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Beginning her career as a talented child actress, Beverly Washburn worked alongside Hollywood's most popular actors and her list of favorites is long (see www.beverlywashburn.com). While she appeared in several "Wagon Train" episodes, her favorite was The Tobias Jones Story where Lou Costello plays a drunk accused of murder – a rare dramatic role for the comedian and one of his final acting appearances. "I was a big Abbott and Costello fan, so it was a thrill to work with Lou," said Washburn f...
"The Young and the Restless" star Eric Braeden has been playing character Victor Newman for 38 years and says it's been an amazing run. But he doesn't believe daytime drama actors always receive the recognition of their nighttime TV counterparts. "We shoot 100 to 120 pages a day," said Braeden, from Los Angeles. "Imagine what that means in terms of memorization. Actors in a weekly nighttime series would crap their pants if they had to do that! The most I ever learned was 62 pages of dialogue in...
Fifty years ago, The Seekers were a pop music sensation. Featuring members Athol Guy, Keith Potger, Bruce Woodley and lead vocalist Judith Durham, the Aussie group's pop-folk fusion proved popular in America and their hit, "Georgy Girl," was a nominee at the 1967 Oscar ceremony for 'Best Song' for the film of the same name, although it lost to "Born Free." The Seekers had burst onto the world music scene just two years earlier with their 1965 hit "I'll Never Find Another You," but Durham struggl...
From 1974 to 1984, TV audiences knew Marion Ross as the sitcom mom dispensing patience and wisdom during the 11-season run of the ABC hit series "Happy Days." But Marion's days were not entirely happy. In her March memoir, "My Days: Happy and Otherwise," her 'otherwise' reminiscences include a bad first marriage and the challenges confronting an actress and single working mother. Even her early years on "Happy Days" weren't always cheery thanks to TV hubby Tom Bosley. "Tom didn't particularly...
As one of the best-known child actors from the 1960s, Hayley Mills starred in a half-dozen Disney films including box-office hits "Pollyanna" and "The Parent Trap." Now in her early 70's, Mills continues to perform with a preference for theater work. "In January, I opened at the New York City Center on Stage II in the lovely Irish play called 'Party Face' by Isobel Mahon," Mills explained recently while preparing for an evening performance. "It's a sweet, funny, touching play. I knew...
Beginning in 1960 and for some three decades thereafter, Marlyn Mason appeared in almost 100 television series, earning the unofficial title of TV "Guest Star Queen." While her film roles were far fewer, fans of Elvis Presley movies remember the actress as Elvis's vivacious co-star in his next-to-last film, 1969's "The Trouble with Girls." However, Marlyn left Hollywood – literally – in the early 1990s. "When my Hollywood career came to a halt I moved to Oregon," said Mason from her home in Med...
Debby Boone's recording of "You Light up My Life" not only became a monster hit of 1977, but went on to become one of the most popular songs of the decade. "I have a hard time believing it's been 40 years," said Boone. The album of the same title released that year became certified platinum (1 million in sales in the U.S.), yet it was never released on CD when the new music format became popular in the 80s. "To celebrate its 40th anniversary we have just released the original album on CD for...
Starting out as an assistant director on "I Love Lucy" in the late 50s probably wasn't a bad introduction to Jay Sandrich's television career behind the camera. "I wrote a letter to Lucy's company (Desilu) and was invited for an interview," recalled Sandrich from Los Angeles. He was immediately offered the job despite possessing only a film degree from UCLA and a couple of years' experience working on army documentaries. "It was my first real job in the business," he said. "The only reason I...
The tragedies that befell singer Connie Francis throughout her life would challenge the most resilient of souls. Nevertheless, she navigated each dark, engulfing personal tunnel with unwavering tenacity, always eventually emerging aided by her sense of humor. "It never failed me and kept me going," she said from her home in Parkland, Florida. "From the age of 10, I worked on TV with many comedians like Don Rickles and developed a sense of humor." While her professional breakthrough came in the...
Off-screen, Valerie Harper has been an inspiration to many following her optimistic defiance to a well-publicized life-threatening medical diagnosis in 2013. The star of the hit 70s TV series "Rhoda" now brings her indomitable spirit to the big screen to hearten families dealing with Alzheimer's. Harper, Liz Torres, and Harmony Santana star in Susie Singer Carter's short film, "My Mom and the Girl." Based on Singer Carter's own mother's battle with Alzheimer's, the writer, director and...
For over 50 years, L.Q. Jones was a familiar supporting character actor in some 100 films and hundreds more television shows. Lanky, tough and athletic, he could tackle any role although was often cast as the 'heavy' in westerns and dramas, projecting the 'bad guy' image with merely a sinister smirk or a menacing twinkle in the eye. Jones turned 90 on Aug. 19, and two days later hosted a showing of "The Wild Bunch" at Grauman's (now the TCL) Chinese Theatre. Born and raised in Texas as Justus...
The list of actors with whom Barbara Rush shared the big screen is impressive. "I did work with a lot of interesting and talented men," said Ms. Rush from Los Angeles. "And actresses, too, such as Jane Wyman. I found the nicest people were actually the biggest stars because they were all so gracious and helpful." Just considering 1958's "The Young Lions," she worked alongside Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift and Dean Martin. "It was a serious war film, but Dean still made me laugh – a lovely m...
Whether singing her own words or those of others, the sublime vocal talent of pop/folk singer Judy Collins has been drawing audiences for over 50 years. But it almost never happened. "I contracted polio as a child and later tuberculosis when I was in my early 20s," recalled Collins from her home in New York. "My school teachers told me I was suffering from growing pains but when I was around 11 and the pain became severe, I went to the doctor who said I had polio. Of course, there was an...
