Elizabeth Montgomery & Our Gal Lizzie

[Denise_Noe]

My brief profile of Elizabeth Montgomery is here:
http://lizzieandrewborden.com/HatchetOn ... omery.html

What do Borden buffs think of it?
WAS Montgomery the right actress to bring Lizzie to life?
Is there a link between her playing Lizzie and her playing a witch?
Life is full of ironies and it seems there is something sweet here, something to be savored.

[TimeTraveler]

Yes Montgomery was a great actress to portray the evil Lizzie.

[patsy]

It was interesting to read the Hatchet article, Denise. And as of now I can't think of any other actor who may have played Lizzie better than Elizabeth Montgomery. That slight resemblance mentioned in the article counts for something. And I read somewhere that Elizabeth and Lizzie were distantly related, so if true she clinches it for me.

[patsy]

Hello and welcome, Time Traveler.

[twinsrwe]

I really enjoyed your essay on Elizabeth Montgomery when I first read it back in November/December of 2008. I re-read it again today, and found that I still think it is very well written, informative and by far the best movie ever made about the Borden murders. There are a couple of things that I didn’t know about her until I read your essay; for example, I didn’t know that she liked being called “Lizzie”. Another thing you mentioned is that Elizabeth Montgomery resembles Lizzie Borden. So, I did a bit of research and found the following photo, which I thinks tells us that the resemblance is true. Granted Elizabeth is thinner than Lizzie, but look at their eyes - uncannily similar:

18268094_294037331035640_5877509986334990391_n.jpg

I‘m really not at all surprised that those two women resemble each other, because Elizabeth Montgomery and Lizzie Borden were sixth cousins, once removed, both descending from 17th-century Massachusetts resident John Luther.
( Source: http://tinyurl.com/yd62zzld )

Given the fact that Elizabeth liked being called ‘Lizzie’, and that she and Lizzie Borden were sixth cousins, once removed, I really feel whoever picked the actors and actresses for the 1975 film did indeed pick the perfect actress to play Lizzie Borden. Perhaps it is because of their background history that Elizabeth Montgomery played the role of Lizzie Borden so well.

There are several movies/films about Lizzie Borden, but The Legend of Lizzie Borden, starring Elizabeth Montgomery has always been my favorite. I think this particular film is the most historically accurate in facts about the Borden murders, customs of that era and costumes of the time in spite of the fact that the character of Uncle John is missing. Was this film without error? Of course not, but at least it didn’t speculate unsubstantiated things such as Bridget and Lizzie being lovers.

For those who have not seen this film, here is a link to it: http://tinyurl.com/y9erz5g7

To answer the rest of your questions:

No, I don’t see a link between Elizabeth Montgomery playing Lizzie Borden and her playing a witch.

Yes, I do think there is something sweet there, that we should definitely savor. I don't know if Lizzie was aware of the fact that she was Lizzie's cousin, once removed, or not, when she played her in the film, but since we don't know, I'd like to think she did know, which would account for her outstanding performance in the film.

Something else of interest: The dress that Elizabeth Montgomery wore in the last scene of 1975 TV film "The Legend of Lizzie Borden", is displayed at the B&B on Second Street:

Costume that Elizabeth Montgomery wore in the TV film 'Legend of Lizzie Borden'.jpg

As a side note, I find it interesting that both Elizabeth Montgomery and Lizzie Borden died in their 60s. Elizabeth was 62, and Lizzie was 66. They were both died so young!

[TimeTraveler]

Hello and welcome, Time Traveler.

Thanx so much!!!