Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Happy Birthday, Barbara Pepper

Today, May 31, 2016 is the 101st anniversary of Barbara Pepper's birth. Pepper was an American stage, television, radio, and film actress and lifelong friend of Lucille Ball.

Lately, I've been watching movies from the 1930's on Youtube. After noticing Pepper in such films as The Rogues Tavern and They Made Me a Criminal, I began looking into her life.

imdb.com described Pepper's signature movie roles as worldly "dames" during Hollywood's 1930s and 1940s Golden Era.

In 1949, after her husband died tragically in a motorcycle accident, severe depression and a debilitating alcohol problem overwhelmed Pepper. Her acting jobs became few and far between and she was forced to take on jobs as a laundress and waitress to support her two children.

Fortunately, through her friendship with Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, George Burns and Gracie Allen, she was able to find work on T.V..

If  Barbara Pepper is remembered at all today, it is for her role as the original "Doris Ziffel" on the T.V. sitcom Green Acres.

No comments: