Yvonne Lime Fedderson, who starred in the exploitation films Dragstrip Riot and High School Hellcats and played Michael Landon’s girlfriend in I Was a Teenage Werewolf, all for American International Pictures in the 1950s, died Friday. She was 90.
Her death from natural causes at her home in Paradise Valley, Arizona, was announced by Childhelp, the nonprofit organization dedicated to helping abused, neglected and at-risk kids that she co-founded in 1959 with fellow actress Sara O’Meara.
“Yvonne was my dearest friend and my partner in this mission for more than six decades,” O’Meara said in a statement. “Her compassion, strength and belief in the power of love shaped Childhelp from its earliest days. I will forever be grateful for the life we built together in service to children.”
The women first met when they were on ABC’s The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
As Yvonne Lime, she appeared in the Burt Lancaster-starring The Rainmaker (1956) as Snookie Maguire, a woman who draws the interest of Earl Holliman’s Jim Curry, and she recurred on Father Knows Best as Dottie Snow, a good friend of Elinor Donahue’s Betty Anderson; she showed up on 14 episodes of that CBS/NBC show from 1956-60.
She retired from acting after marrying TV producer Don Fedderson (The Millionaire, My Three Sons, Family Affair, The Betty White Show) in 1969. After his death in 1994, she served for more than 30 years as president and CEO of Don Fedderson Productions, managing the rights to his shows.
The daughter of a music teacher, Yvonne Glee Lime was born on April 7, 1935, in Glendale, California. While appearing in a Pasadena Playhouse production of Eugene O’Neill’s Ah, Wilderness!, she was spotted by an agent, launching her career.
In addition to Father Knows Best and The Rainmaker, she also showed up on episodes of The Millionaire, December Bride, West Point and The Adventures of Jim Bowie in 1956.
The next year, she played Arlene Logan in the cult horror film I Was a Teenage Werewolf, then received top billing in Dragstrip Riot and High School Hellcats, both released in 1958, and 1959’s Speed Crazy.
She and Ronnie Burns played a young couple who run a motel in Palm Springs on the 1960-61 NBC Happy (that’s the name of their baby, whose thoughts were spoken by an off-camera voice).
His résumé also included the 1957 films Untamed Youth and Elvis Presley’s Loving You and such TV series as The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Bat Masterson, Dragnet, The Bill Dana Show, The Andy Griffith Show and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
While on a USO Goodwill Tour in Japan, she and O’Meara became concerned with the plight of orphans and took the first steps toward founding what was then called International Orphans Inc.
Originally established to support kids in post-typhoon Japan, the organization evolved into Childhelp; today, it operates programs and services nationwide and has helped more than 14 million youngsters and families affected by abuse and neglect.
Yvonne Fedderson (left) and Sara O’Meara co-founded what is now known as Childhelp in 1959.
Courtesy of Childhelp
As president and vice-chairman, Fedderson was instrumental in building a national network of chapters and auxiliaries, inspiring thousands of volunteers and expanding programs such as the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline and the Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe prevention curriculum.
She and O’Meara co-wrote the 2003 book Silence Broken: Moving From a Loss of Innocence to a World of Healing and Love, and that became the 2006 Lifetime telefilm For the Love of a Child, starring Teri Polo as Yvonne and Peri Gilpin as Sara.
Childhelp celebrity ambassadors Kathie Lee Gifford and John Stamos paid tribute to Fedderson.
“Our precious Yvonne lived a life overflowing with extraordinary purpose and grace,” said Gifford. “Her beautiful smile lit up every room, but it was her hurting heart for children that truly illuminated the world. She believed in the depths of her soul in hope and healing, and God’s promise always wins. I am forever grateful to have known her and loved her as my treasured friend. Our loss is heaven’s gain.”
Said Stamos: “Yvonne Fedderson led with love. Her smile, her warmth and her fierce unwavering dedication to protecting children left an imprint on my heart and on the world. Through Childhelp, she helped save and protect millions of children who never would have had a voice without her. That is not just a legacy, it is a living miracle.”
