Actress, voice-over artist, lecturer, and author of Reel Tears: The Beverly Washburn Story, Take Two

This week on Ira’s Everything Bagel Podcast, host Ira Sternberg sits down with Beverly Washburn, an accomplished actress, voice-over artist, lecturer, and author of Reel Tears: The Beverly Washburn Story, Take Two. In this cinematic episode, Beverly shares her fascinating experiences acting in iconic films, growing up in Hollywood, and her journey from child model to celebrated actress. Known as the girl who could cry on cue, Beverly discusses working with legendary actors and directors, her lifelong friendship with actor Tommy Kirk, and her memorable appearance on the “blooper” reel of Star Trek.

Beverly Washburn’s journey in the entertainment industry began at the tender age of four when she started modeling children’s clothes. This early exposure to the limelight paved the way for her future in acting. Beverly reminisces about how a major actor played a pivotal role in helping her land her first acting job, setting the stage for a successful career in Hollywood.

Beverly became known for her remarkable ability to cry on cue, a talent that earned her roles in various films and television shows. This unique skill set her apart from other child actors and showcased her emotional range and depth as an actress. Beverly’s ability to evoke genuine emotion contributed to her lasting impact in the entertainment industry.

Beverly Washburn’s filmography includes a host of iconic movies and television shows. She starred in Old Yeller, a film that remains a beloved classic to this day. Her role in this heartwarming story solidified her status as a talented actress capable of delivering powerful performances. For more details about Beverly Washburn’s movies and TV shows, visit her official website.

Throughout her career, Beverly had the opportunity to work with some of Hollywood’s most legendary actors and directors. She shares anecdotes from her time on set, highlighting the valuable lessons she learned and the friendships she formed. Beverly’s lifelong friendship with actor Tommy Kirk is a testament to the deep connections she made during her career.

Beverly Washburn made a memorable appearance on the original Star Trek series, an experience that left a lasting impression on fans and cast members alike. Her appearance on the show’s “blooper” reel added a touch of humor and humanity to her career. Beverly reflects on her time on Star Trek and the joy she found in being part of such an iconic series.

In her book, Reel Tears: The Beverly Washburn Story, Take Two, Beverly provides an in-depth look at her life and career. She shares personal stories, behind-the-scenes moments, and the highs and lows of growing up in Hollywood. The book is a heartfelt recounting of her experiences and a tribute to the people who influenced her journey. For more information about her book, visit Boomer Magazine.

Beverly Washburn’s career was not without its challenges. She discusses the difficulties of transitioning from child star to adult actress and the resilience required to navigate the ever-changing landscape of Hollywood. Her ability to adapt and persevere is a recurring theme in her story, illustrating the determination that has defined her career.

Beverly also opens up about her personal life, including her relationships and family. She shares insights into balancing her career with her personal commitments and the support she received from her loved ones. Beverly’s reflections offer a glimpse into the person behind the actress, adding depth to her captivating story.

Beverly Washburn remains active in engaging with her fans and the broader entertainment community. Through lectures, interviews, and personal appearances, she continues to share her experiences and wisdom. For fans interested in learning more about Beverly Washburn, you can connect with her through her official website and read more about her life and career on Boomer Magazine.

Beverly Washburn’s impact on Hollywood is evident in the lasting legacy of her work. Her performances in films like Old Yeller and her appearances on iconic television shows have left an indelible mark on the industry. Beverly’s dedication to her craft and her ability to connect with audiences have made her a cherished figure in the entertainment world.

As Beverly Washburn reflects on her career, she looks back with gratitude for the opportunities and experiences that shaped her life. Her story is a celebration of the magic of Hollywood and the power of perseverance. Beverly’s journey serves as an inspiration to aspiring actors and a reminder of the enduring allure of classic cinema.

This episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel Podcast provides an intimate look at the life and career of Beverly Washburn. From her early days as a child model to her iconic roles in Hollywood films and television shows, Beverly’s story is one of talent, resilience, and enduring charm. Tune in to hear Beverly Washburn share her experiences, the lessons she learned, and the remarkable journey that has defined her life.

For more engaging and insightful conversations, don’t forget to subscribe to Ira’s Everything Bagel Podcast. Stay connected with Beverly Washburn and explore her work through the links provided.

Beverly Washburn is an American actress known for her work in both television and film. She began her acting career as a child and gained recognition for her roles in various TV shows and movies during the 1950s and 1960s. Some of her notable performances include her roles in “Old Yeller” (1957) and “The Greatest Show on Earth” (1952). She has also appeared in numerous television series, including “Star Trek,” “The Loretta Young Show,” and “The New Loretta Young Show.”

As of 2024, Beverly Washburn was born on November 25, 1943. This makes her 80 years old.

There is no widely known information about Johnny Washburn being related to Beverly Washburn. Beverly Washburn’s family details are not extensively documented in public records, and there is no notable public figure named Johnny Washburn linked to her.

Beverly Washburn’s height is not widely documented in public records or readily available sources. Like many actors from earlier eras, detailed personal statistics were not always recorded or disclosed.

Beverly Washburn is best known for her roles as a child actress in the 1950s and 1960s. She gained fame for her role as Lisbeth Searcy in the Disney classic “Old Yeller” (1957) and her performance in “The Greatest Show on Earth” (1952). Additionally, she is recognized for her numerous guest appearances on popular television series, including an episode of “Star Trek” titled “The Deadly Years.” Her career spans various genres and showcases her versatility as an actress.

Ira: That’s where you got the onion to make the tears come at the supermarket.
Beverly: Well, you know, they have ways to make an actor cry if need be. The makeup person can, if they want your eyes to be welled up with tears, blow something weird into your eyes to make them water. And if they want tears to be coming down your face, they have something like glycerin, something thick in consistency that would show up on camera where they would put it in the corner of somebody’s eyes and the tears would fall. They have ways of making actors cry if they can’t, but for me, I always was able to cry.
Ira: Well, there was another way they made actors and actresses cry in those days, and that is for the director or the producer or the studio head to just say something awful to the child and cause tears to flow as well.
Beverly: Well, there’s a famous story, and I’d like to think it’s not even true, but there was a kid actor, and I believe it was Jackie Coogan or Jackie Cooper, and they wanted him to cry. As the story goes, they said that the director told him that his dog had been hit by a car, and that of course made him cry. I think that’s horrifying to do that to a child. I think it is not a nice thing to do, especially a little child. I’d like to think that’s not a true story, but it’s kind of a famous story that that’s how they got him to cry.
Ira: Just so you don’t feel bad, I also get Jackie Cooper and Jackie Coogan mixed up in my head. I had a guest on recently where I said one and I meant the other or vice versa, so that’s pretty common.
Beverly: I was referring to the law they passed in California; that’s the Jackie Coogan law.
Ira: Thank you. I think I said Jackie Cooper law, so I don’t mind admitting it when I’m wrong, which is so rare. Okay, never mind about that. So, of all the movies that you’ve performed in and television shows as well, I have to narrow you down to your favorite. It may not be because of the typical reason—meaning you enjoyed the cast, you enjoyed the impact the movie had. It may be just that to you, it meant something different than to others being in that film or television show. So, that’s a long way around to asking the question, what was your favorite movie or TV role?
Beverly: Honestly, it’s hard for me to pin that down because I feel so fortunate that I got to work with so many legends, so many big movie stars and directors. I was directed by Cecil B. DeMille and George Stevens and Frank Capra, although at the time I was so young, I didn’t have a clue as to who they were. Of course, “Old Yeller” stands out because, A, I’m a huge animal lover, and throughout working in “Old Yeller,” I became acquainted with Sharon Baird, who was one of the original Mouseketeers. She and I are best friends, and Tommy Kirk. Establishing those kinds of friendships and the fact that it’s lasted for decades, I’m extremely grateful for. Being on the Disney lot was always fun, and getting cast by Walt Disney meant the world to me. Working with Old Yeller—he was a rescue dog. His real name was Spike, and they got him out of an animal shelter. That was one of my favorites because when you do a feature film, typically you’ll work like three months, whereas a TV show, you can be in and out in one day or maybe four or five days. Like with “Star Trek,” that’s a favorite because it still lives on after all these years. I have to say the Trekkies and Trekkers are such loyal fans. They know every episode, they know every character, they even know your dialogue. I get fan mail from all over the world in reference to “Star Trek,” and I only did one episode, so that was really fun to do. And then, of course, “Spider Baby,” which has now become a cult film, is going crazy right now. It’s all over the internet; they’ve got all this “Spider Baby” merchandise. That was with Lon Chaney Jr., which was a thrill to work with him.
Ira: There was also Lon Chaney Sr. Can people contact you through your website?
Beverly: Not so much my website; it’s not hooked up, but I do have email because, as I know you’re aware, I write a monthly column for the Vegas Voice. So, my email is listed there. It’s [email protected]. The Vegas Voice is available online all over the world, so you just have to type in “The Vegas Voice,” and it will go directly to my column, which is called “Hollywood Memories.”
Ira: Are you still amazed about hearing from people all over the world about not necessarily a specific movie such as “Old Yeller,” but just your career and the fact that people know you from different aspects of your career?
