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"I HOPE THIS SPELL LASTS"
by Lily Brandt
Inside Movie
October 1966
Certainly the show remains high in the popularity ratings--and Liz, who had to wait until she was well into her thirties to achieve all-out stardom--to say nothing of personal happiness--feels herself, in this year of Grace 1966, the Most Blessed of Women.
She waited long years for the career and personal fulfillment that might have been hers much earlier--save for a series of unfortunate breaks.
Before she married producer-director William Asher, she had known heartbreaking marital failure. She had gone, for instance, into her marriage with the brilliant actor Gig Young, with all the hope and love in the world. She struggled for years to hang on to this alliance with much-older Gig, and when she failed her, the disappointment was keen.
"Gig reminded her, somehow, of her father, the famed film star Robert Montgomery," says a close friend. "both have that wry comic spirit, that debonair, poised manner, that shining acting gift. Gig overwhelmed her. Though she fell out of love later, I don't think she ever completely broke the spell of that man's charm."
Her career had been a disappointment for long years. "She had an inferiority complex of a kind over being Bob Motgomery's daughter," says an associate. "When she was in her late teens and early twenties, she would watch her dad's old MGM films on TV and would tell herself, 'How much, if any, of his talent have I inherited?'"
Bob Montgomery was a kind and loving--and more, boosting--father. He was all for his daughter's acting career but warned her that she would have to work hard and roll with the punches. She tried sincerely to follow his advice. She did well at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, then cheerfully served her apprenticeship for years in small TV and summer stock roles. Occasionally a movie part came along, but her progress was slow.
She was determined to "do it on her own," whatever the demands on her patience, whatever the cost in heartbreak and loneliness. "I am so happy for Liz's success today," says one who knew her in the old days, "for I saw that girl suffer in the shadow of a famous father; I saw her lick the demons of inferiority and insecurity. She had to wait until she was in her thirties to become a star, and today no one deserves it more..."
Gig Young, too, gave Liz something of an inferiority complex. His career was riding high during their marriage--still is, in fact--and he was much better known than she was. She tired to subordinate her own ego and ambitions to his. It didn't work. She was truly her father's daughter. The acting bug had bit her--hard--and despite the setbacks, the false alarms, the disappointments, she determined to persist. Significantly her star really began to rise after her divorce from Gig.
Today she is married to producer-director Bill Asher, a man who guides her with a sure hand, both personally and professionally (he directs Bewitched). "Bill compliments her rather than competes with her," says a friend of both. "He galvanizes her, somewhat like the late Mike Todd did Liz Taylor. Like Mike and Liz, Bill and his Liz are in the same general field but in different lines of work. Their callings go hand in hand rather than in competition with each other. This is just what Liz needed. Bill is masculine, forceful, and being somewhat her senior, can be fatherly when needed. He gives her honest criticism, above all, invests her with a feeling of warm security."
Further proof that Liz has blossomed out as a completely fulfilled woman in the role of Mrs. William Asher: her two handsome young sons, William and Robert. Robert was born last October (he is named for his grandfather, Robert Montgomery) and almost upset an entire season's programming. Amusingly enough, Liz had a "son" on the show, born roughly about the same time, so her shall-we-say ample figure suited her characterization perfectly prior to young Robert's arrival.
"Another example of Liz's final freedom from her longtime inferiority complex," says another friend, " is her firm friendship with the brilliant actress Agnes Moorehead, who palys her mother on the series. No one is mroe professional or self-assured than Agnes. Ten years ago, Liz would have been terrified to be appearing with such a pro. But they compliment each other perfectly, both as co-workers and as friends, and spend a lot of time together off the set."
And the friend adds: "Today Liz has the self-assurance to profit from Agnes' wise and seasoned advice instead of being overwhelmed and awed by it, as she once would have been. Agnes has said that she considers Liz's talent first-rate."
What kind of life do the Ashers have off the set? They live in a handsome, rambling house, part ranch, part estate. A nurse cares for the two small Asher children while Liz is at work. But as soon as she gets home, no matter how exhausting her shooting schedule has been that day, she spends the early evenings with her sons. She also devotes the weekends to them.
"That's all part of the spell she's under today," says a pal. "And her reasons for hoping the spell never breaks are many. She has a strong hsuband who builds her up, she has fulfilled herself as a mother. She has proven she is Elizabeth Montgomery, not "Robert Montgomery's daughter--you know, the one who also acts.
"She is about as complete and fulfilled as any woman ever becomes."
Some people have asked what the future will bring her when "Bewitched" has run its course, as all television series must, in time.
"If I know her," says a coast exec, "she and Asher will try to conquer the movies next--and they will succeed. That is, if another sure-fire series like "Bewitched" doesn't come along--and they don't grow on every tree.
"With all that stage, film and tV training behind her, Liz will surely want to prove that she is a versatile actress of considerable depth and range. That was what her father did before her. You will recall that Robert Montgomery made his early Hollywood reputation as a debonair young man about town with cane in one hand and cocktail shaker in the other. Comedy--drawing-room-type--was his forte for years. Then, in 1937, as the psychopathic killer in Emlyn Williams' "Night Must Fall," he proved himself a polished actor of considerable power and versatility. Liz will do the same thing. Like father, like daughter. Now, especially, when she is secure and happy in her peronal life and aware of her proven talents, there are no limits to what she can do..."
Here's hoping that the good fairy who has cast a roseate spell over the Liz Montgomery of 1966, never deserts her.