DICK SARGENT
I knew that Elizabeth Montgomery was very active in this charity, so I actually went in the hopes of meeting her. A lot of actors used their celebrity stature to help bring more awareness to the cause and raise money. Dick Sargent was one of the many "celebrity ushers" who worked that night, helping people find their seats and handing out the program's booklet. Other celebritiy ushers I saw that night included Meredith Baxter, Greg Louganis, Casssandra (Elvira) Peterson, Eileen Brennan, Rip Taylor, Meredith Macrae, Betty Garrett, and Doris Roberts.
The first thing that impressed me about Dick Sargent was his height. He must have been over six feet tall. I'm 5'10" and I was still looking up at him. He had let his hair go grey and he had a crew cut. I shook his hand and introduced myself. Right away, I got a sense of his down-to-earth personality and self-depreciating humor. When I handed him a picture to sign of him from his "Bewitched" years, he laughed and said, "That's what color my hair used to be!" I told him I was a big fan, and that I had every episode of "Bewitched" on tape. He answered, "Really? I don't have a single one!" When I said I enjoyed his performance in the 1989 movie, "Teen Witch," he replied, "I think you're the only one who saw that!" I laughed and told him that I was always on the "lookout" for him. He laughed, "Too bad you're not a director." I asked if he knew where Elizabeth Montgomery was, and he looked around the crowded auditorium and said, "I don't know? She's around here somewhere." I thanked him and as I left, he called out, "Have fun!"
I went on my merry way, looking for Elizabeth Montgomery. I never found her, though. I later found out that she was a private party for her manager/friend Barry Krost (who was also being honored that night). Although it would have been nice to have meet her, I still walked away happy that I had met someone else from "Bewitched" who I had idolized in my childhood.
Postscript
About a month after our meeting, Dick Sargent publicly "came out of the closet" and announced to the world that he was gay. Over the next few weeks, I watched TV as Dick made the rounds on all the various talk shows. In 1992, he and Elizabeth Montgomery served as grand marshals in the Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade. Dick died in 1994, and Elizabeth died the following year. Time flies, folks. Life is precious. Enjoy every second.
