Buddy Ebsen who was most famous for his portrayal of Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971) would have celebrated his 100th birthday today if he were alive. He was born April 2, 1908 in Belleville Illinois (just across the river from St. Louis MO). He lived in Bellevile until he was ten, then moved to Florida.
He also was well known for his role in/as Barnaby Jones (1973–1980).
He appeared in 36 movies through the years.
He auditioned for the part of the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz, but didn’t get the part because he was allegc to the make-up.
Ebsen died in 2003 at the age of 95.
As I recall, he couldn’t take the part as Tinman because he was highly allergic to the silver paint he needed to wear. He was a great dancer, and would have been wonderful in the part.
You are correct Jonsey. From Wikipedia:
…he was cast in the role of The Scarecrow in the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz, but later swapped roles with Ray Bolger, who was to play the Tin Man. Ebsen recorded all his songs, went through all the rehearsals, and started filming with the rest of the cast, however, the powdered aluminum makeup used badly irritated Ebsen’s skin. A common rumor is that the powder had been inhaled and coated Ebsen’s lungs, leaving him near death, however, this apparently was not the case.
he got the part of the tin man, but he had an alergic reaction to the silver paint on his face that put him in the hospital and almost killed him.