Bewitched

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This article is about an American television sitcom. For the film, see Bewitched (film). For other meanings, see Bewitched (disambiguation).
Bewitched
Format Sitcom
Created by Sol Saks
Starring Elizabeth Montgomery
Dick York
Dick Sargent
Agnes Moorehead
David White
Erin Murphy
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
No. of seasons 8
No. of episodes 254 (252 and 2 recut episodes)
Production
Producer(s) Screen Gems
(Sony Pictures Television)
Running time 30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel ABC
Original run September 17, 1964July 1, 1972
External links
IMDb profile

Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast on ABC from 1964 to 1972 for eight seasons. The show stars Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York (1964–1969), Dick Sargent (1969–1972), and Agnes Moorehead. It continues to be seen throughout the world in syndication and it is the longest running supernatural themed sitcom of the 1960s1970s. In 2002, TV Guide named Bewitched as the 50th Greatest Television Program of All Time.[1]

Contents

[edit] Overview of show

[edit] Progenitors

Two of the film antecedents for this series were the 1942 film I Married a Witch (from Thorne Smith's unfinished novel The Passionate Witch), and the John Van Druten play that was eventually adapted as Bell, Book and Candle (1958).

[edit] The series premise

The focus of the show (which was based on a satirical short story in Harper's Weekly Magazine, written by a young Norman Mailer and titled The Witch of Westport, according to the A&E Network Biography of Elizabeth Montgomery) is on the mixed marriage of a nose-twitching witch, Samantha Stephens (Montgomery), and her mortal husband, Darrin (originally played by Dick York and later by Dick Sargent). The series, a romantic comedy, shows how true love can endure the most vexing of situations, even between a witch and a human. Samantha's mother Endora (Agnes Moorehead) loathes mortals, and disapproves of Darrin, as do most of Samantha's family. Many episodes revolve around Endora, or another of Darrin's in-laws, using magic to undermine the union. Although Endora casts countless spells on Darrin, she never succeeds in outright banishing him from Samantha's life, or indeed even in casting any spells of permanence. Endora's ploy seems to be to provoke Darrin into leaving Samantha, but the mortal's love for his wife overcomes every obstacle. Endora refuses to remember Darrin's name, invariably calling him "Durwood," "Darwin," and even "Dum-Dum," all much to his annoyance.

Several episodes begin with an enraged Darrin becoming the victim of a spell. By the epilogue, however, Darrin and Samantha would embrace and confound the devious elements that failed to separate them. Some storylines take a backdoor approach to such topics as racism, as seen in the first season episode, "The Witches Are Out." Samantha objects to Darrin's demeaning ad portrayal of witches as ugly and deformed. Such stereotypical imagery, she believes, ignites biases which have often caused Endora and her to flee the country until November. One episode, "Sisters At Heart," was written and submitted by a tenth-grade class. It involved Tabitha altering her and her black friend's skin tones with coordinating polka-dots, so that people would treat them alike. (A similar white-with-black vs. black-with-white concept had been seen earlier in Star Trek:"Let That Be Your Last Battlefield," in which Frank Gorshin had appeared versus Lou Antonio.)

Bewitched is unique for the mid-1960s in that it portrays an estranged married couple—Samantha's parents, Endora (Agnes Moorehead) and Maurice (Maurice Evans). Maurice was portrayed as an urbane thespian not unlike Elizabeth Montgomery's real father, Robert Montgomery. Maurice occasionally pops in with a young, attractive female escort. The couple's separation is implied and subtextual. In the episode, "Samantha's Good News," Endora threatened to file for an "ectoplasmic interlocutory" (code for divorce), only to wrangle Maurice's affection. In another episode Endora threatens to live with Maurice, thus acknowledging a separation.

Darrin works for advertising agency McMann and Tate, and his profit-obsessed boss Larry Tate (David White) is an almost constant presence on the show, even though Tate's partner, Mr. McMann, appears only twice during the series. Tate's opinions would turn on a dime to appease a client and land a deal. Despite witnessing plenty of oddities, Larry and his wife Louise (Irene Vernon, and later Kasey Rogers) never discover that Samantha is a witch.

