Trivia: A dancer from childhood, Buddy Ebsen headlined in vaudeville in an act with his sister Velma. In 1935, Ebsen was signed by MGM as a specialty performer in The Broadway Melody of 1936, wherein he was shown to good advantage in several solos. He worked in a number of subsequent musicals, including Shirley Temple's Captain January (1936), teaming with Shirley for the delightful number "At the Codfish Ball." MGM assigned Ebsen to the role of the Scarecrow in 1939's The Wizard of Oz, but Ray Bolger, who'd been cast as the Tin Man, talked Ebsen into switching roles. The move proved to be Ebsen's undoing; he found that he was allergic to the silver makeup required for the Tin Man, fell ill, and was forced to bow out of the film, to be replaced by Jack Haley (however, Ebsen's voice can still be heard in the reprises of "We're Off to See the Wizard").Ebsen then returned to the stage, taking time out to provide the dancing model for a electronically operated wooden marionette which later was used at Disneyland. In 1950 Ebsen returned to films as comical sidekick to Rex Allen, gradually working his way into good character parts in "A" pictures like Night People (1955). Walt Disney, who'd remembered Ebsen from the dancing marionette, offered the actor the lead in his 1954 three-part TV production of Davy Crockett, but at the last moment engaged Fess Parker as Davy and recast Buddy as Crockett's pal George Russel. Ebsen continued to pop up in films like 1961's Breakfast at Tiffany's (as Audrey Hepburn's abandoned hometown husband), and in TV westerns, where he often cast his image to the winds by playing cold-blooded murderers. Comfortably wealthy in 1962 thanks to his film work and wise business investments, Ebsen added to his riches by signing on to play Jed Clampett in the TV sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies, which ran for nine years to excellent ratings. A millionaire several times over, Ebsen planned to ease off after Hillbillies, but in 1972 he was back in TV in the title role of Barnaby Jones. Few observers gave this easygoing detective series much of a chance, but they weren't counting on Ebsen's built-in popularity; Barnaby Jones lasted until 1980. The actor now confined himself to special events appearances and occasional guest-star roles, though he did play the recurring part of Lee Horsley's uncle in the final season of the TV mystery show Matt Houston (1983-85). One of Buddy Ebsen's final roles was in the 1993 theatrical film version of The Beverly Hillbillies -- not as Jed Clampett but in a cameo as Barnaby Jones!

Trivia: For as long as she could remember, Irene Ryan was performing on some stage or other. From the 1920s onward, she and her husband Timothy Ryan formed the popular vaudeville duo Tim and Irene. They carried over their song, dance and snappy patter into a brief series of two-reel comedies and several radio programs. During her first burst of filmmaking activity in the 1940s, Ryan played comedy relief parts in a number of B pictures scripted by her husband. Her standard characterization at this time was the traditional wisecracking, man-hungry spinster. During and after her divorce, Ryan continued accepting roles of varying sizes in such pictures as Woman on the Beach (1948), My Dear Secretary (1948), Mighty Joe Young (1949), Bonzo Goes to College (1952) and Blackbeard the Pirate (1952). By the early 1960s, Ryan was (as she would later cheerfully admit) pretty much washed up in show business. All this changed when she was invited to audition for an upcoming sitcom about a family of mountaineers who suddenly come into a fortune. Ryan read one single line and was hired on the spot: she played Granny on The Beverly Hillbillies from 1962 through 1971, never missing an opportunity to express gratitude for her involvement in so popular a project. No sooner had Hillbillies folded than Irene Ryan was cast in a show-stopping role in the 1971 Broadway musical Pippin, scoring yet another personal success--which, sadly, turned out to be her last.

