From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Joan Freeman (born January 8, 1942) is an American actress. Freeman was a child actor, having appeared in her first film in 1949 at the age of seven. In 1961-1962, she was a regular cast member, the young waitress Elma Gahrigner, in the ABC TV series Bus Stop with co-stars Marilyn Maxwell and Buddy Ebsen. In this early segment of her career Miss Freeman played the part of Marilyn Hayes in the doom and gloom classic film of 1962 called Panic in Year Zero! ...