Browsing along on Amazon.com, I came across a brand new book on the life of Elizabeth Montgomery, titled Twitch Upon a Star, by Herbie J. Pilato. I greatly admire Ms. Montgomery and have been a fan of hers since I first discovered her on Bewitched. But I was always more of a fan of her father’s, actor Robert Montgomery, who will always be the ultimate Joe Pendleton in Here Comes Mr. Jordan.
So I was reading the description of the book, which sounds most interesting, when I lighted upon this NUGGET:
“Based on author Herbie J Pilato’s exclusive interviews with Elizabeth Montgomery prior to her death in 1995 (from colon cancer), Twitch Upon A Star includes never-before published material and commentary from several individuals associated with her remarkable life and career before, during, and after Bewitched, including her classic feature films The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955), Who’s Been Sleeping In My Bed? (1963), and Johnny Cool (1963).
Two of Montgomery’s many popular TV movies, A Case of Rape (which remains one of the highest-rated TV-movies of all time) and The Legend of Lizzie Borden (which will soon be remade as a feature film), were groundbreaking and remain classics. But Twitch Upon a Star also goes behind the scenes to explore Montgomery’s political activism, including her early advocacy for AIDS research and the peace movement, support for the gay community, and participation as narrator of controversial 1988 feature film documentary Cover-Up, and its 1991 Oscar-winning sequel, The Panama Deception (both about the Iran/Contra scandal of the l980s). In addition, Montgomery had complicated relationships with her father, screen legend Robert Montgomery (she was a liberal; he was a staunch conservative), and four husbands (including actor Gig Young, who later died in a double murder/suicide). Still, to friends such as fellow performers Sally Kemp and Florence Henderson, Ronny Cox, and the Oscar-winning actor Cliff Robertson she was just Lizzie, down-to-earth and unaffected, just like Samantha the witch-with-a-twitch Stephens, her most famous role.”
This is news. Big news. Great news. Fabulous news. Finally, Hollywood is catching up to this story. I hope they do it right. Now let’s play casting agent and try to guess who they hire for the roles!
Abby Borden = Kathy Bates. That’s all I’ve got.
Check back for further details. And remember, you heard it here first!