Beverly: I’m flabbergasted, really. I mean, I’m not exactly a household name. People don’t really know who Beverly Washburn is, but typically, if I’m out and somebody will introduce me, they don’t have a clue who I am. But they might say, “Oh, she was the little girl in ‘Old Yeller,'” and then the person that I’m being introduced to will go, “That was you?” They don’t put it together. So, I’m just amazed when I get fan mail. Recently, I got one from Holland, from Hong Kong, from Slovenia, Germany. They’re all over the world, and it’s very touching and rewarding, and I’m so grateful that people take the time. I don’t feel like I’m a big deal. I’ve been blessed to have worked with a lot of people and be in some iconic films, but I’m not like a big famous person. So, when I get fan mail, it means a lot to me. It’s really gratifying, and I appreciate that people will take the time to write.
Ira: I mentioned in the introduction that among your other talents, you are a lecturer. So, when you are called upon to lecture, I would imagine it is at fan organizations or fan meetings, fan communities, various places like retirement homes, people that want to know the ins and outs of what happens. People aren’t always privy to what happens behind the scenes. I do a little show with Jay Negle, who is the host, and it’s called “Beverly Washburn’s Hollywood.” And then it says, “That was you?” with like a question mark and an exclamation point, because that’s typically the answer that I always seem to get when I’m introduced to somebody because they don’t put two and two together. Like I was in “Star Trek,” then “Old Yeller,” “Spider Baby,” and all these TV shows like “Wagon Train” and “Leave it to Beaver” and all that. As I said, I’m not a household name, and typically they’ll say, “That was you?”
Ira: I think if you want to be, in your words, a household name, maybe it should be Beverly iPad. What do you think?
Beverly: There you go. Yeah, I know. I’m not very good with anything technical.
Ira: You’re doing very well now.
Beverly: I can do that, but that was with your help.
Ira: No problem. I heard that your favorite adult female co-star was Loretta Young.
Beverly: Yes.
Ira: Tell us a little bit about Loretta Young, because a lot of people of a certain age have no idea who Loretta Young was. People of another age know exactly who Loretta Young was. Tell us your relationship with Loretta.
Beverly: Well, the demographics of people who do know people like that. I had somebody not know who Jack Benny was. I mean, in my eyes, he’s a legend; he’s an icon. I worked with Loretta Young several times, and I knew her throughout adulthood. She was just the dearest, sweetest lady. She was so beautiful inside and out. I talk about her a lot in my book because I did “The New Loretta Young Show,” which was the series. It’s out on DVD now, but her son, Christopher, changed the name from “The New Loretta Young Show” to “Christine’s Children.” I played one of her seven children, and she was just the dearest, sweetest lady. She was so beautiful inside and out, and I am just so honored that I was able to know her. She would invite me over to dinner when my husband was dying from cancer. She would call me and send me little gifts, like she sent me a little book on angels, a little crystal dove, and just thoughtful, sweet things like that. She was my mentor. I looked up to her, and I learned a lot from her.
Ira: Clearly, there was an age difference, but it just goes to show you that you can have a relationship with a person who is decades younger or older than you, and it still works because it’s a certain mind and emotional bond more than anything else.
Beverly: Yes, I feel so fortunate. I stayed in touch with Jack Benny up until the time of his passing. He was such a gent, so funny because he always played the stingy type, and he was anything but. He was generous, thoughtfulIra: …and thoughtful, and I sometimes have to pinch myself and think how fortunate I am to have these wonderful memories. That’s kind of what I talk about in my lecture series and also in my book and in my column “Hollywood Memories” in the Vegas Voice.
Beverly: With Jack Benny, the humor was in the pauses.
Ira: Yes.
Beverly: Nobody had his timing.
Ira: No, no, it was great. He could replicate any of the things. He didn’t even have to always have the punchline. He could just do that famous expression and with his hand on his cheek.
Beverly: The pause and the look, those were the two things for Jack Benny.
Ira: Right, and he learned it at an early age, right? Let’s talk about a guest who has been on the show and what you’ve done with him—Greg Oppenheimer. Tell us…
Beverly: Oh, I love Greg, yes.
Ira: His father, as you know, but maybe not all of your listeners know, his father was Jess Oppenheimer, who created “I Love Lucy,” a very famous, iconic man. Greg has such a fabulous sense of humor. He and I are involved in REPS, which is the Radio Enthusiasts of Puget Sound, and also SPERDVAC, which I always have to stop—it’s the Society to Preserve and Encourage Radio Drama, Variety, and Comedy. We do radio reenactments of old radio shows like “My Friend Irma” and a bunch of other shows. We have an audience, and it’s done in Seattle and also in Los Angeles. Greg typically goes there and directs most of the shows. He’s just a joy to work with. He’s the one who put up my little skit with Jack Benny where I come up out of the audience and ask for his autograph. Did you see that one, Ira?
