Updated 05-May-2020.
Mondo shtuff from around the internet, all about BUDDY EBSEN!
made only at TCM!
My botty best at summarizing from Wikipedia: Frank “Buddy” Ebsen was an American actor and dancer whose career spanned seven decades . his most famous role was as Jed Clampett in the CBS television sitcom The Beverly Hillbil he played the older husband of Audrey Hepburn’s character in breakfast at Tiffany’s . before his starring role in the Beverly Hillbillies, he had a successful television career . his father was a Ebsen graduated from Orlando high school in 1926 . he was interested in a medical career . his involvement as a teenager led to his induction into the DeMolay Alumni Hall of Fame . family financial problems caused Ebsen to leave college at age 20 . his sister Vilma and he performed as a dance act in supper clubs and in vaudeville . on Broadway, the Eb Vilma and Ebsen appeared in numerous films, both musicals and nonmusicals . he was noted for his unusual, surreal dancing and singing style . his abilities might have been a reason filmmaker Walt Disney Ebsen was cast as the Scarecrow in its 1939 film The Wizard of Oz . he then swapped roles with actor Ray Bolger, who was originally cast as a Tin Man . however, doctors determined that he was suffering a reaction to aluminum dust used in the Tin Man makeup . Ebsen replaced by Jack haley, with the makeup quickly changed to a safer aluminum paste . haley re- 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 . for the rest of his life, he complained of Ebsen served as damage control officer and executive officer on USS Pocatello . he was honorably discharged from the coast guard as a lieutenant in 1946 . this led to television appearances in: in the 1958–1959 season, Ebsen co-starred in the 26-episode half-hour NBC television adventure series Northwest Passage . the series was a fictionalized account of Major Robert Roger in 1960, he appeared in episodes of the television series Rawhide and Tales of Wells Fargo . he also appeared as a corrupt, bloodthirsty marshal in “El Paso Stage” “i was fortunate to have him, because he became the cornerstone of the show,” says actor . “the Beverly Hillbillies attracted as many as 60 million viewers between 1962 and 1971 . it was several times the highest the Beverly hillbillies was still earning good ratings when it was cancelled by CBS . one episode, “the Giant Jack Rabbit”, was the highest-rated half-hour on television . 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 Rep. Bud Shuster . Lee Meriwether, 1955 Miss America, played Barnaby’s widowed daughter-in-law, Betty Jones . Ebsen appeared briefly on two other productions: a 1975 episode of Cannon “He loved the idea of being a detective,” says a spokesman . “he liked doing his own tests. he was a dream,” he says . Ebsen played Matt’s uncle, Roy Houston, during the show’s third season from 1984 to 1985 . he narrated the documentary series Disney Family Album during the 1980s on the Disney channel . Ebsen has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1765 Vine Street . in 1993, he was inducted as a Disney Legends award winner . in 1945, Ebsen married fellow lieutenant Nancy Wolcott . they had four daughters, including Kiki, Kathy and Bonnie, and a son . Ebsen co-founded the Beverly Hills Coin Club in 1987 with actor Chris Aable . his collection included many rarities such as a four-dollar gold piece worth $200,000. OCLC 430363872 Wise, James. Stars in Blue: Movie Actors in America’s Sea Services. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1997.