Agnes Moorehead as Endora.
Agnes Moorehead as Endora.

The sole member of Samantha's family for whom Darrin shows any affection is the lovably bumbling Aunt Clara (played by Marion Lorne). Lorne won a posthumous Emmy in 1968 for the role of the aged witch, whose powers had begun to wane, and whose spells often end in disaster. She appeared in 27 episodes; when Lorne died during the fourth season, the absence of Aunt Clara was left unexplained. Because Lorne was so popular and loved by the cast, another actress taking the role was not considered. A similar character, the anxiety-ridden witch-nanny Esmeralda, played by Alice Ghostley, would later make appearances starting during the 19691970 season. (Both Ghostley and comic actor Paul Lynde had guest roles as mortal characters before being cast as magical semi-regulars.)

Samantha's far-out and egocentric lookalike cousin Serena is another important character, first appearing in season two. The character was also played by Elizabeth Montgomery, who would be credited as "Pandora Spocks", between 1968 and 1972, when she appeared as Serena. Ever mischievous, Serena often chases after Darrin and Larry Tate (calling the white-haired Tate "Cotton-Top"), just for fun. Serena is the antithesis of Samantha, sporting a heart-shaped birth mark on her cheek, raven black hair, and mod mini-skirts. More progressive than the typical witch or warlock, who generally abhore mortals, Samantha's counter-culture cousin occasionally dates some (including a character played by Jack Cassidy).

During the show's run, both Aunt Clara (to Louise Tate) and Serena (to Phyllis Stephens) state they are from Maurice's side of the family, though Serena sometimes plots with "Auntie" Endora. Despite her wild behavior, Serena ultimately supports Samantha and Darrin, even though she finds them both a bit "square."

Endora's prank-loving brother Arthur (Paul Lynde) makes several memorable appearances. In one episode, Arthur befriends Darrin and teaches him a phony ritual that will set Endora straight. Darrin performs the silly ritual to the outright bewilderment of his wife and mother-in-law. After Arthur erupts in rip-roaring laughter, it becomes clear that Darrin was set up. The trio get even with Arthur when Darrin's own practical joke seemingly obliterates Endora. Despite the hoax, Arthur genuinely likes Darrin. In another episode, Serena and Uncle Arthur go toe-to-toe with the Witch's Council to support the Stephens' union, only to have their own powers suspended.

Veteran actress Mabel Albertson, the sister of Jack Albertson, plays Darrin's straightlaced mother, Phyllis. The character often complains of "a sick headache" when she witnesses a magic spell in motion. Adding to the fun are the Stephens's witch daughter Tabitha, spelled Tabatha in production credits for most episodes, (Erin Murphy) and her baby brother Adam, as well as various witches, warlocks, and mere mortals, along with an occasional elf, leprechaun, nymph, and other supernatural being. The program made full use of the period's modest but effective special effects wizardry.

Across the street lives a retired couple, Abner Kravitz (stage and movie actor George Tobias) and his nosy wife, Gladys, the latter of whom was always trying prove that Samantha was a witch--only to have her husband steadfastly refuse to believe her allegations. Gladys Kravitz was played first by Alice Pearce who won a posthumous 1966 Emmy for the role; following Pearce's death in 1966 from ovarian cancer, the character was played by Sandra Gould. On the studio backlot, the Kravitz's house was actually near the Stephens' house exterior. Both homes' exterior doors opened to an unfinished eighteen-by-fifteen foot entry, as the interiors were shot elsewhere. The exterior of the Kravitz's house later became the home of The Partridge Family. In 2003, Kasey Rogers, Alice Ghostley and Bernard Fox visited the Stephens lot together to rekindle old memories.

