The Elizabeth Montgomery Birthday Celebration
and Wardrobe Sale/Auction
Sunday, April 19, 1998
The Elizabeth Montgomery Birthday Celebration
and Wardrobe Sale/Auction
Sunday, April 19, 1998
A memorable time was had by all who were invited to the Duet Nightclub in Westwood, California to join the family & friends of Elizabeth Montgomery in a celebration of her illustrious life. Miss Montgomery's children and husband generously donated her wardrobe for auction/sale so that money could be raised for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Miss Montgomery was well known for her philanthropic work for AIDS charities, and through this event, we saw how Miss Montgomery could still contribute to one of her favorite charities through the generosity of her family.
(LEFT) The arrival of beautiful Kasey Rogers (Louise Tate), Bernard Fox (Dr. Bombay) and his wife Jacquie (facing away)
The party began at 3 PM, with the arrival of former Bewitched cast members, and friends and family of Miss Montgomery. The sign outside the Duet Nightclub said "Duet closed all day for private party". The event had sold out to the capacity limit of the club well before the date of the party. Tickets were $50 and you had to be already listed on a paid-ticket list at the door to get in. My husband Joe attended, and you will see some photos he took at the party on this page.
(RIGHT) Sandra Gould (Mrs. Kravitz) is helped on with her jacket as she arrives at the Duet Nightclub
Beautiful clothing hung on racks which people could peruse, looking for that special outfit to take home. These items were all priced and available for purchase (no bidding necessary). There was also special rack of clothing that contained outfits that had been worn on TV by Miss Montgomery.
(LEFT) Elizabeth's daughter Rebecca (white pants) welcomes guests
After people were finished purchasing the clothing, the racks were removed and the emcee introduced each former Bewitched cast member and asked them to come up one by one and share a memory of Elizabeth with everyone. Elizabeth's daughter Rebecca was also was asked to come up and share some memories of her mom. Erin Murphy's sister Diane who shared the role of Tabitha in Bewitched as well as their mother Stephanie Murphy also popped in - they both looked great!
Following this, a country singer from Nashville came on stage and sang "Black Velvet". She did a very nice job. During a few seconds of technical glitches, Rebecca got up on stage and told an impromptu dirty joke, and the whole place roared with laughter - Rebecca certainly has some of her mom's mischievousness which was fun to see!
(RIGHT) My husband Joe with Elizabeth's beautiful daughter, Rebecca. Miss Montgomery's presence was felt everywhere!
After this, the fashion show started. Runway models came out (accompanied by throbbing dance music) with some of the more flashy outfits Miss Montgomery had owned while people cheered, took photos and tried to lock into their minds which items they wanted to bid for - these were the outfits that were auctioned off in a silent auction after the fashion show was over. Erin Murphy and Linda Blair both modeled a few outfits. During the playing of the Bewitched theme while dancers danced on stage, Erin twitched her nose, and the sheer draping that covered the huge photographs of Elizabeth suspended from the ceiling magically fell away from the photos so they were now easily seen! Erin & Linda were really crowd pleasers!
(LEFT) L-R Erin Murphy, her twin sister Diane and their mother Stephanie.
After this, the silent auction began, and the modeled items were sold. Prices ranged from hundreds to thousands of dollars on these outfits, the most expensive being the Gucci outfit which was really beautiful and went for $2,000. There were not many obviously old clothes, such as those worn on Bewitched, and the emcee of the fashion show never mentioned that any outfit was from the 60's or had been worn on Bewitched, though there could have been something there in that category which was not known about. My husband Joe was lucky enough to get 3 of the modeled outfits! More milling around, drinks, friendly chatter and fun followed, along with eating the beautiful birthday cake (see photo at top of the cake with Liz's face on it) and other light fare.
The party was a great success, and it was estimated that the benefit raised between 15 and $20,000 for AIDS Healthcare! All who attended were left with the feeling that they had indeed been a part of something very special!
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), established in 1987, is the largest community-based HIV/AIDS medical provider in the nation. AHF serves over 3,300 greater Los Angeles patients regardless of insurance status or a patient's ability to pay. AHF has grown from a small group of friends dedicated to the creation of dignified care for people in the last stages of AIDS, to a 35 million dollar agency today. AHF is located at:
6255 Sunset Blvd., 16th floor
Los Angeles, CA 90028
To see a few of the outfits we were able to
purchase from Miss Montgomery's wardrobe,
click on the links below. We have some other
items I didn't get photos of, and others I DID get
photos of, but they didn't turn out well,
so they are not included here.
