Buddy Ebsen almost died before he became famous for playing a hillbilly in Beverly Hills. Even so, the actor was still very happy.
But the chance to walk down the yellow brick road turned out to be a slippery slope that almost ruined his life and Hollywood career.
After the actor died in 2003 at the age of 95, the singer, songwriter, and pianist found a trunk full of items from his long career, which started in the 1920s.
Since then, it has made his daughter start a one-woman show called “My Buddy: The Other Side of Oz.”
The makeup used on Buddy Ebsen, left, during his time on “The Wizard of Oz” nearly killed him. (Photo Courtesy of Kiki Ebsen via Fox News)
Buddy Ebsen Loses ‘The Wizard of Oz’ Role, Daughter Says
Fox News says that Buddy Ebsen, who would have been 115 on April 2, was cast as the Tin Woodman in the 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz.”
Kiki Ebsen, who is his daughter, told Fox News Digital that she didn’t know much about the movie.
She said he had a songbook for “The Wizard of Oz.” Kiki said that Buddy Ebsen never directly talked to his family about the songbooks.
So Kiki was moved to read these letters and look at his past.
Kiki says that Buddy Ebsen was having trouble breathing during one of the sets in “The Wizard of Oz,” but he was afraid to say anything.
At that time, there were a lot of problems on set, and Kiki said that his father didn’t want to risk losing the role.
But by the middle of the night ten days later, it was clear that something was very wrong.
When Ebsen went back to work after getting better, he got more bad news. The actor was no longer in the play. The people who made the movie chose Jack Haley to play the Tin Woodman, who was now called The Tin Man.
The makeup artists didn’t put the aluminum powder directly on the new actor’s face. Instead, they mixed it with water to make a paste and painted it on him.
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Ebsen Remains Happy Toward End of Life
Despite losing the role, Buddy Ebsen found happiness in his life.
Ebsen, who had been married twice before, found love again with his third wife, Dorothy, when he was 77.
Kiki told Closer that his dad was very happy with Dorothy at the end of his life.
Kiki’s new jazz cabaret show, My Buddy, is about her father’s life, and she says that she and her dad didn’t always agree. Buddy wanted her to sing jazz, but she instead joined a rock band.
At last, she is honoring his wish and paying tribute to the father who helped her bottle-feed baby mice and pointed at the stars when she was nervous about a piano recital.
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