Beverly Garland (1926-2008)

biography

Born Beverly Fessenden in Santa Cruz, California on October 17, 1926, beautiful Beverly Garland sustained an amazing 50+ year career in Hollywood, starring in numerous cult-classic "B" films in the 1950s before switching to television and supporting roles in better pictures in the 1960s. Using her first husband's last name and billed as 'Beverly Campbell' in a few of her early film appearances, in 1949 she married actor Richard Garland and afterward used Garland as her professional name. However, the couple dissolved the union in 1953, at about the point that Beverly Garland's career kicked into high gear.

For the next six years, Garland worked hard, making more than 20 films and starring in the TV series Decoy, in which she portrayed a female undercover cop. Following her 1959 film The Alligator People, Garland cooled her film career and married businessman and developer Fillmore Crank. By the mid 1960s, Garland began making many television appearances and took roles in several successful series, including The Bing Crosby Show (1964-1965) and the final three seasons of My Three Sons (1960-1972).

Although audiences today largely recognize Garland from her prolific television work, cult film fanatics prize her horror and science fiction films from the 1950s. Her best horror and science fiction titles include It Conquered the World (1956; with Peter Graves and Lee Van Cleef), Not of This Earth (1957; with Paul Birch), and The Alligator People (1959; with Richard Crane and Lon Chaney Jr.). However, Garland was also known for starring in westerns, including Bitter Creek (1954; with Bill Elliott), Gunslinger (1956; with Allison Hayes), Badlands of Montana (1957; with Rex Reason), and The Saga of Hemp Brown (1958; with Rory Calhoun and Russell Johnson).

the films of beverly garland

Sudden Danger (1956)

It Conquered the World (1956)

Curucu, Beast of the Amazon (1956)

The Steel Jungle (1956)

Badlands of Montana (1957)

The Joker Is Wild (1957)

Naked Paradise (1957)

Not of This Earth (1957)

Decoy (1957-1958 TV Series)

The Saga of Hemp Brown (1958)

The Alligator People (1959)

The Bing Crosby Show (1964-1965 ABC TV Series)

later years

Beverly Garland maintained her acting career to through 2004, even with her ownership of the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn in Los Angeles, just a few blocks from the entrance of Universal Studios. Garland's hotel is also the Los Angeles site of Ray and Sharon Court's famed autograph conventions. In terms of acting, Garland had a recurring role on the WB's long-running family drama 7th Heaven (1996-2006), and her final film appearance was in Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure (2003; with Randy Quaid and Fred Willard). Sadly, Beverly Garland passed away on December 5, 2008, at the age of 82. She is survived by a daughter, a son, two stepsons, and a host of grandchildren.

