Gardner Mckay: Is My Adventures in Paradise

By Beverly Hoffman Erickson

This is a true story of television star Gardner McKay of the 1960s era. Gardner was born in New York City on June 10, 1932 and died on November 21, 2001. At the time of his death he was writing his own memoir and had become a famous author in his own right. Beverly wrote her memoir back in the 1960s and this is her journal.
The story starts in Venice, Florida on November 23, 2001 and then drifts back to the 1960s when Beverly is a teenager. She has fond memories of that time when she was very much in awe of the star of Adventures in Paradise. The series was produced by 20th Century Fox. The star of the show received over 1000 fan letters a week at the studio. It was very unusual at that time, as he was unknown in show business until then. His dog Pussycat also became a star, as he was written about in numerous movie magazines. Also many starlets were associated with the star that remained a bachelor until the 1980s.
When the Adventures in Paradise series ended, Gardner starred in a movie The Pleasure Seekers with Ann Margaret, Carol Lynley, Tony Franciosa, Pamela Tiffin, Andre Lawrence, Gene Tierney and Brian Keith. After that he went on to do summer stock in playhouses throughout the country. He starred in The Mousetrap, Bells Are Ringing, The Fantasticks, Any Wednesday, Funny Girl, and My Three Angels and perhaps more.
Beverly, the author, was able to see him perform in four plays in the Midwest. These plays were The Mousetrap, The Fantasticks, Any Wednesday (that even starred Loretta Swit) and Funny Girl. She kept a journal at that time (her teenage years) and did not open it until recently to write this book. The story was started some 40 years ago.
She writes with much emotion and tenderness about her celebrity idol, Mr. Gardner McKay. She is not alone in her feelings. He was a very talented and powerful figure. He was tall, 6ft. 5and built like a Greek god. Life Magazine said that he would launch a million sighs. Gardner was very intense with a very romantic voice that could melt just about anyone.
Her adventures begin May 9, 1965, Mothers Day at the Drury Lane Theatre in Evergreen Park, Illinois. Ashley Dickens a portrait artist for this book wrote, This is a lovely tribute to Gardner.a young girls memory of meeting her hero for the first time. The readers will share in the emotions as she sat in the theater; filled with anticipation; watching, and waiting for him to appear on the stagehow she felt as she actually got to speak with him and receive his autographthe thrill of actually bestowing him with a precious gift of herself, a gentle kiss placed lovingly upon his cheekand him, understanding and appreciating a fans caring, saying Thank you! It is a touching story, and I am sure that many, many young ladies of our generation will understand her feelings and enjoy reading it. It will bring back a lot of fond memories of the late 1950s and 1960s.
This book contains rare photographs of Gardner McKay, many never published before.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 12, 2009
• ISBN: 9781462807116

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Copyright © 2009 by Beverly Hoffman Erickson.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Contents

MY ADVENTURES IN PARADISE

MY ADVENTURES BEGIN

THE PLEASURE SEEKERS MOVIE

SEEING IS BELIEVING

THE SECOND TIME AROUND WITH GARDNER

THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM

FUNNY GIRL AND MY FINALE

THE 70’S AND 80’S

THE 90’S AND BEYOND

This book is dedicated to the many fans of Gardner McKay.

They will relate to this memory book.

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MY ADVENTURES IN PARADISE

I had just returned from my office job for the day and was exhausted. I had to relax, read the newspaper, and put away the food I left from work back in the refrigerator. It was a warm day again in Venice, Florida. I could hear my cockatoo, Todi, in the background, beckoning me into her room for her chest rub. The smell of my house was dusty from neglect of my housework since I started to work again after owning my own business and wanting the change. We had moved into a two-story house and moved out of our nice office in downtown Venice. But this was my fate. If I was going to earn a living and build up social security, I had to have a regular job and stop my creativity of writing and publishing books. Anyway, I was sitting in our family room trying to relax with my husband as he watched his favorite programs on our television set. The setting was November 23, 2001, almost 2 months after the United States 911 attack. My grandmother had just passed away in September on the 23rd. She lived to be 100 years old. Bless her heart. She was very alert even at the time of her passing; nothing senile there.

Then, I remembered. I had to call my mother to see how her day went. I had to see how she was surviving. She lived in an apartment she had shared with my grandmother, her mother. Grandmother was the mother of twins. My mother’s twin sister, my Aunt Betty, lived just a couple units away in the same apartment complex.

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The phone rang on her end. She picked up on the first ring. She said, I have bad news. Betty says she read in the paper this morning that she thinks Gardner McKay died. What? I said. This cannot be. Gardner just published his book Toyer and was doing so good. What could he have died from? She said, Well, I think he had cancer or something. We have saved the article for you.

I ended the phone call at that point, grabbed my newspaper, and headed for the obituaries. Sure enough, it was true. My hero had died. I told my husband, Gardner McKay has died. He knew how upset I would be, as we had been very excited about his success as an author, and had talked about going to Hawaii where he lived, and maybe being able to meet him again, perhaps at a book signing.

I called my mother back. She felt bad too, and said, I can’t believe I have outlived him, as I saw him as a young man in Chicago at the theatre. Nothing more could be said to console me.

I felt a lump swell in my throat. This was awful. Then, I felt a knife-like stab in my chest. My heart was broken. How could my hero leave so soon, when his writing career was going so great? He had just recorded his book; it was his voice. Could I even dare listen to it again without crying? I looked forward to reading more of his books. I looked forward to seeing more of his plays, perhaps in person. I had ordered Sea Marks and had viewed that on video, and took it over to my mother’s for her to view it too. She was amused by his humor, depicting the lead character, and being in love with the Irish girl.

Then, I thought of his family. His wife and granddaughter must be very upset. Nothing could compare to this; to me anyway. It was a great loss. That evening I settled into my bedroom staring at the ironing board, and the picture of him and his granddaughter Cheyenne on the flap of his book Toyer.

Later that evening, we went to Staples to pick up some supplies for my arts and crafts project for work. I told my husband, I don’t think I can write again. This has taken the energy right out of me. My husband Cliff remarked, That is ridiculous, Gardner would not want that. I said, But he does not know me from Adam anyway.

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MY ADVENTURES BEGIN

Speaking of Adam Troy, I loved to watch television. Let me begin. It was the 1955’s or so in South Bend, Indiana and I was only 5 years old. I came in from playing outside to watch Cheyenne on television. I could not miss an episode. The actor was drop-dead gorgeous. He was tall and handsome, and had a marvelous speaking voice. He rode a horse. His real name was Clint Walker.

I heard the phone pickup in the kitchen. My mother started dialing the rotor. The phone was bright red to match the kitchen counter. I think we have a big problem with Beverly. She likes men. She can’t take her eyes off the TV set while watching that cowboy show. Her tongue is even hanging out. Isn’t she too young to be noticing men? My mother was whining again to her twin sister, Betty.

I was puzzled. Why would my mother care? I did not understand. Was I in trouble over watching my favorite TV show? My father liked the westerns too. It was okay for him