Name
Barbara Pepper
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1915-05-31
Deathday
1969-07-18 (54 years old)
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
Biography
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.
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- 1941 Manpower as Polly
- 1939 They Made Me a Criminal as Budgie Massey
- 1938 The Strange Case of Dr. Meade as Mattie
- 1962 The Music Man as Mrs. Hawkes
- 1945 The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry as Annie
- 1953 Inferno as Waitress (uncredited)
- 1963 Who's Minding the Store? as Customer at Bargain Sale (uncredited)
- 1936 Show Boat
- 1936 The Rogues' Tavern as Marjorie Burns
- 1964 Kiss Me, Stupid as Big Bertha
- 1943 A Maid Made Mad as Blonde
- 1941 Birth of the Blues as Maizie
- 1963 A Child Is Waiting as Miss Brown (uncredited)
- 1939 Flight at Midnight as Mildred
- 1940 Framed as Goldie Green
- 1934 Our Daily Bread as Sally
- 1945 Murder, He Says as Bonnie Fleagle
- 1943 Girls in Chains as Barbara Pepper
- 1937 Forty Naughty Girls as Alice
- 1935 The Singing Vagabond as Honey
- 1935 Waterfront Lady as Gloria Vance
- 1937 The Outcasts of Poker Flat as Blonde Saloon Lady (uncredited)
- 1938 Hollywood Stadium Mystery as Althea Ames
- 1938 Army Girl as Riki
- 1935 The Sagebrush Troubadour as Joan Martin
- 1936 What Becomes of the Children? as Elsie Ford
- 1938 The Girl Downstairs as Woman at bar (uncredited)
- 1936 Taming the Wild as Hazel White
- 1937 Many Unhappy Returns as Sophie - Cigar Store Counter Girl
- 1949 The Crooked Way
- 1936 The Big Game as Lois
- 1937 Too Many Wives as Angela Brown
- 1942 Sappy Pappy as Female Customer
- 1938 Wide Open Faces as Belle
- 1936 Wanted: Jane Turner as Marge Sanders
- 1935 Let 'em Have It as Milly Adams
- 1938 The Lady in the Morgue as Kay Renshaw
- 1957 The D.I. as Woman Customer
- 1936 M'Liss as Clytie Morpher
- 1942 One Thrilling Night as Lettie
- 1950 The Fuller Brush Girl as Wife Watching TV (uncredited)
- 1937 The Big Shot as Mamie
- 1937 You Can't Buy Luck as Store Clerk
- 1939 The Amazing Mr. Williams as Muriel - Wedding Guest (uncredited)
- 1943 So This Is Washington as Betty - Taxi Driver (uncredited)
- 1943 Aerial Gunner as Blonde at Shooting Gallery (uncredited)
- 1941 South of Tahiti as Julie
- 1936 Mummy's Boys as Mary Browning
- 1944 Henry Aldrich Plays Cupid as Miss LaRue ("Wild Rose")
- 1954 A Star Is Born as Esther's Neighbor (uncredited)
- 1940 Castle on the Hudson as Goldie
- 1941 Three Sons o' Guns as Francie LaRue
- 1939 Bachelor Mother as Dance-Hall Hostess (uncredited)
- 1939 The Women as Tough Girl (uncredited)
- 1939 Of Mice and Men as Second Girl (uncredited)
- 1937 Portia on Trial as Evelyn
- 1956 Dark Meeting as Clara
- 1936 Winterset as Girl
- 1941 The Lady Eve as Lady Wrestler Type on Ship (uncredited)
- 1948 The Snake Pit as Asylum Patient (uncredited)
- 1950 Unmasked as Mrs. Schmidt
- 1940 Foreign Correspondent as Dorine
- 1935 Forced Landing as Nancy 'Dusty' Rhodes
- 1937 The Westland Case as Agatha Hogan
- 1945 Trouble Chasers as Goldie
- 1940 The Return of Frank James as Nellie Blane
- 1960 The Bramble Bush as Polly Welk
