HOLLWYOOD BEAUTY: ELIZABETH MONTGOMERY

One of the most beuatiful women to ever grace movies and television was the stunning Elizabeth Montgomery. These six examples just start to demostrate her beauty...

A MOMENT WITH ELIZABETH MONTGOMERY

In early 1992, as snow blanketed the suburbs of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Elizabeth Montgomery quietly arrived at the modest home of Dick York. The neighbors didn’t notice. No press followed. She had traveled in silence, determined to see the man with whom she had once shared one of television’s most cherished bonds on "Bewitched." Years had passed since they last spoke, but hearing about York’s declining health stirred something deep within her.

Inside the small bedroom where York lay weak and frail, Montgomery sat beside him without ceremony. His thin hand rested in hers, and for several minutes, they said nothing. The room smelled faintly of peppermint oil and old books. The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable. It was full of shared memory. She didn’t speak of fame or reruns or regrets. Instead, she gently began recounting their favorite moments from the early days of "Bewitched," the moments before the back pain, before the producers recast him, before the show became something else.

York, once a vibrant and witty presence, could barely speak above a whisper. But his eyes sparkled when she mentioned the scene in season one where Darrin tried to chop wood using magic, only to set the living room rug on fire. They both laughed then, softly but genuinely. Her visit wasn’t planned for attention, nor did she inform her agent or any friends outside of a trusted mutual contact. It was something she needed to do for herself. A way to honor what they once had.

Montgomery had always carried a deep affection for York, though their on-set chemistry was often overshadowed by his physical struggles and the show’s punishing production schedule. She had watched him suffer, his spinal condition worsening under studio lights and tight shooting deadlines. When he eventually left "Bewitched" in 1969, there had been no proper farewell, no wrap-up dinner, no closure. He was gone from the lot, and within a week, another actor stepped into the role. York later admitted that the sudden exit left him broken in more ways than one.

Years later, long after Montgomery had moved on to other projects and York had faded from Hollywood, she still remembered the man who made her laugh when the cameras weren’t rolling. During her visit, she apologized. Not for anything she did, but for not staying in touch. York simply squeezed her hand and said, “We both had to keep going.” She nodded, a tear sliding down her cheek.

After about an hour, she stood to leave. York, exhausted but moved, gave her a faint smile. She kissed his forehead and whispered, “You’ll always be my Darrin.” Then she walked out, not knowing it would be the last time she saw him. When he passed away later that same year, she kept the visit private. It was only through a conversation with a close friend that her quiet act of compassion eventually came to light.

“She told me he was more than a co-star,” the friend recalled. “She said, ‘He was part of something magical we created together.’” That line, spoken without rehearsal or spotlight, revealed a tenderness that went far beyond any scripted scene.

Elizabeth Montgomery never spoke publicly about that visit. She never sought credit, never gave an interview about it, and never included it in retrospectives. It remained a personal gesture. Sincere, intimate, and deeply human.

She left his house that day with a full heart and silent tears, knowing the real magic of "Bewitched" had always lived offscreen, in moments filled with quiet love and lasting grace...

THE TRAGEDY OF DICK YORK

Actor Dick York made a fortune with “Bewitched,” but before dying from an incurable disease, he had to clean apartments and couldn’t even leave his home for months.

Born in September 1928, Dick York grew up in a hard-working family. His mother, Betty, was a seamstress, while his father, Bernard, worked as a salesman.

After moving from Indiana to Chicago, a nun at St. Mary of the Lake grammar school noticed his voice was exceptional, so when he was only nine years old, he joined the Jack and Jill Players.

He debuted in the play “Water Babies” and studied drama at the De Paul Academy and De Paul University. At the time, though, he had already landed minor roles in radio.

In 1944, York gained national notoriety by working in the TV series “That Brewster Boy.” His career improved after joining the cast of “The Jack Armstrong Show” and becoming “Junior Junction's” emcee.

Although his career skyrocketed in 1964 after being cast as Darrin Stephens in “Bewitched” opposite Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead, the project that really changed his life was “They Came to Cordura,” a western released in 1960.

Due to an accident filming one of the scenes, he ended up lifting over 180 pounds on his own, which tore the muscles along the right side of his back.

