I Love the Illusion: The Life and Career of Agnes Moorehead (66 page)
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Authors: Charles Tranberg
43.
The Swan
(1956 – MGM) Director: Charles Vidor.
Cast: Grace Kelly, Alec Guiness, Louis Jourdan, Agnes Moorehead, Jessie Royce Landis, Brian Aherne,
Leo G. Carroll, Estelle Winwood, Van Dyke Parks. 107 minutes. Color. A wonderfully cast film, based
on a play, which still seems awfully stagy. Aggie's second and final film with Grace Kelly who shortly
left Hollywood for the principality of Monaco(interestingly Kelly is cast as a princess in this film), but
over the years they remained friends. Agnes is cast as a Queen and has some good lines: “Boys, behave
yourselves. This is not a republic . . . I am your sovereign and also your aunt once removed. You
should respect them both.”
44.
Pardners
(1956 – Paramount) Director: Norman Taurog.
Cast: Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Lori Nelson, Agnes Moorehead, Jeff Morrow, Jackie Loughery, John
Baragrey, Lon Chaney, Jr., Milton Frome, Richard Aherne, Lee Van Cleef, Jack Elam. 82 minutes.
Color. Dean and Jerry in their next to final film together. Agnes plays the New York society mother of
meek and timid Lewis. He decides to escape from an arranged marriage and pursue his dreams of
being a cowboy out west with buddy Dino. Agnes enjoyed working with Lewis and this was the first of
two Lewis films she would appear in.
standout here as Olga. This was Agnes’ seventh and final film release for 1956.
45.
The Opposite Sex
(1956 – MGM) Director: David Miller.
Cast: June Allyson, Joan Collins, Dolores Gray, Ann Sheridan, Ann Miller, Leslie Nielsen, Charlotte
Greenwood, Agnes Moorehead, Jeff Richards, Joan Blondell, Alice Pearce, Carolyn Jones, Jim Backus,
Dick Shawn. 117 minutes. Color. Effective remake of the 1939 film,
The Women
, with a good cast that
was not as stellar as the original. This remake also includes men, where the original had an all-female
cast. Alice Pearce, who later worked with Agnes as the first (and best) Gladys Kravitz on
Bewitched
, is a
46.
The True Story of Jesse James
(1957 – Twentieth Century-Fox) Director: Nicholas Ray.
Cast: Robert Wagner, Jeffrey Hunter, Hope Lange, Agnes Moorehead, Alan Hale, Alan Baxter, John
Carradine, Rachel Stephens, Barney Phillips, Biff Elliott, Frank Overton. 92 minutes. Color.
Director Ray wanted Elvis Presley as Jesse James but had to settle for Wagner — who is effective
nevertheless. Aggie plays Jesse and Frank's mother. This was Agnes' second film with Hunter, but
she would be his unofficial dialogue coach when he played Jesus in director Ray's film,
King of
Kings
a few years later.
47.
Jeanne Eagels
(1957 – Columbia) Director: George Sidney.
Cast: Kim Novak, Jeff Chandler, Agnes Moorehead, Charles Drake, Larry Gates, Virginia Grey, Gene
Lockhart, Joe de Santis, Murray Hamilton. 108 minutes. Black and White. Aggie's first and only film
for Columbia, but she would spend eight years playing “Endora” on
Bewitched
at Screen Gems, the
television arm of Columbia pictures. Noted drama teacher Agnes actually plays a drama teacher in this
bio-pic — clad in a garish blonde wig
48.
Raintree County
(1957 – MGM) Director: Edward Dmytryk.
Cast: Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Eva Marie Saint, Nigel Patrick, Lee Marvin, Rod Taylor,
Agnes Moorehead, Walter Abel, Jarma Lewis, Tom Drake, DeForest Kelley. 187 minutes. Color. The
longest running film of Agnes’ career (beating
Since You Went Away
by 15 minutes). Aggie plays
Montgomery Clift's mother in this Civil War drama which aspired to be another
Gone With the Wind
.
It was during the production of this film that Clift suffered a near fatal car accident which left his face
seriously impaired, causing even greater mental anguish that lead to a decade-long decline culminating
with his tragic death in 1966 at age 46.
49.
