse. Ebsen was replaced by Jack Haley,
with the makeup quickly changed to a safer aluminum paste. As noted in a documentary
on the 2005 DVD, MGM did not publicize the reason for Ebsen's departure; even Haley was
not told until later. 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 several reprises of the song "We're Off to See the Wizard". Ebsen's recording
of the Tin Man's only solo song, "If I Only Had a Heart", still exists and is included
on the 2-CD Deluxe Edition of the film's soundtrack, while a still photo recreation of the sequence
featuring shots of Ebsen as the Tin Man was included as an extra with all VHS and DVD
releases of the film since 1989. Until his dying day, Ebsen complained of lung issues
from involvement in "that damned movie". Ironically, Ebsen outlived all of the major cast members
of The Wizard of Oz by at least 16 years. World War II
After recovering from the illness, Ebsen became embroiled in a contract dispute with MGM that
left him idle for long periods. He took up sailing, eventually becoming so proficient
in seamanship that he taught the subject to United States Navy officer candidates. In
1941, with the start of U.S. involvement in World War II, Ebsen applied several times
for an officer's commission in the Navy, but was repeatedly turned down. His application
for a United States Coast Guard commission was accepted, and he was promptly given the
rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade. This wartime rank was one step up from the rank of Ensign,
the usual rank given newly appointed naval officers in peacetime. Ebsen served as damage
control officer and later as executive officer on the Coast Guard-manned Navy frigate USS Pocatello,
which recorded weather at its “weather station” 1,500 miles west of Seattle, Washington. These
patrols consisted of 30 days at sea, followed by 10 days in port at Seattle. Ebsen was honorably
discharged from the Coast Guard as a Lieutenant in 1946.
Return to acting Ebsen made his television debut on an episode
of The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre in 1949. This led to television appearances in: Stars Over
Hollywood, Gruen Guild Playhouse, four episodes of Broadway Television Theatre, Schlitz Playhouse
of Stars, Corky and White Shadow, the H.J. Heinz Company's Studio 57, Screen Directors
Playhouse, two episodes of Climax!, Tales of Wells Fargo, The Martha Raye Show, Playhouse
90, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, Johnny Ringo, two episodes of Bonanza, three episodes
of Maverick, and 77 Sunset Strip. Ebsen received wide television exposure when he played Georgie
Russel, a role based on an historical person and companion to frontiersman Davy Crockett,
in the Disneyland television miniseries Davy Crockett.
In the 1958–1959 season, Ebsen co-starred in the 26-episode half-hour NBC television
adventure series Northwest Passage. This series was a fictionalized account of Major Robert
Rogers, a colonial American fighter for the British in the French and Indian War. Ebsen
played the role of Sergeant Hunk Marriner; Keith Larsen played Rogers. Northwest Passage
was one of the first U.S. television programs broadcast in color.
In 1960, Ebsen appeared in episodes of the television series Rawhide in 1962, in the
episode "The Pitchwagon" and Tales of Wells Fargo, which he would reprise in episodes
of both series during 1962 in the roles of different characters. Also in 1960, Ebsen
played in Season 4 Episode 30 of Have Gun, Will Travel called 'El Paso Stage', as a corrupt
Marshall. From 1961 to 1962, Ebsen had a recurring role
as Virge Blessing in the ABC drama series Bus Stop, the story of travelers passing through
the bus station and diner in the fictitious town of Sunrise, Colorado. Robert Altman directed
several episodes. Arthur O'Connell had played Virge Blessing in the earlier film version
on which the series was loosely based. Ebsen also appeared as "Mr. Dave" Browne, a homeless
hobo, on The Andy Griffith Show opposite Ron Howard, and as Jimbo Cobb in The Twilight
Zone episode "The Prime Mover" in 1961. Breakfast at Tiffany's
Throughout the 1950s, Ebsen performed in films, mainly Westerns. One notable exception was
an acclaimed role as Doc Golightly, an older, rural veterinarian deserted by his young wife
in 1961's Breakfast at Tiffany's. This role brought Ebsen to the attention of the casting
director of the CBS situation comedy The Beverly Hillbillies.
The Beverly Hillbillies
Ebsen became famous as Jed Clampett, an easygoing backwoods mountaineer who strikes oil and
moves with his family to Beverly Hills, California in the long-running, fish-out-of-water CBS
sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies. Aside from the top-billed Ebsen, principal cast members
included Irene Ryan as Jed's mother-in-law, Daisy Moses, also known as Granny; Max Baer,
Jr. as Jed's dimwitted nephew Jethro Bodine; Donna Douglas as Jed's only child, the curvaceous,
critter-loving Elly May Clampett; Raymond Bailey as Milburn Drysdale, a bank president
who oversees the Clampett fortune; and Nancy Kulp as Jane Hathaway, Drysdale's secretary.
