Elinor Donahue Movies
Elinor Donahue's mother, a theatrical costumer, moonlighted as a department store saleswoman in order to pay for her daughter's dancing lessons. Appearing in dancing-chorus film roles from the age of five, Donahue was at one point a ballet-school classmate of future Fred Astaire partner Barrie Chase. Striking out on her own at 12, Donahue attained work as a Las Vegas showgirl at 14; the fact that she was underage was discreetly covered by her agent and her co-workers, who took a paternal interest in the impressionable young dancer's career. Breaking her ankle at 16, Donahue decided to forego dancing in favor of acting; she was almost immediately cast in the role of sensitive teenager Betty Anderson in the long-running (1954-60) sitcom Father Knows Best. It was the first of many TV stints for Donahue; over the next three decades she would appear as a regular on such series as The Andy Griffith Show, Many Happy Returns, The Odd Couple, Mulligan's Stew, Please Stand By and Doctor's Private Lives. She became a special favorite of writer/director Savage Steve Holland, who cast Donahue as the ditsy mother of a teen-aged secret agent on the 1987 Fox network series The New Adventures of Beans Baxter, and as the voice of a suburban mom who spends her waking hours trying to learn an indecipherable foreign language on Holland's cartoon series Eek! The Cat. This fey, eccentric quality was carried over into Donahue's performance as the eternally bathrobe-clad wife of Bob Elliot and mother of 30-year-old paperboy Chris Elliot on the 1990 Fox sitcom Get a Life. Donahue's film appearances have been less frequent; when she showed up in a cameo as a department store clerk in Gary Marshall's Pretty Women (1987), there was an audible appreciative sigh of recognition from movie audiences everywhere. Elinor Donahue was the wife of Columbia TV executive Harry Ackerman from 1961 to Ackerman's death in 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1969
This by-the-numbers TV movie features an all-star cast in a comedy of marital mix-ups and misunderstandings. Consultants Michael Callan and Ann Prentiss arrange the marriages of several couples, only to discover that all the unions are illegal. Among those affected are a cop (Christopher Connelly) and his hippie spouse (Heather Young); A bachelor at heart (Bill Daily) who thinks he'd be happier without his wife (Elinor Donahue); and a dull missus (Ruth Buzzi) and her "swinger" hubby (Herb Edelman). Whether or not the now-unmarried couples will want to tie the knot legally forms the basis of the comedy. In Name Only has innocently caused resentment among film buffs who've tuned in expecting to see the 1939 film In Name Only, a quite different dramatic opus starring Cary Grant and Carole Lombard. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
The delightful Elinor Donahue, who by a strange coincidence was the wife of Flying Nun executive producer Harry Ackerman, makes her first series appearance in the role of Jennifer Ethrington, the obstetrician sister of our heroine Sr. Bertrille. Upon being introduced to Jennifer, casino owner Carlos instantly falls in love with her. The plot thickens when Sr. Bertrille, Jennifer and Carlos all end up deep in the jungle on an emergency medical mission. Written by Bernard Slade, "My Sister, the Sister" was originally broadcast on January 25, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
Elinor Donahue returns in the role of Dr. Jennifer Ethrington, the sister of Sr. Bertrille. Having amicably ended her romance with Carlos Ramirez, Jennifer is now engaged to Paul (Richard Anders). This proves problematic when Sr. Bertrille persuades Jennifer to pose as Mrs. Ramirez in order to make Carlos' grandmother (Lillian Adams) happy-and even more so when Carlos must scare up a couple of "great-grandchildren." Written by Ed Jurist and Michael Morris, "How to Be a Spanish Grandmother" first aired on December 26, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
The crew of the Enterprise encounter an unexpected figure from their own history in this installment of the enduringly popular science-fiction television series. The meeting takes place when a shuttle transporting Federation official Nancy Hedford, along with Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy, is captured by an unknown force. This force leads them to a planet which seems to have only two inhabitants. The first is Zefram Cochrane, the legendary inventor of the warp drive, who had long been presumed dead of old age. The second is the Companion, an alien creature that has cared for Cochrane, keeping him from aging. Indeed, it was out of concern for Cochrane's growing loneliness that the being abducted the shuttle, in order to provide him with human companionship. Kirk and the others soon realize that the alien intends to trap them on the planet for eternity, and they desperately try to find a way to escape. The character of Zefram Cochrane later served a crucial role in the feature film Star Trek: First Contact. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Paladin (Richard Boone) is hired to escort a notorious wife murderer named Fairchild (Whit Bissell) to trial. But during a stopover in Osage Springs, Sheriff Stinchcomb (Paul Fix) demands at gunpoint that Paladin hand Fairchild over to him. It seems that every time the chief of a neighborhood Indian tribe dies, custom dictates that a white scalp be used in the burial ceremony--and Fairchild's scalp just about fills the bill. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
