Twitch Upon A Star

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 Oscar-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.

Bewitched star Elizabeth Montgomery was one of the most prolific and popular actresses of the twentieth century. In her more than five hundred appearances on television, film and the stage, Elizabeth Montgomery’s talent, charisma, and personalityhave charmed millions for decades. This delightful new book delineates, dissects, and celebrates the diversity and minutia of Montgomery’s remarkable career, while chronicling just how much her real life spilled into her historic roles on stage and screen. The book is based on Pilato’s exclusive interviews with the actress and supplemented withcommentary provided by myriad entertainment professionals, journalists, and media and classic TV historians, including the Oscar-nominated actress Juanita Moore (Montgomery’s co-star from the historic “White Lie” episode of TV’s 77 Sunset Strip), and producer/writer/actor Jimmy Lydon (Elizabeth’s co-star from the Wagon Train episode “The Victorio Bottecelli Story.”) Including plot summaries, airdates, release dates, and behind-the-scenes notes and anecdotes of select performances, The Essential Elizabeth Montgomery is the ultimate handy, entertaining, and informative reference to the on- and off-screen adventures of one of the world’s most beloved stars.

A magical, heartwarming memoir from one of Hollywood’s most beloved actresses, best known for her iconic role on I Dream of Jeannie The landmark NBC hit television series I Dream of Jeannie has delighted generations of audiences and inspired untold numbers of teenage crushes on its beautiful blond star, Barbara Eden, for decades. Part pristine Hollywood princess and part classic bombshell, with innocence, strength, and comedic talent to spare, Barbara finally lets Jeannie out of her bottle to tell her whole story. Jeannie Out of the Bottle takes us behind the scenes of I Dream of Jeannie as well as Barbara’s dozens of other stage, movie, television, and live concert performances. We follow her from the hungry years when she was a struggling studio contract player at 20th Century Fox through difficult weeks trying to survive as a chorus girl at Ciro’s Sunset Strip supper club, from a stint as Johnny Carson’s sidekick on live TV to tangling on-screen and off with some of Hollywood’s most desirable leading men, including Elvis Presley, Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman, and Warren Beatty. From the ups and downs of her relationship with her Jeannie co-star Larry Hagman to a touching meeting with an exquisite and vulnerable Marilyn Monroe at the twilight of her career, readers join Barbara on a thrilling journey through her five decades in Hollywood. But Barbara’s story is also an intimate and honest memoir of personal tragedy: a stillborn child with her first husband, Michael Ansara; a verbally abusive, drug-addicted second husband; the loss of her beloved mother; and the accidental heroin-induced death of her adult son, just months before his wedding. With candor and poignancy, Barbara reflects on the challenges she has faced, as well as the joys she has experienced and how she has maintained her humor, optimism, and inimitable Jeannie magic throughout the roller-coaster ride of a truly memorable life. Illustrated with sixteen pages of photographs, including candid family pictures and rare publicity stills, Jeannie Out of the Bottle is a must-have for every fan, old and new.

Revised & updated version of The Omni-Directional Three-Dimensional Vectoring Paper Printed Omnibus for Bewitched Analysis a.k.a. The Bewitched History Book. For fifty years the beloved 1960s sitcom Bewitched has been enchanting television audiences. Created at a turbulent time in American history, Bewitched offered a brief respite from the worries of the day. Before now, there has never been a book written that ties in the events of the times with each episode. But more important, there has never been a book about the show which breaks down each episode in depth. There is now. Within these pages you will learn everything about America's favorite witch, Samantha Stephens, her dreary mortal husband, Durwood, er, Darrin, and the grand host of witches, warlocks, and marvelous mortals who accompanied them on their journey from newlyweds to the parents of a little witch and warlock of their own. Each of the 254 episodes are described in humorous detail and reviewed by one of the biggest fans of the show, David Pierce (otherwise known as Dr. Bombay), from the premiere Bewitched website www.harpiesbizarre.com, based on his popular "40 Years Ago..." weekly posts. Rare trivia and photos accompany the episodes as you learn which witch went which way along with what mortal madness materialized in the swinging 60s of suburbia! About the Author David Pierce should have gotten a Master's Degree in Bewitched, but, instead, got an Associates in Science, majoring in Commercial Art. He currently works as a customer service operations agent in the health care profession and lives in Holladay, Utah.

