Ebsen left Orlando in the summer of 1928 to try his luck as a dancer in New York City, arriving with only $26.75 in his pocket, and worked at a
soda fountain shop. He and his sister
Vilma Ebsen performed as a dance act in
supper clubs and in
vaudeville — they were known as "The Baby Astaires". On
Broadway, the Ebsens appeared in the musicals
Whoopee,
Flying Colors, and
Ziegfeld Follies of 1934. A rave review from New York columnist
Walter Winchell, who saw them perform in
Atlantic City, New Jersey, led to a booking at the
Palace Theatre in New York City, the pinnacle of the vaudeville world.
MGM signing Ebsen went on to appear in numerous films, both musicals and nonmusicals, including the 1936
Born to Dance, the 1936
Captain January (in which he danced with
Shirley Temple), the 1937
Broadway Melody of 1938 (with
Judy Garland as his dance partner), and the 1938
The Girl of the Golden West. Ebsen partnered with actresses
Eleanor Powell and
Frances Langford, among others, and also danced solo. Ebsen was noted for his unusual, surreal dancing and singing style (for example, his contribution to the "Swingin' the Jinx Away" finale of
Born to Dance). His abilities might have been a reason filmmaker
Walt Disney chose Ebsen to be filmed dancing in front of a grid as an aid to animating
Mickey Mouse's dancing in Disney's 1929 to 1939
Silly Symphonies animated short films.
The Wizard of Oz Ebsen turned down
Louis B. Mayer's offer of an exclusive MGM contract, and Mayer warned him that he would never work in Hollywood again. Nonetheless, MGM cast him as the Scarecrow in its 1939 film
The Wizard of Oz. Ebsen then swapped roles with actor
Ray Bolger, who was originally cast as the Tin Man. Bolger wanted to play the Scarecrow, and Ebsen did not object to the change. Ebsen had recorded all of his songs as the Tin Man, attended all the rehearsals, and had begun filming. However, he soon began experiencing body aches, muscle cramps, and shortness of breath, eventually leading to a lengthy hospitalization. Doctors determined that the aluminum dust used in the Tin Man makeup was coating his lungs and keeping his blood from being oxygenated, and he was forced to leave the production. Ebsen recalled in an interview included on the 2005 DVD release of
The Wizard of Oz that the MGM studio heads did not believe that he was ill until he was ordered back to the set and was intercepted by an angry nurse. Ebsen was replaced by
Jack Haley, with the makeup quickly changed to a safer aluminum paste. MGM did not publicize the true reason for Ebsen's departure; even Haley was not told until much later. Haley re-recorded most of Ebsen's vocals, although Ebsen's Midwestern accent can still be heard on the soundtrack during several reprises of "We're Off to See the Wizard", with the enunciated "r" in the word "wizard", as opposed to Haley's
Boston accent. Ebsen's recording of the Tin Man's solo "
If I Only Had a Heart" is included on the deluxe edition of the film's soundtrack, while a still photo recreation of the sequence featuring shots of Ebsen as the Tin Man was included as an extra with all VHS and DVD releases of the film since 1989. For the rest of his life, Ebsen complained of breathing problems from his involvement in "that damned movie". Nonetheless, he outlived all the major cast members in the film, with only some
Munchkin actors, extras such as
Shep Houghton and stand-ins such as
Caren Marsh Doll outliving him.
World War II After recovering from the illness, Ebsen became embroiled in a contract dispute with MGM that left him idle for long periods. He took up sailing and became so proficient in seamanship that he taught the subject to naval officer candidates. He applied several times for a commission in the Navy in 1941, but was repeatedly turned down. The
United States Coast Guard accepted his application for a commission, and he was promptly given the rank of lieutenant, junior grade. This wartime rank was one step up from the rank of ensign, the usual rank given newly appointed naval officers in peacetime. Ebsen served as damage control officer and later as executive officer on the Coast Guard-crewed Navy frigate , which recorded weather at its "weather station" 1,500 miles west of
Seattle. These patrols consisted of 30 days at sea, followed by 10 days in port at Seattle. Ebsen was honorably discharged from the Coast Guard as a lieutenant in 1946.
Return to acting Ebsen made his television debut on an episode of
The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre in 1949. This led to television appearances in:
Stars Over Hollywood,
Gruen Guild Playhouse, four episodes of
Broadway Television Theatre,
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars,
Corky and White Shadow, the
H.J. Heinz Company's
Studio 57,
Screen Directors Playhouse, two episodes of
Climax!,
Tales of Wells Fargo,
Playhouse 90,
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse,
Johnny Ringo, two episodes of
Bonanza, three episodes of
Maverick (in which he portrayed assorted homicidal villains), and
77 Sunset Strip. Ebsen received wide television exposure when he played Georgie Russel, a role based on a historical person and companion to
frontiersman Davy Crockett, in the
Disneyland television miniseries
Davy Crockett (1954–1955). In the 1958–1959 season, Ebsen co-starred in the 26-episode half-hour
NBC television adventure series
Northwest Passage. This series, the first half-hour Western filmed and broadcast in color on NBC, was a fictionalized account of
Major Robert Rogers, a colonial American fighter for the British in the
French and Indian War. Ebsen played the role of Sergeant Hunk Marriner;
Keith Larsen played Rogers. From 1960 to 1962, Ebsen appeared in episodes of the television series
Rawhide and
Tales of Wells Fargo. Ebsen also portrayed a corrupt, bloodthirsty marshal in "El Paso Stage", an episode of
Have Gun, Will Travel broadcast in April 1961. Between October 1961 and March 1962, Ebsen had a recurring role as Virge Blessing in the
ABC drama series
Bus Stop, the story of travelers passing through the bus station and diner in the fictitious town of Sunrise,
Colorado.
