“Clampett” happy at home

August 7th, 2009 - 6:19 pm ICT by IBNS  

Aug 7 (IBNS) Donna Douglas still personifies Elly May Clampett, the critter-loving beauty from “The Beverly Hillbillies.”

Douglas said: Elly has always been good for me. That was a slice out of my life, a very happy slice out of my life.

Douglas returned from California to her native Louisiana a few years ago. She lives just outside Baton Rouge near her only child, a son who owns horses and several acres of land. Douglas likes to help him bale hay.

He added: Cutting grass, baling hay … I grew up doing all that stuff. I don’t mind getting sweaty and dirty. I enjoy being outside.

Douglas, out of the entertainment business for years, appeared in commercials and TV shows in the 1950s and ’60s. But she is best known for her role in “The Beverly Hillbillies,” the CBS comedy about a Tennessee family who moved to Beverly Hills after oil was discovered on their land. The show ran from 1962 to 1971.

Douglas, now 76, was chosen for the part of Elly May from more than 500 other actresses. She says she felt at ease playing the role because, like her character, she grew up a poor Southern tomboy. The experience came in handy when she was asked during her audition to milk a goat.

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