Barbara Pepper

Birthday: 1915-05-31
Deathday: 1969-07-18
Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA
Gender: Female
Owned By: Unowned

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.

Credits

Year Title Character
1964-12-22 Kiss Me, Stupid Big Bertha
1963-11-28 Who's Minding the Store? Customer at Bargain Sale (uncredited)
1963-02-13 A Child Is Waiting Miss Brown (uncredited)
1962-11-20 It's Only Money Fisherwoman
1962-06-19 The Music Man Mrs. Hawkes
1960-08-24 Sex Kittens Go to College Circe
1960-02-24 The Bramble Bush Polly Welk
1958-12-04 Auntie Mame Mrs. Krantz (uncredited)
1957-05-30 The D.I. Woman Customer
1956-01-05 Dark Meeting Clara
1954-10-01 A Star Is Born Esther's Neighbor (uncredited)
1953-12-25 The Eddie Cantor Story Beer Garden Patron
1953-08-12 Inferno Waitress (uncredited)
1953-07-15 So This Is Love Fat Girl with Sailor in Nightclub (uncredited)
1952-03-07 Ghost Buster Mrs. Nolan
1950-09-15 The Fuller Brush Girl Wife Watching TV (uncredited)
1950-09-15 My Blue Heaven Susan (uncredited)
1950-08-16 No Way Out Woman (uncredited)
1950-01-30 Unmasked Mrs. Schmidt
1949-12-31 The Inspector General Buxom Villager (uncredited)
1949-04-22 The Crooked Way
1948-11-04 The Snake Pit Asylum Patient (uncredited)
1946-11-21 Terror Trail Karen Kemp, the Louisville Lady
1945-08-17 The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry Annie
1945-06-23 Murder, He Says Bonnie Fleagle
1945-06-20 The Naughty Nineties Gilded Cage Hostess (uncredited)
1945-05-02 Trouble Chasers Goldie
1944-06-29 Once Upon a Time Cabbie (uncredited)
1944-04-01 Henry Aldrich Plays Cupid Miss LaRue ("Wild Rose")
1943-08-04 Let's Face It Daisy (uncredited)
1943-08-01 So This Is Washington Betty - Taxi Driver (uncredited)
1943-05-17 Girls in Chains Barbara Pepper
1943-04-16 Blonde and Groom Rex's Fiancée
1943-03-20 Aerial Gunner Blonde at Shooting Gallery (uncredited)
1943-03-19 A Maid Made Mad Blonde
1942-10-30 Sappy Pappy Female Customer
1942-09-03 Carry Harry Edith, Harry's Girl Friend
1942-06-12 My Favorite Spy Speedy
1942-06-05 One Thrilling Night Lettie
1941-11-07 Birth of the Blues Maizie
1941-10-17 South of Tahiti Julie
1941-08-09 Manpower Polly
1941-08-02 Three Sons o' Guns Francie LaRue
1941-06-14 Out of the Fog
1941-02-25 The Lady Eve Lady Wrestler Type on Ship (uncredited)
1940-08-16 Foreign Correspondent Dorine
1940-08-10 The Return of Frank James Nellie Blane
1940-07-05 Sailor's Lady Maude
1940-03-15 Forgotten Girls Eve Abbott
1940-02-23 Framed Goldie Green
1940-02-17 Castle on the Hudson Goldie
1939-12-24 Of Mice and Men Second Girl (uncredited)
1939-11-22 The Amazing Mr. Williams Muriel - Wedding Guest (uncredited)
1939-10-13 Three Sons Viola
1939-09-01 The Women Tough Girl (uncredited)
1939-08-28 Flight at Midnight Mildred
1939-07-30 Colorado Sunset Ginger Bixby
1939-06-30 Bachelor Mother Dance-Hall Hostess (uncredited)
1939-01-21 They Made Me a Criminal Budgie Massey
1939-01-21 Off the Record Flossie - Telephone Operator (uncredited)
1938-12-23 The Girl Downstairs Woman at bar (uncredited)
1938-12-15 The Strange Case of Dr. Meade Mattie
1938-08-11 Army Girl Riki
1938-07-29 The Chaser Mabel, Drunken Girl
1938-04-22 The Lady in the Morgue Kay Renshaw
1938-04-18 Wide Open Faces Belle
1938-02-21 Hollywood Stadium Mystery Althea Ames
1937-11-08 Portia on Trial Evelyn
1937-10-30 The Westland Case Agatha Hogan
1937-10-14 Many Unhappy Returns Sophie - Cigar Store Counter Girl
1937-10-08 Music for Madame Blonde on Bus (Uncredited)
1937-09-24 Forty Naughty Girls Alice
1937-07-23 The Big Shot Mamie
1937-04-30 You Can't Buy Luck Store Clerk
1937-04-16 The Outcasts of Poker Flat Blonde Saloon Lady (uncredited)
1937-04-09 Too Many Wives Angela Brown
1936-12-04 What Becomes of the Children? Elsie Ford
1936-12-04 Wanted: Jane Turner Marge Sanders
1936-12-03 Winterset Girl
1936-10-09 The Big Game Lois
1936-10-02 Mummy's Boys Mary Browning
1936-07-27 M'Liss Clytie Morpher
1936-06-04 The Rogues' Tavern Marjorie Burns
1936-05-17 Show Boat
1936-02-14 Taming the Wild Hazel White
1935-12-16 The Singing Vagabond Honey
1935-12-03 Frisco Waterfront The Blonde Stranger
1935-12-02 The Sagebrush Troubadour Joan Martin
1935-12-02 Forced Landing Nancy 'Dusty' Rhodes
1935-10-04 Waterfront Lady Gloria Vance
1935-05-15 Let 'em Have It Milly Adams
1934-10-02 Our Daily Bread Sally
1934-05-11 Strictly Dynamite Party Girl (uncredited)
1933-11-27 Roman Scandals Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)