[5] Howell entered the state level of the Miss USA beauty pageant, hoping to earn some money to support her work in an acting career.

[6] Howell's television debut occurred September 28, 1958, on Maverick[7] in the episode "Alias Bart Maverick," portraying a semi-regular character named "Cindy Lou Brown" who also appears in "Shady Deal at Sunny Acres" and "Passage to Fort Doom".

In 1959, she was cast as secretary "Melody Lee Mercer", a regular supporting role spanning 23 episodes, in the ABC/Warner Brothers crime drama Bourbon Street Beat.

Studio publicity at the time emphasized Howell's Louisiana roots, but the program was produced in Los Angeles.

Howell played "Cindy Lou Brown" in three episodes of Maverick and appeared once as a character named "Ladybird Forge" in an episode titled "Island in the Swamp" with James Garner and Edgar Buchanan.