When the team behind The Andy Griffith Show cast Elinor Donahue as Ellie Walker, they had big plans for the character. Unlike Andy Taylor’s later love interests, Donahue was billed as one of the show’s stars. In fact, romance was supposed to bloom between Ellie and Andy. While it did during season 1, the character disappeared without a trace by season 2. A lot went into the decision, but Ellie was supposed to be around for much longer than she was.
Elinor Donahue’s role was supposed to span several seasons of ‘The Andy Griffith Show’
Donahue departed The Andy Griffith Show after appearing in just 12 episodes, but she was supposed to be in many more. Her season 1 appearances were cut short when she was hospitalized for pneumonia. The season 1 illness left the show’s writers scrambling for new material. Following season 1, she asked to be released from her contract. The network obliged.
While we’ll never know what could have been between Andy and Ellie, we can confidently say that the role would have been large. When Donahue signed on to the project, she agreed to a three-year deal. That deal would have seen her character through the show’s first three seasons. Instead of dating Peggy McMillan and Helen Crump, Andy Taylor may have stuck things out with Ellie. It was not meant to be, and we’ll never actually know what the show had planned for Ellie. Could she have been Andy Taylor’s wife? Maybe.
Why did Elinor Donahue leave ‘The Andy Griffith Show’?
Elinor Donahue’s decision to leave The Andy Griffith Show seemed odd to fans. The writers’ refusal to write the character out of the show was nearly inexplicable. Together, those two factors created a ton of mystery around the character. So, why exactly did Donahue abandon the role so quickly?
Donahue’s decision didn’t come down to one thing or the other. A combination of different factors led to her decision to walk away from the show. Donahue admitted that she landed her role on the series during a difficult time and that some emotional upheaval played into her final decision.
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Additionally, she stepped back from the series because she didn’t think she had much to give the part. According to The Charlotte Observer, Donahue felt like Ellie Walker and Andy Taylor needed more chemistry. Since she was brought in as Andy’s love interest, she thought it best to walk away from the series instead of staying on. The network didn’t put up a fight.
Andy Griffith took some of the blame for Donahue’s decision to leave
Years later, Andy Griffith would take some blame for the sudden departure of the actor who portrayed Ellie Walker. During an interview with the Television Academy, Donahue recalled Griffith telling her that the team behind The Andy Griffith Show didn’t know how to write for her, which might have led to her early departure. Donahue doesn’t seem to believe that, stating that it was “kind” of him to say but that she didn’t really “give them” much to write. Donahue also lamented that the friendship between Andy Griffith and Don Knotts, who played Andy Taylor and Barney Fife, respectively, overshadowed any planned chemistry between Ellie and Andy.
While Donahue is reluctant to blame Griffith for her sudden departure, there might be something to it. To be fair, Donahue wasn’t the only love interest that didn’t have staying power. Griffith was known for having difficulty with romantic scenes, and because of his discomfort with public affection, many of his romantic interludes on screen felt stiff. None of them lasted until Helen Crump.
Helen Crump may have only had staying power because the actor who portrayed her was rumored to have had an off-screen affair with Griffith, making him more comfortable with romantic storylines. Even then, Griffith thwarted several romantic scenes before they made it to film, insisting that a slow burn between Andy and Helen was a better route. In the end, it did work. Whether it was better is debatable.
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