Liz on Autopsy on Reelz

[MichaelKeith]

On Reelz channel tonight at 8 central the Autopsy show is about Liz. At 7 is Andy Griffith, both new shows.

[RetroGuy2000]

Thanks!

The Reelz celeb autopsies on Dana Plato and Gary Coleman were terrible, but Reelz did have a wonderful Facts of Life documentary last year.

[Bonniegirl]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Thanks!

The Reelz celeb autopsies on Dana Plato and Gary Coleman were terrible, but Reelz did have a wonderful Facts of Life documentary last year.

REELZ tend to be really morbid, they really get into all the details , don't mince words !!

[TMC]

I just rewatched the episode on-demand through DirecTV. It was pointed out that Elizabeth was a smoker at least during the time frame that she was doing Bewitched. Also, Elizabeth did drink frequently. She wasn't exactly classified or considered an alcoholic, but she none the less, loved her martinis and tequila at social gatherings.

It must be pointed out that Elizabeth Montgomery did have a family history with cancer. Both her father and brother died from lung cancer. Ultimately, it was concluded that had Elizabeth been diagnosed a lot earlier, then she would've had a much better chance at survival.

By the time that she was officially diagnosed with cancer, it was really too late to do anything. It wouldn't be too surprising if Elizabeth already had cancer in her 50s and yet didn't know it because she wasn't symptomatic. Plus, when Elizabeth died in 1995, treatment and screenings for colon cancer wasn't as advanced or sophisticated as it would be in the proceeding years.

It didn't help that Elizabeth already had a pretty stoic, "keep a stiff upper lip" mentality in her life. Thus, she would rather deal with the needs and problems of others (such as her fourth husband, Robert Foxworth) over her own personal well-being. Elizabeth seemed like a person who didn't want to deal with anything negative, thus she wouldn't want to go seek medical treatment right away when she was first dealing wth her stomach pains. Maybe she thought that she could power through it with pain killers.

[TMC]

It wasn't to the best of my recollection or knowledge, brought up on the Autopsy show, but many people may not know that Elizabeth Montgomery actually had her first colon cancer diagnosis in early 1986 (less than nine years before her death).

At the time, she was in talks to join the cast of Falcon Crest (it would've been Elizabeth's first job on a weekly television series since Bewitched ended) for the second half of the 1985-86 season (or Season 5). Elizabeth was going to play a woman with a mysterious past connected to Chase (played by her then-boyfriend Robert Foxworth).

However, Elizabeth had to back out of the project while her character was still being developed due to her cancer diagnosis. Robert Foxworth would eventually ask to be let out of his contract to care for his ailing partner. Her character was eventually rewritten as well as the character's storyline.

The ordeal was so brutal for her, that she developed a phobia of doctors, and didn't do follow-up visits or annual physicals after that (once doctors referred to her condition as cancer-free). The cancer reoccurred in early 1995, and she didn't seek medical attention in time.

Here's a quote from Falcon Crest producer Jeff Freilich:

Bob Foxworth was going through a difficult time in his personal life. His wife, Elizabeth Montgomery, was suffering from a life-threatening illness and his work on Falcon Crest took second place. His pain was often impossible for him to hide. I became friends with Bob — after I suggested that he leave the show (I will get to that later). Despite any rumor to the contrary, the other members of the cast liked Bob, but he was often misunderstood.

[TMC]

https://www.remindmagazine.com/artic...age-inspiring/

For years, Elizabeth had battled colon cancer, and by the early ’90s, she truly believed that she had beaten it once and for all. Because of that, she ignored flu-like symptoms that she was experiencing while filming the television movie Deadline for Murder.

In an exclusive interview with Radar Online in 2021, renowned medical examiner and forensic pathologist, Dr. Michael Hunter explained why the symptoms weren’t an immediate cause for alarm. He said, “Elizabeth Montgomery had been feeling weak and tired, and she had persistent abdominal pain, all of which are typical symptoms of colon cancer but are easily mistaken for something else.”

Unfortunately, when she did finally get to a doctor, Elizabeth was told that the cancer had returned and that it had progressed to a point where treatment was not a viable option. So instead, Elizabeth opted to return home and bravely live out her remaining days with family, friends, and dignity. She left us way too young. She really did. She was just 62 years old when she passed away on May 18, 1995.