A man named Ernest Maxwell (Hugh Marlowe) arrives in Mayberry, claiming to be a talent scout for a major record company. Armed with a tape recorder, Maxwell begins auditioning local talent, and soon everyone in town is currying the man's favor-everyone, that is, except Sheriff Andy Taylor. Suspecting that Maxwell is nothing more than a con artist, especially after the locals begin investing money in Maxwell's company. But someone is in for a big surprise-and that someone is Guess Who. Written by Benedict Freeman and John Fenton Murray, "Mayberry on Record" originally aired on February 13, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
It is time for the annual Mayberry Founders Day celebration, and the committee has decided to hold a beauty contest. Sheriff Andy is all for the idea-until he is appointed to judge the contest. Making matters worse, Andy's girlfriend Ellie is one of the contestants. How is the Sheriff going to get out of this predicament without hurting everyone's feelings-and messing up his own love life? The solution provided by scriptwriters Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart is in keeping with the warmth, humanity and insight that always set The Andy Griffith Show apart from its sitcom competitors. "The Beauty Contest" was originally telecast on January 23, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Hoping to rid Mayberry of that old eyesore cannon in the town square, Sheriff Andy fabricates a tall tale about the cannon's "celebrated" history to a potential buyer. The scheme backfires when Andy's son Opie begins to imitate his father's propensity for stretching the truth. Casey Adams, later billed as Max Showalter, plays the out-of-town buyer. Written by Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart, "The Horse Trader" originally aired on January 9, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
George Nader guest-stars as George Benson, Mayberry's new doctor. All the ladies in town are impressed by Dr. Benson handsomeness and charming demeanor, including-it seems-Sheriff Andy's sweetheart Ellie Walker. Thanks to the insinuations of well-meaning deputy Barney, Andy becomes convinced that Benson is stealing Ellie away from him. Without giving the game away, it should be noted that this was the episode in which the more perceptive viewers realized that series regular Elinor Donahue would not be returning next season. First shown on March 20, 1961, "The New Doctor" was written by Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Once again, Barney solicits Andy's aid in an affair of the heart. This time around, Barney and his sweetie Thelma Lou have quarreled (he claims that she doesn't take their relationship seriously), and Andy is expected to bring them back together again. The scheme involves Andy pretending to be a rival for Thelma Lou's affections-a scheme that backfires spectacularly. First shown on March 6, 1961, "Cyrano Andy" was written by Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Jim Lindsey (James Best), the wandering troubadour introduced in the 1960 episode "The Guitar Player," pays a return visit to Mayberry. The townsfolk are impressed by Jim's stories of his newfound fame and fortune-stories that seem to be backed up by the guitarist's fancy new Mercedes Benz. Ultimately, however, Sheriff Andy discovers that Jim isn't the huge success he claims to be. Also repeating his role from "The Guitar Player" is Henry Slate as bandleader Bobby Fleet. Written by Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart, "The Guitar Player Returns" was first shown on May 15, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
The people of Mayberry tend to be a bit resistant when an "outsider" sets up shop in town. Thus, several locals look askance when Ellie May Walker (Elinor Donahue), niece of the local druggist, takes charge of Walker's Drug Store. Almost immediately, Ellie's "modern" notions rub the traditionalist townsfolk the wrong way; for example, she refuses to sell sugar pills to the town's resident hypochondriac. Attempting to straighten things out, Sheriff Andy realizes that his interest in Ellie is more than professional. Written by Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart, "Ellie Comes to Town" first aired on October 24, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
