'Beverly Hillbillies" Actor Buddy Ebsen Was "Bitter" about not playing the Tin Man in 'Wizard of Oz'

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Introduction

Actor Buddy Ebsen, who died at age 95 in 2003, found fame by starring in two of the most popular classic television shows in history: The Beverly Hillbillies (CBS, 1962 to 1971) and Barnaby Jones (CBS, 1973 to 1980). On the Hillbillies, he played former Tennessee country mountain-folk-turned-wealthy Beverly Hills resident Jed Clampett. On Barnaby Jones, he was one of TV's most senior, slyest, health-conscious detectives. Ebsen, however, almost became even more famous for a certain big-screen classic film in which he ultimately did not appear.

A Closer Look

Buddy Ebsen was the original choice for the role of the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz (1939). Unfortunately, the actor had a severe allergic reaction and, after only ten days of filming was hospitalized as a result of inhaling aluminum powder used as part of his makeup. Instead, actor Jack Haley took over the role (with reformulated makeup utilizing a pre-mix of aluminum dust).

"He was so versatile," said long-time entertainment reporter Tom Hatten of CBS radio station KNX Los Angeles. "His work on-screen will always be enjoyed for different reasons. He could do anything, he really could."

"I think Buddy Ebsen was bitter all his life that he didn't get to be in this great motion picture classic," Washington Post television critic Tom Shales told CBS Radio News.

Despite that heartache, and the mixed reviews The Beverly Hillbillies later received, that show's success helped soften any blows. Ebsen made his initial major mark in entertainment history as Jed Clampett; a role he won after the show's creator had seen the actor appear in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

"As I recall, the only good notice was in the Saturday Review," Ebsen once said. "The critic said the show possessed 'social comment combined with a high Nielsen, an almost impossible achievement in these days.' I kinda liked that."

In 1972, approximately one year after The Beverly Hillbillies was canceled (due to the great "country purge" by CBS), the network cast Ebsen in the lead in a new detective series. That show was titled Barnaby Jones, which was a spin-off from the William Conrad detective show, Cannon. Like that crime drama, Barnaby Jones was a Quinn Martin production (as were several other hit TV detective/police shows of the era, including The Streets of San Franciso).

Beyond Beverly, Barnaby and the Tin Man

Buddy Ebsen and his equally talented sister Vilma danced through Broadway shows and MGM musicals of the 1930s. When she retired, Ebsen continued on his own, dancing with child superstar Shirley Temple and transforming into a dramatic actor.

Off-screen, Ebsen was an outspoken Republican; he helped defeat Nancy Kulp, his co-star in The Beverly Hillbillies in her 1984 Democratic congressional bid in Pennsylvania. Ebsen made radio ads for her opponent accusing Kulp of being "too liberal" and not good for the district. The two did not speak for years after the incident, but eventually settled their differences.

Conclusion

In portraying two very different but popular television characters, Buddy Ebsen showcased his versatility. As was the case with Larry Hagman as the affable Major Tony Nelson on TV's I Dream of Jeannie, and later as the diabolical J.R. Ewing on Dallas, Ebsen proved just how prolific an actor he was by playing Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies and the very different lead role on Barnaby Jones.

Whatever rusty tears Ebsen may have shed over losing the role of the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz were soon dried by his iconic TV personas.