The Story of Mankind
(1957 – Warner Brothers) Director: Irwin Allen.
Cast: Ronald Colman, Hedy Lamarr, Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Virginia Mayo, Agnes
Moorehead, Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Charles Coburn, Cedric Hardwicke, Cesar Romero, John
Carradine, Dennis Hopper, Marie Wilson, Edward Everett Horton, Francis X. Bushman. An all-star
cast in a interesting story about a court meeting between the Devil (Price) and the spirit of man
(Colman) to discuss whether the human species is worth saving. A good premise, but the finished
product is muddled. Aggie does get a chance to play Queen Elizabeth opposite her longtime friend and
constant escort in the 60's and 70's, Cesar Romero. All three Marx Brothers appear, but work separate
from one another.
50.
Night of the Quarter Moon
(1959 – MGM) Director: Hugo Haas.
Cast: Julie London, John Drew Barrymore, Nat “King” Cole, Anna Kashfi, Dean Jones, James
Edwards, Agnes Moorehead, Arthur Shields, Cathy Crosby, Edward Andrews, Ray Anthony, Jackie
Coogan, Charles Chaplin, Jr. 95 minutes. Black and White. Not a very good film but, for its day, it
did bring up relevant social issues. Diverse cast, with Agnes cast as the racially intolerant mother of
Barrymore. Cole sings the title song, probably the best thing about the film.
51.
The Tempest
(1959 – Paramount) Director: Alberto Lattuada.
Cast: Silvana Mangano, Van Heflin, Viveca Lindfors, Geoffrey Horne, Oscar Homolka, Robert Keith,
Agnes Moorehead, Helmut Dantine, Finlay Currie, Vittorio Gassman, Laurence Naismith. 121
minutes. Color. Set in 1770 Russia, Agnes is the pipe smoking wife of a Captain holed up at an
isolated fort. The producer is the prolific Dino De Laurentiis.
52.
The Bat
(1959 – Allied Artists) Director: Crane Wilbur.
Cast: Agnes Moorehead, Vincent Price, Gavin Gordon, John Sutton, Lenita Lane, Elaine Edwards,
Darla Hood, John Bryant. 80 minutes. Black and White. This film is significant for being one of only
two films where Agnes is the lead actress. This is an adaptation of the play by Mary Roberts Rinehart
and Avery Hopwood. It is a horror/suspense film which has every stereotype of that genre, but is a fun
popcorn movie to watch on a stormy night.
53.
Pollyanna
(1960 – Buena Vista) Director: David Swift.
Cast: Hayley Mills, Jane Wyman, Richard Egan, Karl Malden, Nancy Olson, Adolphe Menjou, Agnes
Moorehead, Donald Crisp, Kevin Corcoran, James Drury, Reta Shaw, Edward Platt. 133 minutes.
Color. Aggie's first and only Disney feature film is good family fun. Agnes is a hoot as the crotchety
hypochondriac who is mellowed by the always positive Pollyanna. Agnes’ fifth and final film with Wyman.
54.
Twenty Plus Two
(1961 – Allied Artists) Director: Joseph M. Newman.
Cast: David Janssen, Jeanne Crain, Dina Merrill, Agnes Moorehead, William Demarest, Brad Dexter,
Jacques Aubuchon, Robert Strauss. 102 minutes. Black and White. Author Lynn Kear (
Agnes
Moorehead: A Bio-Bio-Bibliography
) believes that even though Agnes only appears in one scene in this
film “it represents one of her better film performances of the 1960s. Her portrayal of Mrs. Delaney
is well-drawn, encompassing great complexity. The character is first seen as arrogant, angry and
impatient. Slowly the character becomes more vulnerable, warmer.”
55.
Bachelor in Paradise
(1961 – MGM) Director: Jack Arnold.
Cast: Bob Hope, Lana Turner, Janis Paige, Jim Hutton, Paula Prentiss, Don Porter, Virginia Grey,
Agnes Moorehead, Florence Sundstrom, Reta Shaw. 109 minutes. Color. This early 60's Bob Hope sex
comedy features Aggie as a divorce judge.
Time
called the film “tripe.” However, Henry Mancini and
Mack David received an Oscar nomination for the title song.
56.
Jessica
(1962 – United Artists)
Director: Jean Negulesco.
Cast: Angie Dickinson, Maurice Chevalier, Noel-Noel,
Agnes Moorehead, Gabriele Ferzetti, Sylva Koscina,
Marcel Dalio, Danielle DeMetz. 105 minutes. Color.
Angie is a sexy American midwife in an Italian village
who attracts the attentions of the men much to the
chagrin of their wives — including Aggie. Agnes’ third
film with director Negulesco, one of her favorites, but
it is a far cry from
Johnny Belinda
.
57.
How the West Was Won
(1962 – MGM) Directors: Henry Hathaway, John Ford, George Marshall.
Cast: Debbie Reynolds, Carroll Baker, James Stewart, Karl Malden, Agnes Moorehead, George
Peppard, Gregory Peck, Carolyn Jones, Robert Preston, John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Richard Widmark,
Walter Brennan, Andy Devine, Raymond Massey, Thelma Ritter, Lee Van Cleef, Jay C. Flippen. 165
minutes. Color. Mammoth film, filmed in Cinerama, with an all-star cast. Agnes plays the mother of
Reynolds and Baker in episodes directed by Hathaway. Agnes and Debbie formed a lifelong friendship
on the set of this film.
58.
Who's Minding the Store?
(1963 – Paramount) Director: Frank Tashlin.
Cast: Jerry Lewis, Jill St. John, Ray Walston, Agnes Moorehead, John McGiver, Nancy Kulp, John Abbott,
Kathleen Freeman, Richard Deacon. 90 minutes. Color. Pretty funny comedy with Agnes, as the mother
of St. John, who tries to break up her daughter’s romance with an uncouth idiot, played by, guess who?
59.
Hush . . . Hush, Sweet Charlotte
(1964 – Twentieth Century-Fox) Director: Robert Aldrich.
Cast: Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead, Cecil Kellaway, Victor
Buono, Mary Astor, Bruce Dern, George Kennedy. 133 minutes. Black and White. Agnes, who was
nominated for her fourth Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and won a Golden Globe
award, plays the slovenly maid of Bette Davis' Charlotte who tries to protect her longtime employer
from the evil doings of her cousin, played by de Havilland (who replaced Joan Crawford). Agnes’ fifth
and final film with her longtime friend Joseph Cotten.
60.
The Singing Nun
(1966 – MGM) Director: Henry Koster.
Cast: Debbie Reynolds, Ricardo Montalban, Greer Garson, Agnes Moorehead, Chad Everett,
Katharine Ross, Ed Sullivan, Juanita Moore, Tom Drake. 98 minutes. Color. Agnes was surrounded by
many of her closest real life friends in this film (Reynolds, Garson, Montalban). Debbie is a guitarstrumming nun who initially arouses displeasure from Sister Cluny (Aggie). Based on the true story of
the real life Singing Nun, Soeur Sourie.
61.
What's the Matter with Helen?
(1971 – United Artists) Director: Curtis Harrington.
Cast: Debbie Reynolds, Shelley Winters, Dennis Weaver, Agnes Moorehead, Michael MacLiammoir,
Sammee Lee Jones, Robbi Morgan, Helene Winston, Swen Swenson. Agnes plays an Aimee Semple
McPherson-like evangelist. Behind the scenes, Debbie and Shelley had a heated feud.
62.
Dear, Dead Delilah
(1972 – Southern Star) Director: John Farris.
Cast: Agnes Moorehead, Will Geer, Michael Ansara, Dennis Patrick, Patricia Carmichael, Anne
Meacham, Robert Gentry. 90 minutes. Color. Significant only as the second of two films in which
Agnes had the lead role (
The Bat,
13 years earlier, was the first). Like Davis and Crawford, Agnes was
cast in a tawdry-type of shock horror film with decapitated heads and plenty of blood.
63.
Charlotte's Web
(1973 – Paramount) Directors Charles Nichols, Iwao Takamoto.
Cast: The voices of Debbie Reynolds, Paul Lynde, Henry Gibson, Rex Allen, Martha Scott, Agnes
Moorehead, Dave Madden, Danny Bonaduce. 93 minutes. Color. Animated cartoon of the E.B. White
book, scripted by Earl Hamner, Jr., of
The Waltons
fame. Agnes plays the Goose.
