And yes Ellie was much nicer--far nicer--than Helen Crump. One of the mysteries of the show is how Andy bypassed all these sweet and pretty young ladies (Ellie, Peggy, three or four county nurses) to end up with a shrew like Crump.
I know what it is like growing up with an overbearing Mother, which is why I felt for Sprague. I used to love watching Helen get jealous when those fun girls came around. Those fun girls reminded me of many groupies that I knew from my broadcasting days!!!
I thought Helen was adorable.