Beverly Tyler

Beverly Jean Saul, born on July 5, 1927, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, was a modestly known actress and singer who appeared in films and on stage during the 1940s and 1950s. Her mother, a secretary, arranged for her to take piano and music lessons, while her father worked for a typewriter company. As a teenager, Beverly made her singing debut on radio. She moved to Hollywood with her mother and was signed by MGM at age 14, making her film debut with a small role in *The Youngest Profession* (1943) under her real name. Shortly after, she was given the stage name "Beverly Tyler." Her career showed some progress after appearing opposite Tom Drake in *The Green Years* (1946) and Peter Lawford in the comedy *My Brother Talks to Horses* (1947), but she then experienced a period of inactivity.

Despite a brief singing role in *Best Foot Forward* (1943), Beverly was not promoted into musicals by MGM or other studios, although she did test for the role of Kathryn Grayson in *That Midnight Kiss* (1949), which starred Mario Lanza. She performed in the short-lived Broadway musical *The Firebrand of Florence* in 1945 and in *Miss Liberty* in Los Angeles in 1950. She also appeared on television variety shows such as *Cavalcade of Stars* and *Shower of Stars*. Beverly returned to film in 1950 with roles in *The Fireball* and *The Palomino*, both starring Mickey Rooney. Most of her subsequent roles cast her as a kind-hearted love interest in westerns such as *The Battle at Apache Pass* (1952) and *The Cimarron Kid* (1952). Her film career, which produced only a handful of pictures, effectively ended with *Voodoo Island* (1957) and *Hong Kong Confidential* (1958). Hollywood did little to fully utilize her talents.

Beverly dated several actors, including Tom Drake, Peter Lawford, Audie Murphy, Mickey Rooney, and Rory Calhoun, but did not marry until 1962, when she wed comedy writer and director Jim Jordan, Jr., son of the radio duo "Fibber McGee & Molly." She retired from acting soon after and gave birth to a son. The couple moved to Reno, Nevada, in 1972, where Beverly participated in a few local theater productions. Her husband later became a real estate developer. Beverly died on November 23, 2005, at age 78 from a pulmonary embolism. She was survived by her son, James W. Jordan, and three step-daughters.