Best known for her roles in musical theater, Tony-nominated actress and singer Susan Watson released a collection of 14 Broadway and jazz standards on her CD "The Music Never Ends" last fall. "Some of these tracks I had sung earlier in my career and others I had always heard and loved, and just wanted to get them recorded," said Watson from her home in Sherman Oaks, California (see www.susanwatsonmusic.com). As an added bonus, says Watson, six of the songwriters on the CD were women well into th...
We all use the wrong word occasionally – "that skinny dog looks emancipated" – but comedian Norm Crosby molded a career from such humorous grammatical gaffes known as malaprops. "Although I had a good job as an advertising manager for a shoe company in Boston, I liked to fool around with comedy," said Crosby from his home in Los Angeles. It was the 1950s, and Crosby began visiting small, local bars and clubs on weekends to try his hand at standup. "I would watch the Ed Sullivan show and borrow a...
Known for his trademark salutation, "Hello Dere," his bug-eyed comic stare and wild Brillo-pad hair, veteran comedian Marty Allen is still making audiences laugh. "I get up in the morning and the only thing that doesn't hurt is my pajamas," joked Allen, who turned 95 in March, from his home in Las Vegas. A veteran of six decades in the entertainment industry, in 1957 the Pittsburgh-raised comedian teamed up with handsome lounge crooner Steve Rossi, who became his "straight man." The union produc...
Don't expect Ed Asner's name to fade from casting lists anytime soon. With a variety of current and upcoming projects, 87-year-old Asner remains as busy and versatile as ever. It's a trend that follows a lifetime of dedication to his craft, playing bishops, doctors, judges, cops, cowboys, professors, villains and hundreds more film, television and stage characters and voice roles. "When I came out to Hollywood in 1961, I was determined not to be typecast," said Asner from his office in Los...
A couple of years ago, visitors to Carol Burnett's home might have observed the comedy legend glued to the TV set, binge-watching every episode of her old variety show. But it wasn't a case of extreme celebrity vanity sweeping through the Burnett household. "I'd been getting calls from writers wanting to interview me about the show," said Ms. Burnett from Los Angeles. "So I thought, maybe I should write a definitive history of the 11 years I worked on 'The Carol Burnett Show' because, after all,...
On screen, she amused TV audiences as feisty nurse Maj. Margaret Houlihan for 11 seasons in the highly acclaimed late 70s/early 80s comedy war drama, M*A*S*H. But away from the cameras, Loretta Swit surrounded herself with paintbrushes and watercolors instead of scalpels and plasma. A collection of her paintings appears in "SWITHEART – The Watercolour Artistry & Animal Activism of Loretta Swit" (see www.SwitHeart.com). Published in January, SWITHEART is written by Mies Hora with the full s...
Drab, handbag-wielding TV character Gladys Ormphby never met a celebrity she didn't feel compelled to smack senseless at the slightest provocation. Short in both stature and patience, the feisty diminutive spinster's victims ̶ such as Dean Martin or Frank Sinatra ̶ were more likely to be paralyzed by laughter than fear. Portrayed by comedic actress Ruth Buzzi in the late 60s TV show "Laugh-In," Gladys soon found her way into the popular culture of the day, landing guest spots on other shows such...
Were you one of those kids who dashed home from school in the late 60s to catch the latest developments in the fantasy/horror TV serial "Dark Shadows"? When the show first aired on daytime television on June 27, 1966, Kathryn Leigh Scott was among the original cast of the landmark soap opera. Five years and 1,225 episodes later, Scott had left the series, but Lara Parker was on hand for the final episode. The actresses have been attending conventions and reunions all year to commemorate the show...
American audiences were introduced to British actress Stephanie Cole when she portrayed grumpy, sharp-witted Diana Trent, a resident of the Bayview Retirement Village in the 90s sitcom "Waiting for God." A decade later, Cole was back on U.S. Public Television playing a more congenial matriarchal character in another popular British comedy import, "Doc Martin." Turning 75 last month, Cole's current work schedule might be the envy of many actors. "I'm in two popular series ('Man Down' and 'Still...
There was a time when Burt Ward would leap dramatically across our TV screens in green shorts, beige tights and a gold cape masquerading weekly as 'Robin, the Boy Wonder,' one-half of the crime fighting Dynamic Duo in the popular television show "Batman," which first aired 50 years ago this year. Today, you'll find Burt more comfortable at home in jeans, rescuing dogs, although he hasn't abandoned the citizens of Gotham City entirely. "I was the Caped Crusader, but now I'm the Canine Crusader,"...
Two decades ago, Barbara Bain embarked on a mission many might have considered impossible: to convince children that books and reading could be fun. "I volunteered in a daycare and just started reading to the kids one day as we sat on the lawn," said Bain, who starred in the TV series "Mission: Impossible" and "Space: 1999." "They seemed to really enjoy it and were very responsive." The actress soon recognized the potential of her simple act of kindness. "I thought of all my acting colleagues in...
One of the hottest actresses to emerge from the 1970s has been appearing around the country in recent years presenting her stage show, "More than a Bionic Woman: An Evening with Lindsay Wagner." In August, Lindsay will be in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. (See www.lindsaywagnerinternational.com for details.) "I'll be sharing anecdotes and stories from behind the scenes in my career, and showing clips and photos from my personal collection," said Wagner from her California home. "So it should be a...
