In her own words:  “My dream was to become a very small blonde movie star like Ida Lupino and those other women I saw up there on the screen.” Bea must have had this dream at an early age because by the time she was 12 years old, she towered over her classmates and had very dark hair. Feeling awkward in school she became the class clown. At this time in her life she was not planning on being a comedian, however, she did like to sing. Bea attended Blackstone College, a private religious school, at age 18 where she received intellectual and spiritual training. She was serious and intelligent, but not yet sure of where her future would take her. In later life some would say that Bea was a very private, introverted person. Which I can understand after hearing about her early life. She did not really start out as a funny, outgoing girl.

At the beginning of her entertainment career, Bea tried to become a “Lounge Singer”. But her overbearing presence really did not fit the mold. However, by 1947 she had begun to get parts while in a workshop and made her theater debut as a member of the speaking chorus in ‘The Dog Beneath the Skin’ at the ‘Cherry Lane Theatre, with JeSrry Stiller. She was on her way folks, on her way to becoming a tall, dark-haired, deep-voiced, beauty on Broadway, off-Broadway, into starring roles on Television.

There is so much more to Bea’s life as an entertainer. I am trying to write bits about her here on this site, but not too much, as I am writing a book on the TV sitcom, Maude. Plus that I am also trying to catch up with the changes made at WordPress. Today I wound up with four separate “boxes” as paragraphs! How I got there, I do not know. Thank goodness I enjoy posting and sharing about my book writing journey.

Next post will be all about my first book signing for my book titled The Jeffersons A fresh look back featuring episodic insights, interviews, a peek behind-the-scenes, and photos.

Thanks, for stopping by 🙂

Don’t forget to get your Christmas gifts – both of these can be found on Amazon: