Buddy Ebsen

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Buddy Ebsen as a troop entertainer in World War II

Buddy Ebsen , born Christian Rudolph Ebsen Jr. (born April 2, 1908 in Belleville , Illinois , † July 6, 2003 in Torrace , California ) was an American actor , dancer and entertainer. Ebsen was best known for his role as Jed Clampett in the popular television series The Beverly Hillbillies and for that of the private detective Barnaby Jones .

resume

The son of German father Christian Rudolf Ebsen, Sr., who was born near the Danish border, and his Latvian mother Frances learned to dance at his father's school after moving to Orlando , Florida and graduated from high school in 1926. From 1926 to 1927 he studied at the University of Florida and then until 1928 at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. Family financial problems then forced him to leave university at the age of 20. Ebsen moved to New York with only $ 26.75 in his pocket and tried his luck as a dancer there. With his sister Vilma both appeared in vaudevilles under the stage name The Baby Astaires and also had small roles as chorus singers on Broadway , for example in the musical Flying Colors or in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1934 . With the help of agent Walter Winchell , they made the leap to the renowned Palace Theater, the center of vaudeville.

In 1936, the Ebsen family were invited to a film test at MGM and received a two-year contract. They moved to Hollywood and had their first film appearance in the musical Broadway Melody of 1936 (orig. Broadway Melody of 1936 ), which should remain Vilma Ebsen's only film. She withdrew from show business, but her brother Buddy received other roles, such as Born in 1936 in Zum Tanzen and Shirley Ahoi! (in which he danced with Shirley Temple ) or in 1938 in Broadway Melody of 1938 with Judy Garland . His extravagant dance style earned him a commission from Walt Disney , which let him use as a drawing aid for the Mickey Mouse animations in the Silly Symphonies short films. In 1939 Ebsen was hired for the film musical The Wizard of Oz , in which he was supposed to play the tin man. He played all the vocal numbers, went through all the rehearsals and had already started filming when the aluminum dust from the makeup caused him health problems. He was therefore forced to hand over the role to Jack Haley . However, some of his vocal recordings have been retained in the film's soundtrack. Until the end of his life, Ebsen repeatedly had lung problems, which he attributed to this role.

The Disneyland television series Davy Crockett (1954–1955), in which he played the role of George Russel alongside Fess Parker , made him popular on television . For this, the movie releases internationally used were Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier ( Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier , 1954) and Davy Crockett and the River Pirates ( Davy Crockett and the River Pirates , 1956). He was also seen in 1960 as the much older husband of Audrey Hepburn in the comedy Breakfast at Tiffany's (1960).

Ebsen became really famous with the comedy series The Beverly Hillbillies , which ran from 1962 to 1971 on CBS and became one of the most technically successful television series of the 1960s in the USA. In this Ebsen played the main role of the backwoods family patriarch Jed Clampett , who made a fortune from an oil well and moved with his family to snobbish Beverly Hills. However, the series received only moderate ratings from the critics. From 1973 to 1980 Ebsen continued his career as television detective Barnaby Jones at CBS and was also active as a speaker in the documentary series Disney Family Album . In the 1980s, he appeared on the series Matt Houston as the uncle of the title character. Up until old age he appeared again and again in guest roles in various series and played his role as Barnaby Jones again in 1993 in the movie The Beverly Hillbillies Are Going! . Ebsen was also active as a writer with a few novels and an autobiography , and he can also be heard on some sound carriers as a singer and speaker.

At 1775 Vine Street, Buddy Ebsen received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . The Walt Disney Company named him in 1993 the " Disney Legend " ("Disney Legend").

Filmography (selection)

Works

Sound carrier

  • Buddy Ebsen Says Howdy, CD
  • The Beverly Hillbillies, soundtrack CD
  • Broadway Melody Of 1936, CD (Cast Recording)
  • Classic Disney Volume IV- 60 Years of Magical Music, CD
  • The Wizard of Oz, soundtrack CD

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Stephen Cox: The Beverly Hillbillies: A Fortieth Anniversary Wing Ding . Cumberland House Publishing, 2003, ISBN 1-58182-302-9 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Ebsen, buddy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ebsen, Christian Rudolph Jr. (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH April 2, 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH Belleville , Illinois
DATE OF DEATH July 6, 2003
Place of death Torrace , California