Barbara Pepper
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Barbara Pepper (born Marion B. Pepper; May 31, 1915 – July 18, 1969) was an American stage, television, radio, and film actress. She is best known as the first "Doris Ziffel" on the sitcom Green Acres. Pepper was born in New York City, the daughter of actor David Mitchell "Dave" Pepper, and his wife, Harrietta S. Pepper. At age 16 she started life in show business with Goldwyn Girls, a musical stock company where she met lifelong friend Lucille Ball. Pepper began making movies. Among her later film parts were small roles in My Fair Lady and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. She also performed radio parts. In 1943, she married actor Craig Reynolds (né Harold Hugh Enfield), and the couple later had two sons. After Reynolds died in 1949 in a California motorcycle accident, Pepper was left to raise their children alone. She never remarried. After gaining weight, her roles were mostly confined to small character parts on television, including several appearances on I Love Lucy, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Petticoat Junction, and The Jack Benny Program. She made four appearances on Perry Mason, including the role of Martha Dale, mother of the title character, in the 1957 episode "The Case of the Vagabond Vixen". A long-time friend of Lucille Ball, Barbara was considered for the role of Ethel Mertz on "I Love Lucy," but was passed over due to the fact that she was reportedly a drinker. William Frawley ("Fred Mertz") was, likewise, reportedly, a drinker and was already cast. It was felt that having two drinkers in the cast might eventually cause difficulties so they auditioned and found Vivian Vance to play Ethel instead. She may be best remembered as the first Doris Ziffel on Petticoat Junction in 1964, although her character's name on the "Genghis Keane" episode of Petticoat Junction was Ruth Ziffel. Her role as Doris Ziffel continued on Green Acres from 1965 to 1968, until heart ailments finally forced her to leave that weekly series. Veteran actress Fran Ryan replaced her on Green Acres, which would continue to run for another three years. Her final performance was in the 1969 film Hook, Line & Sinker, in which she played Jerry Lewis's secretary.
Known For
Credits
- 1968 · Mayberry R.F.D. as Emma
- 1965 · Laredo as
- 1965 · Green Acres as Doris Ziffel
- 1964 · Kiss Me, Stupid as Big Bertha
- 1964 · Daniel Boone as Mrs. Shanks
- 1963 · Who's Minding the Store? as Customer at Bargain Sale (uncredited)
- 1963 · Petticoat Junction as Ruth Ziffel
- 1963 · Petticoat Junction as Doris Ziffel
- 1963 · Burke's Law as Cleaning Woman
- 1963 · The Fugitive as Matty
- 1963 · The Greatest Show on Earth as
- 1963 · A Child Is Waiting as Miss Brown (uncredited)
- 1962 · It's Only Money as Fisherwoman
- 1962 · The Music Man as Mrs. Hawkes
- 1961 · Mister Ed as
- 1960 · My Three Sons as
- 1960 · Sex Kittens Go to College as Circe
- 1960 · The Bramble Bush as Polly Welk
- 1958 · Auntie Mame as Mrs. Krantz (uncredited)
- 1958 · The Texan as
- 1957 · The Walter Winchell File as
- 1957 · Perry Mason as Martha Dale
- 1957 · Perry Mason as Mrs. Diamond
- 1957 · Perry Mason as Mrs. Dwyer - Fat Woman
- 1957 · Perry Mason as Mrs. Williamson
- 1957 · M Squad as Landlady
- 1957 · Have Gun, Will Travel as
- 1957 · Richard Diamond, Private Detective as Mrs. Brody
- 1957 · Richard Diamond, Private Detective as Clara Chase
- 1957 · The D.I. as Woman Customer
- 1957 · Tales of Wells Fargo as Boxcar Annie
- 1956 · Dark Meeting as Clara
- 1955 · The Millionaire as Fat Woman
- 1954 · Father Knows Best as Shopper
- 1954 · A Star Is Born as Esther's Neighbor (uncredited)
- 1953 · The Eddie Cantor Story as Beer Garden Patron
- 1953 · Inferno as Waitress (uncredited)
- 1953 · So This Is Love as Fat Girl with Sailor in Nightclub (uncredited)
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Clara
