While shopping in the Little Tokyo district of Los Angeles, McCarthy was discovered by talent agent Fred Ishimoto, which led to her film debut in the Jerry Lewis film The Geisha Boy (1958). In 1960, she appeared in the comedy film Wake Me When It's Over.
During a shopping excursion in the Japanese-American neighborhood of Los Angeles, McCarthy was discovered by talent agent Fred Ishimoto, which prompted her first film appearance in Jerry Lewis's The Geisha Boy (1958). A year later, she starred in the 1960 comedy Wake Me When It's Over.