Although scorned by critics, The Beverly Hillbillies attracted as many as 60 million viewers between
1962 and 1971 and was several times the highest rated series on television. The show also
spawned similar Paul Henning produced rural sitcoms such as Green Acres and Petticoat
Junction, which were eventually linked in crossover episode arcs. The Beverly Hillbillies
was still earning good ratings when it was canceled by CBS. One episode, "The Giant Jack
Rabbit", was the highest rated half-hour on television to that time and remains the most
watched half-hour sitcom episode. Not all was harmonious among cast members
on The Beverly Hillbillies set, especially between the politically conservative Ebsen
and the more liberal Kulp. Said Douglas, "They had a different view, so they had some heated
discussions about that. They would go at it for weeks." In 1984, Kulp unsuccessfully ran
for the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat from Pennsylvania. To her dismay,
Ebsen supported her Republican opponent, incumbent Representative Bud Shuster, going so far as
to tape an ad for Shuster that labeled Kulp as "too liberal". Ebsen claimed she was exploiting
her celebrity status and did not know the issues.
Barnaby Jones Ebsen returned to television in 1973 as the
title character of Barnaby Jones, which proved to be his second long-running television series.
Barnaby Jones was a milk-drinking detective who came out of retirement to investigate
the death of his son. Critics and CBS executives ridiculed the age of the show's audience,
but it lasted 8 1/2 seasons and 178 episodes. When Barnaby Jones was cancelled, it was one
of the last surviving 1970s detective dramas. Lee Meriwether, 1955 Miss America, played
Barnaby's widowed daughter-in-law, Betty Jones. Ebsen appeared briefly as Barnaby Jones on
two other productions: a 1975 episode of Cannon and the 1993 film The Beverly Hillbillies.
Other television credits Ebsen's last regular television series was
Matt Houston on ABC, starring Lee Horsley. Ebsen played Matt's uncle, Roy Houston, during
the show's third season from 1984 to 1985. He also appeared in "The Waiting Room", a
Night Gallery segment that originally aired January 26, 1972.
Ebsen narrated the documentary series Disney Family Album during the 1980s on the Disney
Channel and Steven Kellogg's "Paul Bunyan" on the PBS series Reading Rainbow in 1985.
He made his final guest-starring appearance in 1994 on an episode of the short-lived television
series revival Burke's Law. Later years
Although generally retired from acting as he entered his 80s, he had a cameo in the
1993 film version of The Beverly Hillbillies as Barnaby Jones, with the television theme
underscoring the scene. This was Ebsen's final motion picture role. Actor Jim Varney was
cast as Jed Clampett. In 1999, Ebsen provided a voice for an episode
of the Fox Entertainment program King of the Hill. Ebsen was set to play a cameo role on
the Howard Stern-produced syndicated sitcom Son of the Beach, but was forced to cancel
it due to bad health. Ebsen has a star on the Hollywood Walk of
Fame at 1765 Vine Street, and a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
Death Ebsen died of pneumonia at Torrance Memorial
Medical Center in Torrance, California, on July 6, 2003, at the age of 95. He was cremated
and his ashes were scattered at sea. Personal life
Ebsen married Ruth Cambridge in 1936, and they had two daughters, Elizabeth and Alix.
The couple divorced in 1942. In 1944, Ebsen met and married Nancy Wolcott.
They had five children: Susannah, Cathy, Bonnie, Kiersten, and Dustin. In 1985, the 41-year
marriage ended in divorce. That same year, Ebsen met his third wife,
Dorothy Knott. The couple had one child. Throughout his long life, Ebsen had many hobbies:
public speaking, traveling, singing, playing guitar, golfing, spending time with his family,
riding horses, swimming, gardening, fishing, sailing, painting, and building sailboats.
He became a folk artist and, as an avid coin collector, co-founded the Beverly Hills Coin
Club in 1987 with much younger actor Chris Aable. Ebsen's favorite leisure time activity
undoubtedly was dancing. As Ebsen entered his nineties, 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. Ebsen's love for sailing and the Naval service
never waned. He donated four open ocean sailing yachts to the United States Naval Academy's
Sailing Squadron in Annapolis, Maryland. Ebsen was a big time numismatist. His collection
included many rarities such as a four dollar gold piece worth two hundred thousand dollars.
It was sold in several auctions both before and after his death.
Quotes "'As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.'
Often the values of the influences imposed on us by our mothers and fathers, our teachers
and certain friends, are not realized until years later, when we, as a sailor does, look
back at our wakes to determine the course we have steered that got us to where we are.
Today when I look back, then look around me to see with whom I am standing, I fully realize
the influence on my life that must be credited to DeMolay."
On being a best-selling author: "Writing fiction, there are no limits to what you write as long
as it increases the value of the paper you are writing on."
In 1965, about his stage performances: "I probably enjoyed show business most when I
was doing plays like 'The Male Animal' and 'Good Night, Ladies,' when people would lay
down their money and laugh and you'd see them walk out happy. By God, I'd feel honest. I
could go home with a good taste in my mouth. You'd feel better, you'd feel more alive and
like you were justifying your existence." Of The Beverly Hillbillies: "The one flaw
in this is that you can't hear the people laughing."
Filmography
References
Further reading Frank, Rusty E. Tap: The Greatest Tap Dance
Stars and Their Stories, 1900–1955. New York: W. Morrow, 1990. OCLC 430363872
Wise, James. Stars in Blue: Movie Actors in America's Sea Services. Annapolis, MD: Naval
Institute Press, 1997. ISBN 1557509379 OCLC 36824724 External links
Buddy Ebsen at the Internet Movie Database Buddy Ebsen at the Internet Broadway Database
Buddy Ebsen at AllMovie The official Buddy Ebsen Virtual Museum
The official Buddy Ebsen web site Fan tribute site
AP obituary