[edit] Episode Déjà vu

During the spring of 1969, several episodes had to be rewritten as the series was technically between the two Darrins. According to William Asher on E! Entertainment Television, York had collapsed on the set due to back pain/ medication, and was hospitalized. ABC had urged recasting, and York was fired for financial/ insurance reasons. Darrin's absence was said to be due to business trips, sleeping late, or the like. One such episode, "Samantha's Power Failure," had Serena and Uncle Arthur powerless at the hands of the Witches' Council, and subsequently working at a confectionary factory. This episode mimics the famous chocolate assembly-line episode of I Love Lucy in several ways; something not surprising, as William Asher had directed numerous I Love Lucy episodes. With slight variation, Serena and Arthur's "dipper" jokes and physical antics are taken from Lucy (Lucille Ball) and Ethel's (Vivian Vance) playbook.

In I Love Lucy, Lucy's and Ethel's candy wrapping efforts start okay but quickly get out of hand, leading both Lucy and Ethel to eat and/or hide all the leftover chocolates. In Bewitched, the banana dipping goes well early-on until the belt begins to speed up leading Serena and Arthur to panic and hide, toss, and devour the bananas to prevent being dismissed from their jobs.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Main characters

Tamar and Julie Young (1966) as infant Tabitha

[edit] Recurring characters

[edit] Characters less frequently seen

  • Aunt Enchantra and Aunt Hagatha, Samantha's aunts and apparently sisters of Endora, with whom they side in any quarrel between her and Maurice, one of the few family members willing to stand up to them. The "holy terrors" of the family, they customarily ride in an antique car called "Macbeth" (sometimes driven by chauffeur Rasputin, other times operating sans driver) which, demonstrating the sisters' utter disdain for mortal conventions, enters the Stephens home through the wall. Enchantra was played by three different actresses, while Hagatha was played by five, including Reta Shaw and Ysabel MacCloskey. In later seasons, when Esmeralda was not present, Hagatha sometimes appeared as a babysitter to Tabitha and Adam.
  • Aunt Bertha, another aunt of Samantha's, her relationship is unknown.
  • Great-Great-Grandfather Adam (but "Not that Adam!"), Maurice's great-grandfather.
  • Cousin Edgar, Endora's nephew and an elf, implying that one of Endora's siblings is married to an elf. He is very protective of Samantha.
  • Great-Aunt Cornelia, Maurice's aunt. She is a muse who resembled Samantha and the Mona Lisa.
  • Cousin Henry, Samantha's cousin (and possibly Uncle Arthur's son; when Endora once calls Henry "the clown prince of the cosmos," she adds "Where's King Arthur?"). Whether Arthur's son or not, Henry shares his love of practical jokes.
  • Cousin Panda, Endora's niece. (Elizabeth Montgomery actually had a cousin named Panda.)
  • The Witches Council, the ruling body of all witches and warlocks throughout the cosmos. Never actually seen but only heard as booming voices, they, like Endora, disapprove of Samantha's marriage to Darrin.
  • The Apothecary, a lecherous old pharmacist who prepares magical elixirs for witches and warlocks through "the entire cosmos." He is seen only in his dungeon-like pharmacy when Samantha or another character arrives in search of an antidote for a given situation. Like Dr. Bombay, he fancies himself something of a ladies' man and a wry wit, once claiming that he started out wanting to be a friendly neighborhood pharmacist, but he "couldn't find a friendly neighborhood." Played by Bernie Koppell.
  • Queen Ticheba, who made one appearance to pass the mantle of Queen to Samantha in season 4. Played by Ruth McDevitt.

In the Dick Sargent years, they had a High Priestess named Hepzibah, played by Jane Connell. There was one mention of Samantha being ex-queen. She abdicated at the end of season 4 apparently, but this was never brought up in the series, nor was her successor. Why they used a high priestess this time instead of the queen was never explained.

