Biografia

During the filming of A Família Buscapé (1962) she and Irene Ryan would annually put on a huge Christmas party for the show's staff and families.

Was a self-described tomboy in her younger days, and like her character Elly May Clampett, she was extremely fond of animals.

Was Miss Baton Rouge, and then in 1957, Miss New Orleans.

Spent hours autographing photos and personally responding to fan mail - even though she received far more than anyone else in the cast of A Família Buscapé (1962).

Had a second career as a gospel singer, as well as a popular real estate agent in Beverly Hills, California.

I really love pets. They're like children. They know if you really love them or not. You can't fool them.

[on the early careers of Buddy Ebsen, Max Baer Jr., Irene Ryan and herself, before co-starring on A Família Buscapé (1962)] It was the American Dream. But I think it had a lot of good things in it, too. We were all so grateful to be working, Buddy Ebsen--he had started out in vaudeville, and he had done many things, but his career wasn't on an upswing or anything. Granny, [Irene Ryan] she wasn't really doing anything. Max Baer and I, we were babies just starting out, so everybody was so grateful to be working.

[on offering another role] I was offered to do a nighttime soap after A Família Buscapé (1962). There was so much I didn't want to do because of family values. It was a big hit in a couple weeks, but it didn't matter to me, because I wanted to do a certain caliber of work and didn't want to do garbage.

Back then, it was more or less we couldn't change a line in our script. We weren't allowed to change lines. Today, actors change everything and won't do parts. It's very different today. Back then, the producers were in charge. Today, actors are more in charge.

I loved doing Elly May. She was a slice out of my own life. And, of course, A Família Buscapé (1962) was a story about the American Dream. No matter who tried to slicker us or take advantage of us, we always came out on top. We were never the losers. So the right attitude was important. We set a good examples. "The Hillbillies" set high standards.