Trivia: Though she appeared in feature films before and after the much-loved '60s sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies, American actress Donna Douglas will always be remembered as the buxom, blue-eyed tomboy Elly May Clampett. She was born Doris Smith in Pride, LA, and grew up to be very much like Elly May in that she always had a special affinity for animals and nature. As a teen, Douglas was a cheerleader and won some beauty contests, notably the title of Miss New Orleans 1957. From there Douglas appeared as the Letters Girl on The Perry Como Show and later appeared on The Steve Allen Show as a Billboard Girl. She made her feature-film debut in Career Girl (1959) and followed it up with a co-starring role in the Rock Hudson/Doris Day screwball comedy Lover Come Back (1960). She was cast as Elly May in 1962 and remained with the series through its demise in 1971. Later, she returned for a Beverly Hillbillies made-for-TV reunion movie in 1981. In 1965, Douglas starred opposite Elvis Presley in Fred de Cordova's Frankie and Johnnie. It would be her last film that had nothing to do with Hillbillies. Whereas some actors deeply resent being so closely associated with a single role, Donna Douglas embraced Elly Mae and continued to make public appearances in costume. A devout Christian, Douglas was also a noted gospel singer. Douglas died in 2015, at age 81.

Trivia: Actor, singer, dancer Sammy Davis, Jr., the son of vaudeville entertainer Sammy Davis, began performing professionally at the age of three, appearing in his uncle Will Mastin's family act of seven men and seven women; during the early Depression the act was reduced in size to Davis, Jr., his father, and his uncle, and was called the Will Mastin trio. Soon he developed into a very versatile entertainer, skilled at singing, dancing, telling jokes, doing mimicry, and playing several instruments. He debuted onscreen at age seven in the short Rufus Jones for President (1933), in which he acted and danced. He toured the country with the Trio until the '40s, when he spent two years in the army. Upon his return, the act was renamed "The Will Mastin Trio, Starring Sammy Davis, Jr.," and the group began playing big variety theaters and top nightclubs. In the '50s he performed solo, soon becoming a popular TV entertainer as well; some critics considered him the world's greatest living entertainer. In 1954 he lost his left eye in a serious car accident and suffered other injuries that jeopardized his career. However, he quickly bounced back, and in the mid-'50s he began getting work in films, playing his first dramatic lead role in Anna Lucasta (1958). Also, in 1956 he debuted on Broadway as the star of Mr. Wonderful; later he starred in the Broadway show Golden Boy. As a screen actor he became best known for his work with the "Rat Pack," comprised of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop, who socialized and worked together; although the inclusion of a black man in the group was at the time considered egalitarian, his roles tended to be tokenistic and occasionally involved benign racist jokes at his expense. He somewhat alienated himself from black audiences, who occasionally booed him as a sell-out; and in a controversial move he converted to Judaism. He was also a popular recording star with several hits including "Mr. Bojangles" and "The Candy Man." He was frequently a guest star on TV specials and episodes of TV series, and twice hosted his own variety-talk shows, The Sammy Davis Jr. Show (NBC, 1966) and Sammy and Company (syndicated, 1975-77). He authored the autobiography Yes I Can (1965). He married and divorced Swedish actress Mai Britt.

Trivia: American character actor Norman Grabowski played bit parts in a number of films during the 1960s. He is also known for designing and creating custom cars.

Trivia: American actor Lennie Bremen began his career acting in theater groups such as the Works Progress Administration; he also appeared on Broadway before signing with Warner Bros in 1942. He debuted in Pride of the Marines (1945), and went on to play character roles through the late 1960s.

Trivia: A veteran of Dublin's Abbey Theatre, Irish leading man Sean T. McClory resettled in America in 1949. McClory was signed by 20th Century-Fox, where he spent a couple of years in unstressed featured roles. He has been seen in several films directed by fellow Irishman John Ford, including The Quiet Man (1952), The Long Gray Line (1955) and Cheyenne Autumn (1964). McClory's talents have been displayed to best advantage on TV, where he usually projects a robust, roistering Behanesque image. In addition to his many TV guest spots, Sean McClory has played the regular roles of vigilante Jack McGivern on The Californians (1957-58), private investigator Pat McShane in Kate McShane (1975), and hotelier Miles Delaney in Bring 'Em Back Alive (1982).