Fran Ryan

[LittleRickyII]

Here's something I never knew: Shortly after The Doris Day Show went on the air, wreckage was found of her late husband's airplane, 15 years after it had crashed. During those 15 years preceding 1968, it had not been known for sure that he had crashed and died. They had only been married four months when he disappeared. Even more tragic, her first husband and father of her son, had also died in an airplane crash.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...oris-day&hl=en

Elsewhere, I read that the reason Fran Ryan left The Doris Day Show was because she was asked to replace an ailing Barbara Pepper as Doris Ziffel on Green Acres.

[stanwyckfan07]

Originally Posted by LittleRickyII

Here's something I never knew: Shortly after The Doris Day Show went on the air, wreckage was found of her late husband's airplane, 15 years after it had crashed. During those 15 years preceding 1968, it had not been known for sure that he had crashed and died. They had only been married four months when he disappeared. Even more tragic, her first husband and father of her son, had also died in an airplane crash.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...oris-day&hl=en

Elsewhere, I read that the reason Fran Ryan left The Doris Day Show was because she was asked to replace an ailing Barbara Pepper as Doris Ziffel on Green Acres.

Fran Ryan was one of the great guest starring character actresses of tv during the 60's and 70's. She was quite active into the 1990's. I don't know why her character was written out of DDS and replaced by Naomi Stevens (also very good but I'm a bigger fan of Fran's). I can't see her leaving DDS for GREEN ACRES given Doris Ziffel was only a reoccuring character while the housekeeper on DDS was I think in every episode during season one. Also her last appearance on DDS was on December 10, 1968 and her first on GA as Doris was on November 1, 1969 (although she made two appearances in a different role in early 1969). On the IMDb boards it has been suggested Doris and Fran clashed which seems somewhat unlikely to me but anything's possible.

One irony is that Barbara Pepper made her last tv appearance in a bit part on DDS a year or so after leaving GA.

Fran Ryan got a late start as a television actress, making her debut in 1966 at age 50 on a BATMAN episode but she sure made up for lost time; IMDb credits her with appearing on 104 different television series!