"I Love the Illusion: The Life and Career of Agnes Moorehead"

[WI_DEM]

I'm going to toot my horn for a moment since I wrote this book and I'm trying to publicize it wherever possible.

Agnes Moorehead was one of the most distinguished actresses of her time. She was one of the great character actresses and excelled in every facet of show buisness on stage, screen, radio, television and even recordings.

She is best known today as "Endora" on "Bewitched", but before taking on this part, somewhat reluctantly, she had more than 30 years of show business experience behind her.

She was one of the great ladies of radio--she was famous for her impression of Eleanor Roosevelt on "The March of Time", one time Mrs. Roosevelt surprised Agnes while she was portraying her and complimented her on how well she did. Needless to say she was devoted to Mrs. R after that. She also was well known as "The Lovely" Margo Lane on "The Shadow". She was one of the charter members of Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre of the Air and won radio immortality with her performance as the bedridden woman who slowly realizes the victim of the murder plot she overhears is herself in "Sorry, Wrong Number."

Orson Welles brought her to Hollywood and she appeared in "Citizen Kane" and most memorably as Aunt Fanny in Welles' mangled masterpiece, "The Magnificent Ambersons" winning the first of her Four Oscar nominations and the NY Film Critics Award as Best Actress. She appeared in more than sixty more films including "Our Vines Have Tender Grapes", "Johnny Belinda", "Dark Passage", "Show Boat", "Magnificent Obession", "Pollyanna", "How The West Was Won", and "Hush...Hush Sweet Charlotte", supporting and stealing the movie from many of the biggest stars of her time.

On stage she helped revolutionize the theatre with "Don Juan in Hell" in the early 50's and then with her own much acclaimed one-woman show, "The Fabulous Redhead."

On televison she became a cultural icon as Endora, but also did memorable performances on many early live TV dramas and such series as "The Twilight Zone" and won an Emmy for a guest apperance on "The Wild, Wild West" in 1967.

I was fortunate to have access to 159 boxes of her papers stored at the Wisconsin State Historical Society. I also interviewed friends and co-workers like Jane Wyman, Debbie Reynolds, Karl Malden, Carol Lynley, Nanette Fabray, Himan Brown, Norman Corwin, Joan Fontaine, among others.

If you might be interested in this book (428 pages, with many never before seen photos) here is the publishers website:
http://www.bearmanormedia.bizland.com/id74.html

or it can be ordered at Amazon.com or BN.com or at any book store.

Thank you!

[madmax]

1. Paging arwalden eom

[msongs]

2. dark passage - the witch who went thru the window for humphrey bogart

kinda of an odd movie but she was excellently evil. kind of a real nasty endora.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/impeachbush.htm

[WI_DEM]

3. This is one of my favorite of her films

and you are so right, she was absolute evil in this. I have to admit I always liked Endora. I thought she was more right than Darrin.

[closeupready]

4. This is so weird - I was thinking not long ago how beautiful she was

especially when she was younger, to say nothing of how talented she was, of course. There doesn't seem to be much info about her out there. I would be interested in reading your book. Hope it sells well! :hi:

[WI_DEM]

6. thanks

yes, she was very attractive and I have some nice early pictures of AM in the book too.

[terrya]

5. I do remember her in "Magnificent Obsession"

Ms. Moorehead played the best friend of Jane Wyman's character. I liked her and the movie a lot.

This is great. I'll have to find your book. Sounds like an interesting read. I don't know if you really delved into her personal life...particularly the talk that she was a lesbian. Agnes Moorehead was far, far, more than "Endora"

[WI_DEM]

7. There is alot that was never revealed regarding her private life

in this book. Her relationships with her two husbands, the foster son she had and how they ultimately grew apart, her valient battle with cancer in the last two years and yes, I do comment on the talk that she was a lesbian and did interview one of the major players in that talk--AM's good friend Debbie Reynolds.

[Sabriel]

8. Are you from Reedsburg?

My dad used to live next door to her there.

[WI_DEM]

13. No, I'm from Madison

but I've had opportunity to visit Reedsburg several times.

[Captain Hilts]

9. Yes, she was a terrific actor.

I read that when it came time to decide who should do Eleanor Roosevelt's voice on some newsreels they had a panel of eight that selected Moorehead. That's what I read. Is that true?

Yes, she was terrific. A GOOD biography of an actor is a real treat. There is so much total trash in the genre, Leaming's bio of Hepburn comes to mind.

[WI_DEM]

14. The panel I hadn't heard of, but Mrs. R did attend a radio

broadcast where Agnes was playing her and Agnes didn't know she was there, looked up at the control panel and saw Mrs. R's famous smile looking down at her, and later Mrs. R met Agnes and complimented her saying it was the best and truest portrayal of her she had heard.

[Democrats_win]

10. I'll definitely get this bio on Agnes Moorehead.

When I see her name in the credits, I know its a good movie.

[anitar1]

11. She was a powerful actress and one of my alltime

favorites. IMO ,she stole just about every movie she was in. Who could forget her? Will get this book.

[flamingyouth]

12. I'll have to pick that up.

It sounds great. I'm a huge fan of hers and look forward to reading this! :hi: