Barbara Eden mourns Shelley Fabares, recalls their Oahu days

Barbara Eden is remembering her longtime friend and screen partner Shelley Fabares following the actress's death over the weekend. Shelley, best known to generations of television viewers as Mary Stone on The Donna Reed Show and as one of Elvis Presley's most frequent leading ladies, died Saturday, August 22, in Los Angeles. She was 82. Her husband, actor Mike Farrell, confirmed that she passed away surrounded by loved ones.

Barbara Eden and Shelley Fabares shared the screen in 1964

On Monday, the 95-year-old Eden turned to Instagram to pay tribute to her old friend, opening with a simple expression of grief: “Oh goodness, what can I say about Shelley Fabares. Dear sweet Shelley. I learned just now of her passing on Saturday. While I'm saddened by the news, I am filled with happy memories of filming “Ride the Wild Surf” with her, Susan Hart and all the boys! Shelley truly was a sweet, good girl. In the acting world you never know what type of people your fellow castmates may be when you start a project. It's always a treat when you find yourself among good, happy people. Us girls all shared a little bungalow on Oahu together and it was more fun than work! The whole group of us were having a ball! My thoughts and condolences to Shelley's husband Mike Farrell and their loved ones. Shelley was a darling woman, a lovely actress and a wonderful singer.”

In 1964, the two women collaborated for the first time on the Columbia Pictures surf drama Ride the Wild Surf, which also featured Susan Hart, Fabian, Tab Hunter, and Peter Brown. The film, which followed three surfers who travel to Oahu to test themselves against the enormous waves at Waimea Bay. Shelley portrayed Brie Matthews, Fabian's romantic interest, while Barbara portrayed the free-spirited Augie Poole.

Shelley's career went well beyond her time as The Donna Reed Show's teen hero. In addition to her appearance in Ride the Wild Surf, she co-starred with Elvis Presley in Girl Happy (1965), Spinout (1966), and Clambake (1967) in the mid-1960s, making her a familiar figure. Decades later, she had a remarkable run on Coach as part of her lengthy career in television.

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