Elizabeth Montgomery & The Bewitched Cast

Elizabeth Montgomery

Agnes Moorehead

Marion Lorne

David White

Alice Pearce

Sandra Gould

George Tobias

Maurice Evans

Elizabeth Montgomery

April 15, 1933- May 18, 1995

She liked to be called “Lizzie,” and always claimed to be five years younger than she was. In fact, her brother would often tease her, because at some point, the older/younger sibling thing got switched. For the record, she was born in 1933.

According to her death certificate, she had colon cancer for years. How this figures into this story is a mystery, because by all accounts, it sounds like she had just found out. Out of the blue.

Lizzie was most famous as “Samantha” in the long running television show Bewitched. My favorite episodes were when she played cousin “Serena.” Wasn’t the Boyce and Hart Cosmos Cotillion episode the best?

After the series went off the air, she concentrated on television films, racking up a respectable number of them, including my favorite, The Legend of Lizzie Borden. (I don’t know why I tell you my favorites. Like you care.) In March of 1995, she was filming the CBS television film, Deadline for Murder. She thought she had the flu because she was always tired and losing weight. After the shoot was over, she checked in to Cedars Sinai Medical Center, and had exploratory surgery.

She was told (I guess) that her colon cancer was back. Shocked, Lizzie was too weak for radiation therapy, so she went home to rest and returned 4 days later. More surgery proved that the disease spread to her liver, and there was no hope. That must have sucked.

She went home to her house on Benedict Canyon.

Unfortunately, all the photographs I have of her house are only of the driveway. Steve and I did try to sneak a peek of the house once but a car was coming, and we freaked (It was after midnight. Whoops. We hopped Jimmy Stewart’s fence, instead). Her house was number 1230,

and she shared it with her partner of 20 years, Robert Foxworth.

They had met in 1974, on the set of another classic piece of television, Mrs. Sundance. Here’s the driveway.

I once wrote to her at this address. A photo from her. My sister told me that her signature looked like “Fabric Turnover.” I thought that was funny.

Lizzie normally weighed 122 pounds, but had wasted down to 82 pounds in the following weeks. On May 8th, she went back in to Cedars Sinai, dehydrated and malnourished. They treated her, kept her on painkillers, and discharged her on May 15th. She went home to die with dignity. The doctors ceased giving her all medication, except for morphine.

Supposedly, she made Foxworth promise that he would marry again. They embraced, and she drifted off, never to wake again. Elizabeth Montgomery died quietly, alone, on May 18th. She requested that her husband and her three children wait quietly in the living room. She didn’t want anyone to see her that way. Dunno if that’s all true, but it’s a classy ending, and she was a classy lady.

There was no funeral, and her body was cremated. Her ashes were given to her family. No one knows what was done with them.

A memorial service was held on June 18, 1995 at the Canon Theatre in Beverly Hills. Herbie Hancock provided the music, and Dominick Dunne spoke about their days together in New York when they were first starting out. Other speakers included Robert Foxworth, who read out sympathy cards from fans, her nurse, her brother, daughter and stepson. Amanda McBroom (Mcget it?) sang, and the entire service ended with the lights going down, and a beautiful shot of her on a video screen. Lizzie got a standing ovation.

She asked that any donations in her memory should be made to the William Holden Wildlife Association in Kenya, or the LA Zoo.

In June of 1999, there was an auction of her things in Beverly Hills. Her 1977 Bentley, with the license plate BENTLIZ, went for 15 grand. Wish I could have been there. I wouldn’t have bought it, I just wish I had been there.

On January 4, 2008 a star for Elizabeth Montgomery was unveiled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Her daughter (on the left) Rebecca, her son Billy Asher, holding his daughter and Robert Asher, his wife and 3 children.  Liz Sheridan was there, and told about a time when Elizabeth let her stay in the guest house in her salad days, and gave Liz her down payment for her first house.  She said when Liz paid Elizabeth back, she was so surprised, they went off to the racetrack to bet it.  Robert Foxworth also spoke, and mentioned that Elizabeth was shy and would rather be gardening than attend Hollywood events.

This story was put together with the help of my very good friend, and Find a Death buddy Steve Smith. Thanks so much Steve.

Trivia: Lizzie was nominated for an Emmy 9 times, but never won.

As for her co-stars on Bewitched, you can go elsewhere on Find a Death for the stories of the Dicks, Sargent and York. Lizzie had a great dick joke, that’s included in Sargent’s story.

Agnes Moorehead

December 6, 1900 – April 30, 1974

Agnes Moorehead played Sam’s mother Endora. She died of cancer on April 30th, 1974. Cancer. She worked on that John Wayne film where everyone got cancer. They filmed it in nuke land, Nevada.

This was her home on Roxbury Drive, in Beverly Hills.

The façade has changed a bit since she lived there, but the house still stands. Paul Lynde called her “one of the all time Hollywood dykes.”

