Saturday, December 06, 2008

Beverly Garland, R. I. P.

Beverly Garland, versatile actress in film and TV, dies at 82 - Los Angeles Times: "Beverly Garland, whose long and varied acting career ranged from B-movie cult stardom in the 1950s portraying gutsy characters in movies such as 'Not of This Earth' and 'It Conquered the World' to playing Fred MacMurray's wife on the sitcom 'My Three Sons,' has died. She was 82.

Garland, who also was an involved owner of her namesake hotel in North Hollywood, died Friday evening after a lengthy illness at her Hollywood Hills home, said son-in-law Packy Smith."

4 comments:

Vince said...

I stayed in her North Hollywood hotel once. One TV channel showed a video bio of Beverly, hosted by the actor Joe Campanella, on a constant loop.

Anonymous said...

I stayed in her hotel in 1990 when it was "Beverly Garland's Howard Johnson's Motel", and then again in 1991 when it was "Beverly Garland's Holiday Inn". Same hotel, just a change in franchise.
There was a large portrait on the wall in the lobby, showing her with Fred MacMurray and the boys from "My Three Sons".

When I stayed there in 1990 I had just come from watching a taping of a sitcom, "Empty Nest", in which Eddie Bracken was guest-starring (Nov. 24, 1990, according to IMDB). As I walked up to the elevator at the hotel, there was Eddie Bracken and I said "Enjoyed your show tonight, Mr. Bracken", which surprised him. We had a pleasant conversation in the elevator and he asked me if I was "in the business". When I told him I was a computer programmer for Texaco, he mentioned that his grandson was a computer graphics programmer.

Didn't see Beverly Garland, though. I should have asked Mr. Bracken if she was a friend of his.

--Thomas Miller

Cap'n Bob said...

I liked her as the tough, trampy broad in so many movies.

Richard Moore said...

I loved her as the tough girl in so many B movies but also as the cop in the series Decoy. At the end of many episodes, Garland as police woman Casey Jones spoke directly to the audience. In some the breaking the third wall speech came in one take in the squad room just as other actors exited the scene. It was a surprising piece of business for 1957.

A good actress, Garland also was one very attractive woman.

Richard Moore