beverly garland films available from movies unlimited

Decoy [DVD] DVD
Includes "First Arrest," "High Swing," "Saturday Lost," and "To Trap a Thief." 106 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
Decoy, Vol. 2 [DVD] DVD
Includes "The Comeback," "Tin Pan Payoff," "Ghost of Van Gogh," and "Blind Date." 106 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
Decoy, Vol. 3 [DVD] DVD
Includes "Night of Fire," "Cry Revenge," "The Sound of Tears," and "Night Light." 100 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
Decoy, Vol. 4 [DVD] DVD
Includes four episodes. 104 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
The Twilight Zone: The Definitive Edition: Season 1 [DVD](1959) DVD
All 36 episodes from the series's debut season--including "Where Is Everybody?," "One for the Angels," "Time Enough at Last," "The Hitch-Hiker," "The Fever," and "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"--are featured in a six-disc set. 15 1/2 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; audio commentary; unaired pilot; blooper; interviews; promos; book; more.
The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 6 [DVD] DVD
Two features and two shorts receive the MST3K treatment in a four-disc boxed set. The Satellite of Love gang learns more about South America than they ever wanted to know in "Assignment Venezuela"; a session of cinema "tor-CHA!" is in order with "Teenagers from Outer Space"; marvel at the musical androgyny that is "Mr. B Natural"; and watch Beverly Garland tame the Wild West in Roger Corman's "Gunslinger." 6 1/2 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
D.O.A. [DVD](1950) DVD
A masterpiece of low-budget "noir" cinema, with Edmond O'Brien as a businessman vacationing in San Francisco who learns he has been poisoned with a "luminous toxin" and has mere days to live. A desperate search for his own killer follows. Luther Adler, Neville Brand, Pamela Britton also star in director Rudolph Mate's classic thriller; score by Dimitri Tiomkin. 84 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Swamp Women [DVD](1955) DVD
Rough and tumble bayou actioner directed by Roger Corman about an undercover policewoman tagging along with trashy escapees from a woman's prison to track down a fortune in stolen jewels. Mike "Touch" Connors, Beverly Garland and Marie Windsor star. AKA: "Swamp Diamonds." 70 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 10.2 [DVD] DVD
Four-disc set includes "Swamp Diamonds," "The Giant Gila Monster," "Teen-Age Strangler," and "The Giant Spider Invasion." 6 2/3 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English; interview; music videos; outtakes; more.
The Alligator People [DVD](1959) DVD
When Beverly Garland's search for her missing husband in the Louisiana bayou ends with the discovery that he's the victim of a scientist whose limb-regeneration serum turns people into reptilian monsters, will she say "see ya later, alligator" to her scaly spouse? Classic low-budget chiller also stars Richard Crane, George Macready, and Lon Chaney, Jr. as a hook-handed Cajun. 74 min. Widescreen; theatrical trailer.
Fright (1956)/Stark Fear [DVD](1962) DVD
First, in "Fright," a woman believes that she was the lover of a 19th-century Austrian prince in a previous life whose romance ended in a suicide pact. As a psychiatrist tries to shock her out of her delusion, she is forced into a world of terror. AKA: "Spell of the Hypnotist." Nancy Malone, Eric Fleming star. Then, in "Stark Fear," Beverly Garland stars as a put-upon woman whose unemployed husband tortures her until she leaves him for her boss. With Skip Homeier, Kenneth Tobey. 162 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
Vincent Price: M-G-M Scream Legends Collection [DVD] DVD
Five-disc set includes "Tales of Terror," "Twice-Told Tales," "Witchfinder General," "The Abominable Dr. Phibes," "Dr. Phibes Rises Again," "Theater of Blood," "Madhouse" (1974), exclusive featurettes, and more.
Mannix: The First Season [DVD](1967) DVD
All 24 episodes from the first season--including "The Name Is Mannix," "Coffin for a Clown," "Then the Drink Takes the Man," "Run, Sheep, Run," and "The Girl in the Frame"--are featured in a six-disc set. 20 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; audio commentary on selected episodes; interview; TV spots; photo gallery; "The Mike Douglas Show" excerpt; bonus "Diagnosis: Murder" episode. **24 episodes on 6 discs. 20 hrs.**
Pretty Poison [DVD](1968) DVD
