1956, with Sharrie Williams, author of The Maybelline Story

Just middle class little kids in 1956, we had no idea our great uncle Tom Lyle Williams, was involved with such high profile stars that year.  We still believed in the Easter Bunny, colored Easter Eggs, and hoped for Baskets, filled to the breaking point, with Chocolate See's candy.

Sharrie, holding a stuffed Easter Bunny,  Donna and Billee Williams, Easter, 1956.


As children, we were quite sheltered, in Parochial  school, living average lives within our family and playing in the backyard.  At the same time, Maybelline commercials were being shown on all the network stations and our parents went bonkers every time one came on the TV.

That year uncle Lyle, as we called him, was involved  with The Princess Grace, Prince Rainier lll, Wedding, The Miss America Contest, Chuck Berry's single, Maybellene, The Perry Como Show, The Loretta Young Show, and Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher's splash in all the movie magazines.  But for us kids and all our cousins, it was playing as usual, and waiting for the Easter Bunny to bring us live bunnies, chicks and Easter Eggs.

Read all about my life, in the 1950's, in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.

Maybelline's Debbie Reynolds and her daughter Carrie Fisher will be loved forever

Debbie Reynold's with Maybelline founder, Tom Lyle Williams, (on the right,) Arnold Anderson (on the left,) and Sparky the dog.  Photo taken at TL's home in Bel Air California, 1950.

Married in 1955, Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, known as the perfect couple.  Both equally famous, they were the couple..... to wanna be.

 Hollywood's Prince and Princess, expecting their first child....This was the stuff fairy tales were made of. 

 A 1956,  Maybelline ad, appeared in movie magazines, the same time Debbie and Eddie were expecting their first child, Carrie Fisher.

Goodbye Debbie and Carrie you will be greatly missed RIP.
Read more about Debbie Reynolds the day she visited Tom Lyle and Arnold in Bel Air for a photo shoot, in..... The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.

THE PERRY COMO SHOW, SPONSORED BY MAYBELLINE IN 1956.

1956, was a banner year for Maybelline.....

  It Sponsored the Grace Kelly,

Prince Prince Rainier lll, Wedding,

The Miss America Contest, The Perry Como Show and Chuck Berry came out with the hit single, Maybellene,

 This is from his Saturday night show in the late '50s. "THE PERRY COMO SHOW," which had several sponsors during the hour- including, Maybelline and Polaroid.

On September 15, 1956, the season premiere of The Perry Como Show was broadcast from NBC's new color television studios at the New York Ziegfeld Theatre, making it one of the first weekly color TV shows. In addition to this season premiere as a color television show, there was also a royal visit from Prince Rainier of Monaco and his bride of six months, Grace Kelly.

Perry Como with Eddie Fisher - 1956, Perry Como and Eddie Fisher team up to sing "Maybe" in this 1956 clip.. Forty years later, Maybelline New York, would coin the phrase, "Maybe She's Born With It, Maybe It's Maybelline.

The Perry Como Show, telecast, one of the first, special effect, Maybelline commercials, depicting a "before and after" technique..... transforming, plain eyes, into glamorous, sparkling Maybelline eyes.  This was magic in 1956.  Also Maybelline's, Good Housekeeping seal of approval. represented purity and made it acceptable for family TV.

Read all about Maybelline's television sponsorship, in the 1950's, in my book, The Maybelline Story.