Beverly Washburn

A poignant autobiography by child star Beverly Washburn who starred in Old Yeller. Washburn details her life as a child star and working with greats like Jack Benny, Kirk Douglas, Loretta Young,George Reeves, and a hilarious anecdote about Lone Ranger Clayton Moore. She mentioned Dan Duryea but didn't say much about him and I would have liked to have known more. She appeared on various television shows in the early days such as Leave It to Beaver. Washburn seemed to love being a child star and actress and did not appear to be forced into it by her parents. She had a loving family but the book does depict the problems of being a child star. Her family needed funds for an operation for her father and she got the courts to give her the funds in her trust for this operation. After her father passed away, her mother sold the house that Beverly had paid for and moved to Florida, leaving Beverly alone and with not much in the way of funds or job opportunities. Yet Beverly does not hold this against her. Her life has had more than its share of ups and downs but the book does show how you need to be prepared because when the work dries up in one field, you do need to be ready to change to take on other work. Washburn is a great writer and I read the book in about 2 1/2 hours. She relates an experience at the Memphis Film Festival. I met Washburn (and Troy Donahue) at that Festival and I must say that Washburn was a delight to talk with. I only wish I had been the person Washburn mentioned in the book to receive the kiss from Donahue. The book is well written and full of great photos. I recommend it to anyone interested in child stars or how the film business works.… (plus d'informations)