She stepped away from the industry, but not from the public.
According to an age-old adage, in Hollywood, you’re only as good as your last project. It’s an industry built upon… well, building upon. Actors build upon their filmography. They capitalize on a growing trust and familiarity with the viewing public. There is money to be made from the connection that audiences have with the stars of TV and film. The Hollywood machine is constantly cranking out material to put those stars on the screen, in hopes we’ll return to repeat some previous success.
It’s surprising, then, when a star leaves the industry after a rise to fame. It’s so much more often that we see the stars of yesterday desperate to cling onto those last threads of recognizability. If there’s one thing America loves more than a fall from grace, it’s a comeback. So, it’s pretty unique when someone famous bucks the trend and quits while they’re on top.
That was (more or less) the case with Donna Douglas, who played Elly May on The Beverly Hillbillies. The show made her a star, and when it ended, her career just puttered out. The twist, though, is that Douglas jettisoned her career on purpose. As it turns out, she wasn’t interested in doing just any old project to remain relevant.
The book Glamour, Gidgets, and the Girl Next Door includes quotes in which Douglas chronicles the steps she followed after Hillbillies.
“I was offered to do a nighttime soap after The Beverly Hillbillies. 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.”
Douglas’ commitment to her beliefs didn’t keep her at home all the time, though.
“Today, I am busy giving back. I speak at churches, ladies’ groups, and schools; I’ve done two children’s books and a cookbook. My life is full and busy. I still have large turnouts wherever I go to speak. Afterward, I visit with the fans, sometimes for hours, which I enjoy. It’s nice to hear which episode [of The Beverly Hillbillies] people enjoyed or related with.”
