TV's Beloved 'Beverly Hillbillies' Actress Donna Douglas: Nine Years After Her Death

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[Note: Unless otherwise indicated, all quotes and commentary from Donna Douglas are from an interview with her conducted by the author.]

Overview

Donna Douglas, who died of pancreative cancer at 82 in 2015, was an honest-to-goodness Southern Belle who displayed a natural beauty and talent in her portrayal of the hollering, rope-wearing, whistle-happy, and critter-cuddling Elly May Clampett on the 1960s classic TV hit, The Beverly Hillbillies.

A Closer Look

Born Doris Smith in 1933, Douglas began her career in beauty pageants before traveling to New York to pursue a career in entertainment.

Within a short period after moving to Los Angeles, Douglas made several television and feature film appearances before finding fame on The Beverly Hillbillies.

On November 11, 1960, she had the leading (if silent) role in a legendary episode of The Twilight Zone, titled, "Eye of the Beholder."

But then came her beloved portrayal of Elly May Clampett.

As with the role she played, Douglas also loved animals in real life and had many of the same sensibilities as Elly May. As she observed in 2012, "Elly just had a good sense of family, and knew right from wrong she had the same upbringing that I did; back then you had respect for your parents, elders, and community. We had the same values, morals, and love of critters. They are like children; they can sense whether a person is sincere; they are a good judge of character."

"We lived so far out in the country, back of a dirt road," Douglas continued, "...my mom would place me and my brother on a horse and take us to our grandparents that way. Eventually, we moved into town, Baton Rouge, where I graduated high school. I was the only girl in my family, an older brother, and all male cousins. I was getting ready for Jethro [as played by Max Baer, Jr. on Hillbillies] long before we ever met."

"I never had any desire to be an actress," Douglas added, "...just a wife and perhaps a mother; those were my thoughts growing up. I only had a pinch of modeling back home prior to leaving for New York. Once there, I slowly built up my portfolio book with photos, got a job, here, a job there... illustration modeling."

"I knew I didn't want to be a fashion model," she said. "But I could hold up a tube of toothpaste and smile into the camera."

Frankie, Johnny, and Elly May

While making The Beverly Hillbillies, Douglas starred with Elvis Presley in the hit movie musical, Frankie and Johnny, which premiered on March 1, 1966. Though Eileen Wilson's voice was dubbed for Douglas for the musical sequences (and is also heard on the soundtrack album as well).

Following the Hillbillies

After The Beverly Hillbillies ended in 1971, Donna Douglas made a few other TV guest appearances on shows like McMillan & Wife. But she found her greatest success, post-Elly May, as a realtor.

Through the decades, however, Douglas gained third and fourth-generation fans who discovered and rediscovered The Beverly Hillbillies.

"People tell me all the time, they wish television shows were made like that today," she said. "It makes me happy and proud to have been a part of that. Those were good years for me."

Years that were also distinguished by Elly May's famous whistle, which Douglas said, "...was all mine, from childhood."

Conclusion

In the later years of her life, Donna Douglas would charm fans at various Hollywood collector shows across the country. She would autograph photos of her days on The Beverly Hillbillies, whistle, and say things like, "Ya'll come back now! Hear?!" and "This has been a Filmways Presentation!" which were two of the show's closing sign-offs.

Her memory, talent, performances, and down-to-earth mentality will be forever cherished by her countless fans from around the world.