- 1958 Auntie Mame as Mrs. Krantz (uncredited)
- 1946 Terror Trail as Karen Kemp, the Louisville Lady
- 1942 Carry Harry as Edith, Harry's Girl Friend
- 1943 Blonde and Groom as Rex's Fiancée
- 1943 Let's Face It as Daisy (uncredited)
- 1939 Three Sons as Viola
- 1933 Roman Scandals as Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
- 1952 Ghost Buster as Mrs. Nolan
- 1937 Music for Madame as Blonde on Bus (Uncredited)
- 1942 My Favorite Spy as Speedy
- 1950 My Blue Heaven as Susan (uncredited)
- 1953 So This Is Love as Fat Girl with Sailor in Nightclub (uncredited)
- 1953 The Eddie Cantor Story as Beer Garden Patron
- 1939 Colorado Sunset as Ginger Bixby
- 1935 Frisco Waterfront as The Blonde Stranger
- 1939 Off the Record as Flossie - Telephone Operator (uncredited)
- 1944 Once Upon a Time as Cabbie (uncredited)
- 1940 Sailor's Lady as Maude
- 1960 Sex Kittens Go to College as Circe
- 1949 The Inspector General as Buxom Villager (uncredited)
- 1938 The Chaser as Mabel, Drunken Girl
- 1950 No Way Out as Woman (uncredited)
- 1945 The Naughty Nineties as Gilded Cage Hostess (uncredited)
- 1940 Forgotten Girls as Eve Abbott
- 1934 Strictly Dynamite as Party Girl (uncredited)
- 1941 Out of the Fog
- 1962 It's Only Money as Fisherwoman
- 1936 After the Thin Man as Party Guest (uncredited)
- 1953 I Love Lucy: The Movie as Party Guest (archive footage)
- 1961 Mister Ed ( 1 episode )
- 1963 Burke's Law ( 1 episode ) as Cleaning Woman
- 1965 Green Acres ( 23 episodes ) as Doris Ziffel
- 1960 My Three Sons ( 1 episode )
- 1951 I Love Lucy ( 1 episode ) as Nurse
- 1963 Petticoat Junction ( 2 episodes ) as Ruth Ziffel
- 1957 Perry Mason ( 1 episode ) as Martha Dale
- 1948 Studio One ( 1 episode ) as Ellie
- 1965 Laredo ( 1 episode )
- 1963 The Greatest Show on Earth ( 1 episode )
- 1957 Have Gun, Will Travel ( 1 episode )
- 1963 The Fugitive ( 1 episode ) as Matty
- 1964 Daniel Boone ( 1 episode ) as Mrs. Shanks
- 1955 The Millionaire ( 1 episode ) as Fat Woman
- 1951 I Love Lucy ( 1 episode ) as Woman On Bus
- 1951 I Love Lucy ( 1 episode ) as Neighbor
- 1951 Schlitz Playhouse of Stars ( 1 episode ) as Miss Buell
- 1957 Richard Diamond, Private Detective ( 1 episode ) as Mrs. Brody
- 1957 M Squad ( 1 episode ) as Landlady
- 1958 The Texan ( 1 episode )
- 1957 The Walter Winchell File ( 1 episode )
- 1957 Richard Diamond, Private Detective ( 1 episode ) as Clara Chase
- 1963 Petticoat Junction ( 1 episode ) as Doris Ziffel
- 1968 Mayberry R.F.D. ( 1 episode ) as Emma
- 1952 Four Star Playhouse ( 1 episode ) as Clara
- 1957 Perry Mason ( 1 episode ) as Mrs. Diamond
- 1957 Perry Mason ( 1 episode ) as Mrs. Dwyer - Fat Woman
- 1957 Perry Mason ( 1 episode ) as Mrs. Williamson
- 1957 Tales of Wells Fargo ( 1 episode ) as Boxcar Annie
- 1954 Father Knows Best ( 1 episode ) as Shopper
- 1951 I Love Lucy ( 2 episodes ) as Woman Shopper
- 1951 I Love Lucy ( 1 episode ) as Showgirl #2
- 1958 Shirley Temple's Storybook ( 1 episode ) as First Choir Lady
- 1959 The Untouchables ( 1 episode ) as Mrs. Littlesmith
- 1959 The Untouchables ( 1 episode ) as Landlady
- 1957 Wagon Train ( 1 episode ) as Mrs. Maybelle Gifford