S
ELECTED
T
ELEVISION
A
PPEARANCES OF
A
GNES
M
OOREHEAD
Revlon Mirror Theatre
. October 3, 1953. CBS
“Lullaby.” Cast: Tom Drake, Agnes Moorehead, Betty Lynn.
2.
Colgate Comedy Hour
. April 10, 1953. NBC
“Roberta.” An adaptation of the stage musical, and starring Bob Hope (who was also in the original
Broadway production in 1933).
3.
Matinee Theatre
. May 1, 1956. NBC.
“Greybeards and Witches.” Cast: Agnes Moorehead, Cathy O'Donnell, Judy Nugent, Louis Letteiri.
Agnes portrays a woman trying to keep a dangerous secret.
4.
Climax.
August 2, 1956. CBS.
“Child of the Wind.” Cast: Agnes Moorehead, Susan Kohner, Marshall Thompson.
5.
Studio 57
. October 28, 1956. DuMont.
“The Teacher.” Cast: Agnes Moorehead in the title role.
6.
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
. March 1, 1957. CBS.
“The Life you Save.” Cast: Gene Kelly, Janice Rule, Agnes Moorehead. Kelly made his television debut
as a one-armed man who falls in love with a deaf mute.
7.
Climax!
July 4, 1957. CBS.
“False Witness.” Cast: Eddie Bracken, Agnes Moorehead, Dean Harens, Gloria Talbot, John
Baragrey.
8.
Wagon Train
. November 20, 1957. NBC.
“The Mary Halstead Story.” Cast: Agnes Moorehead (title role), Ward Bond, Robert Horton, Terry
Wilson, Frank McGrath, Tom Laughlin.
9.
DuPont Show of the Month
. March 27, 1958. CBS.
“A Tale of Two Cities.” Cast: Eric Portman, Agnes Moorehead, James Donald, Gracie Fields, Denholm
Elliott, Fritz Weaver, Rosemary Harris, George C. Scott. Aggie reportedly beat out Elsa Lanchester for
the part of Madame DeFarge — to Elsa's considerable annoyance. Elsa reportedly said, “They felt
that she was a bigger name — imagine?” Robert Mulligan, who later directed
To Kill a Mockingbird,
helmed this production.
Playhouse 90
. April 10, 1958. CBS.
“The Dungeon.” Cast: Paul Douglas, Agnes Moorehead, Julie Adams, Dennis Weaver, Patty
McCormick. Aggie's second 90-minute anthology tv appearance within two weeks.
11.
Suspicion
. May 12, 1958. NBC.
“Protegee.” Cast: Agnes Moorehead, Phyllis Love, William Shatner, Jack Klugman. An
All About Eve
-
type story which features future television legends Shatner and Klugman.
12.
Shirley Temple's Storybook
. October 27, 1958. NBC.
“Rapunzel.” Cast: Carol Lynley, Agnes Moorehead, Don Dubbins. In a foretelling of things to come,
Aggie is cast as the witch in this childhood classic.
13.
General Electric Theater.
March 1, 1959. NBC.
“Deed of Mercy.” Cast: Carol Lynley, Agnes Moorehead, Ronald Reagan. Reagan was the longtime
host of this anthology series and occasionally, as in this episode, acted in a play.
14.
Alcoa/Goodyear Theatre.
March 9, 1959. NBC.
“Man of His House.” Cast: Agnes Moorehead, Brandon De Wilde, John Anderson, Helen Conrad,
Read Morgan, Eve McVeagh, William Fawcette, Don Grady. Brandon De Wilde (
Shane
) plays a
teenager who runs the family ranch following his father's death making him the “Man of the House.”
However, his mother (played by Aggie) still believes she has a right to discipline him and was going to
give him a “whipping.” However, he considers him too much of an adult to be submitted to such a
childish punishment.
The Rebel.
December 6, 1959. ABC.
“In Memoriam.” Cast: Nick Adams, Agnes Moorehead, Madlyn Rhue. Adams was the star of this
Western series, with Aggie appearing in a guest shot telecast on her 59th birthday.
16.
Ford Startime
. February 16, 1960. NBC.
