Buddy Ebsen
This image "reprinted by permission, The Official 50th Anniversary
Pictorial
History, The Wizard of Oz Warner Books NY,NY © 1989, all rights reserved."
It is a well-documented fact that Buddy Ebsen was hired to play the part of the Tin Woodsman in the Wizard of Oz. A few weeks into the shooting of the film Mr. Ebsen developed what turned out to be an allergic reaction to the "pure" aluminum dust that was used by the makeup department to give his skin that metallic appearance. Ebsen spent the next couple of weeks in the hospital in an oxygen tent and mean while, back at M-G-M, his part was replaced by Jack Haley. The why and wherefore of this are rather complicated so I will leave this with the statement that Ebsen was no longer in the film.
The one thing that, Jack Dawn, the man who was in charge of the makeup for Oz did was to eliminate the aluminum dust that had been used on Buddy Ebsen and replaced it with a silver paste. Buddy Ebsen after fulfilling his contract to MGM sought work elsewhere.
Ebsen has worked his entire adult life to be the best he could be in whatever he has turned his hand to. To be sure he like everyone else who cares has had a few lean years but on the whole when most of us were thinking about retiring from work Ebsen was just coming into the most profitable years of his life. The next nine years were involved with one of the most popular TV shows ever filmed, The Beverly Hillbillies. He did not stop there, but went on to Barnaby Jones.
What a wonderful productive life he has had. On that note, I am going to recommend one of the most charming autobiographical books I have ever read, The Other Side of Oz an Autobiography, by Buddy Ebsen.
I have liked this actor for many years and for a probably a couple of very silly reasons. One of my family's favorite spots to hang out in California was the Balboa Bay, Newport Beach-Lido Isle area as we had a boat moored there in a slip. My kids also just loved the carousel on Lido Isle. We were walking along a walkway when I saw a man standing in a tall narrow window. I recognized him immediately and waved at him. He waved back at me with that wonderfully handsome way he has about him. My last reason is that we share the same month and day of birth. It doesn't come much better does it Buddy?
Here's to you Buddy Ebsen you have added a great enjoyment to my life and living. Thank you for being you. May I also wish you the very best that life can offer, but that is redundant isn't it?
See the book about Mr. Ebsen's remarkable life below.
Donna Stewart Hardway
This image "reprinted by permission, The Other Side of OZ Buddy Ebsen, Publisher Donovan Publishing, Newport
Beach, CA Copyright © 1993 by Buddy Ebsen, Forward by Bob Hope and edited by Stephen Cox
Click Here To Visit The Official Buddy Ebsen Web Site