The Lively Set presents an exclusive interview with Deborah Walley

Introduction: Deborah Walley

Despite her vast body of film work, Deborah Walley - who first appeared on the big screen as the lead in Gidget Goes Hawaiian - later referred to acting as her 'hobby'.

During her acting career, she worked with teen idols such as James Darren, Michael Callan, Frankie Avalon, Peter Fonda, Dwayne Hickman and, of course, Elvis Presley. Her costars also included such luminaries as Carl Reiner, Eddie Foy Jr, Peggy Cass, Fred MacMurray, Jane Wyman, Burl Ives, Dorothy McGuire, Eve Arden, Buster Keaton, Gale Gordon, Cesar Romero, Paul Lynde, Desi Arnaz and Kaye Ballard.

In fact, between 1961 and 1969 Deborah played leading roles in 13 major motion pictures, appeared as a guest on at least five top-rating television shows, and spent two years in her own hit tv series, The Mothers-in-Law.
Deborah went into semi-retirement in the 1970s and, while raising her children, developed a passion for writing.

During the 1990s and into the new millenium, Deborah was a writer/director with the Educational Theatre Company in LA, and ran the successful Imagination Playshops for children throughout the US and Australia.

She also worked as a writer for Disney Animation, and wrote and developed stories for Animation Camera, Rick Kear Productions, Sea World, Lasting Endearments, the Aesop Company, and her own organization, Swiftwind Productions.

In 1990 Deborah wrote and produced The Vision of Seeks-To-Hunt-Great, a short film that won four major film awards. Three year's later, she wrote her first children's novel, Grandfather's Good Medicine, and recently completed another book for children called Last of the Blues.

In 2001, Deborah was writing Conversations With The King, a book recounting what she referred to as her 'unique relationship with Elvis Presley ... not a children's book but ... definitely G rated'.

Sadly, Deborah lost her battle with cancer in May 2001. Only the previous December, she had spoken with The Lively Set about her work, Elvis, and her love for her fans.

***Read our exclusive interview***

Filmography
Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961)
Bon Voyage! (1962)
Summer Magic (1963)
Young Lovers (1964)
Sergeant Deadhead (1965)
Ski Party (1965)
Beach Blanket Bingo (1965)
Dr Goldfoot & the Bikini Maching (1965)
Spinout (1966)
The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966)
It's a Bikini World (1967)
The Bubble (1967)
The Severed Arm (1973)
Benji (1974)

Notable television appearance
Route 66 (1960)
Naked City (1960)
Wagon Train (1964)
The Mothers-In-Law (1967-69)
Gomer Pyle, USMC (1966)
The Virginian (1967)
Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1977)
Simon & Simon (1986)
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (3 voices) (1989)
Baywatch (1999)
Passions (1999)

Deborah Walley in CloseUp page 1

Deborah Walley in CloseUp page 2

CloseUp cover page

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