Robert Altman directed several episodes.
Arthur O'Connell had played Virge Blessing in the earlier
film version on which the series was loosely based. Ebsen also appeared as "Mr. Dave" Browne, a homeless
hobo, on
The Andy Griffith Show opposite
Ron Howard, and as Jimbo Cobb in
The Twilight Zone episode "
The Prime Mover" (season 2, episode 21) in 1961. Throughout the show's run, he played several characters on
Gunsmoke including as the episode title character in Season 17, Episode 11 (
Drago). A notable exception to Ebsen's continual work in Westerns and rural television shows was an acclaimed role as Doc Golightly, an older, rural veterinarian deserted by his young wife (played by
Audrey Hepburn) in 1961's ''
Breakfast at Tiffany's''.
The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971) Ebsen became famous as
Jed Clampett, an easygoing backwoods mountaineer who strikes oil and moves with his family to
Beverly Hills, California, in the long-running,
fish-out-of-water CBS sitcom
The Beverly Hillbillies. Although scorned by critics,
The Beverly Hillbillies attracted as many as 60 million viewers between 1962 and 1971 and was several times the highest-rated series on television. The show also spawned similar Paul Henning-produced rural sitcoms such as
Green Acres and
Petticoat Junction, which were eventually linked in crossover episode arcs.
The Beverly Hillbillies was still earning good ratings when it was canceled by CBS (because programmers
began shunning shows that attracted a rural audience). One episode, "The Giant Jack Rabbit", broadcast January 8, 1964 (season 2, episode 16) was the highest-rated half-hour on television to that time and remains the most-watched half-hour sitcom episode. Not all was harmonious among cast members on
The Beverly Hillbillies set, especially between the politically conservative Ebsen and the more liberal
Nancy Kulp. Donna Douglas (Elly May) said, "They had a different view, so they had some heated discussions about that. They would go at it for weeks." In 1984, Kulp unsuccessfully ran for the
U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat from
Pennsylvania. To her dismay, Ebsen supported her Republican opponent, incumbent Representative
Bud Shuster, going so far as to tape an ad for Shuster that labeled Kulp as "too liberal". Ebsen claimed she was exploiting her celebrity status and did not know the issues.
Barnaby Jones (1973–1980) Ebsen returned to television in 1973 as the title character of
Barnaby Jones, which proved to be his second long-running television series. Barnaby Jones was a milk-drinking detective who came out of retirement to investigate the death of his son. The program lasted eight seasons and 178 episodes.
Lee Meriwether, 1955
Miss America, played Barnaby's widowed daughter-in-law, Betty Jones. Ebsen appeared briefly as Barnaby Jones on two other productions: a 1975 episode of
Cannon and the 1993 film
The Beverly Hillbillies. Meriwether said of her on and off screen chemistry with Ebsen, "He really worked at being at the top of his game." "You had to keep up with him. I adored him. I think he had feelings for me, too." She also said of the man, "I loved that man! I was so lucky. He was a dream." "He loved the idea of being a detective. We had CSI-type equipment in the office on the set and he liked doing his own tests. It was a show the whole family could watch."
Other television credits Ebsen's last regular television series was
Matt Houston on ABC, starring
Lee Horsley. Ebsen played Matt's uncle, Roy Houston, during the show's third season from 1984 to 1985. He also appeared in "The Waiting Room", a
Night Gallery segment that originally aired January 26, 1972. Ebsen narrated the documentary series
Disney Family Album during the 1980s on the
Disney Channel and
Steven Kellogg's "Paul Bunyan" on the
PBS series
Reading Rainbow in 1985. He made his final guest-starring appearance in 1994 on an episode of the short-lived television series revival ''
Burke's Law''.
Later years Although generally retired from acting as he entered his 80s, Ebsen filmed a cameo in the
1993 film version of
The Beverly Hillbillies as Barnaby Jones. This was Ebsen's final motion picture role. In 1999, Ebsen provided the voice of Chet Elderson for an episode of the Fox Entertainment program
King of the Hill. This was his last TV appearance. Ebsen has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1765 Vine Street, and a star on the
St. Louis Walk of Fame. In 1993, Ebsen was inducted as a
Disney Legends award winner. ==Personal life==