How astonishingly gay was the cast of Bewitched: Paul Lynde, Dick Sargent, Agnes Moorehead, plus the star of the series- Elizabeth Montgomery, a supporter of gay rights before it was cool.
American TV audiences of the 1960s remember Maurice Evans as Samantha's father, Maurice (the character was originally named Victor when he was introduced), on Bewitched. I knew, of course, but most viewers were most likely unaware of Evans' stellar Shakespearean resume. Evans insisted that his first name was pronounced the same as the name 'Morris'. It was ironic then that his Bewitched character's stance that it be pronounced: 'Maw-REESE'.
Evans first appeared on the stage in 1926 and joined the Old Vic Company in 1934, playing Hamlet, Richard II & Iago. His first appearance on Broadway was in Romeo & Juliet opposite Katharine Cornell in 1936, but he made his biggest impact in Shakespeare's Richard II, a production whose unexpected success was the surprise of the 1937 theatre season & allowed Evans to play Hamlet in 1938, the first time that the play was performed in it’s entirety in NYC , Falstaff in Henry IV, Part I (1939), Macbeth (1941), & Malvolio in Twelfth Night (1942) opposite Helen Hayes as Viola.
During WW 2 arrived, he was in charge of an Army Entertainment Section in the Central Pacific & played his famous 'G.I. version' of Hamlet that cut the text of the play to make Prince Hamlet more appealing to the troops, an interpretation so popular that he took it to Broadway in 1945. Evans specialized in the works of Shaw, notably as John Tanner in Man & Superman & as King Magnus in The Apple Cart. He was also a successful Broadway producer of productions in which he did not appear.
As of 2006, Evans was a true pioneer, having appeared in more American TV productions of Shakespeare than any other actor. Evans brought his Shakespeare productions to Broadway many times, playing Hamlet in 4 separate productions for a total of 283 performances, a Broadway record.
My favorite Evans role is as Rosemary's friend Hutch in the 1968’s Rosemary's Baby.
In my research I was not able to find out much about his lovers. Possibly, like other British actors of his generation, he would have prefered working class blokes & rough trade.In his later years, Evans lived a great deal of his life in the USA. In his last years, he returned to Britain. It does seem that Evan's former lover & business manager- David 'Taffy' Barlow, made last days all the more comfortable by hiring young rent boys to strip down & lie in the bed with him. This quite shocked some of his deathbed visitors. Evans died of cancer in East Sussex, at 87 years old.
American TV audiences of the 1960s remember Maurice Evans as Samantha's father, Maurice (the character was originally named Victor when he was introduced), on Bewitched. I knew, of course, but most viewers were most likely unaware of Evans' stellar Shakespearean resume. Evans insisted that his first name was pronounced the same as the name 'Morris'. It was ironic then that his Bewitched character's stance that it be pronounced: 'Maw-REESE'.
Evans first appeared on the stage in 1926 and joined the Old Vic Company in 1934, playing Hamlet, Richard II & Iago. His first appearance on Broadway was in Romeo & Juliet opposite Katharine Cornell in 1936, but he made his biggest impact in Shakespeare's Richard II, a production whose unexpected success was the surprise of the 1937 theatre season & allowed Evans to play Hamlet in 1938, the first time that the play was performed in it’s entirety in NYC , Falstaff in Henry IV, Part I (1939), Macbeth (1941), & Malvolio in Twelfth Night (1942) opposite Helen Hayes as Viola.
During WW 2 arrived, he was in charge of an Army Entertainment Section in the Central Pacific & played his famous 'G.I. version' of Hamlet that cut the text of the play to make Prince Hamlet more appealing to the troops, an interpretation so popular that he took it to Broadway in 1945. Evans specialized in the works of Shaw, notably as John Tanner in Man & Superman & as King Magnus in The Apple Cart. He was also a successful Broadway producer of productions in which he did not appear.
As of 2006, Evans was a true pioneer, having appeared in more American TV productions of Shakespeare than any other actor. Evans brought his Shakespeare productions to Broadway many times, playing Hamlet in 4 separate productions for a total of 283 performances, a Broadway record.
My favorite Evans role is as Rosemary's friend Hutch in the 1968’s Rosemary's Baby.
In my research I was not able to find out much about his lovers. Possibly, like other British actors of his generation, he would have prefered working class blokes & rough trade.In his later years, Evans lived a great deal of his life in the USA. In his last years, he returned to Britain. It does seem that Evan's former lover & business manager- David 'Taffy' Barlow, made last days all the more comfortable by hiring young rent boys to strip down & lie in the bed with him. This quite shocked some of his deathbed visitors. Evans died of cancer in East Sussex, at 87 years old.
