Biography

Helen Eileen Beardsley (née Brandmeir, formerly North; April 5, 1930 – April 26, 2000) was the mother of a noted blended family of twenty children — eight by her first marriage to Richard North, ten stepchildren from her second husband Frank Beardsley, and two that she and Frank had during their marriage. She wrote a book, Who Gets the Drumstick?, about her blended family's experiences. The book was the basis for two motion pictures: the 1968 film, Yours, Mine and Ours, starring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda; and the 2005 remake, starring Rene Russo and Dennis Quaid.