Unforgettable cult thriller stars Anthony Perkins as a mentally unstable arsonist who tells troubled high school student Tuesday Weld that he is a CIA agent in order to impress her. But when the pair begins dating, Weld shows how much of a "psycho" she is when she manipulates Perkins into satisfying her own evil desires. With Beverly Garland, John Randolph, Dick O'Neill. 89 min. Widescreen; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital stereo, Dolby Digital mono, Spanish Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: Spanish.
Where The Red Fern Grows [DVD](1974) DVD
In the Oklahoma Dust Bowl of the '30s, a young boy and his grandfather purchase a pair of hunting dogs and train them for a state coonhunting competition. Wonderful family adventure, with songs performed by Andy Williams, stars James Whitmore, Beverly Garland, Stewart Peterson. 98 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo. NOTE: This Title Is Out Of Print; Limit One Per Customer.
Airport Terminal Pack [DVD] DVD
All four entries in the action-packed disaster film series are available in a two-disc set. First, "Airport" (1970) mixes a blizzard, a bomb and a plane filled with passengers into a thrilling drama. Dean Martin, Burt Lancaster, Jacqueline Bisset, and George Kennedy star. A 747 and a small private plane collide in mid-air and now the pilotless jumbo jet is on a collision course with destruction in "Airport 1975" (1974), with Charlton Heston, Karen Black and Kennedy. "Airport '77" (1977) stars Jack Lemmon, James Stewart and Olivia de Havilland as passengers trapped in a jetliner that crashes in the Bermuda Triangle. And a ruthless businessman tries to blow up a goodwill U.S.-Soviet flight in "The Concorde: Airport '79" (1979). With Robert Wagner, Kennedy. 8 hrs. total. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: Spanish, French; theatrical trailers.
The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries: Season One [DVD](1977) DVD
All 14 episodes from the first season--including "The Mystery of the Haunted House," "The Mystery of Pirate's Cove," "The Mystery of the Fallen Angels," "Wipe Out," and "The Mystery of Jade Kwan Yin"--are featured in a two-disc set. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
Roller Boogie [DVD](1979) DVD
When was the last time you saw a good roller-disco movie musical? I mean a REALLY good roller-disco movie musical! If it's been a while, check out the freewheeling fun when Linda Blair, Jim Bray, Jimmy Van Patten and some plucky teens band together to keep nasty roller rink owner Mark Godard from shutting the place down. Get up and boogie! 104 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo Surround; Subtitles: English, Spanish, French; theatrical trailer.
7th Heaven: The Complete Second Season [DVD](1997) DVD
All 22 episodes from season two--including "Don't Take My Love Away," "Says Who?," "Stuck in the Middle with You," "Boyfriends," and "...and Girlfriends"--are included in a six-disc set. 16 1/2 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital Surround, French Dolby Digital stereo.
7th Heaven: Five Season Pack [DVD] DVD
Includes the complete first five seasons of "7th Heaven."
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman: The Complete Third Season [DVD](1995) DVD
All 22 episodes from the third season--including "When Irish Eyes Are Killing," "Don't Tug on Superman's Cape," "Ultra Woman," "Through a Glass, Darkly," and "Big Girls Don't Fly"--are featured in a six-disc set. 16 3/4 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital Surround stereo; Subtitles: French, Spanish; featurette.
Drive-In Movie Memories [DVD](2001) DVD
Remember the drive-in? Seeing a movie outdoors (while sitting inside or outside of your automobile) is a rare pleasure today, but this romantic, fun, and unusual way of filmgoing enjoyed tremendous popularity in decades past and is experiencing a comeback in modern America. Learn the entire history of the drive-in theater with this fascinating documentary, which includes special interviews with Leonard Maltin, Barry Corbin, Samuel Arkoff, and Joe Bob Briggs. 58 min. Soundtrack: English.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure [DVD](2003) DVD
The Griswolds' lovable country cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) takes center stage in this side-splitting sequel. When Eddie is bitten by a laboratory monkey, his lawsuit-fearing former employer decides to send the bumpkin on a South Pacific vacation. After getting stranded with his family on a remote tropical island, Eddie decides to seize the opportunity to prove his worth--with hilarious results. Miriam Flynn, Jake Thomas and Dana Barron star. AKA: "National Lampoon's Cousin Eddie's Christmas Vacation Lost." 83 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital Surround stereo; Subtitles: English, Spanish, French; outtakes; theatrical trailers.