The disabling injury was permanent, but he was not ready to stop working. To ease the pain, he would take painkillers, but he eventually became addicted to them.

 York was diagnosed with emphysema, a lung condition that causes shortness of breath.

His pill addiction was a problem since the first day of filming “Bewitched” as director William Asher found him passed out in his car when they were supposed to be shooting. The director considered firing him right away but gave him another chance instead.

Asher pointed out that he wasn’t sure whether York’s substance issues started due to his back injury or he was actually dealing with the “disease of drug addiction,” and his sore back was just a good excuse.

Things got more complicated during "Bewitched" Season 5 when York had a seizure on the set, and Montgomery couldn’t take it anymore. She requested to find a replacement for York, and Dick Sargent stepped in.

After that, York struggled to return to the entertainment industry and eventually decided to walk away from it. If that wasn’t bad enough, York was diagnosed with emphysema, a lung condition that causes shortness of breath.

After his Hollywood career ended, he spent his savings on buying an apartment building in West Covina and had planned to live off rental income.

Unfortunately, when his tenants failed to pay the rent, he could not evict them thinking of his own youth. Eventually, York himself ran out of money and couldn’t afford the mortgage, so the bank foreclosed the entire property.

The only way the actor could hold onto his apartment was by cleaning other units. He went from earning six figures to getting his first welfare check in 1976.

By 1989, he had already overcome his painkillers addiction but was dying of emphysema and living with his wife, Joan, on a $650-a-month Screen Actors Guild pension in a bungalow in Michigan.

At the time, he confessed he had not left his home for months and was tethered to a 25-foot oxygen lifeline. On February 20, 1992, York sadly passed away at 63 years of age.

The late actor devoted his final days helping other homeless people in Chicago by helping collect 300 sleeping bags, 5,000 cans of grapefruit juice, and 12,000 surplus jackets. Rest in peace, legend....

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PHOTOS OF THE DAY: A CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD HALLOWEEN

One of my favorite holidays is Halloween, and throughout my blog's history I have spotlighted some of the great costumes and poses that have been captured of classic Hollywood throughout the years. Here is another addition with some more great pics...

Bing Crosby

Alfred Hitchcock

Ann Miller

Pinky Tomlin & Rita Hayworth

Jackie Cooper

Elizabeth Montgomery

Past "A Classic Hollywood Halloween"...

2012

2014

2019

PAUL LYNDE: ALWAYS UNCLE ARTHUR

Looking back at the 1960s sitcom "Bewitched" I can't believe it was one of my favorite shows that I saw in reruns while growing up in the 1980s. I think it is pretty corny now except for two things - the beautiful Elizabeth Montgomery and the character of Uncle Charlie, played by Paul Lynde. I would see Lynde on other shows like Match Game and The Dean Martin Show, and his comic styles never stopped amusing me.

Paul Lynde was born in Mount Vernon, Ohio in 1926, and studied drama at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where his fellow students included Cloris Leachman, Charlotte Rae, Patricia Neal, Jeffrey Hunter and Claude Akins. At Northwestern, he joined the Upsilon chapter of Phi Kappa Sigma and is listed amongst the most famous members of the fraternity. He graduated in 1948 and moved to New York City, where he initially worked as a stand-up comic.

Lynde made his Broadway debut in the hit revue New Faces of 1952 in which he co-starred with fellow newcomers Eartha Kitt, Alice Ghostley, and Carol Lawrence. In his monologue from that revue, the "Trip of the Month Club," Lynde portrayed a man on crutches recounting his misadventures on the African safari he took with his late wife. The show was filmed and released as New Faces in 1954.

After the revue's run, Lynde co-starred in the short-lived 1956 sitcom Stanley opposite Buddy Hackett and Carol Burnett, both of whom were also starting out their careers in show business. That same year, he guest starred on NBC's The Martha Raye Show, a comedy/variety show.

In 1960, Lynde returned to Broadway when he was cast as "Harry MacAfee," the father in Bye Bye Birdie. He reprised the role in the play's film adaptation, which was released in 1963. That same year, he recorded a live album, Recently Released, issued as an LP record (no other formats are available). All six tracks were written by him. Once he could afford writers, he rarely used his own material until his tenure on Hollywood Squares years later.