View her grave.

Marion Lorne

August 12, 1885 – May 9, 1968

Marion Lorne played Aunt Clara. She died on May 9th, 1968, of heart failure.

View her grave.

David White

April 4, 1916 – November 27, 1990

David White played Larry Tate.

His wife died in childbirth, and his son was killed in the Pan Am/Lockerbie bombing over Scotland. A daughter survives him.  David lived on Blix Street in North Hollywood.

Here’s his house.

He died on November 27, 1990 – at the North Hollywood Medical Center.

Thank you to Findadeath.com friends Chad Jones for the house pics, and Terri Rios for the Med Center.

David died in 1990 – two years after his son was killed in the Lockerbie bombing.  David never recovered.  According to my buddy Chuck Kearnes, until recently, David was held in storage in the Grandview Mausoleum in Glendale, but I’m here to tell you that David is now inurned with his son, in the Valentino Shrine – in the Cathedral Mausoleum, at Hollywood Forever.  Just a few spaces from me.  COOL.

Alice Pearce

October 16, 1917 – March 3, 1966

Alice Pearce is best known as Gladys Kravitz, the ORIGINAL and best Gladys (not the Subway Sandwich spitting Sandra Gould). She was a Broadway actress and a television staple. Television programs like Dobie Gillis, Dennis the Menace, Twilight Zone,Hazel, Donna Reed, and movies like The Glass Bottom Boat and On the Town.

She was married twice. Her first husband was John Rox. He wrote the song “It’s a Big Wide Wonderful World.” He predirectory her. Her second, Paul Davis, had an art framing shop in Los Angeles.

She lived in this house in the Hollywood Hills.

According to Wiki (I know) she auditioned for the part of Grandmama on The Addams Family and lost out to Jeanette McDonald’s sister, Blossom Rock.

She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer before production began on Bewitched. It became evident that she was becoming more ill as the series progressed.

Alice made it through two seasons before passing away at the age of 48.

She died at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Hollywood.

Cedars of Lebanon closed and merged with Mt. Sinai, creating the Cedars Sinai Medical Center.

She was awarded a posthumous Emmy for Bewitched.

She was cremated and scattered at sea. BOOOOOO!

The Kravitz House on the Warner Ranch.

Troy looking out the Gladys window.

The actual Kravitz home burned in a fire. What the fuck is it with backlots and fires? It’s like cemetery records and fires. This was built in it’s place.

ABNAHHHHH!

Sandra Gould

July 23, 1916 – July 20, 1999

Sandra Gould played the “other” Mrs. Kravitz.

She was one of those staples of 60’s television, appearing in everything.  She was also in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken – a true classic.  When I met her, she was eating a Subway sandwich and talking to me at the same time, thus covering me with big glops of the daily special. Then she told me that I should HIRE her for an appearance.

Sandra lived on Oakdell Lane, in Studio City.

Here’s her house, with the carport.

You can’t see the broken down car and trashcans that are there. (I ain’t sayin a word.)  Here’s another shot of the house.

On Tuesday the 20th of July 1999, Sandra died of a stroke after heart surgery, in St. Joseph’s Medical Center, in North Hollywood.

Thank you to Findadeath.com friend Chad Jones for the new photographs.

George Tobias

July 14, 1901 – February 27, 1980

UPDATE OCTOBER 2000: George Tobias played Mr. Kravitz. Findadeath.com friend Bob Sile adds this account of what happened to George after death (Read it! It’s great!) and his funeral.  He lived on Whitsett on North Hollywood.

Here’s his house.

This shot is a little closer.

Here’s his front door.

Big thanks to Findadeath.com friend Chad Jones for these pictures.

View his grave.

Maurice Evans

June 3, 1901 – March 12, 1989

Maurice Evans played Samantha’s father, Maurice.  Just acquired a little dirt on the guy.  True or false, it makes interesting conversation.  “Maurice, who was hated by Orson Welles and other Shakespearean actors (mainly because he was a millionaire through good pay and damned good investments and they weren’t), was described by a queenly old friend of mine as “the most gentlemanly chicken hawk as ever graced the Earth”. He returned to England shortly after capping his career with THE JERK and appearances on Hart to Hart and died in an upscale retirement community in Maidstone.

His friend and business manager, David “Taffy” Barlow, a former lover himself until he got too old, made Maurice’s last days all the more comfortable by hiring teenaged rent boys to strip down and lie in the bed with him. This quite shocked some of his deathbed visitors. I don’t know if any BEWITCHED stars were among them (when that cast started dropping they went down like a pack of lemmings), but I suspect Gielgud and some of the other more stately heirs of Queen Vic were among them.”

Thanks for the picture, Milt Gasser.

There were many more, but these were my favorites, and I don’t have much more info on the others. As always, feel free to share.