MovieChat Forums > Bewitched (1964) Discussion > What caused the deaths of various cast m...

What caused the deaths of various cast members?

posted 6 years ago by TMC-4 (19387)
19 replies | jump to latest

http://www.agcwebpages.com/BLINDITEMS/2018/AUGUST.html

http://www.crazydaysandnights.net/2018/08/blind-item-10-reader-blind.html

48. ENTERTAINMENT LAWYER 08/03 **#10**
Reader Blind: In the years after this classic sitcom with a supernatural theme went off the air, the female main character, the actress who played her mother, and the actor who played the main character's husband for the second half of the series run all died of cancer. The actor who played the female main character's husband during the first half of the series was sick already with different ailments but got worse once he joined the show and eventually had to quit. Then there's the crew - many of them developed cancer and other serious illnesses. Too many to be a coincidence. The answer is a very obvious one - the quickly built house on a back lot that served as the main set for the series was filled with asbestos. Relatives of the crew members have over the years received some hush money payments in return for keeping quiet. Some might ask why didn't the very out there camp comedic actor and/or the authoritative British character actor get sick? Go back and watch the show. Their characters were re-occuring and they were not in every episode and therefore not required to be on set as much.

Classic sitcom: "Bewitched"
Female main character: Elizabeth Montgomery (colon cancer)
Actress who played her mother: Agnes Moorehead (uterine cancer)
Husband for second half of series: Dick Sargent (prostate cancer)
Husband for first half of series: Dick York (emphysema)
British character: Bernard Fox (Dr. Bombay) (heart failure)

[–] [email protected] (1732) 5 years ago

There is ZERO proof to this nonsense. MOST people die of either heart disease or cancer. And while it's sad that
Montgomery and Sargent (and York, who did not pass from cancer) died in their early 60's, it happens.

And while we're on the subject of urban myths, let's not forget Moorehead's being on the set of the John Wayne
film in the '50's, where several actors - AM included - were hit with cancer. So, if you believe that (and you
probably do), you can't have it both ways and attribute Moorehead's cancer to BW, for heaven's sake.

Alice Pearce? We now know she already KNEW she had ovarian cancer before she was cast on the series, but kept
it quiet in hopes of beating it, and in not wanting to lose out on this pivotal role on the show.

Sandra Gould was on the backlot A LOT, as was David White (who died of a heart attack). Same with George Tobias,
and countless others who used the facade besides the BW crew - NO cancer.

And what about Marion Lorne, and Bill Asher??

Very irresponsible and, frankly, silly post. You need a hobby. Golf perhaps?

[–] TMC-4 (19387) 5 years ago

Keep in mind that the blind is strictly referring to the set that served as the Stephens' household and not literally every set to be used for Bewitched.

[–] Galactus03 (4287) 5 years ago

Well said Gbennett....

[–] L1 (1316) 4 years ago

Gbennet, is the stick up ur ass painful?
Sorry but you take everything so seriously. Its not lik there was anything offensive about this thread.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 4 years ago

Nah, I think what's hurtin' YOU is you WANT something up your ass - but can't locate anything big enough to give
you your jollies.

[–] L1 (1316) 4 years ago

Only offensive person on the whole board is you troll

[–] strntz (10775) 5 years ago

Classic sitcom: "Bewitched"
Female main character: Elizabeth Montgomery (colon cancer)
Actress who played her mother: Agnes Moorehead (uterine cancer)
Husband for second half of series: Dick Sargent (prostate cancer)
Husband for first half of series: Dick York (emphysema)
British character: Bernard Fox (Dr. Bombay) (heart failure)

None of those cancers (colon, uterine, or prostrate) are generally attributed to asbestos.
Emphysema was common as most of the population smoked back then and 100% of the population breathed second hand smoke regularly.
Heart failure is also not attributed to asbestos, not to mention Mr. Fox was well beyond the age when men are susceptible to heart failure, particularly after years of smoking and living with second hand smoke.

Nothing to see here.

[–] TMC-4 (19387) 5 years ago

The blind when referring to Bernard Fox states that since he was purely a recurring player (and thus, wasn't required to always be on that particular set), he was presumably able to live much longer than the other cast members listed.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 5 years ago

Baloney.

Bu-bye.

[–] strntz (10775) 5 years ago

Bernard Fox was 89... I'm convinced..

Someone should investigate the happenings for Gone With The Wind. Do you realize that everyone from that cast except Olivia de Havilland is also dead?

[–] Galactus03 (4287) 5 years ago

Lol......there's only one movie I'm aware of that may be blamed for a cancer epidemic. That would be the Conquer with John Wayne. Much of the cast and crew died of cancer by the 1970's. Though Wayne was a 6 pack a day smoker. Agnes Moorehead was also in that film. It was filmed on a site with radioactivity.

[–] strntz (10775) 5 years ago

I've read that and can't dismiss it because at least with that film it's known that the movie was filmed in a fallout area. Still, an awful lot of people back then smoked which is why the average life span was like 10 years or more less than it is now.

While they say 90 out of 200 involved in the shoot died of cancer (an abnormally high percentage), I haven't seen the splits of the percentage of those died compared to their ages. Cancer claims on average less than 20%, but that percentage rises dramatically with age.

[–] TMC-4 (19387) 4 years ago

Anges Moorhead was incidentally, also in a movie called The Conqueror (AKA the movie where John Wayne plays Genghis Khan). Many of the people who worked on that movie later developed cancer since it was shot near a nuclear testing site in Utah.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Conqueror_(1956_film)#Production_and_cancer_controversy

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/02/19/the-conqueror-film/

[–] goldenagefilmstv (177) 2 years ago

I have to disagree with this. Yes, many people smoked in the sixties, but I really don't think it was "most." I grew up in the '60s and '70s; it's my own experience that I'm going by. Most of the people I saw did NOT smoke.

[–] strntz (10775) 2 years ago

Most people smoked whether they wanted to or not, even if less than half actually lit them up. The amount of second hand smoke we got back then was significant. But you're correct - "most" people didn't actually smoke but everyone was exposed to it.

Anyway, I remember the first stag/bachelor party I went to. The room was much longer than wide, and sitting in the back, we could barely see the groom and best man speak from the front table for all the smoke that was there.

[–] Galactus03 (4287) 5 years ago

This is complete nonsense. Asbestos is In many houses. People have done renovations on old houses for years without realizing there is asbestos in them and so far I have not heard of ANYONE getting mesothelioma or Asbestosis from house Asbestos. While it should be handled carefully it has been overblown since everyone found out about the billions of dollars set aside for lawsuits. Lawyer sites tell of horror storis about Asbestos...like not hanging a picture In your house ...etc. ..the fact is almost everyone who has gotten it worked with it daily. Many just Asbestosis and some mesothelioma (cancer) There are some exceptions. ALSO it take 20 years plus in most cases to get cancer from asbestos. Moorehead died shortly after the show wrapped.

[–] strntz (10775) 5 years ago

From what I read, asbestos is the only identified cause of mesothelioma, although I don't know if this identification comes from ambulance chaser "experts". If that is indeed true, then anyone afflicted with meso did get it from asbestos exposure.

Asbestos is really only a problem when the asbestos product is damaged or decaying, something most likely to occur during it's removal. It's the particles that become airborne that cause the cancer.

[–] Galactus03 (4287) 5 years ago

Yes....but one particle or even mild exposure which pretty much everyone in American has been exposed to...(because it's in the air) is very unlikely to get anyone sick. Still haven't seen any cases of it from people who did DIY renovations on their own homes etc. It's almost always with people who work in the industry and get major exposure.

[–] QOK (1504) 5 years ago

And it was all preventable.