From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Barbara Pepper (born Marion B. Pepper; May 31, 1915 – July 18, 1969) was an American stage, television, radio, and film actress. She is best known as the first "Doris Ziffel" on the sitcom Green Acres. Pepper was born in New York City, the daughter of actor David Mitchell "Dave" Pepper, and his wife, Harrietta S. Pepper. At age 16 she started life in show business with Goldwyn Girls, a musical stock company where she met lifelong friend Lucille Ball. Pepper began making movies. Among her later film parts were small roles in My Fair Lady and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. She also performed radio parts. In 1943, she married actor Craig Reynolds (né Harold Hugh Enfield), and the couple later had two sons. After Reynolds died in 1949 in a California motorcycle accident, Pepper was left to raise their children alone. She never remarried. After gaining weight, her roles were mostly confined to small character parts on television, including several appearances on I Love Lucy, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Petticoat Junction, and The Jack Benny Program. She made four appearances on Perry Mason, including the role of Martha Dale, mother of the title character, in the 1957 episode "The Case of the Vagabond Vixen". A long-time friend of Lucille Ball, Barbara was considered for the role of Ethel Mertz on "I Love Lucy," but was passed over due to the fact that she was reportedly a drinker. William Frawley ("Fred Mertz") was, likewise, reportedly, a drinker and was already cast. It was felt that having two drinkers in the cast might eventually cause difficulties so they auditioned and found Vivian Vance to play Ethel instead. She may be best remembered as the first Doris Ziffel on Petticoat Junction in 1964, although her character's name on the "Genghis Keane" episode of Petticoat Junction was Ruth Ziffel. Her role as Doris Ziffel continued on Green Acres from 1965 to 1968, until heart ailments finally forced her to leave that weekly series. Veteran actress Fran Ryan replaced her on Green Acres, which would continue to run for another three years. Her final performance was in the 1969 film Hook, Line & Sinker, in which she played Jerry Lewis's secretary.
96 movies · 26 shows
Kiss Me, Stupid
1964·7.0
Who's Minding the Store?
1963·6.8
A Child Is Waiting
1963·6.8
It's Only Money
1962·6.2
The Music Man
1962·7.1
Sex Kittens Go to College
1960·3.3
The Bramble Bush
1960·5.3
Auntie Mame
1958·7.0
The D.I.
1957·7.1
Dark Meeting
1956·0.0
A Star Is Born
1954·7.1
The Eddie Cantor Story
1953·7.5
Inferno
1953·6.1
So This Is Love
1953·4.3
I Love Lucy: The Movie
1953·7.7
Ghost Buster
1952·8.0
The Fuller Brush Girl
1950·6.1
My Blue Heaven
1950·7.5
No Way Out
1950·6.9
Unmasked
1950·5.0
The Inspector General
1949·6.6
The Crooked Way
1949·6.2
The Snake Pit
1948·7.1
Terror Trail
1946·7.0
The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry
1945·6.2
Murder, He Says
1945·6.8
The Naughty Nineties
1945·6.7
Trouble Chasers
1945·8.0
Once Upon a Time
1944·5.8
Henry Aldrich Plays Cupid
1944·10.0
Let's Face It
1943·5.4
So This Is Washington
1943·5.3
Girls in Chains
1943·4.7
Blonde and Groom
1943·8.0
Aerial Gunner
1943·5.0
A Maid Made Mad
1943·7.0
Sappy Pappy
1942·8.0
Carry Harry
1942·4.3
My Favorite Spy
1942·5.7
One Thrilling Night
1942·5.4
Birth of the Blues
1941·6.2
South of Tahiti
1941·6.5
Manpower
1941·6.5
Three Sons o' Guns
1941·7.0
Out of the Fog
1941·6.3
The Lady Eve
1941·7.3
Foreign Correspondent
1940·7.0
The Return of Frank James
1940·6.3
Sailor's Lady
1940·6.5
Forgotten Girls
1940·5.6
Framed
1940·6.2
Castle on the Hudson
1940·7.0
Of Mice and Men
1939·7.3
The Amazing Mr. Williams
1939·6.0
Three Sons
1939·4.1
The Women
1939·7.2
Flight at Midnight
1939·5.8
Colorado Sunset
1939·7.0
Bachelor Mother
1939·7.2
They Made Me a Criminal
1939·6.3
Off the Record
1939·6.4
The Girl Downstairs
1938·4.7
The Strange Case of Dr. Meade
1938·6.5
Army Girl
1938·6.8
The Chaser
1938·8.0
The Lady in the Morgue
1938·7.0
Wide Open Faces
1938·9.0
Hollywood Stadium Mystery
1938·6.3
Portia on Trial
1937·5.8
The Westland Case
1937·6.7
Many Unhappy Returns
1937·0.0
Music for Madame
1937·6.3
Forty Naughty Girls
1937·5.6
The Big Shot
1937·6.5
You Can't Buy Luck
1937·4.7
The Outcasts of Poker Flat
1937·6.3
Too Many Wives
1937·7.3
After the Thin Man
1936·7.3
What Becomes of the Children?
1936·6.0
Wanted: Jane Turner
1936·6.0
Winterset
1936·6.0
The Big Game
1936·6.6
Mummy's Boys
1936·5.0
M'Liss
1936·6.0
The Rogues' Tavern
1936·6.4
Show Boat
1936·6.7
Taming the Wild
1936·6.0
The Singing Vagabond
1935·7.5
Frisco Waterfront
1935·9.0
The Sagebrush Troubadour
1935·6.4
Forced Landing
1935·8.0
Waterfront Lady
1935·5.3
Let 'em Have It
1935·7.6
Our Daily Bread
1934·6.7
Strictly Dynamite
1934·6.5
Roman Scandals
1933·5.9