I Love the Illusion: The Life and Career of Agnes Moorehead (42 page)

Agnes had some concerns regarding her character which Bill Dozier tried
to dispel in a 11/7/63 letter: “Please don’t worry about preliminary indications
of wild ghost outfits. I assure you we are not going to go in for anything
freakish.” In fact, Agnes had her own ideas of what “Mother” should wear
and what colors they should be, which, as expected, were shades of green
and lavender on chiffon for her “flying suit.” She also designed her own
make-up which she considered “impish” rather than “devilish.” Agnes’
other concern was regarding the name of her character. She didn’t want to
be referred to only as “Mother.” It was fine for her daughter, but she wanted
a name to go with the character. Dozier tried to reassure her on this point
as well. “Also, we shall see that this character has a proper identification
other than ‘Mother.’”

The first cast reading of the script was scheduled for Friday, November
22, 1963 — but without Agnes, who had a long scheduled commitment set
for Thursday night in Toronto, Canada, performing her one-woman show.
She couldn’t make it back in time for this first reading and was excused. Of
course on this date, the unspeakable happened, President Kennedy was shot
and murdered in Dallas, Texas. It was two hours earlier in California when
Bill and Elizabeth, still at home, received word of the tragedy. “. . . The
whole thing was very strange,” remembered Elizabeth years later to author
Herbie J Pilato, “but to keep on working did seem to be the right thing to
do. We went ahead and had the first reading of the script. It was very
interesting. There wasn’t one person who didn’t show up. There weren’t any
phone calls made. It was like everyone on the set just needed to talk with
each other.” Agnes was shocked and deeply saddened by JFK’s assassination.
Politically, she was to the right of the young president, but she admired the
First Couple’s style and charm, two traits she appreciated in people. It was
an unforgettable and tragic way to begin what would become an eight-year
journey.

The cast reconvened the day after the President’s funeral for an
additional reading, wardrobe and make up tests and rehearsals. The pilot
was shot the first week in December. Screen Gems was thrilled about the
results and went off to find a sponsor and a network. Over the Christmas
holidays Sean was returning from Wales, but Agnes couldn’t get away from
California to meet him upon his arrival in New York. She asked Georgia
Johnstone to meet his plane and asked if he could spend a couple of days
with she and Bill and also arrange for the boy to see a dentist while he was
in New York. As it turned out, Agnes did arrange for Sean to fly directly to
Los Angeles where she made arrangements for him to see an eye doctor,
pediatrician and the dentist, who needed to rewire his braces. Agnes later
reported to Georgia that “Sean had a wonderful Christmas . . . I have high
hopes for him.”

With the pilot completed and
Who’s Minding the Store?
hitting movie
houses that Christmas, Agnes was offered, in early 1964, a part in a film
with more of an acting challenge than the Lewis romp had required,
Whatever Happened to Cousin Charlotte?
But first she had a series of
appearances that late winter with her one-woman show to complete. She
was mid-tour when she received news from Harry Ackerman that
Bewitched
had sold and the show was scheduled to be on ABC’s 64–65 fall
lineup. In fact, the network was very high on the series and was planning a
huge promotional campaign to sell it.

Agnes’ reaction upon hearing the news that the pilot had been picked up
was not one of joy. She said many times that she felt “trapped” since she had
agreed to appear in the show (at least verbally), should it be picked up. She
reported to Georgia Johnstone on 2/20/64, “I found my series was sold.
The script is a bore and you know how I hate to be tied down — but one
can’t look a gift horse in the mouth these days. Shooting begins in August
— Elizabeth Montgomery is pregnant! The baby appears in July — so —
that is that.” She would honor her obligation but still couldn’t quite believe
that it sold. “How could witchcraft appeal to the general public?” she asked
in a
TV Guide
interview. And it does appear she was willing to at least
entertain other offers, such as one to appear in the hit comedy play,
Barefoot in the Park.
“Barefoot was offered to me — a year’s contract — very
little money tho’ — I had better stick to the series.” Compounding her
troubles that spring was when she attempted to lift a heavy suitcase en route
to a concert appearance and twisted her lower vertebra causing an intense
backache from the sciatic nerve. In April, she was offered the choice part of
playing the nurse in Peter Wyngarde’s production of
Romeo and Juliet,
which would open in Chicago that fall and then New York in December.
Already cast were Alan Bates, Rosemary Harris and Susan Oliver. Again,
Agnes turned down the part preferring the money and security the series
had to offer.

In the meanwhile, she did come up with an idea for the name of the
character she would play in
Bewitched.
Her inspiration came from the Bible
— 1 Samuel: 28, to be exact. It tells the story of Saul who consults a medium
to summon up the spirit of Samuel. The medium’s name is the witch of
Endor. She suggested “Endora,” which seemed to fit the idea of the worldly
character she envisioned her witch as being. Her other issue, which she had
made clear at the time she filmed the pilot, was being tied down to appear
in every episode. It would mean too much time away from her one-woman
shows, her true passion. She also felt too much “Endora” would be harmful to
her career as an actress. “I don’t want too much exposure. Our
audiences are capricious, full of whims. No matter what the talent pretty
soon somebody says, ‘oh yes, I’ve seen all of that.’” An agreement was
reached where Agnes would appear in no more than 8 out of every 13
episodes. She also insisted that she receive special billing in the opening
credits each week, regardless whether or not she appeared in that episode.
So, for the first five seasons, her special billing would be “
AND
A
GNES
M
OOREHEAD AS
E
NDORA
.” With the exception of series leads Montgomery
and York, she would be the only
Bewitched
actor accorded billing in the
opening credits until David White (who would appear in more episodes of
Bewitched
than anyone except Montgomery) got this reward in season six.