  • Uncle Albert, the uncle of Darrin Stephens, only shown briefly in episode number 69, "'A Bum Raps".
  • Cousin Helen, the cousin of Darrin, appearing in episode 129, "A Prince of a Guy". She and Uncle Albert are Darrin's only relatives shown, other than his parents.
  • Betty, the secretary at McMann and Tate, played by various actresses.
  • Mr. McMann, the boss of Larry and Darrin, seen in episode 139, "Man of the Year" and again in episode 191, "What Makes Darrin Run".
  • Harriet Kravitz, Abner's sister (Mary Grace Canfield), who takes care of the house for Abner and Gladys while they are out of town in season 2. This was after Alice Pearce had passed away and before the show had recast her role in season 3.
  • Ms. Peabody, Tabitha's 2nd grade teacher (Maudie Prickett), appeared in two episodes of Season 8, "Tabitha's First Day of School" (248) and "School Days, School Daze" (251).

A number of historical and fictional characters also made appearances, among them:

[edit] Changes

The show was a ratings success during its first five seasons, but it lost some viewers when Dick York, who had originated the role of Darrin Stephens, lost his ability to continue in the role due to a severe back condition, and a growing dependence on pain medications, and left the cast in 1969. While Ray Fulmer of Hazel, was mentioned as a possible replacement (as per an episode of The Virginia Graham Show, Fulmer's name was suggested to Agnes Moorehead by her friend and former co-star Shirley Booth), the role of Darrin went to Dick Sargent. Sargent's version of Darrin was a more acidic, smarmy character, in contrast to York's hyper, high octane portrayal. The drop in ratings was ironic in light of the fact that Sargent had been the original choice to play Darrin, but had been under contract elsewhere in 1964.

On E! Entertainment Television, Erin Murphy (Tabitha) stated that Elizabeth Montgomery "probably preferred Dick Sargent's Darrin." York's disability caused ongoing shooting delays and script rewrites, which would have been a financial liability to the newly formed Ashmont Production Company (owned by Montgomery and then husband, William Asher). Kasey Rogers, Bernard Fox, and Sandra Gould said that Dick York's "mugging" or animated facial expressions were what really made the character. William Asher claimed that Dick York's screen kisses were more "passionate." The series also had two Gladys Kravitzes, two Louise Tates and two Frank Stephenses. However, the switch between the two Darrins has become the epitome of TV's major cast changes, far more so than such other recastings as the two John-Boy Waltons or the two Lionel Jeffersons, and others.

In 1966, the show saw Samantha give birth to daughter Tabitha, played by fraternal twins Diane and Erin Murphy. Tabitha took after her mother with her magical abilities, adding to Darrin's worries. By 1968, the Murphy twins began looking less alike, so Diane was dropped. The Tates's son Jonathan, who was 1 1/2 years older than Tabitha, was seldom seen or referenced after 1966, but made a final appearance in season 7. The character had been named Jonathan after David White's real-life son (whose death made headlines in 1988, when Pan Am Flight 103 was brought down over Lockerbie, Scotland). In 1969, Bewitched introduced Adam Stephens, played by Greg and David Lawrence. The writers sought new familial challenges, but some pessimists saw the birth as an economical means to retool past Tabitha plots. Adam initially didn't display any powers, but started to do so in the last few episodes of the series.

The death of actress Marion Lorne (Aunt Clara) in 1968 prompted the creation of a replacement character, actress Alice Ghostley as Esmeralda. Coincidentally, Lorne and Ghostley appeared together in Mike Nichols's film version of The Graduate, which had been released in 1967.

[edit] End of the series

Montgomery wanted to end the series at the conclusion of the fifth season because both she and her husband, the show's producer William Asher, were getting tired of it and wanted to move on to other projects, but ABC did not want to drop one of its top-grossers. Since the series was one of the network's few hits, they offered Montgomery and Asher significant pay raises, plus part ownership of the series (via Ashmont, a production company owned by Asher and Montgomery), for another three seasons. By season eight, the story ideas had started to run dry. During the last season, (1971–1972) Abner and Gladys Kravitz were only referenced, and Uncle Arthur and Darrin's parents also did not appear. The series was moved to Saturday nights in January 1972 and was pitted against the hit show All in the Family, which proved to be a virtual death knell.