This classic episode of The Andy Griffith Show begins when Sheriff Andy compassionately decides not to lock up moonshiner Sam Muggins during Christmas week, so that Sam can spend the holidays with his family. But old Ben Weaver (Will Wright), who can out-Scrooge Scrooge and out-Grinch the Grinch any day, demands that Andy follow the letter of the law and throw Sam in the clink, Christmas or no Christmas. Andy does so-but in his own inimitable fashion, enabling the Muggins clan to remain together all the same. Written by David Adler, "The Christmas Story" originally aired on December 19, 1960, then was rebroadcast during Christmas week of 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Sheriff Andy's male chauvinism boils over when his girlfriend Ellie Walker decides to run for town council-the first woman ever to do so. As the campaigning proceeds, Andy and Barney do everything they can to throw roadblocks in Ellie's political career. The Sheriff realizes the error of his ways when his own son Opie begins spouting anti-female propaganda. First shown on December 12, 1960, "Ellie for Council" was written by Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Sheriff Andy mistakenly believes he can second-guess the opposite sex in general and Ellie Walker in particular. Convinced that Ellie is trying to snare him into marriage, Andy escorts her to the church picnic and encourages three local bachelors to woo her away. When Ellie finds out what's up, she and Andy's son Opie conspire to teach the misguided Sheriff a good lesson. First broadcast on October 31, 1960, "Irresistible Andy" was written by David Adler. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
This special episode of Father Knows Best was done one behalf of the United States Treasury Department in 1959, and was never aired on television -- it was, however, widely shown on 16mm prints at schools and churches, and to civic groups, to help sell U.S. Savings Bonds. Jim Anderson (Robert Young) is chosen to run a campaign to sell Savings Bonds through the Payroll Savings Plan and the Bond-a-Month Plan, and discovers that his three children are reluctant to participate. When he realizes the depth of their apathy, he decides to prove to them the importance of Savings Bonds and what they provide, in securing peace and freedom, by making them a bet -- that for 24 hours, they will not live in America, but in "Tyrantland," where a dictator in their home will control every aspect of their lives. He and Margaret (Jane Wyatt) play their roles to the hilt, eliminating all freedom of expression and choice for them for the next night and day. Betty (linor Donahue), Bud (Billy Gray), and Kathy (Lauren Chapin) are given numbers instead of names, and put on a rigid regimen of chores and errands. In the end, the three children recognize what they risk losing and relent. Like other, similar shows done for the Treasury Department (such as "Stamp Day For Superman"), "24 Hours In Tyrantland" was never part of the official list of episodes of its parent series, and only saw official commercial release in 2008, as part of the DVD set Father Knows Best: Season One. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- 1959
This sexually explicit, low-budget film makes no pretensions about being anything other than offensive. There is no plot since none is especially necessary. Director Charles Haas (his last film was the following year), opens with a scene of sexually active men and women at a party. Then one of these women, Silver Morgan (Mamie Van Doren), is mistakenly accused of a crime and sent to an institution, run by Catholic nuns, for wayward young women. As it turns out, the inmates in the institution actually run it through sadistic means. One of them is even more seriously mentally disturbed than the others, and so the nuns welcome her as a novitiate, making even a non-Catholic viewer grimace. The content of this story, such as it is, is made all the worse by an accompanying disregard of the craft of filmmaking. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mamie van Doren, Mel Tormé, (more)
- 1952
Though completed in 1950, Love Is Better Than Ever was held back from release until 1952, due in great part to the "political undesirability" of star Larry Parks, whose career was effectively ruined after he humbled himself before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Parks plays Broadway talent agent Jud Parker, who takes a fancy to small-town dance teacher Anastacia Macaboy (Elizabeth Taylor). Parker wines and dines Anastacia during her visit to New York for the purposes of seduction. But the girl assumes that his intentions are honorable, and sends word of her "impending" engagement to her hometown newspaper. With his reputation on the line, Parker agrees to confirm the engagement if asked, with the understanding that he doesn't really mean it. Rest assured that by fade-out time, he will mean it. Gene Kelly makes an unbilled cameo appearance in Love Is Better Than Ever, which also features such reliables as Ann Doran, Kathleen Freeman, and Dick Wessel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Parks, Elizabeth Taylor, (more)
