Jean Carson

Charleston's Jean Carson

Her name was Jean Carson and she was probably best remembered as Daphne, one of the "Fun Girls", on The Andy Griffith Show but she appeared in more that 200 TV shows and in movies. Jean was the closest thing that Charleston had as a "movie TV star".

Jean Carson's introduction to show business was as a "bad little Indian girl" when she was a young child. Around age 12, Jean got her first paying job -- five dollars for "a little dance number" in a production of Carmen that came to her hometown of Charleston, WV.

Young Jean, daughter of Alexander and Sadie Leete (descended from William Leete, first governor of the Colony of Connecticut) Carson, studied dance with dedication.

Jeans Grandmother was Principal of Bigley School

"I was always kind of typed," Jean says. "I'm what you call a 'second woman' or 'second tomato.' They never get the man." And that's just what The Andy Griffith producer Aaron Ruben was looking for when Jean got the call from CBS casting director Ruth Burch to be "Fun Girl" Daphne on the show.

"Andy and Don," she says, "were so well liked and knew so well what they were doing. I probably enjoyed their shows more than any others I ever worked on because Andy and Don were so pleasant and so well loved. And little Opie - his family was so professional. A lovely child. That whole regular cast was so good."

Jean on the left.

Some early background

Jeans Grandfather	Jeans Father was Alex Carson, contractor. This ad from 1953

	Jeans Mother

The Jean Carson Home on Summit Drive.

The house was made from bricks that were used to pave Summers Street. Back in the day, bricks were always re used, and these bricks are much thicker than standard brick. The house stood for 78 years. One of the interesting features of the house was the garage. It had a turntable where you could pull your car in and then just turn it around so that you wouldn't have to back out.

At some point, the Bank foreclosed on it . Owner died sometime back and left it with a leaking roof. It got moldy. Supposedly it had an asbestos roof ( fake slate) and the bank didnt want the responsibility. So the house is being demolished as of this writing.

So ends another Chapter of Charleston History.

Jean officially retired from acting in the early '80s, but she continued to be very involved with theater groups in the Palm Springs area where she has won several awards. She worked on productions such as Elephant Man, Steel Magnolias (as Weezer) and Surprise. Jean passed in 2005

And it's not surprise to any fan of TAGS that Mayberry stories featuring Jean Carson and both of her Mayberry characters (convict Naomi and "Fun Girl" Daphne) are still among the most popular episodes from the entire run of the series.

Actress - filmography
(1970s) (1960s) (1950s) (1940s)

    Fun with Dick and Jane (1977) .... Paula
    Party, The (1968) .... Nanny
    Gunn (1967) .... Waitress
    One Man's Way (1964) .... Woman Who Shoots Husband
    Sanctuary (1961) .... Norma
    Here Come the Jets (1959) .... Jean
    "Betty Hutton Show, The" (1959) TV Series .... Rosemary
    ... aka "Goldie" (1959)
    I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958) .... Helen Alexander Benson
    Phenix City Story, The (1955) .... Cassie
    Love in Pawn (1953) .... Amber Trusslove
    Date with a Dream, A (1948) .... Jean

Notable TV guest appearances

    "Andy Griffith Show, The" (1960) playing "Daphne" in episode: "Arrest of the Fun Girls, The" (episode # 5.28) 4/5/1965
    "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." (1964) playing "Shirley" in episode: "Love Letters to the Sarge" (episode # 1.19) 1/29/1965
    "Andy Griffith Show, The" (1960) playing "Daphne" in episode: "Fun Girls" (episode # 4.28) 4/13/1964
    "Perry Mason" (1957) playing "Mrs. Mitchell" in episode: "Case of the Bountiful Beauty, The" (episode # 7.17) 2/6/1964
    "Stoney Burke" (1962) in episode: "Bandwagon" (episode # 1.12) 12/17/1962
    "Andy Griffith Show, The" (1960) playing "Jalene Naomi Connors" in episode: "Convicts at Large" (episode # 3.11) 12/10/1962
    "Andy Griffith Show, The" (1960) playing "Daphne" in episode: "Barney Mends a Broken Heart" (episode # 3.5) 11/5/1962
    "Untouchables, The" (1959) playing "Sylvia Orkins" in episode: "Nero Rankin Story, The" (episode # 2.28) 5/11/1961
    "Twilight Zone, The" (1959) playing "Paula" in episode: "Most Unusual Camera, A" (episode # 2.10) 12/16/1960
    "Death Valley Days" (1952) in episode: "Perilous Cargo" (episode # 7.9) 11/24/1958
    "Sugarfoot" (1957) in episode: "Small War at Custer Junction" (episode # 1.9) 1/7/1958
    "Gale Storm Show, The" (1956) playing "Josephine" in episode: "Wedding in Majorca" (episode # 1.32) 5/18/1957
    "Studio One" (1948) playing "Mary" in episode: "Plan For Escape" (episode # 5.8) 11/17/1952
    "Adventures of Ellery Queen, The" (1950) in episode: "Man Who Killed Cops, The" (episode # 1.16) 2/1/1951
    "Trap, The" (1950) in episode: "Puzzle for Friends" (episode # 1.1) 4/29/1950
    "Philco Television Playhouse, The" (1948) in episode: "Little Sister, The" (episode # 2.3) 9/18/1949
    "Studio One" (1948) in episode: "June Moon" (episode # 1.19) 6/22/1949
    "Studio One" (1948) in episode: "Glass Key, The" (episode # 1.13) 5/11/1949

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