Bewitched finished the 1972 season at no. 46 in the ratings [2]. ABC had planned a ninth season, according to the network's contract with Montgomery and Asher.

The Flintstones episode, "Samantha", features Dick York & Elizabeth Montgomery as Darrin and Samantha Stephens
The Flintstones episode, "Samantha", features Dick York & Elizabeth Montgomery as Darrin and Samantha Stephens[3]

[edit] Ratings For Bewitched

Bewitched did very well the first six seasons it aired, but then the ratings began to drop off in the early 1970s.

The ratings for each season, at the end of the season, were:

Season Ratings Rank
1) 1964-1965 #2
2) 1965-1966 #7
3) 1966-1967 #8
4) 1967-1968 #11
5) 1968-1969 #12
6) 1969-1970 #25
7) 1970-1971 #34
8) 1971-1972 #46

ABC had planned Season 9 for Bewitched which would have been the 19721973 season, but Elizabeth Montgomery decided not to come back after Season 8. Then-husband William Asher told ABC that he would produce another series for them since Bewitched's ratings had dropped so low. He wound up producing two: The Paul Lynde Show, a sitcom starring the "Uncle Arthur" actor (and Hollywood Squares regular) Paul Lynde, which lasted only one season in 1972-73; and Temperatures Rising, a two-year comedy set in a hospital and starring James Whitmore in its first season. Because of the Lynde show's failure, Asher basically merged the two shows for the 1973-74 season by casting Lynde as the lead man for Temperatures' last season.

[edit] Production

Sol Saks, who received credit as the creator of the show, wrote the pilot of Bewitched, although he was not involved with the show after the pilot. Initially, Danny Arnold, who helped develop the style and tone of the series as well as some of the supporting characters who didn't appear in the pilot, like Larry Tate and the Kravitzes, produced and headed writing of the series. Arnold, who wrote on McHale's Navy and other shows, thought of Bewitched as being essentially a romantic comedy about a mixed marriage; his episodes kept the magic element to a minimum, with one or two magical acts to drive the plot but Samantha usually solving problems without using magic. Also, many of the first season's episodes were allegorical, using supernatural situations as clear metaphors for the real-life problems a young couple would face. Arnold stated that the two main themes of the series were the conflict between a powerful woman (Samantha) and a husband who can't deal with that power (Darrin), and the anger of the bride's mother (Endora) at seeing her daughter marry beneath her. Though the show was a hit right from the beginning, Arnold battled with ABC, which wanted more magic and more farcical plots.

Arnold left the show after the first season (he would later co-create Barney Miller with Theodore J. Flicker), leaving producing duties to his friend Jerry Davis, who had already produced some of the first season's episodes (though Arnold was still supervising the writing). The second season was produced by Davis and with Bernard Slade as head writer, with mistaken identity and farce becoming a more prevalent element, but still included a number of more low-key episodes where the magic element was not front and center.

With the third season and the switch to color, Davis left the show, and was replaced as producer by William Froug. Slade also left after the second season (he would later create another popular Screen Gems series, The Partridge Family, which, like Bewitched, went through a recasting of a role). According to William Froug's autobiography, Asher himself wanted to take over as producer when Jerry Davis left, but the production company wasn't yet ready to approve the idea. So Froug, a former producer of Gilligan's Island, was brought in as a compromise. By his own admission, Froug was not very familiar with Bewitched and found himself in the uncomfortable position of being the official producer even though Asher was making most of the creative decisions. After a year, Froug left the show, and Asher took over as full-time producer of the series for the rest of its run.

Samantha and Darrin Stephens were the first live-action TV couple, with the actors not married to each other in real life, to sleep in a double bed (A married couple, Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns, first shared a bed in the 1940s sitcom Mary Kay and Johnny). The episode, "Little Pitchers Have Big Fears," aired on October 22, 1964, preceding The Munsters episode "Autumn Croakus" broadcast on November 26, 1964.[4].

