Ziffel vs Ziffel

In the annals of television history there are few questions more important than who was the best Doris Ziffel! There were two Mrs. Ziffels on the classic sitcom "Green Acres". The original Doris Ziffel was played by Barbara Pepper who originated the character but was replaced due to heart ailments. the second Mrs. Ziffel was played by veteran character actress Fran Ryan.
Mrs Ziffle was the wife of Fred Ziffel the nearest neighbor of Oliver Wendell Douglas and his Hungarian wife Lisa. The Ziffels also had a "child" their son Arnold the pig.

Barbara Pepper started her career in New York at the age of sixteen as a Goldwyn Girl where she met and became a life long friend with Lucille Ball. She married fellow actor Craig Reynolds. They had two sons. Reynolds was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1949. Left alone to raise her children she went back to work doing radio and small movie roles. Over the years she gained weight and this lead her to television character parts. She did appear in a few movies later in life like "Its a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" and "My Fair Lady". She was made several appearances on "I Love Lucy" eventually being cast in "Petticoat Junction" and eventually the role of Doris Ziffel on "Green Acres". She had to leave the show due to her ill health. She died in 1969 at age 54.

Fran Ryan started her career at the age of six at the Henry Duffy Theater in Oakland, California. Ryan attended Stanford University until World War II started when she joined the USO where she used her comic abilities to entertain the troops. After the was she moved to Los Angeles she took up acting and did a lot of television. Ryan had role on "Gunsmoke" and "The Doris Day Show". She was then chosen for the role of Doris Ziffel. She played the role until the show ended. Fran Ryan continued to act in television and movies until the end of her life. Fran Ryan died in 2000 at the age of 83.

Aside: I was working on a film in the 1990's and riding in a van to the set when I started talking to the lady next to me. That lady turned out to be Fran Ryan and was thrilled that I remembered her as Mrs. Ziffel.