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"TOO MUCH HAPPINESS
IS A BAD THING"
by Ellen Deane
TV Circle
August 1970
"I think I've always been a slight bit afraid that it all has been going too well for me," Liz confessed in a recent interview. "It's so easy to become spoiled and complacent. You don't want to give up anything so you hold on tight to what you have and close your eyes to any danger signs." Which is exactly the meaning of that wise old saying--you must watch out for the danger signs--and Liz knows it!
Life has been very good to Elizabeth Montgomery right from the beginning. She was born in Hollywood on April 15, 1934 (sic), the first child (sic) of film stars Elizabeth Allen and Robert Montgomery. (Note: Elizabeth Allen never appeared in a film - Webmaster.) The emphasis at the Montgomery home was on love; but there was also just the right amount of discipline. "No matter how stubborn my folks seemed, and I certainly thought then that both were, if ever they decided they'd made a wrong decision they didn't keep it to themselves. They admitted it to me. That's one right way to earn your children's respect, and my parents certainly have mine. I wouldn't change one thing about my upbringing.
Robert Montgomery was strongly against his only daughter becoming an actress. Because of his own experience in movies and the theater, he knew what the struggle toward stardom can do to a young woman; he had seen too many sensitive, artistic girls become hardened clawing their way to the top. So he sent Elizabeth to the best finishing schools in the country, hoping she would develop other interests--but to no avail. Acting was in her blood; it had always been a major part of her life, and she was absolutely determined to become an actress. Her father finally gave in to the inevitable and allowed LIz to enroll in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts rather than a regular college, as he had hoped. And ironically, it was Robert Montgomery who gave Liz her first real chance to make a name for herself as an actress. She portrayed her father's daughter on his television show Robert Montgomery Presents. With the rave reviews that followed, Liz's professional success was established--and she's been a smash ever since.
Possibly the most difficult thing she has had to face in her life is the fact that she failed in two marriages: one year to a young Harvard graduate and six years to actor Gig Young. But she doesn't dwell on her past--why should she? For in 1963 she met the man who has made her life complete, the man who is now her husband, Bill Asher.
Liz and Bill met when she applied for a role in a movie he was producing, Johnny Cool. Today, Bill remembers that "it was a case of instant hate. I was late for our appointment. She didn't like that and I didn't think it mattered whether she liked it or not. So it was rocky going at first, until we began working. Then after a while, bam!, there we were. I guess that's the way it should happen--calculated things seldom work out!"
For the Ashers, working together has proved profitable both in their careers and in their homelife. One month after they were married--in October, 1963--they began co-working on Bewitched, the ABC-TV comedy series now well into its sixth tremendously successful season. Liz, of course, is the star, and husband Bill directs; together they own 20% of the show. With its estimated night time audience of thirty-five million, plus a weekly daytime re-run audience of about seventeen million, it looks like Bewitched will be around for many years to come.
It's taken relentlessly hard work to make the series the hit that it is--plus a grueling schedule that would defeat most people. But the Ashers seem to thrive on it. Liz believes that it is the best possible arrangement for them. "Our working together has certainly helped us find happiness in our marriage," she says. "No separations for us of the kind most show business couples are faced with. Bill is part of my career life--I know now that I wouldn't have it any other way."
A normal day for the Ashers begins at 5:30 A.M. when they drive to the studio. There they work together until 7:30 P.M., usually putting in a seventy-hour week. It seems incredible, doesn't it? And yet, no one's complaining. Liz Montgomery truly loves her work. "Acting is fun to me," she admits. "And I adore doing Samantha--have since the beginning. We have a cast and crew I can't praise highly enough, and almost everyone had been with the show since it started. The loyalty, the family feeling on the set is just great. Everybody loves it when Bill and I have an argument. They kind of giggle at each other behind the props and bet on who's going to win this round."
Not that there are many arguments, for in the Asher household as well as on the Bewitched set, Bill's word is law--you can be very sure that he will never be known as "Mr. Montgomery!" Although Liz is a reasonably strong-willed woman, she defers to her husband in nearly all matters, thereby acknowledging that he is unquestionably the head of their family. And that is probably the reason Liz and Bill are not only one of television's most successful professional teams, but are also one of Hollywood's happiest married couples.
Since Liz's first two marriages were childless, when she married Bill she was particularly anxious to start a family. And not long after they were married, Liz learned that she was pregnant. "It was a delightful surprise," she recalls, "and a marvelous blessing. It's difficult for a woman to explain her feeling about having her first child. Nothing in the world could have made me happier. For me, the most important thing is the home. If my career ever conflicts with my domestic life, I'll give it up in a minute." Luckily for her fans, she hasn't had to give up television, although today she is the mother of three small children: Willie, age five; Robert, four; and Rebecca Elizabeth, born in April (sic), 1969. It must have taken a lot of careful planning, for all three were born during summer vacations from Bewitched.
Despite their hectic work schedule, both Ashers firmly insist that their private life comes first. "We work hard during shooting," says Bill, "to have more free time in the evenings and on weekends." And somehow, they actually do manage to spend a great deal of time at home.
The Asher home is a Tudor-style estate in Benedict Canyon, near Beverly Hills. There is a tennis court, a pool and a garage over which they have built a billiard room. Inside, the floors are covered with braided rugs, and a natural-stone fireplace graces the living room. Liz is an avid collector, and the whole house is full of primitive paintings and magnificent antiques. It is an elegant but comfortable house, patterned after an upstate New York farm where Liz spent many happy summers as a child.
When Liz is away from the Bewitched set, she becomes thoroughly domestic--completely enjoying her role as wife and mother, for both she and Bill realize that the time they spend alone with their children are moments to be treasured.
Unlike most Hollywood personalities, who constantly seek the limelight, the Ashers shun the usual Hollywood-type activities such as cocktail parties and movie premieres. "You see," explains Bill, "we're together during the week, but we're not alone together. Weekends, Elizabeth cooks, or sometimes I do. We don't like to leave the house--we don't even like to go out for dinner." About the only time they're seen in public is at some sports event. Since they're wildy enthusiastic sports fans, they occasionally turn up at the race track or at baseball and football games.
It's easy to understand why Elizabeth Montgomery considers herself a completely happy person. She has everything she ever wanted--a successful career, a stable marriage with a man she adores and three beautiful children. Most important of all, she has the intelligence to know that, as long as she keeps her eyes open watching for any signs of danger, there's no reason why her happiness shouldn't go on forever.