How was Ellie written out of the Andy Griffith Show?

“Elinor Donahue was a regular in the company before we ever started, and we were so lucky to get her, we thought,” he said. “Well, she didn’t work out at all. It wasn’t her fault.” Griffith told Kelly he blamed himself and the show’s writers for what he viewed as their failure to write for women characters.

Why did Ellen Donahue leave Andy Griffith Show?

Elinor Donahue decided not to return after the first season, because she felt she had no on-screen chemistry with Andy Griffith. Griffith later admitted that it was his own fault, because he had a hard time showing affection on-screen, and as a result, the relationship didn’t appear real or believable.

What happened to Andy’s first wife in The Andy Griffith Show?

Andy is a widower and father to one young son, Opie. In the backdoor pilot episode from The Danny Thomas Show, viewers learn Andy lost his wife when Opie was “the least little speck of a baby.” In the first episode of the show Andy has a maid that is getting married and moving away.

What happened to Thelma Lou’s first husband?

Thelma Lou and Barney parted ways when he left Mayberry to join the Raleigh police force and Knotts left the series after five years. Thankfully, still-single Barney and now-single Thelma Lou were reunited and married in 1986’s Return to Mayberry movie.

Why did Ellie and Andy break up?

The actress, Elinor Donahue, later admitted that she felt like she and Andy Griffith didn’t have enough chemistry to portray a believable couple on screen, so she decided to leave the show. Andy later took the blame and said he wasn’t very good at showing affection while being filmed.

What happened to Andy Taylor and Ellie Walker?

What happened to Ellie on Andy Griffith? Ellie helped her uncle Fred at Walker’s Drugstore in Mayberry and she eventually starts dating Andy Taylor. However, the episode “The Guitar Player Returns” was her last. Her character mysteriously disappeared without any kind of explanation for the viewers.