Eventually, he began working as a merchant seaman and sailed to various parts of the world, including China, Japan, the Philippines and the Mediterranean.
While docked in Hawaii, he worked on a pineapple plantation, acted at the community theatre and sang on a local radio program.
He also played a plantation owner in Band of Angels (1957) starring Clark Gable, Sidney Poitier and Yvonne De Carlo.
In The Beverly Hillbillies, Nancy Kulp portrayed Bailey's ever loyal and by-the-book secretary, Miss Jane Hathaway.
Banker Drysdale managed the millions of dollars in oil money royalties in the bank account of country gentleman Jed Clampett (portrayed by Buddy Ebsen).
On occasions when Mr. Clampett was considering withdrawing all his funds and returning to the country (his home near Bug Tussle), the miserly Mr. Drysdale would often panic and desperately work to try keep the family (and their fortune) in Beverly Hills.
He made only two film appearances after the show's 1971 cancellation — the Disney features Herbie Rides Again (1974) and The Strongest Man in the World (1975) — before retiring in 1975 due to the effects of the disease.