‘Bewitched’ star Erin Murphy recalls appearing in detergent commercial with future president Ronald Reagan
‘Bewitched’ star Erin Murphy recalls appearing in detergent commercial with future president Ronald Reagan
Tabor BrewsterSat, November 14, 2026 at 4:30 PM UTC
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Erin Murphy in 2026Credit: Robin L Marshall/GettyKey Points -
Bewitched star Erin Murphy recalled appearing alongside future president Ronald Reagan in a 1960s Borateem laundry detergent commercial.
Murphy joked that she was the only actress to perform “topless” with Reagan, as she was wearing just a diaper.
Shortly afterward, Murphy and her twin sister, Diane, landed the role of Tabitha Stephens on the hit sitcom Bewitched.
Just a few months before she and her twin sister were cast as Tabitha Stephens on Bewitched, Erin Murphy toddled across American television screens alongside a future president.
Murphy, now 62, explained on a recent episode of NPR’s Front Row Classics: A Hollywood Golden Age Podcast that one of her earliest acting gigs just so happened to be a 1965 Borateem detergent commercial alongside Ronald Reagan.
“I’m just toddling around in a diaper and Ronald Reagan is talking about how to keep your diapers clean, and ladies need to do their laundry and that kind of thing,” Murphy said.
The former child star explained that when she and her sister Diane were still learning to walk, their breakthrough came in the form of a comically large stroller.
“Back in the ’60s, when we were born, [our parents] got one of those huge double strollers for twins that they had back then,” Murphy said. “Everywhere they would go, people would come up to them and there’d be like casting directors and agents and people say, ‘Oh my gosh, you have beautiful babies, they should be on TV.’”
Erin Murphy, 2024.Credit: Paul Archuleta/Getty
Their parents eventually took the proposition seriously, and before long, the twin babies were starring in commercials like the detergent ad helmed by “The Gipper.”
By then a seasoned actor with movies such as Knute Rockne, All American (1940) and Bedtime for Bonzo (1951) under his belt, Reagan was a familiar face for many Americans. On television in the ’50s and ’60s, he hosted General Electric Theater, Death Valley Days, and guest-starred on the Western series Wagon Train.
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The Borateem spot was just one of many spokesperson roles for Reagan, who also promoted Chesterfield cigarettes, Royal Crown Cola, and General Electric appliances.
“I don’t know how you gals do it,” Reagan proclaims in the Borateem ad, his polished and folksy manner beaming through a green meadow. “There are over 65 laundry products you can use with your detergent. Some whiten, some brighten, some freshen, some soften. Confusing, isn’t it? And if you use several, it’s expensive. Or, you can save money by using only Borateem with your detergent.”
President Ronald Reagan, 1981Credit: Public Domain
Just a year before he lauded the dirt-destroying effects of Borateem alongside a tottering Murphy, Reagan had begun flirting with politics. His 1964 speech in support of Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater is widely considered the launching point of his political career, and he announced his run for governor of California in January 1966.
Murphy explained that while the commercial might have been at the tail end of Reagan’s career on screen, it was just the beginning of hers.
“It was right before [he entered politics],” Murphy said, before joking: “I had the distinction of being the only actress in history to perform topless with Ronald Reagan. Last time I was ever photographed topless, I should add.”
Erin Murphy in ‘Bewitched.’Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
She recalled that shortly after starring in the Borateem ad, she and her sister landed the role of the magically mischievous Tabitha in Bewitched when they were about 18 months old.
“They did this huge casting call, because right before Bewitched went to color — right before the third season — they wanted to expand the character of Tabitha,” Murphy said. “I brought color to Bewitched.”
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
