Betty Lynn

Elizabeth Ann Theresa Lynn (August 29, 1926 – October 16, 2021) was an American actress. She played Thelma Lou, Deputy Barney Fife's girlfriend, on The Andy Griffith Show. During the 1940s and 1950s, she appeared in many films, including Sitting Pretty, June Bride (1948), the original Cheaper by the Dozen (1950), and Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956). She also played a major role in an episode of the television series Little House on the Prairie.

Early life Born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1926, Betty Lynn was the only child of Elizabeth Ann (née Lynn) and George A. Dailey. Her father was a civil engineer, who worked as a municipal employee for Kansas City and later as a private contractor. Her mother, described as "an accomplished mezzo-soprano", taught Betty in her early childhood to sing and enrolled her in the Kansas City Conservatory of Music when she was only five years old. Betty's grandfather, a railroad engineer, effectively served as her father figure from then until his death in Sacramento, California, in 1959.

USO tour When she was 17, Lynn auditioned to participate in United Service Organizations entertainment. At age 18, she was part of a USO tour in the China Burma India Theater during World War II. She realized the gravity of the situation when a Marine gave her a pistol, saying, "You might need this." She also met recently released prisoners of war from Rangoon, and she was told by a doctor, "Most of them will be out of their minds in six months."

On Broadway, and Park Avenue (1946). She was discovered in a Broadway production by Darryl F. Zanuck and signed to 20th Century Fox. A clause in her contract allowed the studio to drop her at six-month intervals, leading to recurring concerns for Lynn. She said, "I was a redhead with freckles and didn't have a bosom. I prayed so hard they’d keep picking me up." and she played Pearl in the ABC comedy Love That Jill (1958). During this time, she became a neighbor to an infant Mark Evanier, whom she said became a close friend.

In 2006, Lynn retired from acting and relocated to Mount Airy, North Carolina, the hometown of Andy Griffith and the town on which Mayberry is believed to have been based, despite Griffith's claims to the contrary. By July 2019, she was residing in Mount Airy, North Carolina, and continued to make monthly personal appearances in town at the Andy Griffith Museum, signing autographs and meeting with her fans. Lynn once commented, "The longer I live here, the more I see things [Griffith] took from his hometown." At the time of her death, she was working on her autobiography, which was set to be released posthumously.

Honors Lynn was inducted into the Missouri Walk of Fame, located in Marshfield, Missouri, in 2007. Nine years later on August 30, 2016, she was presented with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest civilian honor bestowed in North Carolina, by the state's lieutenant governor, Dan Forest, having been granted it by Governor Pat McCrory.

Partial filmography + Film Year Title Role Notes1948 Apartment for Peggy Wife Credited as Betty Ann Lynn Sitting Pretty Ginger Credited as Betty Ann Lynn June Bride Anne MacGregor 1957 Gun for a Coward Susan Baines "The Trap" 1958 Lawman Edna Phillips "The Oath" 1958 Wagon Train Molly Richardson "The Dick Richardson Story" 1958 Bronco Viola Eight episodes (from mid-season 2 and all of 3) 1960–1966 The Andy Griffith Show Barbara Howard "Mi's Girl" 1963 The Farmer's Daughter Sylvia "The Speechmaker: Part 2" 1965 The Smothers Brothers Show Vera "Here Comes the Bridegroom" 1967–1970 My Three Sons Janet/Janice; Lois Seven episodes 1966–1968 Family Affair Miss Lee Four episodes 1969 The Mod Squad Mrs. Hill "The Healer" 1974 Little House on the Prairie Bridget "If I Should Wake Before I Die" 1978 Barnaby Jones Mrs. Russell "Blind Jeopardy" 1986 Matlock Sarah Four episodes