Wissenswertes

After Bea Benaderet proved unavailable, Barbara was seriously considered for the part of "Ethel Mertz" on her friend Lucille Ball's classic sitcom I Love Lucy (1951), two years after Barbara's husband was killed. However, by this time the depressed Barbara had developed a chronic alcohol problem. With William Frawley--whose fondness for the bottle was legendary--already cast as "Fred Mertz", executive producer Desi Arnaz felt he couldn't take the chance of having two problem drinkers in pivotal roles on the same show. Vivian Vance, of course, eventually got the part.

On July 30, 1936, a man named Fred Radke of Tacoma, WA, was walking on the sidewalk in front of her home in Hollywood when he was suddenly stricken with a heart attack and collapsed. Seeing this, Pepper called a physician and then ran outside to administer first aid to him until the physician got there. The doctor said that Radke was close to death and had Pepper not been there to help him, he certainly would have died.

She and Lucille Ball met early in their careers when they were both in The Goldwyn Girls, and they remained lifelong friends.

Probably best known for playing Doris Ziffel, the wife of the Douglas' neighboring farmer Fred Ziffel, in Green Acres (1965).

Pepper's last appearance as Doris Ziffel on Green Acres was in the 1968 episode "The Spring Festival". She was forced to leave the show due to heart disease and passed away in July 1969. Fran Ryan replaced Pepper in the role.