Barbara Pepper

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 the actor David Mitchell "Dave", the Pepper, and his wife, Harrietta S. Pepper. At the age of 16 she started life in show business, with the Goldwyn Girls were 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 has 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 has 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, 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, and 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 drink, and it was already cast. It was felt that having the two drinkers in the cast might eventually lead to 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 and, although her character's name on the Genghis Keane" episode of Petticoat Junction, it was Mrs Ziffel. For Her role as Doris Ziffel continued on to Green Acres from 1965 to 1968, until the heart's ailments finally forced her to leave and that this weekly series. The 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.