Based on author Herbie J Pilato’s exclusive interviews with Elizabeth Montgomery prior to her death in 1995, Twitch Upon a Star includes insider 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 sufferers and the peace movement; her support for all minorities, including the gay community and the disabled; and her controversial participation as narrator of the1988 feature film documentary Cover-Up and its 1991 'scar-winning sequel, The Panama Deception (both of which chronicled the Iran/Contra scandal of the 1980s). The book also explores Montgomery's tumultuous relationships with her father, screen legend Robert Montgomery (she was a liberal; he was a staunch conservative), and her four husbands (including actor Gig Young, who later died in a murder/suicide). Through it all—and to family and friends such as fellow performers Ronny Cox, Sally Kemp, and Florence Henderson—she was just Lizzie: down-to-earth and unaffected, just like Samantha, the "witch-with-a-twitch" Stephens, her most famous role.
Herbie J Pilato is a writer, producer, actor, songwriter, and entertainment executive. The author of several media tie-in books (including Glamour, Gidgets, and the Girl Next Door, NBC & Me, The Bionic Book, and many more), Pilato has also produced for the A&E, Bravo, TLC, Syfy, and TV Guide channels, as well as Sony, Warner Bros., NBC Universal, and other television networks and film studios. He now has several TV shows, books, and films in development and resides in Burbank, California, where he established Television, Ink. (a production company geared toward family entertainment) and The Classic TV Preservation Society (a nonprofit organization that seeks to close the gap between popular culture and education).
Table of Contents
PrefaceIntroductionPart I. PrewitchedChapter 1: Once Upon a timeChapter 2: GrimChapter 3: Elizabeth Montgomery PresentsChapter 4: Brush with FameChapter 5: The Equestrians Chapter 6: Training DaysChapter 7: The EuropeansChapter 8: Spirits and DemonsChapter 9: Two Plus HundredsPart II. BewitchedChapter 10: LizmetChapter 11: Remember the ManeChapter 12: Double Double. .. Chapter 13:. .. Toil and TroubleChapter 14: Public BroadcastingPart III. DisenchantedChapter 15: To Twitch Or Not To TwitchChapter 16: Temperatures RisingfChapter 17: Post SerialChapter 18: Awakenings Part IV. ReconciledChapter 19: Spirits and AngelsChapter 20: HumanitiesChapter 21: Political ScienceChapter 22: Final ExamsChapter 23: GraduationAfterwordAppendixSourcesBibliographyAcknowledgments Suggested ReadingIndexAbout the Author
