April 2, 1908 – Actor, Dancer, and Disney Legend Buddy Ebsen is Born
“Buddy [Ebsen] said that it was really difficult for him [to lose the role], but once he saw Fess [Parker] on screen, he knew that Walt had made the right decision.” – Paul F. Anderson, author of The Davy Crockett Craze.
On April 2, 1908, Christian Rudolph “Buddy” Ebsen, Jr., was born in Belleville, Illinois. At the age of ten, his family moved to Florida, where he and his siblings learned how to dance at their father’s dance studio in Orlando. Although he had aspirations to be a doctor, the collapse of the Florida land boom in the 1920s forced him to leave the University of Florida and head to New York City to become a dancer. He and his sister, Vilma Ebsen, became a dual act in vaudeville as “The Baby Astaires.” This led to a screen test by MGM, and they each signed a two-year contract with MGM, making their screen debut in Broadway Melody of 1936. While this would be Vilma’s only film, Ebsen’s career took off as a dancer in several films.
In 1939, Ebsen was cast in The Wizard of Oz as the Scarecrow, but swapped roles with Ray Bolger, who was originally cast as the Tin Man. However, Ebsen’s involvement in the film was short-lived, as he experienced an allergic reaction to the aluminum dust in the make-up, and was forced to leave the film. During World War II, Ebsen became a Lieutenant, Junior Grade in the Coast Guard, and after the war, he resumed his acting career in the new medium of television. In 1954, Ebsen starred in one of his more well-known roles: George Russel in Walt Disney’s Davy Crockett. Originally, Ebsen was tapped to play Davy Crockett, but Walt Disney, after seeing Fess Parker in a bit part in the sci-fi film Them was convinced that Parker was the man to play Crockett. Ebsen was then cast in the role of Russel. For Disney, Ebsen also stared in The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band as Calvin Bower, and the serial “Corky and White Shadow” on the Mickey Mouse Club. Ebsen would also dance on film for the staff to study and create Audio-Animatronics. In 1962, Ebsen scored his most famous role of Jed Clampett on the long-running sitcom, The Beverly Hillbillies. In 1973, he starred in another series, Barnaby Jones. In 1993, Ebsen was named a Disney Legend. He passed away in 2003 at the age of 95.
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