Over the years, Lynde made regular appearances on sitcoms such as The Phil Silvers Show, The Munsters, and I Dream of Jeannie, and variety shows such as The Perry Como Show and The Dean Martin Show. Lynde first appeared in episode 26 of Bewitched, "Driving is the Only Way to Fly," as Samantha's driving instructor Harold Harold, before taking on the recurring role of Uncle Arthur, Endora's brother. He was also a frequent guest on the 1976-79 variety show, Donny and Marie.

Lynde also did extensive voice work on animated cartoons, particularly those of Hanna-Barbera Productions. His most notable roles included Sylvester Sneekly ("The Hooded Claw") in The Perils of Penelope Pitstop (though he was uncredited), Mildew Wolf from It's the Wolf (a segment of Cattanooga Cats), and Pertwee from Where's Huddles?. He also voiced the role of Templeton the gluttonous rat in the animated feature Charlotte's Web. Lynde's sardonic inflections added a dimension to such lines as the sly, drawn-out whine, "What's in it for meeee?" Lynde's distinctive voice is popular among impressionists.

In 1972, Lynde starred in the short-lived ABC sitcom, The Paul Lynde Show, playing an uptight attorney and father at odds with his liberal-minded son-in-law. The series, which was a contractual fulfillment to ABC in place of a final season of Bewitched, was canceled after only one season. The network, and producer William Asher, then "transferred" Lynde to another comedy series that had debuted in 1972, Temperatures Rising, for the 1973 season, but his presence in the cast did not help flagging ratings and this series, too, was not renewed and was replaced by Happy Days. The series’ failure reportedly exacerbated Lynde’s drinking problem, which led to numerous run-ins with the law and frequent arrests for public intoxication. According to Peter Marshall ("Florence Henderson Show", 2008) and Kaye Ballard ("E True Hollywood Story", 2000) the comedic actor would sometimes verbally ridicule his friends when inebriated.

Paul Lynde's sexual orientation was something of an open secret in Hollywood, although, in keeping with the prejudices and social mores of the time, it was not acknowledged or discussed in public.

In 1965, Lynde was involved in an accident in which a young actor, reputed to be his lover, fell to his death from the window of their hotel room in San Francisco's Sir Francis Drake Hotel. The two had been drinking for hours before 24-year-old James "Bing" Davidson slipped and fell eight stories, an event witnessed by two policemen, yet the event was largely kept out of the press, thus saving his career.

Despite his campy television persona, Lynde never publicly came out as being gay and the press generally went along with the deception. In 1976, a People magazine article on Lynde featured him and Stan Finesmith; the latter was dubbed Lynde's "suite mate" and “chauffeur-bodyguard.” In the 1970s, this was as close as the press would come to hinting at his sexuality.

In 1978, Lynde was arrested outside of a gay bar in Salt Lake City. As a result of the arrest, he lost his guest starring role on The Donny and Marie Show. Increasingly in the late 1970s, acting jobs became harder for him to find, although it is unclear if this was because of anti-gay prejudice or his substance abuse problems and noted eratic behavoir, which often made him difficult to work with. He had been arrested for drunk driving and, while under the influence of alcohol, he was known to make rude and racist public comments towards people. Lynde finally became sober and drug free in the early 1980s, shortly before his death. Lynde also suffered from weight control problems, and was honored in 1977 by Weight Watchers.

Lynde was found dead in his Beverly Hills, California, home by friend Paul Barresi on Monday, January 11, 1982. The coroner ruled the death a heart attack. Lynde's cremated remains are interred at Amity Cemetery, in Amity, Ohio, where he is buried next to his brother Johnny and sister Helen. Perhaps his sexual orientation is what caused his alcohol problems and even heart problems that led to his death. In the 1950s and 1960s and even to this present day it has got to be hard to be a homosexual in a heterosexual society. Whatever it is, the important thing is Paul Lynde made millions people laugh and laugh still to this day...

UNUSUAL DUETS: VIC DAMONE AND ELIZABETH MONTGOMERY

Here is an unusual pairing of the great crooner Vic Damone with Elizabeth Montgomery. Montgomery gained her greatest fame on TV's BEWITCHED. This clip is from a Hollywood Palace broadcast in 1966...