“Closed Set.” Cast: Joan Fontaine, John Ireland, Agnes Moorehead. Gavin Lambert, who later wrote
the novel
Inside Daisy Clover
, wrote the script to this episode.
17.
The Millionaire
. April 20, 1960. CBS.
“Millionaire Katherine Boland.” Cast: Marvin Miller, Agnes Moorehead, Tuesday Weld, Jerome
Cowan, Bob Newkirk. Aggie plays a woman who receives a million dollars and uses it for her niece’s
debutante debut.
Chevy Mystery Show
. August 7. 1960. NBC.
“Trial by Fury.” Cast: Agnes Moorehead, Warren Stevens, Laurie Carroll, John Alderman, Donald
Foster, Vinton Hayworth, Walter Slezak (host).
19.
The Shirley Temple Show
. September 18, 1960. NBC.
“The Land of Oz.” Cast: Shirley Temple, Jonathan Winters, Agnes Moorehead, Ben Blue, Gil Lamb,
Serling Holloway, Arthur Treatcher, Frances Bergen. Based on the Frank Baum
Oz
stories. Aggie plays
Mombi, the wicked witch, with her friend Frances Bergen (wife of Edgar Bergen and mother of
Candice) as Gilda the Good Witch. William Asher is the producer, and later would be the major
director and producer on
Bewitched
.
20.
Adventures in Paradise.
October 31, 1960. ABC.
“The Irishman.” Cast: Gardner McKay, Weaver Levy, Linda Lawson, Agnes Moorehead, Henry Slate,
James Holden, George Tobias, Sondi Sodsai, Lani Kai. Aggie plays a Moro tribal queen. Series regular
Tobias (Trader Penrose) would later work with Aggie on
Bewitched
, portraying the long-suffering
husband of snoopy neighbor Gladys Kravitz.
Harrigan and Son
. December 9, 1960. ABC.
“There's No Fool Like an Old Fool.” Cast: Pat O'Brien, Roger Perry, Georgine Darcy, Helen Kleeb,
Agnes Moorehead.
22.
Rawhide.
December 9, 1960. CBS.
“Incident at Poco Tiempo.” Cast: Clint Eastwood, Eric Fleming, Sheb Wooley, Gigi Perreau, Agnes
Moorehead. Busy character actress Aggie appears in two different shows on the same night (see above
for the first).
23.
The Shirley Temple Show.
December 11, 1960. NBC.
“The House of the Seven Gables.” Cast: Shirley Temple, Agnes Moorehead, Robert Culp, Martin
Landeau, Jonathan Harris, John Abbott. Aggie's second appearance of the season on the
Temple
show,
and her third of the series, with a cast full of familiar TV names.
24.
The Rifleman.
December 27, 1960. ABC.
“Miss Bertie.” Cast: Chuck Connors, Johnny Crawford, Paul Fix, Joan Taylor, Agnes Moorehead,
Richard Anderson, Bill Quinn, Glenn Strange. Miss Bertie travels from Philadelphia out west where
she tries to apprehend an outlaw (played by Anderson) for the reward money.
25.
Twilight Zone
. January 27, 1961. CBS.
“The Invaders.” Cast: Agnes Moorehead. Rod Serling (host). With the exception of
Bewitched
, this is
probably the most famous television appearance by Aggie due to the continued popularity of Serling's
science-fiction anthology series and Aggie's tour-de-force performance, done without dialogue.
26.
My Sister Eileen
. March 1, 1961. CBS.
“Aunt Harriet's Way.” Cast: Elaine Stritch, Shirley Bonne, Agnes Moorehead, Jack Weston, Rose
Marie, Raymond Bailey, Stubby Kaye. Aggie guest stars as Aunt Harriet in this short-lived sitcom
which also features the future Sally Rogers from
The Dick Van Dyke Show
, Rose Marie, and the future
Mr. Drysdale from
The Beverly Hillbillies
, Raymond Bailey.
27.
My Sister Eileen
. March 29, 1961. CBS.
“The Protectors.” Cast: Elaine Stritch, Shirley Bonne, Agnes Moorehead, Leon Belasco, Jack Weston,
Rose Marie, Raymond Bailey, Stubby Kaye, Roy Roberts. Aunt Harriet (Aggie) shows up for a second
guest appearance.
