Barbara Pepper
Biography
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.
Known For
Polly
Manpower
Budgie Massey
They Made Me a Criminal
Mattie
The Strange Case of Dr. Meade
Mrs. Hawkes
The Music Man
Annie
The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry
Waitress (uncredited)
Inferno
Customer at Bargain Sale (uncredited)
Who's Minding the Store?
Show Boat
Marjorie Burns
The Rogues' Tavern
Big Bertha
Kiss Me, Stupid
Blonde
A Maid Made Mad
Maizie
Birth of the Blues
Miss Brown (uncredited)
A Child Is Waiting
Mildred
Flight at Midnight
Goldie Green
Framed
Sally
Our Daily Bread
Bonnie Fleagle
Murder, He Says
Barbara Pepper
Girls in Chains
Alice
Forty Naughty Girls
Honey
The Singing Vagabond
Gloria Vance
Waterfront Lady
Blonde Saloon Lady (uncredited)
The Outcasts of Poker Flat
Althea Ames
Hollywood Stadium Mystery
Riki
Army Girl
Joan Martin
The Sagebrush Troubadour
Elsie Ford
What Becomes of the Children?
Woman at bar (uncredited)
The Girl Downstairs
Hazel White
Taming the Wild
Sophie - Cigar Store Counter Girl
Many Unhappy Returns
The Crooked Way
Lois
The Big Game
Angela Brown
Too Many Wives
Female Customer
Sappy Pappy
Belle
Wide Open Faces
Marge Sanders
Wanted: Jane Turner
Milly Adams
Let 'em Have It
Kay Renshaw
The Lady in the Morgue
Woman Customer
The D.I.
Clytie Morpher
M'Liss
Lettie
One Thrilling Night
Wife Watching TV (uncredited)
The Fuller Brush Girl
Mamie
The Big Shot
Store Clerk
You Can't Buy Luck
Muriel - Wedding Guest (uncredited)
The Amazing Mr. Williams
Betty - Taxi Driver (uncredited)
So This Is Washington
Blonde at Shooting Gallery (uncredited)
Aerial Gunner
Julie
South of Tahiti
Mary Browning
Mummy's Boys
Miss LaRue ("Wild Rose")
Henry Aldrich Plays Cupid
Esther's Neighbor (uncredited)
A Star Is Born
Goldie
Castle on the Hudson
Francie LaRue
Three Sons o' Guns
Dance-Hall Hostess (uncredited)
Bachelor Mother
Tough Girl (uncredited)
The Women
Second Girl (uncredited)
Of Mice and Men
Evelyn
Portia on Trial
Clara
Dark Meeting
Girl
Winterset
Lady Wrestler Type on Ship (uncredited)
The Lady Eve
Asylum Patient (uncredited)
The Snake Pit
Mrs. Schmidt
Unmasked
Dorine
Foreign Correspondent
Nancy 'Dusty' Rhodes
Forced Landing
Agatha Hogan
The Westland Case
Goldie
Trouble Chasers
Nellie Blane
The Return of Frank James
Polly Welk
The Bramble Bush
Mrs. Krantz (uncredited)
Auntie Mame
Karen Kemp, the Louisville Lady
Terror Trail
Rex's Fiancée
Blonde and Groom
Edith, Harry's Girl Friend
Carry Harry
Daisy (uncredited)
Let's Face It
Viola
Three Sons
Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
Roman Scandals
Mrs. Nolan
Ghost Buster
Blonde on Bus (Uncredited)
Music for Madame
Speedy
My Favorite Spy
Susan (uncredited)
My Blue Heaven
Fat Girl with Sailor in Nightclub (uncredited)
So This Is Love
Beer Garden Patron
The Eddie Cantor Story
Ginger Bixby
Colorado Sunset
The Blonde Stranger
Frisco Waterfront
Flossie - Telephone Operator (uncredited)
Off the Record
Cabbie (uncredited)
Once Upon a Time
Maude
Sailor's Lady
Circe
Sex Kittens Go to College
Buxom Villager (uncredited)
The Inspector General
Mabel, Drunken Girl
The Chaser
Woman (uncredited)
No Way Out
Gilded Cage Hostess (uncredited)
The Naughty Nineties
Eve Abbott
Forgotten Girls
Party Girl (uncredited)
Strictly Dynamite
Out of the Fog
Fisherwoman
It's Only Money
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
94
Gender
Female
Birthday
1915-05-31
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
Also Known As