Note: We noticed that the sleeves were quite long on Miss Montgomery's clothes, my guess is that she had long arms and that she was about 5'5" tall, however this is just a guess. The person wearing the clothes in the photos is 5'3" tall, size 6-8 and 105 lbs. The pants were all a little long, although most of the clothes fit perfectly unless otherwise noted.
This first outfit consists of a black, sleeveless mini-dress (Label: BIMO - 95% cotton 5% Spandex, size small) and a gorgeous sequined jacket which sparkles and shimmers when you walk. It looked unbelievable under the lights of the fashion show! (Label: Lawrence Kazar, New York, 100% pure silk with Rayon lining, made in India, size small) See it here.
This outfit consists of a smart, black and white herringbone jacket (Label: Lew Magram, New York, 58% Rayon 42% Acetate, size 6) and black, pleated pants (Label: Banana Republic Safari Travel Clothing Co., 55% linen, 45% Rayon, size 6). See it here.
A lovely long, comfortable lightweight print dress (Label: Nostalgia, 100% Rayon, Made in India, size medium) Note: This dress was not as small as most of the other outfits. See it here.
This is a soft, comfortable red silk shirt worn over the same black pleated pants as above. The black t-shirt was not part of Miss Montgomery's wardrobe. (Label: 2567 Basics, 100% silk, size 12) We sent this lovely blouse overseas as a surprise gift to one of our most ardent supporters/friends (who, needless to say was ecstatic!), so it now resides in Rehovot, Israel. See it here.
Here is a shiny gold and black patterned jacket, worn with the same black t-shirt and black pants as above. It looks to be handmade as there is no label, and the finish inside is rough. It is also larger than most of the clothes, we had to put shoulder pads in it so it would fit better. See it here. Ok, all you serious fans should recognize this black sweater with the gold "lightning bolt" design (see the book "Bewitched Forever" page 238.) It was worn for a 1991 publicity photo, but interestingly, I think the sweater was quite old - it may have just been a favorite of Elizabeth's that she had saved for many years. I say this for a couple of reasons. First, on the tag, it says: Made in Italy, Del 26-11-1973, 95% wool, 5% other fibers. I think this is the date the sweater was made, Nov. 26, 1973 (in Italy they would write the date the European way, with the day first, then the month and year). The other reason I think it is old is that it had a small hole in the cuff of the left sleeve, and around the collar area, it looks to have been repaired where it had separated from the body of the sweater. Also, it was VERY small in size, as the person wearing it could barely get it on. This seems to "fit" as in 1973, shortly after Bewitched ended, Miss Montgomery looks to have been quite small. Anyway, this is one of my favorites! As old as it is, it is still in excellent shape. See it here.
This is a one-piece, synthetic material, black v-neck jumpsuit with a shimmery, silver tie at the waist. (Label: Cathy Hardwick, size 6). See it here.
Here is a wonderful red leather jacket - very comfortable and in very good condition. (Label: I Magnin, Cuddlecoat, New York, size 4) See it here.
And, saving another of my favorites for last, here is an outfit from Elizabeth's movie "Face To Face", where she and her husband Robert Foxworth played paleontologists, working on location in beautiful Africa. There are 3 parts to the outfit - the one item that was worn in the movie was the pair of safari green shorts which she had on for most of the movie. These look to have been hand made for the movie, as there is no label in them. At the waistband on one side, there are 3 buttons which could be used to make the shorts fit tighter or more loosely. These shorts were a little bigger than other items of Miss Montgomery, even on the tightest button. The other 2 items were a purse, and a vest that was embroidered with her name as well as the name and date of the movie. My guess is that it was given to her as a special gift before they began filming so that she could wear it around while not on camera. The label inside says: Colpro Ltd., 100% cotton, Safari Clothes, In Kimathi St., P.O. Box 43547, Nairobi, Made in Kenya, Large. This is really a cool outfit! Note: the belt and white t-shirt were not part of the outfit. See it here.
We hope you have enjoyed this stroll through some of Elizabeth Montgomery's wardrobe!
P.S. See the little brat-to-be that kept me from attending the party here (due to arrive the day of the party)!
