Barbara Pepper

Acting

Born May 31, 1915 — Died July 18, 1969 New York City, New York, USA

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.

Movies(95)

Kiss Me, Stupid

Big Bertha

1964

Who's Minding the Store?

Customer at Bargain Sale (uncredited)

1963

A Child Is Waiting

Miss Brown (uncredited)

1963

It's Only Money

Fisherwoman

1962

The Music Man

Mrs. Hawkes

1962

Sex Kittens Go to College

Circe

1960

The Bramble Bush

Polly Welk

1960

Auntie Mame

Mrs. Krantz (uncredited)

1958

The D.I.

Woman Customer

1957

Dark Meeting

Clara

1956

A Star Is Born

Esther's Neighbor (uncredited)

1954

The Eddie Cantor Story

Beer Garden Patron

1953

Inferno

Waitress (uncredited)

1953

So This Is Love

Fat Girl with Sailor in Nightclub (uncredited)

1953

Ghost Buster

Mrs. Nolan

1952

The Fuller Brush Girl

Wife Watching TV (uncredited)

1950

My Blue Heaven

Susan (uncredited)

1950

No Way Out

Woman (uncredited)

1950

Unmasked

Mrs. Schmidt

1950

The Inspector General

Buxom Villager (uncredited)

1949

The Crooked Way

1949

The Snake Pit

Asylum Patient (uncredited)

1948

Terror Trail

Karen Kemp, the Louisville Lady

1946

The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry

Annie

1945

Murder, He Says

Bonnie Fleagle

1945

The Naughty Nineties

Gilded Cage Hostess (uncredited)

1945

Trouble Chasers

Goldie

1945

Once Upon a Time

Cabbie (uncredited)

1944

Henry Aldrich Plays Cupid

Miss LaRue ("Wild Rose")

1944

Let's Face It

Daisy (uncredited)

1943

So This Is Washington

Betty - Taxi Driver (uncredited)

1943

Girls in Chains

Barbara Pepper

1943

Blonde and Groom

Rex's Fiancée

1943

Aerial Gunner

Blonde at Shooting Gallery (uncredited)

1943

A Maid Made Mad

Blonde

1943

Sappy Pappy

Female Customer

1942

Carry Harry

Edith, Harry's Girl Friend

1942

My Favorite Spy

Speedy

1942

One Thrilling Night

Lettie

1942

Birth of the Blues

Maizie

1941

South of Tahiti

Julie

1941

Manpower

Polly

1941

Three Sons o' Guns

Francie LaRue

1941

Out of the Fog

1941

The Lady Eve

Lady Wrestler Type on Ship (uncredited)

1941

Foreign Correspondent

Dorine

1940

The Return of Frank James

Nellie Blane

1940

Sailor's Lady

Maude

1940

Forgotten Girls

Eve Abbott

1940

Framed

Goldie Green

1940

Castle on the Hudson

Goldie

1940

Of Mice and Men

Second Girl (uncredited)

1939

The Amazing Mr. Williams

Muriel - Wedding Guest (uncredited)

1939

Three Sons

Viola

1939

The Women

Tough Girl (uncredited)

1939

Flight at Midnight

Mildred

1939

Colorado Sunset

Ginger Bixby

1939

Bachelor Mother

Dance-Hall Hostess (uncredited)

1939

They Made Me a Criminal

Budgie Massey

1939

Off the Record

Flossie - Telephone Operator (uncredited)

1939

The Girl Downstairs

Woman at bar (uncredited)

1938

The Strange Case of Dr. Meade

Mattie

1938

Army Girl

Riki

1938

The Chaser

Mabel, Drunken Girl

1938

The Lady in the Morgue

Kay Renshaw

1938

Wide Open Faces

Belle

1938

Hollywood Stadium Mystery

Althea Ames

1938

Portia on Trial

Evelyn

1937

The Westland Case

Agatha Hogan

1937

Many Unhappy Returns

Sophie - Cigar Store Counter Girl

1937

Music for Madame

Blonde on Bus (Uncredited)

1937

Forty Naughty Girls

Alice

1937

The Big Shot

Mamie

1937

You Can't Buy Luck

Store Clerk

1937

The Outcasts of Poker Flat

Blonde Saloon Lady (uncredited)

1937

Too Many Wives

Angela Brown

1937

After the Thin Man

Party Guest (uncredited)

1936

What Becomes of the Children?

Elsie Ford

1936

Wanted: Jane Turner

Marge Sanders

1936

Winterset

Girl

1936

The Big Game

Lois

1936

Mummy's Boys

Mary Browning

1936

M'Liss

Clytie Morpher

1936

The Rogues' Tavern

Marjorie Burns

1936

Show Boat

1936

Taming the Wild

Hazel White

1936

The Singing Vagabond

Honey

1935

Frisco Waterfront

The Blonde Stranger

1935

The Sagebrush Troubadour

Joan Martin

1935

Forced Landing

Nancy 'Dusty' Rhodes

1935

Waterfront Lady

Gloria Vance

1935

Let 'em Have It

Milly Adams

1935

Our Daily Bread

Sally

1934

Strictly Dynamite

Party Girl (uncredited)

1934

Roman Scandals

Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)

1933

Barbara Pepper

TV Shows(26)

Movies(95)