beverly garland dvds available from amazon.com

beverly garland photos and posters available

filmography

FILM
Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure (2003) with Randy Quaid, Miriam Flynn, Eric Idle, Fred Willard, and Edward Asner
If (2003)
Blood Song (1995) with Ben Cross
Death Falls (1991) with Rip Torn
Finding the Way Home (1991) with George C. Scott
The World's Oldest Living Bridesmaid (1990) with Donna Mills
Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983) with Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner
This Girl for Hire (1983) with Bess Armstrong, Celeste Holm, Cliff De Young, Hermione Baddeley, Scott Brady, Howard Duff, and Jose Ferrer
Gamble on Love (1982)
It's My Turn (1980) with Jill Clayburgh, Michael Douglas, and Charles Grodin
Roller Boogie (1979) with Linda Blair, Roger Perry, and James Van Patten
Sixth and Main (1977) with Leslie Nielsen and Roddy McDowall
Airport 1975 (1974) with Charlton Heston, Karen Black, Dana Andrews, George Kennedy, Gloria Swanson, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Linda Blair, and Roy Thinnes
Where the Red Fern Grows (1974) with James Whitmore
The Mad Room (1969) with Stella Stevens and Shelley Winters
Pretty Poison (1968) with Anthony Perkins and Tuesday Weld
Twice-Told Tales (1963) with Vincent Price, Mari Blanchard, Sebastian Cabot, and Brett Halsey
Stark Fear (1961) with Skip Homeier and Kenneth Tobey
The Alligator People (1959) with Bruce Bennett, Richard Crane and Lon Chaney Jr.
Gundown at Sandoval (1959) with Tom Tryon
The Saga of Hemp Brown (1958) with Rory Calhoun, Russell Johnson, and Yvette Vickers
Chicago Confidential (1957) with Brian Keith and Elisha Cook Jr.
Badlands of Montana (1957) with Rex Reason
The Joker Is Wild (1957) with Frank Sinatra, Mitzi Gaynor, Jeanne Crain, Eddie Albert, and Jackie Coogan
Naked Paradise (1957) with Richard Denning
Not of This Earth (1957) with Paul Birch
It Conquered the World (1956) with Peter Graves and Lee Van Cleef. This film was featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000
Curucu, Beast of the Amazon (1956) with John Bromfield
The Go-Getter (1956) with Ray Collins
The Gunslinger (1956) with Allison Hayes, John Ireland, and Bruno VeSota. This film was featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000
The Steel Jungle (1956) with with Allison Hayes, Kenneth Tobey, and Gregory Walcott
New Orleans Uncensored (1955) with Arthur Franz and Michael Ansara; directed by William Castle
Sudden Danger (1955) with Lyle Talbot and Tom Drake
Swamp Women (1955) with Marie Windsor and Mike Connors. This film was featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000
Bitter Creek (1954) with Bill Elliot, Claude Akins, and Dabbs Greer
The Desperado (1954) with Lee Van Cleef, Wayne Morris, Dabbs Greer, and Richard Garland
Killer Leopard (1954) with Johnny Sheffield
The Miami Story (1954) with Barry Sullivan and Adele Jergens
The Rocket Man (1954) with Anne Francis, John Agar, Charles Coburn, and Spring Byington
The Glass Web (1953) with Edward G. Robinson, John Forsythe, Kathleen Hughes, Marcia Henderson, and Richard Denning
The Neanderthal Man (1953) with Robert Shayne and Richard Crane
Problem Girls (1953) with Mara Corday, Ross Elliot, and Joyce Jameson
Fearless Fagan (1952) with Janet Leigh, Keenan Wynn, Parley Baer, and Anthony Eisley
D.O.A. (1950) with Edmond O'Brien, Pamela Britton, Luther Adler, and Neville Brand

TELEVISION SERIES
7th Heaven, recurring role, 1997-2004
Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, recurring role, 1995-1997
Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983-1987)
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, syndicated TV series. Garland portrayed Cookie LaRue during the 1976-1977 season
My Three Sons (1969-1972) Tina Cole, who portrayed Garland's step-daughter-in-law on the show, is in real life Garland's step-daughter-in-law.
The Bing Crosby Show (1964-1965)
Decoy (1957) Garland portrayed Casey Jones, an undercover cop.
Mama Rosa (1950)

