That's the question, in the first season, the character of the actress Eleanor (sic?) Donahue was the love interest of Andy. And then the actress was dropped.

What happened?

Good question. I liked her in that character. She fit in with the cast well (at least from the viewer's point).

..."the show left her".

"Ellie Walker" just didn't seem to fit in with Mayberry, or as Andy's "girlfriend"- and perhaps creator/producer Aaron Ruben realized this. In any case, Ms. Donahue was quietly dropped from the cast, and Andy would have to wait until Helen Crump became Opie's teacher in 1964 before he found a more enduring cast member...

:tv:

Ellie wasn't enduring. I think she was far more charming than Helen, who always looked like she just bit into a lemon.....

Eleanor Donahue claimed in an interview that she was having personal problems at the time and had asked to be let out of her contract.

Eleanor Donahue claimed in an interview that she was having personal problems at the time and had asked to be let out of her contract.

That may very well be the case RowMan...but let's remember that E.D. had a fairly high profile and was likely getting other offers.

One of my hobbies is gathering snippets of information and putting together theories (like a jigsaw puzzle)...I remember hearing on a reunion show a quote from "Thelma Lou" that at one time she really needed a raise - but was afraid to ask for one because she thought they would probably write her out of the show. Add to that Barney left for movie money and characters came and went frequently...I think maybe TAGS was being run on the cheap, at least for the first few years.

Ellie wasn't enduring. I think she was far more charming than Helen, who always looked like she just bit into a lemon.....
I agree with you, if i were Andy i would of droped her in a heart beat, i couldnt handle her getting jeolous everytime i were around another woman. I wished they would of kept elinor to be Andys girl.

It's a shame that Elinor Donahue didn't stick around for all eight seasons. She's great.

Just found it. In this 1998 interview, ED states that she felt she was performing very poorly on TAGS. It made her so nervous to the point that she started losing weight. She couldn't take it and asked to be let out of her contract.

http://www.imayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/mfigure/ElinorDonahueInterview26Jun98.ra

...Helen, who always looked like she just bit into a lemon.....

LOL...I always thought Opie really blew it when he used his third wish from the Count to have Miss Crump be his teacher again in the sixth grade. Even another jack knife would have been better than that :)

Ellie was a good foil for Andy, but the best of Andy's girlfriends was Nurse Peggy. She was much more country than any of the others, had great rapport with both Andy and Opie, oh yes...was smokin' hot!

Elinor was a good actress but no warmth seemed to develop with Andy Griffith onscreen. (And maybe not offscreen either. Andy was a pretty harsh judge.) She said the lack of chemistry and personal reasons made her ask out of her contract, but she was slightly disappointed when they didn't ask her to reconsider. I usually like her as an actress but the show got better without her. Anita was less of an actress yet helped the show more. I thought Elinor was usually very good in Father Knows Best. And she was surprisingly relaxed and funny with Tony Randall on Odd Couple. She also seems like a very nice lady. I didn't know she started acting at such a young age until I saw her in a few movies on TCM. She was a good kid actress too.

Add to that Barney left for movie money and characters came and went frequently...I think maybe TAGS was being run on the cheap, at least for the first few years.

Bringing back this old thread to make a correction:

As I understand what happened, Don Knotts signed his film contract because he believed the series was not returning for another season -- not simply for a more lucrative deal. By the time the new TAGS season was announced, it was too late.

Bringing back this old thread to make a correction:

As I understand what happened, Don Knotts signed his film contract because he believed the series was not returning for another season -- not simply for a more lucrative deal. By the time the new TAGS season was announced, it was too late.

I remember Don Knotts telling the story and he said he left because Andy Griffith told him that he, himself, was leaving. After Don made other deals for movies at Universal, Andy told Don that he had changed his mind.

I am not a huge first season fan, relatively speaking, but I think Miss Donahue and the character of Ellie were very good. Despite that, I liked when Andy was not attached and could have a variety of women to interact with. The Helen Crump character was one of the worst things about the show to me.

Eleanor Donahue claimed in an interview that she was having personal problems at the time and had asked to be let out of her contract.

That makes sense. She divorced her first husband in the summer of 1961, so she was probably having marital problems throughout the 1960-61 season. They had a child together. In 1961 she was then dealing with the aftermath of a divorce. It might have been too much for her to deal with that plus a career at that point.

That may very well be the case RowMan...but let's remember that E.D. had a fairly high profile and was likely getting other offers.

One of my hobbies is gathering snippets of information and putting together theories (like a jigsaw puzzle)...I remember hearing on a reunion show a quote from "Thelma Lou" that at one time she really needed a raise - but was afraid to ask for one because she thought they would probably write her out of the show. Add to that Barney left for movie money and characters came and went frequently...I think maybe TAGS was being run on the cheap, at least for the first few years.

That does seem possible, I just never buy the story that the Ellie character didn't "work"... she was charming and gorgeous, Opie knew it.

:D

That makes sense. She divorced her first husband in the summer of 1961, so she was probably having marital problems throughout the 1960-61 season. They had a child together. In 1961 she was then dealing with the aftermath of a divorce. It might have been too much for her to deal with that plus a career at that point.

That is a shame, but is also a much more believable reason Ellie would leave the show.

Just found it. In this 1998 interview, ED states that she felt she was performing very poorly on TAGS. It made her so nervous to the point that she started losing weight. She couldn't take it and asked to be let out of her contract.

http://www.imayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/mfigure/ElinorDonahueInterview26Jun98.ra

I don't agree with her, but I suppose for some reason something about the show just really turned her off... and hints point to it being Andy Griffith, strange as that seems.

Chemistry... either it is there or not, I reckon.

Eleanor Donahue claimed in an interview that she was having personal problems at the time and had asked to be let out of her contract.

Again, a shame


I loved Elinor Donohue on Father Knows Best an she was classy and charming in Mayberry as the lady druggist.

Like Jack Burns as Warren, though, she apparently didn't really click with Andy or the writers and producers.

That makes sense. She divorced her first husband in the summer of 1961, so she was probably having marital problems throughout the 1960-61 season. They had a child together. In 1961 she was then dealing with the aftermath of a divorce. It might have been too much for her to deal with that plus a career at that point.

Could explain a subliminal reason she was also often harsh acting with Andy when he'd try his typical good natured flirting and come ons.

After years of marriage coming to a bad end Ellie just wasn't falling for the game.