"THE INTERVIEW" WITH BARBARA LEIGH (CONCLUSION)

Barbara Today!

Still "The Girl" We Flipped Over!

Barbara with her son, Gerry Haynes

(1964-1994)

Manning: You are a survivor. You made that decision to change your life. And one of the things I wanted to ask you about is very hard. On my BLOG site I have readers who are young parents that I feel will empathize with you and benefit from what you have to share about your late son, Gerry and your philanthropy with The Aids Health Foundation?

-

Leigh: I'll just tell you a just little bit about my son because I have a lot of guilt there. I didn't really raise him for a great majority of his childhood, and I'm sure that came from my mother not raising me. I was 17 when I had him and 19 when I divorced his father. He went to live with his father because he needed that male guidance. I felt that influence was so important at that time in his life. But he always wanted to live with me. So, it is very hard for me to discuss at length and I'm sure that mothers who will be reading this will understand. Whenever I speak at The National Graves Foundation and I start talking about my son, I break down.

-

Manning: I'm so sorry for your loss.

-

Leigh: Well, thank you. He was just the sweetest, kindest person. And I'm not saying that just because he was my son. For example, he couldn't stand to see an animal hurt. He would cry. Once he saw a woman get hit by a car. Fire and Rescue came and transported her to a hospital. But he cried for days about that woman--he cared so much! And I could not convince him that she was okay and that she was being cared for. He would carry things inside him like that. He was gay and unfortunately that took his life. When he was diagnosed with AIDS, I started looking for organizations that could help him and The AIDS Health Foundation was the best. When he came out, they were really there for him. He died in the hospital and they were just beautiful with him. After he died, I donated all of the unused medicine back to the hospital. While he was sick he told me, "Mom, I want you to get a tree for the (hospital) lobby", because it looked so bare. So, that's what I did.

-

Manning: This is an Audio Book...and I must tell you...and anyone reading this interview. I went into this Audio Book with an open mind. I did not know at all what to expect. So, I would tell anyone who might be standing next to me in line at the bookstore check out area considering making a purchase, it's not your stereotypical 'kiss and tell all' book. It's not that way at all. It's a wonderful Audio Book I found. And you made two statements Barbara, that frankly, just floored me. First, you said that getting an education is so critical for young people. And I heard that and my mind raced back to the news reports about how many kids are dropping out of high school!

-

Leigh: Yes, that's right. It's very serious!

-

Manning: How did you arrive at this conclusion?

-

Leigh: In my own life, it started with traveling. I went to all of these great countries---I'll use Israel as one example. You would go into the Museum in Jerusalem and you see the Dead Scrolls, and you see the Jewish people. That experience heightened my interest in the Jewish community and The Bible. Every step you take in Israel is a sacred step! These are Biblical, historical steps. Then when I went to Paris and attended the Great Museum that too was an experience that was unforgettable. Peter's four daughters all traveled to Europe every since they were kids. They were so cultured and I saw first-hand how this really led them to develop their minds and later in life they were able to make such sound decisions. This really convinced me that people should take their children to museums and explore great exhibits and travel as much as they can. Of course, not everybody can afford to travel to Europe. But parents can take their children to wonderful places of historical note here in the United States and discover what this great country is all about! And if they can't afford to do that, then they can make use of books and videos and really gain a sense of all there is to take in. When people earn a Bachelors degree, a Masters or a Ph.D., they acquire a phenomenal amount of knowledge to make wiser decisions. The kids who drop out of school and opt to make quick money are losing out on so much! Sadly, not everybody has that opportunity. I wish that I had the benefit of having had that kind of opportunity when I was a kid. Frankly, I could have benefited from making wiser and better decisions when I was younger.

-

Manning: That goes to your second statement in the Audio Book that was just so amazing for me to hear. And that is the fact that you are making wiser and better decisions in your life today, and you spoke at length about that process earlier. But shifting gears for just a moment, I would be remiss if I didn't ask you about your personal observations about women in film today who are over the age of 40. They aren't getting roles, or if they are, the roles are very rare. I look at you today and you remain as striking as ever!

-

Leigh: Thank you!

-

Manning: Are you surprised that we seem to be hung up on stereotypes when it comes to age in society, or is this strictly limited to Hollywood and the attention we focus on celebrity?

-

Leigh: C'mon! Let's face it. When you're young, you photograph more beautifully. You don;t have the stress in your face that life or sadness or regret or disappointment has put on you. Those are the life experiences that show on our faces. As you get older, it doesn't matter how good you are, life is just life! The entertainment business is geared to youth because it looks better on the camera. Now, it's sad because in Europe they seem to appreciate the older woman. I think that they do here too. The leading lady roles are just not being written for women in their 40's or 50's. It seems like the emphasis is on the 20's and 30's. In France, they love their women in their 40's.