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
The Guardian, episode Indian Summer, originally aired October 30, 2001
The Simple Life, episode The Other Mother, originally aired June 17, 1998
Teen Angel, episode The Un-Natural, originally aired February 6, 1998
Teen Angel, episode Back to DePolo, originally aired January 30, 1998
Diagnosis Murder, episode Hard-Boiled Murder, originally aired February 13, 1997
Ellen, episode She Ain't Friendly, She's My Mother, originally aired November 8, 1995
Friends, episode The One with All the Poker, originally aired March 2, 1995
P.S.I. Luv U, episode Where There's a Will, There's a Dani, originally aired December 7, 1991
Crazy Like a Fox, episode Rosie, originally aired April 12, 1986
Finder of Lost Loves, episode Surrogates, originally aired March 16, 1985
Hotel, episode New Beginnings, originally aired January 23, 1985
Remington Steele, episode Sting of Steele, originally aired April 5, 1983
Matt Houston, episode The Good Doctor, originally aired December 12, 1982
(1982) TV episode .... Mrs. Chapman Remington Steele, episode Thou Shalt Not Steele, originally aired November 5, 1982
Magnum, P.I., episode Three Minus Two, originally aired April 1, 1982
Flamingo Road, episode Heatwave, originally aired January 19, 1982
Hart to Hart, episode The Hartbreak Kid, originally aired December 15, 1981
Trapper John, M.D., episodes Girl Under Glass: Parts 1 and 2, originally aired November 23 and November 30, 1980
Charlie's Angels, episode Cruising Angels, originally aired December 12, 1979
How the West Was Won, episode The Slavers, originally aired April 23, 1979
The Tony Randall Show, episode The Sylvia Needleman Experience, originally aired December 24, 1977
Lanigan's Rabbi, episode Say It Ain't So, Chief, originally aired April 17, 1977
The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, episode Mystery of the Fallen Angels, originally aired April 17, 1977
Switch, episode The Argonaut Special, originally aired October 12, 1976
Mary Tyler Moore, Lou Douses an Old Flame, originally aired November 15, 1975
Marcus Welby, M.D., episode To Live Another Day, originally aired October 14, 1975
Medical Center, episode The Invisible Wife, originally aired February 10, 1975
Kung Fu, episode Battle Hymn, originally aired February 8, 1975
Wide World Mystery, episode The Death Volley, originally aired January 27, 1975
Ironside, episode The Over-the-Hill Blues, originally aired December 5, 1974
Planet of the Apes, episode The Interrogation, originally aired November 15, 1974
Medical Center, episode The World's Balloon, originally aired March 25, 1974
Doc Elliot, episode A Small Hand of Friendship, originally aired February 6, 1974
Love, American Style, episode Love and the Big Top/Love and the Locksmith/Love and the Odd Couples/Love and the Unwedding, originally aired November 16, 1973
Mannix, episode Little Girl Lost, originally aired October 7, 1973
The New Perry Mason, episode The Case of the Prodigal Prophet, originally aired September 23, 1973
Cannon, episode Deadly Heritage, originally aired March 21, 1973
The Rookies, episode Three Hours to Kill, originally aired February 12, 1973
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law, episode Sometimes Tough Is Good, originally aired January 17, 1973
Temperatures Rising, episode RX: Love, originally aired November 14, 1972
The Mod Squad, episode Eyes of the Beholder, originally aired October 19, 1972
Marcus Welby, M.D., episode A Fragile Possession, originally aired September 12, 1972
Then Came Bronson, episode The Mary R, originally aired March 25, 1970
Gunsmoke, episode The Badge, originally aired February 2, 1970
Lancer, episode Devil's Blessing, originally aired April 22, 1969
The Wild Wild West, episode The Night of the Bleak Island, originally aired March 14, 1969
Gunsmoke, episode Time of the Jackals, originally aired January 13, 1969
The Mothers-In-Law, episode Jealousy Makes the Heart Grow Fonder, originally aired April 7, 1968
Mannix, episode Deadfall: Parts 1 and 2, originally aired January 20 and 27, 1968
Gunsmoke, episode The Victim, originally aired January 1, 1968
The Wild Wild West, episode The Night of the Cut-Throats, originally aired November 17, 1967
Judd for the Defense, episode The Deep End, originally aired September 15, 1967
Pistols 'n' Petticoats, episode Touch and Ross, originally aired November 5, 1966
The Loner, episode Incident in the Middle of Nowhere, originally aired February 19, 1966
Laredo, episode Lazyfoot, Where Are You?, originally aired September 16, 1965
A Man Called Shenandoah, episode The Onslaught, originally aired September 13, 1965
Kraft Suspense Theatre, episode Charlie, He Couldn't Kill a Fly, originally aired May 7, 1964
The Eleventh Hour, episode What Did She Mean by Good Luck?, originally aired November 13, 1963
The Farmer's Daughter, episode The Stand-In, originally aired November 1, 1963
The Fugitive, episode Smoke Screen, originally aired October 29, 1963
Gunsmoke, episode The Odyssey of Jubal Tanner, originally aired May 18, 1963
The Dakotas, episode The Chooser of the Slain, originally aired April 22, 1963
Sam Benedict, episode Image of a Toad, originally aired February 23, 1963
Rawhide, episode Incident of the Gallows Tree, originally aired February 22, 1963
Rawhide, episode Incident at Sugar Creek, originally aired November 23, 1962
Rawhide, episode Incident of the Roman Candles, originally aired September 25, 1959

beverly garland links

Beverly Garland's Holiday Inn Universal Studios Hollywood
Visit this web site for more information about Beverly Garland's hotel, the site of the Hollywood Collectors and Celebrities Show.

beverly garland film now showing

Watch Beverly Garland's campy 1955 film Swamp Women