- 1952 · Ghost Buster as Mrs. Nolan
- 1951 · I Love Lucy as Nurse
- 1951 · I Love Lucy as Woman On Bus
- 1951 · I Love Lucy as Neighbor
- 1951 · I Love Lucy as Woman Shopper
- 1951 · I Love Lucy as Showgirl #2
- 1951 · Schlitz Playhouse of Stars as Miss Buell
- 1950 · The Fuller Brush Girl as Wife Watching TV (uncredited)
- 1950 · My Blue Heaven as Susan (uncredited)
- 1950 · No Way Out as Woman (uncredited)
- 1950 · Unmasked as Mrs. Schmidt
- 1949 · The Inspector General as Buxom Villager (uncredited)
- 1949 · The Crooked Way as
- 1948 · Studio One as Ellie
- 1948 · The Snake Pit as Asylum Patient (uncredited)
- 1946 · Terror Trail as Karen Kemp, the Louisville Lady
- 1945 · The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry as Annie
- 1945 · Murder, He Says as Bonnie Fleagle
- 1945 · The Naughty Nineties as Gilded Cage Hostess (uncredited)
- 1945 · Trouble Chasers as Goldie
- 1944 · Once Upon a Time as Cabbie (uncredited)
- 1944 · Henry Aldrich Plays Cupid as Miss LaRue ("Wild Rose")
- 1943 · Let's Face It as Daisy (uncredited)
- 1943 · So This Is Washington as Betty - Taxi Driver (uncredited)
- 1943 · Girls in Chains as Barbara Pepper
- 1943 · Blonde and Groom as Rex's Fiancée
- 1943 · Aerial Gunner as Blonde at Shooting Gallery (uncredited)
- 1943 · A Maid Made Mad as Blonde
- 1942 · Sappy Pappy as Female Customer
- 1942 · Carry Harry as Edith, Harry's Girl Friend
- 1942 · My Favorite Spy as Speedy
- 1942 · One Thrilling Night as Lettie
- 1941 · Birth of the Blues as Maizie
- 1941 · South of Tahiti as Julie
- 1941 · Manpower as Polly
- 1941 · Three Sons o' Guns as Francie LaRue
- 1941 · Out of the Fog as
- 1941 · The Lady Eve as Lady Wrestler Type on Ship (uncredited)
- 1940 · Foreign Correspondent as Dorine
- 1940 · The Return of Frank James as Nellie Blane
- 1940 · Sailor's Lady as Maude
- 1940 · Forgotten Girls as Eve Abbott
- 1940 · Framed as Goldie Green
- 1940 · Castle on the Hudson as Goldie
- 1939 · Of Mice and Men as Second Girl (uncredited)
- 1939 · The Amazing Mr. Williams as Muriel - Wedding Guest (uncredited)
- 1939 · Three Sons as Viola
- 1939 · The Women as Tough Girl (uncredited)
- 1939 · Flight at Midnight as Mildred
- 1939 · Colorado Sunset as Ginger Bixby
- 1939 · Bachelor Mother as Dance-Hall Hostess (uncredited)
- 1939 · They Made Me a Criminal as Budgie Massey
- 1939 · Off the Record as Flossie - Telephone Operator (uncredited)
- 1938 · The Girl Downstairs as Woman at bar (uncredited)
- 1938 · The Strange Case of Dr. Meade as Mattie
- 1938 · Army Girl as Riki
- 1938 · The Chaser as Mabel, Drunken Girl
- 1938 · The Lady in the Morgue as Kay Renshaw
- 1938 · Wide Open Faces as Belle
- 1938 · Hollywood Stadium Mystery as Althea Ames
- 1937 · Portia on Trial as Evelyn
- 1937 · The Westland Case as Agatha Hogan
- 1937 · Many Unhappy Returns as Sophie - Cigar Store Counter Girl
- 1937 · Music for Madame as Blonde on Bus (Uncredited)
- 1937 · Forty Naughty Girls as Alice
- 1937 · The Big Shot as Mamie
- 1937 · You Can't Buy Luck as Store Clerk
- 1937 · The Outcasts of Poker Flat as Blonde Saloon Lady (uncredited)
- 1937 · Too Many Wives as Angela Brown
- 1936 · Wanted: Jane Turner as Marge Sanders
- 1936 · What Becomes of the Children? as Elsie Ford
- 1936 · Winterset as Girl
- 1936 · The Big Game as Lois
- 1936 · Mummy's Boys as Mary Browning
- 1936 · M'Liss as Clytie Morpher
- 1936 · The Rogues' Tavern as Marjorie Burns
- 1936 · Show Boat as
- 1936 · Taming the Wild as Hazel White
- 1935 · The Singing Vagabond as Honey
- 1935 · Frisco Waterfront as The Blonde Stranger
- 1935 · Forced Landing as Nancy 'Dusty' Rhodes
- 1935 · The Sagebrush Troubadour as Joan Martin
- 1935 · Waterfront Lady as Gloria Vance
- 1935 · Let 'em Have It as Milly Adams
- 1934 · Our Daily Bread as Sally
- 1934 · Strictly Dynamite as Party Girl (uncredited)
- 1933 · Roman Scandals as Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)