The Essential Elizabeth Montgomery: A Guide to Her Magical Performances

by Herbie J. Pilato

Book by Pilato, Herbie J.

Genres: Biography

184 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 2013

About the author

Herbie J. Pilato is a TV host, writer, producer, performer, and entertainment executive who has worked on several television shows including Bravo’s hit five-part series, The 100 Greatest TV Characters, Bewitched: The E! True Hollywood Story (the seventh-highest rated True Hollywood Story in E!’s history), A&E’s Biography of Lee Majors, TLC’s Behind the Fame specials on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, Hill Street Blues, and L.A. Law, among others. Herbie J has also served as a consulting producer and on-screen cultural commentator on various classic TV DVD documentaries for Sony, NBCUniversal, and Warner Bros., including The Six Million Dollar Man boxed set, Kung Fu, and CHiPs.

Reviews

[Cristina Isabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always been a fan of Bewitched, but of course, when I was watching the show, they were reruns.  I remember feeling sad in learning of her passing and that I'd never get to see or meet her in person.  But, after reading this guide of "her magical performances", I felt transported back in time.  I have much more respect for Elizabeth Montgomery for not only being the famous Samantha on Bewitched, but also being an advocate for people with Aids and Disabilities.  I was amazed at how passionate she was at standing up for people who couldn't stand on their own.  In this guide, it gives you a glimpse of what her life was like, the highs and lows of her relationships and friendships with colleagues.  Beautiful photos of her, family and friends fill some of the pages along with photos of her on sets.  There is also a listing of all her performances, between movies and TV shows (including all the episodes of Bewitched) and voice overs.  Elizabeth Montgomery was nothing short of being a spectacular actress who loved what she did--acting.  There was so much detail described about her in this guide that it makes you appreciate her that much more and then some.  Kudos to you, Elizabeth (Lizzie), for being who you were and Herbie J. Pilato for capturing these moments and sharing them in this memorable guide.

[Maggie Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptionally interesting book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Elizabeth Montgomery and her work.

[K Theobald · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was fair. I am a fan of Elizabeth Montgomery's. However, I think I would need to be an even bigger fan to fully appreciate the book. I mostly liked her in Bewitched.

[Ellen Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really beautiful book with wonderful full page photos, some black and white and some color, and a tremendous amount of information on this terrific actress. It is exactly what it professes to be, a guide to her magical performances. It would make a great reference book for anyone who is interested in reading a synopsis of every film, tv episode, and all dramatic work in Elizabeth Montgomery's life. I think what I was looking for is different than what the book really is. I wanted to read a story, and learn what her life was like, what she was thinking and feeling, and there was little of that. There were a lot of dates and data and I did not feel the book flowed very well, at least in the way I was seeking. I appreciate receiving the book through the Librarything Early Reviewers Program, and feel it has merit if someone is doing research, or simply interested in the facts.

[Debbie Maskus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anne Edwards does an amazing job with her biography of Vivian Leigh, but Pilato's play script style for his biography of Elizabeth Montgomery lacks depth. The writing style lacks unity and quickly loses appeal. Pilato provides too much emphasis on Robert Montgomery. I thoroughly enjoyed Bewitched and admired Montgomery's performance in The Legend of Lizzie Borden. Pilato does little to enhance Montgomery's life.

[Mirhanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is Terrible! What a waste of money. There has to be a better biography of Elizabeth Montgomery than this. This is a mess.

[Kat · Rating 1 out of 5]

Perhaps I didn't read the description well enough, but this was not the kind of book I thought it would be. I find biographies very interesting, but this one was beyond dull. Did you ever sit and read an encyclopedia? That's probably more interesting. It reads like the worst text book I ever had.

If I knew this was mostly going to just be a list of everything in which Elizabeth Montgomery acted, I wouldn't have bothered. I only read it, since I got it for free and felt obligated.

I think the episode guides could have been in the back in a separate section, though that was a good portion of the book, so maybe that's why they were mixed in with the rest of the book.

Not only was this book boring, but I believe it almost has to be fairly inaccurate, since the author used Wikipedia as a source. Since Wikipedia is a source that ANYONE can change at any time and does NOT get reviewed before it is updated live. This has to be one of the worst sources I've ever seen in a book or article and I've done a lot of reading.

My recommendation? Don't waste your time with this book. There have to be dozens of better books about Elizabeth Montgomery that aren't as dry and dreadfully boring.