As mentioned, in early 1964 Agnes received an invitation from Robert
Aldrich to join Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in a film to be titled,
Whatever Happened to Cousin Charlotte?,
based on a story by Henry Farrell,
who had also written the novel,
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
which
Bette and Joan had starred in two years earlier. While this story would not
be a sequel to the very profitable
Baby Jane,
it did contain many of the same
ingredients; chief among them, director Aldrich and lead actresses, Davis
and Crawford. It was surprising that after all the acrimony in making
Baby
Jane
that the two actresses would consider working together again. But they
were astute enough to know that a re-teaming would generate big box office
receipts and each of them would have a percentage of the picture’s gross.

The story takes place on a decaying Louisiana plantation which has been
earmarked by the Highway Authority for demolition. Charlotte Hollis
(Davis) has lived there all of her life and over time has gradually begun to
lose her mind. The old house was once the site of an infamous murder
involving a married lover of Charlotte’s (Bruce Dern). Charlotte is
convinced that her much-loved late father (Victor Buono, another
Baby
Jane
alumni) murdered her lover and she believes that if she lets the house
go to the developers they will find evidence which will implicate him in the
crime. Crawford was cast as her cousin, Miriam Deering, who arrives from
Paris on the assumption, by Charlotte, that she will help her keep the house.

Agnes was offered the plum supporting role of Velma Cruther,
Charlotte’s poor, slovenly but loyal housekeeper. Agnes read the screenplay,
retitled
Hush . . . Hush, Sweet Charlotte
(Davis insisted on the title change
because she didn’t want this new film so closely identified with
Baby Jane
),

and realized that she had the best part in the film and eagerly accepted. The
filming wouldn’t begin until May and, with Elizabeth Montgomery’s pregnancy,
Bewitched
wasn’t scheduled to go into production until August —
more than enough time, Agnes believed, for her to complete the picture.
Agnes was further excited when her old friends, Joseph Cotten and Mary
Astor, were cast in other key supporting parts.

After all her years in Hollywood this would be Agnes’ first film with
either Davis or Crawford. She had known Davis socially for many years
dating back to the early 30’s in New York when Agnes and Jack Lee would
occasionally go out on the town with Davis and her then-husband,
bandleader Ham Nelson. (Nelson, like Jack, grew jealous of a wife whose
success eclipsed his own.) Over the years Agnes and Bette would run into
each other in Hollywood at social gatherings and exchange letters and
Christmas cards. When Agnes came to Warner Brothers in the 40’s, Bette
was the acknowledged Queen of the Lot — but they never were cast in a
vehicle together. Both admired the other as an actress. Agnes believed that
Davis was one of the most talented people to appear in motion pictures and
yet kept true to her Yankee upbringing and didn’t “go Hollywood.” Davis
felt that Agnes was one of the best character actresses in the business.
Coming from Davis, this was high praise indeed since she believed that she,
herself, was a character actress first and a star second. Yet, for all of this,
they certainly were not close friends who confided in each other. Unlike the
cooperative Agnes, Davis had a reputation for being a terror on the set by
bullying her directors and belittling her fellow actors. There is truth in that,
but mainly with directors who didn’t take a firm hand with her or actors she
felt were unprofessional. Karl Malden would remember Davis as “very easy
to work with and such a professional. A true perfectionist who knew what
she wanted. I never had any trouble with her.”

Agnes also got to know Crawford at Warners where Joan went after
many years as one of MGM’s great leading ladies. Crawford was well known
for keeping up a staggering amount of correspondence with friends and
fans alike. She felt she owed her fans a personal response if they wrote to
her because they were the ones who put her where she was — the top. She
would occasionally send Agnes little notes on her trademarked light-blue
paper, complimenting her on a performance or inviting her to a party.
Agnes would respond in kind. Unlike Davis, Crawford epitomized the
glamour that was Hollywood in those days: her hair always done up, always
wearing the latest in designer clothing and radiating supreme confidence;
Joan was every inch a star. In this regard Agnes was closer to Crawford than
to Davis. Joan was also a very capable actress in roles tailored to her
persona, but certainly no Bette Davis — or Agnes Moorehead — in range.

After beginning the picture with some location shooting in Baton
Rogue, the
Hush . . . Hush
cast and crew returned to Twentieth Century-Fox
studios in late May to film interiors. Confronting Davis again made
Crawford nervous. To steady herself, Joan always had a bottle of Pepsi laced
with vodka stowed away in a flask in her purse. Still, this added stimulant
was not enough to calm her for the first scene she shot with Bette. Joan
muffed several takes, exasperating Bette who suggested to Joan that she
“withdraw and compose” herself. Robert Aldrich began to call himself an
“embattled warrior” having to deal with the egos of his lead actresses. After
a few days of filming, Crawford began to believe that everyone on the set
was against her; she was also exhibiting symptoms of an upper respiratory
illness. Crawford entered Cedars of Lebanon Hospital. During her absence
the cast would shoot scenes unconnected with her character or around her
in other ways. While Joan was hospitalized, Agnes thoughtfully sent an
arrangement of garnet roses. Joan, truly touched, and a stickler for good
manners, immediately wrote a thank you note which concluded, “Bless you
(her trademark phrase) my dear friend. I do hope I shake this pneumonia
bug this time, and will be back on the set very soon. Love, Joan.”