Helen may have been a bit more physically attractive, but Ellie was much more fun and the girl next door type. I can't imagine being married to that hard case Helen.
shareI find Helen the least attractive physically and mentally of Andy's girls. Peggy was the best catch: stunningly beautiful, sassy, sophisticated, and had rich daddy.
Ellie was the best match, tho.
Peggy was a beauty and I'd have taken Ellie over Helen any day. Helen just seemed too uptight.
shareI've always found Ellie 100% times more attractive.
She is before my time but I used to catch some old reruns of the show Father Knows Best in the 1990's and I must admit, I had a decades too late crush on her.
Helen didn't appeal to me in any capacity at all.
Agree. Helen is very pretty but I always like Ellie better. I thought I read somewhere they replaced Donahue because *viewers* didn't like her!
Haha. I love those decades too late crushes. It happened to me when I first saw Donna Reed in "It's a Wonderful Life."
shareOut of those two, Ellie. But I thought Peggy was prettiest.
shareIt has been said that the actress who played Ellie did not have much chemistry with Andy Griffith and notice was taken by the producers. Also, the ages were off. The same actress appeared on late 1950's television as a teen while Griffith was considerably older. When Helen came along the character work load was spread about its widest to take pressure off of what was taking place with Helen. Helen being in the first two seasons might have been a disaster.
shareI liked Helen but I liked Ellie the most. She seemed to be really cool to be with.
shareI haven't seen every episode of the show but I actually like Helen in the episodes I have seen her in. Ellie was fine but she was only in a few episodes. So it's hard to compare.
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