(Buddy Ebsen passed away on July 6, 2003, at the age of 95. This interview was written in April 2002.)

By Adelle Jameson Tilton

Adelle Jameson Tilton: Let's turn away from writing for a moment. I know you also are a very accomplished artist. I especially loved your Sedona painting. Have you always been interested in art?

Buddy Ebsen: Yes, when we moved to Florida, my mother who was a painter, enrolled all us kids, my sisters and me, in art classes at which time I found I had a sensitivity for and appreciation of color. These qualities lay dormant for many years while my father's influence took over. He was a ballet master and so though I hated being the only boy in the ballet class, I learned to dance.

However, neither the painting or the dancing appealed to me as a career. What I wanted to be was a doctor. So when I finished high school I took two years of pre-med at the University of Florida and Rollins College. When the Florida boom collapsed I had to go to work so I went to New York and became a dancer. After years of pursuing a successful theatrical career, I had a little time on my hands so I used it to doodle sketches. My favorite was "Uncle Jed" from the Hillbillies show and his dog friend "Ole Duke". My wife Dorothy, who is a painter saw my sketches and said, "If you can draw, you can paint". And that started me painting. My first efforts were "fine art" such as the Sedona you mentioned, and a series of originals; landscapes, seascapes and self portraits which sold very well. Then an established painter, Violett Parkhurst, saw my work and said, "Why don't you try Folk Art?" That is a form of art of "the folks". I thought it was a comedown from "fine art" but she and my Dorothy's opinions have prevailed. So now we have something new under the sun - a Folk Art spin off of a hit TV show: The Beverly Hillbillies. It is a series of paintings called "Uncle Jed Country". They are selling well.

Adelle Jameson Tilton: Did you take formal art lessons or did it just come naturally?

Buddy Ebsen: I took formal lessons at the Palos Verdes Art Center School and with other private teachers, where I learned a lot of the fundamentals of painting. This is a step I highly recommend for beginners.

Adelle Jameson Tilton: Are your paintings based on photo's of an area you've seen or do you just work from your imagination?

Buddy Ebsen: Both. In my experience when you see a sunset or a sunrise that turns you on, you had better grab it on film to preserve its everchanging effect. Then you can use it as a basis to elaborate from.

Adelle Jameson Tilton: Let's see, dancer, actor, writer, artist. What other hidden talents does Buddy Ebsen possess?

Buddy Ebsen: I can play the saxophone.

Adelle Jameson Tilton: You know you can't get around answering some questions on your career. I know that you were a dancer originally, what made you turn to acting?

Buddy Ebsen: W.C. Fields, when he missed a juggling trick, covered it with a joke. This led to acting parts which made him a star. The same is true of Will Rogers when he missed a rope trick. As for me, I don't like to sweat on stage and I have noticed that talking actors don't sweat.

Adelle Jameson Tilton: Were you one of those actors that was under contract to a particular studio?

Buddy Ebsen: My sister Vilma and I were under contract to MGM when we went to Hollywood to do Broadway Melody of 1936. Later I was under contract to RKO for Parachute Battalion and They Met in Argentina. All other jobs at big studios were done as single picture deals. This included Breakfast at Tiffany's, Night People at Paramount and Family Band done at the Disney Studio.

Adelle Jameson Tilton: If you were to choose, what is the biggest change you've observed in Hollywood over the years?

Buddy Ebsen: There is something for everybody program-wise. Production-wise there seems to be no lack of money.

Adelle Jameson Tilton: Who did you enjoy working with most during your career?

Buddy Ebsen: I have never rated my coworkers as to who I most enjoyed working with. My sister Vilma, my first dancing partner, certainly rates high in a field that included Shirley Temple, Judy Garland, The Beverly Hillbillies family, Fess Parker and Audrey Hepburn.

Adelle Jameson Tilton: Of the current crop of stars, who are your favorite actors and actresses?

Buddy Ebsen: Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks, Sean Connery, Ron Howard and Demi Moore.

Adelle Jameson Tilton: I know you spent a long time in television. What do you think of the current shows that are on?

Buddy Ebsen: I don't watch much television except the news and The History Channel. Also a few movie and educational channels.

Adelle Jameson Tilton: Any opinions on "reality television"?

Buddy Ebsen: It is an attempt at entertainment.

Adelle Jameson Tilton: Have you ever moved behind the camera to do any directing or producing?

Buddy Ebsen: I have never directed a film but with my daugher Bonnie, I co-wrote and appeared in a TV movie we entitled La Haina, released with the title Paradise Connection. I have also written and produced a few plays.

Adelle Jameson Tilton: As a writer, I know you must read a lot too. Have you read any books recently that you think would make good movies? Excluding the obvious choice, of course.

Buddy Ebsen: I would bet money on a remake of Treasure Island.

Adelle Jameson Tilton: Is there any advice you'd give aspiring actors or actresses?

Buddy Ebsen: If you are semi-established in your profession and "waiting to hear from your agent", get yourself a part-time job out of the business, that will support you while you wait.

If you are a beginner, just starting out, join an active amateur or semi-professional group that does group play readings and/or productions and get thoroughly involved. If you have talent this is one way to expose it. I have found sometimes that fellow actors are your best agents.

Adelle Jameson Tilton: Finally, what has been your inspiration to continue your career and branch out as the years have passed? I know a lot of people much younger than yourself who have just given up trying. What keeps you going?

Buddy Ebsen: I suppose I had an unfair advantage. I had a mother who taught me there is no such thing as failure. It is just a temporary postponement of success. The differences between success and failure is often no wider than the thickness of a cigarette paper. Life's a brand new ballgame every day!

Remember, that of all the elements that comprise a human being, the most important, the most essential, the one that will sustain, transcend, overcome and vanquish obstacles is - Spirit!

Interview Part I

Interview Part II

Interview Part III

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