‘Old Yeller’ Star Beverly Washburn on Jack Benny, Tony Dow — and the Strange Trick She Used to Befriend Her Dog Costar
Beverly Washburn began her remarkable career modeling children’s clothes at age 4. By the time she was 16, she had appeared in over 500 films and television shows, from Old Yeller and Spider Baby to Star Trek, Gidget, The Streets of San Francisco, Leave It to Beaver and more.
“I went on countless auditions,” she told the crowd at the MidSouth Nostalgia Festival on June 5, 2025. “I never got anything because I had no experience. My older sister was an acrobat, and she performed at various veterans’ hospitals. I usually tagged along. At one of them, I met Jock Mahoney, who starred in Yancey Derringer. He was this big, handsome cowboy, and I was mesmerized by him.”
Beverly Washburn in a publicity photo for ‘The Lone Ranger.’
“Months later, I was at another audition, and as luck would have it, or fate, Jock Mahoney walked into the lobby,” Washburn continues. “He remembered me and went to the producer and raved about my work. Basically, he lied, they believed him and I got the role — a speaking part; and that opened the door for me.”
Beverly Washburn was quickly introduced to some of Hollywood’s biggest names — Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman in 1951’s Here Comes the Groom, Jimmy Stewart in 1952’s The Greatest Show on Earth, Kirk Douglas in 1953’s The Juggler, Danny Kaye in Hans Christian Anderson and Alan Ladd in Shane (1953), just to name a few.
Kirk Douglas and Beverly Washburn in 1953’s ‘The Juggler.’ Credit: Everett Collection
“I was so young, I didn’t know I was being directed by Cecil B. DeMille or George Stevens or Frank Capra. I didn’t realize how blessed I was until I was older.”
Among her many blessings, Beverly counts comedian Jack Benny in her top five.
“He was a joy to know and work with. The first time we worked together was back in the days of live TV around 1952. I was 8 or 9. We did this very funny bit; and it went without a hitch. After that, he kind of took me under his wing, and we became lifelong friends. I toured with him in 1970 doing an act called The Smithers Sisters. We were on the Hollywood Palace TV show. It was a wonderful experience.
“Later, when my daddy was very ill in the hospital, Jack sent over his own personal physician. And the beautiful part about that is he didn’t do it so they’d write about it in movie magazines. Nobody knew that he did that. He did it from his heart. He gave me a beautiful Saint Christopher medal that I still have engraved ‘To Beverly with love, Jack Benny.’ He was just the most generous, thoughtful, wonderful person. We were in touch right up until his death.”
Her Crush on Tony Dow
And then came Leave It to Beaver and fun on the studio lot.
“Along with every other teenage girl in America, I had a huge crush on Tony Dow, Wally on Leave It to Beaver. He was truly one of the sweetest people you would ever meet,” Beverly adds.
“I was doing an episode of One Step Beyond, and I discovered the Leave It to Beaver set was right next door. But there was a big sign on the door: DO NOT ENTER. Years before, I had done a series with Barbara Billingsley, who played June Cleaver. I told the guard that I had worked with her, and would it be possible to say hello? He let me in, and I got to see Barbara, who saw through my ruse and introduced me to Tony. And as it turned out, the casting director was on the set. He asked me to come in and read for a role. I did and I got that part. And Tony and I became friends for life. Fifty years later, he wrote the foreword for my book, Reel Tears.”
Behind the Scenes of Old Yeller
“I loved working on Old Yeller. That was one of the thrills for me because I’ve always been a huge animal lover. Most people don’t know Old Yeller was a rescue from the dog pound. We shot for three months. It was just so much fun, one of my favorite things I’ve ever done. One of the tricks I learned on set to get the puppy to kiss me was to put Gerber’s chicken-flavored baby food on my neck. It matched my skin color, so the camera never saw it.
“I had a crush on the star, Tommy Kirk. We went steady for a week. He gave me a very romantic ring. It was a skull and crossbones. As an adult, he lived in Las Vegas, where I have lived for almost 30 years. And he used to come to dinner all the time. We were very dear friends,” Washburn shares.
“There were only seven people in the whole movie. Sadly, I am the only one still alive. Yeah, I’m old [she’s only 81]. In fact, I was doing a Q&A several months ago, and somebody asked me if I ever worked with silent screen star Mary Pickford. OK, now I’m old, but I’m not THAT old!”
‘Lassie’ star Jon Provost poses with friend Beverly Washburn at MidSouth Nostalgia Festival. Credit: Laurie Jacobson
Beverly’s book, Reel Tears: The Beverly Washburn Story, is available on Amazon.
TV Westerns of the 50's & 60's
September 2021
’50s and ’60s TV Westerns roundup, celebrating the shows and stars of their golden age.
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