-

Manning: I didn't know that!

-

Leigh: Yes, that's really the business. When you have overweight women--which is apparent throughout most of America--it's not an unattractive thing if they're healthy. But it is a different image that the magazines try and push on people to stay 'stick thin' which is very difficult.-

Manning: I also noticed that you mention Gerry's love of pets. Anne Marie Lucas and Joseph Pentangelo have been my Guests here on "THE INTERVIEW". And I was delighted to see that you're a very active advocate for abandoned pets. How did this come about for you?

-

Leigh: I'll tell you how that came about. In New York, my husband bought me these wonderful Briard dogs and I loved them to death--we named them 'Bogie and Bacall'.

-

Manning: (mutual laughter)...

-

Leigh: I really just adored them. But after our marriage ended, a friend of mine who lived in Florida gave them a good home. While I was still in New York I decided to take a look in the local paper for a cat, because Peter never allowed me to have a kitten because he was allergic to them. I acquired this little black powder-puff of a kitten called 'Bear' and his name really suited him. He was this adorable little guy that was this little black fluff ball. Then when I moved back to Los Angeles into the very building where my best girlfriend had moved into in 1979, I began to notice all of these animals in the neighborhood. After I went to work for Celebrity Properties, there was The Beverly Hills Recycling Facility, and I noticed there were pets running around and looking just pitiful! My friend and I built this little house...

-

Manning: ...Sort of an outdoor house for the pets?

-

Leigh: Yes. And we carried the house over to the parking lot behind the Beverly Hills Animal Hospital. I started feeding these animals and trapping them so that I could get them to the care they needed and then find them homes. I did this for ten years.

-

Manning: Oh, man! Ten years?

-

Leigh: Ten years, Michael and all with my own money too. Then on top of that, I do my daily neighborhood rescue. There are about 12 cats that I take care of everyday and some that come around at night. In these times with foreclosures, as you know, people are just so desperate!

-

Manning: I've seen it, it's so sad...

-

Leigh: Well, it's shocking! Dogs haven't been able to get through my gates, thank God, because I'm sure they would have found their way to me. So, it's mostly been cats. But I've been finding them homes. We have Raccoons and all types of animals here in Hollywood, which is hysterical.

-

Manning: Well, Barbara it's just a Joy for me to visit with you and to see and hear all that you are doing with such a full life. You make a comment that "Success is when one takes chances in life".

-

Leigh: ...and responsibilities for the chances in life! The reason that I say that is because you have to be careful in this day and age with what's out there. But you also have to just get out there and take a chance sometime and do something that you really want to do. And if you fail, then don;t let it really get you down. Just pick yourself up and go to the next step, and something will happen.

-

Manning: You do say "The best years are still to come". Is it fair to say that you've been experiencing a resurgence in your career? Do you feel that? I've shown this Audio Book to my friends and they say "Oh, sure I recognize her!"

-

Leigh: Well, no I don't feel that. But the Vampirella character keeps me familiar in people's minds, and of course the movie "Junior Bonner" playing constantly helps because I certainly get a lot of e--mail from people who say "Oh, I loved you in 'Junior Bonner'. I remember when I was a kid".

-

Manning: Hmm, Sounds awfully familiar, I don't know about you! (mutual laughter)

-

Leigh: But today, I work with Playboy magazine. I've been there for twelve years. To have done a couple of layouts for them (1973 and 1977) and now to work with Playboy has been really wonderful. I really love Hef (Playboy founder, Hugh Hefner) a lot . I'd love to retire there at the company. It's a wonderful place.

-

Manning: Why don't we give out your website, Barbara? It's barbaraleigh.com...

-

Leigh: And people can write to me...excuse me, Michael. They can write to me on my Facebook and on My Space, I have a slide show of 108 pictures. I have some of my pets and a lot of people who are animal lovers will write and they appreciate that as much as I do hearing from them. These are new photos including my horse Cherokee which is not on my website. And I also feature some of the Vampirella covers.

-

Manning: Well, my dear you are still "the girl" and your personality is even sweeter. You're still a young lady and a beautiful lady and I wish you every good thing to come your way in life. This has really been fun and for me an Honor.

-

Leigh: Well, thank you for the opportunity, Michael. You know, I make one quote on Facebook where I say "Tomorrow is Great, but Today is Better!"

-

####