Ira: I know of it; I haven’t seen it yet.
Beverly: Oh, did you? Yeah, I have him to thank for putting that up. I didn’t even know it was available because it was done live. Now they have the capability of like a little tape delay if something goes awry, but back in the days of live TV, it went on as you did it. There was no room for any errors. So it was a pretty funny skit, but you have to be in my age bracket to get any of the jokes because younger people wouldn’t get the skit. In fact, I was so young, I didn’t get it.
Ira: You were at the one end where you were too young to understand it, then you were in a period of time where you could understand it, but other people don’t understand it that way. That makes sense.
Beverly: Right.
Ira: What was, of all the parts that you played, the most embarrassing thing that happened on a set, whether it’s a movie set or a TV set, that you can recall and that would be funny that you would want to share?
Beverly: Well, I guess I talk about some of it in my book. I’m on the infamous blooper reel of “Star Trek.” It’s so funny because Trekkies—all the fans of “Star Trek”—they know everything. When I do the “Star Trek” conventions all over, and I’ve done a few of them, invariably they’ll come up to my table and laugh because they’re going, “You’re on the blooper reel.” I think, oh my God, I didn’t even know I’d make the blooper reel. I had forgotten my next line. So anyway, that was embarrassing, but fortunately, it was a really fun set, and everybody had a great sense of humor, so everybody laughed as opposed to, but you know, I was so mortified that I forgot my next line.
Ira: Were there any cases of pratfalls or bumping into furniture on the set or anything like that?
Beverly: No, something did happen, not to me but on a show. It wasn’t really funny, but it was not a good thing. It was a “Playhouse 90,” if you’re familiar with that show.
Ira: Yes.
Beverly: It was on CBS for many years. We did it live at CBS; it was 90 minutes.
Ira: That’s something when you think about it—to do a 90-minute show live and not have any problems.
Beverly: Yeah, and there was a problem. Fortunately, I’m grateful it wasn’t my problem, but it was sad because it was a very highly respected TV show. It had great ratings, and people knew of “Playhouse 90.” It was a good show.
Ira: Very prestigious.
Beverly: Very prestigious, yes. It was called “In Lonely Expectation,” and the show was about unwed mothers. We lived in a home, and each girl had their own storyline. One of the actresses on it, her storyline was that during the course of the show, she has the baby. So during the rehearsal, she came down with the baby, but of course, it was a doll wrapped in a blanket. She came downstairs, and she was wearing spiked high heels. The director said, “I don’t want you to wear those; it’s too dangerous because you could trip.” She said, “No, it helps me get into character.” He said, “Well, we’re not going to see your feet, so it’s not necessary.” She insisted, saying, “No, I have to wear these.” They went round and round, and he said, “No, you cannot wear those shoes; it’s too iffy. This is a live show.” She said, “I’m not going to trip.” Long story short, she said, “Okay, I won’t wear them.” So we did the dress rehearsal, and she wasn’t wearing them. Everything went great. Well, when we did the show, she came down the stairs, and she was wearing them even though she had said she wouldn’t. She did trip, and the doll went flying. This was a very prestigious show, as you said, and it was horrible. Luckily, the cameraman was quick and turned the camera away quickly, but it was still a couple of seconds too late, and it was horrible. I doubt that she ever even worked after that. Needless to say, the director was livid, and it was horrifying because they couldn’t go back and correct it. It was live.
Ira: Oh, yeah. Before I let you go, so we can end on an up note, what was the most enjoyable time you had on a set, either movie or TV?
Beverly: Oh gosh, so many, Ira. I’m so lucky to have been working with so many people. Working with Lou Costello on “Wagon Train” was a true joy. It was the only dramatic role that he ever did, and it was called “The Tobias Jones Story” on “Wagon Train.” That was fabulous because I was a big fan of his. Working, of course, on “Superman and the Mole Men” was terrific because I was so young; I thought he was really Superman. I don’t know, it just goes on and on. I got to work with Bing Crosby, and I’m just—it’s hard to really say which one was the best. I’m just grateful, so very grateful, to all the people that write to me and appreciate the things that I’ve done and thank me. I always say I feel it should be the other way around; I need to thank them because without people coming to autograph shows or writing or going to movies or watching TV, actors would have no reason to do anything. So, I think we all need to thank them.
Ira: Well, that’s a great way to leave it. My guest has been actress, voice-over artist, lecturer, and author of “Real Tears: The Beverly Washburn Story Take Two,” available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and all the usual places. For everything about Beverly Washburn, go to beverlywashburn.com. Beverly, thanks for being on the show.
Beverly: Oh, my pleasure, Ira. Thank you so, so much for inviting me. It’s been really fun talking with you, and thanks to all the people who are listening.
Ira: And join us every Thursday for a new smear on Ira’s Everything Bagel.