Poor Mr. Campbell
. August 7, 1962. CBS.
Cast: Agnes Moorehead, Edward Andrews, Ruta Lee, Mary Grace Canfield, Harry Landers, Barbara
Pepper. This is a pilot which didn't sell. Aggie is the nagging wife of “Poor Mr. Campbell” played by
veteran character actor, Edward Andrews.
29.
Camera Three
. March 17, 1963. CBS.
“The Reminiscences of Wanda Landowska.” Cast: Agnes Moorehead. Aggie was justly proud of
her appearance in this cultural show in which she did readings by the harpsichordist and musical
scholar.
The Shari Lewis Show
. June 29, 1963.
Agnes appears with the popular puppeteer.
31.
Burke’s Law
. December 27, 1963. ABC.
“Who Killed Beau Sparrow.” Cast: Gene Barry, Gary Conway, Regis Toomey, Leon Lontoc, Agnes
Moorehead, Dan Tobin, Ken Murray, June Allyson, Yvonne De Carlo. Aggie made the first of three
guest appearances in this police mystery series about a wealthy police Captain.
Channing
. March 4, 1964. ABC.
“Freedom is a Lovesome Thing, God Wot!” Cast: Henry Jones, Jason Evers, Agnes Moorehead, James
Earl Jones. Aggie guest stars in this college-based drama.
33.
Greatest Show on Earth
. April 14, 1964. ABC.
“This Train Doesn't Stop Till It Gets There.” Cast: Jack Palance, Stu Erwin, Andrew Duggan, Spring
Byington, Rory Calhoun, Agnes Moorehead, J. Pat O'Malley, Sheree North, Sally Kellerman,
Deborah Walley. Aggie makes a guest shot on this circus-based drama produced by Desilu.
34.
Burke’sLaw
. May 1, 1964. ABC.
“Who Killed Don Pablo?” Cast: Gene Barry, Gary Conway, Regis Toomey, Leon Lontoc, John
Cassavetes, Patricia Medina, Agnes Moorehead, Cesar Romero, Forrest Tucker, Cecil Kellaway.
Among the guest stars is Medina, the wife of Aggie's longtime friend and colleague Joseph Cotten,
and who also worked with Aggie in the play,
Prescription Murder
.
You Don’t Say
. July 6, 1964. NBC.
Game show hosted by veteran game show host Tom Kennedy.
36.
Bewitched
. September 17, 1964 – July 1, 1972. ABC.
Cast: Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York (1964–1969), Dick Sargent (1969–1972), Agnes Moorehead,
David White, Maurice Evans, Irene Vernon (1964–1966), Kasey Rogers (1966–1972), Alice Pearce
(1964–1966), Sandra Gould (1966–1971), George Tobias, Marion Lorne (1964–1968), Mabel
Albertson, Bernard Fox (1965–1972), Paul Lynde (1965–1971), Alice Ghostley (1969–1972).
Classic series about a beautiful young witch (charmingly played by Montgomery) who falls in love with
a mortal (the superb Dick York for the first five years) and marries him, much to the chagrin of her
grande dame mother, Endora, played by Aggie. The young marrieds, Samantha and Darrin Stephens,
try to live an ordinary mortal lifestyle but inevitably something comes up which needs to be resolved
by witchcraft — in many instances due to the
instigation of Endora and Samantha's other relatives.
254 episodes were telecast, but Aggie, due to a clause
in her contract, performed in only 151 so she could
have time for other outside projects. The following is
a listing of those episodes featuring Endora:
“I Darrin, Take This Witch Samantha.” September 17, 1964
The pilot episode, filmed in December 1963, where
Samantha and Darrin meet, fall in love, and marry
— and then Darrin discovers his wife is a witch.
Nancy Kovack makes her first appearance as Darrin's
ex-girlfriend, Sheila Sommers. Aggie doesn't have
much to do in this episode except zap her amorous
son-in-law from his hotel room to the hotel lobby —
to which Samantha tells her mother, “Even witchcraft
can’t keep him out there all night. It's our honeymoon.” Jose Ferrer narrates the opening of the first
four episodes of the series, only after Robert
Montgomery turned it down.