Randall Kennedy takes on not just a word, but our laws, attitudes, and culture with bracing courage and intelligence—with a range of reference that extends from the Jim Crow south to Chris Rock routines and the O. J. Simpson trial. It’s “the nuclear bomb of racial epithets,” a word that whites have employed to wound and degrade African Americans for three centuries. Paradoxically, among many Black people it has become a term of affection and even empowerment. The word, of course, is nigger, and in this candid, lucidly argued book the distinguished legal scholar Randall Kennedy traces its origins, maps its multifarious connotations, and explores the controversies that rage around it. Should Blacks be able to use nigger in ways forbidden to others? Should the law treat it as a provocation that reduces the culpability of those who respond to it violently? Should it cost a person his job, or a book like Huckleberry Finn its place on library shelves?

The 1970s cult TV show Kung Fu introduced an entire generation of Americans to the ways of eastern philosophy. Its central appeal rested with the lead character, Kwai Chang Caine, whose graceful ways and respect for all life, attracted viewers of all ages, creeds, and colors.The over four hundred quotes of The Kung Fu Book of Wisdom are gathered from the words of Caine and Master Po and Master Kan, the Shaolin monks who were Caine's teachers. Arranged by notable topics that the show addressed: courage, discipline, freedom, and harmony--to name a few--this book offers clear insights of eastern wisdom.

Be they actors, comedians, singers, dancers, or talk show hosts and personalities, everyone from George Burns and Milton Berle to Jack Benny and Jackie Gleason to Sid Caesar and Caesar Romero ignited their own particular brand of “man-erisms.” In the process, they each inspired their own particular brand of audience to cheer them on—whatever their guise. This book will explore and celebrate the men who invented manliness, and became stars in the process.It also profiles such teenage heartthrobs as Leave it to Beaver's Tony Dow and The Partridge Family's David Cassidy, stars who left an indelible impression on a generation of young girls.

Born Juanita Slusher in Edna, Texas, in 1935, the entertainer who became Candy Barr was perhaps the last great dancer in burlesque, a stripper who insisted on live, improvisational music and who at one time commanded $2,000 a week in 1950s Las Vegas. But as Juanita she had started life as a prematurely well-developed thirteen-year-old runaway victimized by a Dallas ritual known as "the capture" that enslaved her into prostitution, for a time turning over 4,000 tricks a year before she was able to escape. A lover of Mickey Cohen's and friend to Jack Ruby, Barr's tumultuous life included a period of imprisonment on trumped-up drug charges, an appearance in a crude, 20-minute stag film, and unlikely role in the investigation into the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Based on over 100 hours of exclusive interviews with Barr, this book is not just the story of Juanita and Candy, but also paints an unflattering picture of all those who sought to exploit her.

The Bewitched Continuum is a fun insider's look at the classic television show's overall continuity that will have you appreciating Samantha, Darrin, and their circle of impish witches and manic mortals in a whole new way.Adam-Michael James zaps up the same magnifying glass he uses on scripts for Hollywood studios and his columns at soapcentral.com to explore the consistencies and inconsistencies of Bewitched, comparing and contrasting all 254 episodes like never before. The only book to focus solely on the supernatural sitcom's fictional elements, The Bewitched Continuum delves into burning questions like: How come witches can use their powers in the past in some episodes but not in others? Can witches undo one another's spells, or not? The result is a definitive reference guide that is entertaining, perceptive, and always respectful.In addition to stunning photos and overviews for all eight seasons, this magical manual reveals how many times Endora called Darrin "Durwood" and who was afflicted with which witchy illness, not to mention offers an exclusive peek at one idea for the series finale Bewitched never had. Whether hardcore fan or discovering the show for the first time, The Bewitched Continuum casts a spell you won't soon forget!

Hannah is the strong one. The one who cares for her brothers and sisters; the one who's kept the family together. But now, everything is changing. Her father is more distant, and her siblings are starting lives of their own. That's when Hannah decides to make a quilt. A quilt of fabrics from people who are special to the family; people they trust. And when the sisters are separated, Hannah makes sure they each have a piece of the quilt. The quilt she hopes will bring her family together again.