In June 1970, Bewitched filmed on location in Salem, Magnolia and Gloucester, Massachusetts. The Massachusetts locations shoots marked the only time the show would film away from their Hollywood studio set, which had burned down. The eight "Salem Saga" episodes, as they became known, helped improve the show's ratings [5]. Season 8 featured a European vacation for the characters, but the episodes were filmed in Hollywood using stock footage.

[edit] Episode list

[edit] DVD Releases

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the first two seasons of Bewitched on DVD in 2005, with the third and fourth seasons released in 2006, the fifth season in 2007 and the sixth season in 2008. Seasons Seven and Eight are to be released by decades end. Due to the fact the first two seasons were produced in black and white, Sony released two versions of the sets in region 1: one with the episodes as originally broadcast and a second with the episodes colorized. The color sets outsold the black and white sets by a substantial margin. The colorized editions were the only ones released in regions 2, 3 and 4.

[edit] Spin-offs

[edit] Comic book

Dell Comics published a short-lived comic book for 14 issues starting in 1965. Most issues had photo covers.

[edit] Tabitha and Adam and the Clown Family

An animated cartoon made in 1972 by Hanna-Barbera Productions for The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie, this featured teenage versions of Tabitha and Adam visiting their aunt and her family who travel with a circus.

See Also List of Animated Spinoffs from Prime Time Shows

[edit] Tabitha

Main article: Tabitha (TV series)

In 1977, a spin-off show entitled Tabitha aired on the ABC network. The show, which ran for less than a season, starred Lisa Hartman as an adult Tabitha working, along with Adam, at television station KXLA. The show had several continuity issues. Tabitha and Adam should have been 11 and 8 years of age in 1977. Supporting witch character Aunt Minerva (Karen Morrow) was like a mother to Tabitha but had never been mentioned in the original series. Samantha and Darrin never appeared in the spin-off series, though Bernard Fox, Sandra Gould, George Tobias and Dick Wilson made separate guest appearances as Dr. Bombay, Gladys Kravitz, Abner Kravitz and the Drunk Guy, respectively.

[edit] The Bewitched movie

Main article: Bewitched (film)

Bewitched inspired a 2005 movie re-imagining starring Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell. When Jack Wyatt (Ferrell), a failing Hollywood actor, is offered the chance of a career comeback playing Darrin in a remake of Bewitched; all he has to do is find the perfect girl to play Samantha. He finds that perfect girl in Isabel Bigelow (Kidman), who, it turns out, really IS a witch. It is set in Los Angeles rather than New York. The storyline bears some similarities to that of the movie Bell, Book and Candle, which had often been cited as one of the primary inspirations for the original series. The film also stars Shirley MacLaine as an actress playing Endora, and Michael Caine as Isabel's father. But the film was not well received, and was rated poorly by many critics and did weak box-office business.

[edit] Remakes

[edit] Argentina

A local remake of Bewitched, called Hechizada, as the original series is locally known, was made by Telefé, and aired in early 2007. It starred Florencia Peña as Samantha, Gustavo Garzón as Eduardo (Darrin) and Georgina Barbarrosa as Endora. This show adapted original scripts to an Argentinian context, with local jokes, and a twenty-first century setting. However, after a few weeks the show was cancelled due to low ratings.

[edit] India

In 2002, Sony Entertainment Television began airing Meri Biwi Wonderful, a local adaptation of Bewitched.

[edit] Japan

The Japanese TBS network, in collaboration with Sony Pictures Entertainment, produced a remake called Oku-sama wa majo (My Wife is a Witch).[6] Eleven episodes were broadcast on Friday nights at 10 p.m., from January 16, 2004 in television to March 26, 2004, with a special extra episode broadcast on December 21, 2004. The main character, Arisa Matsui, was portrayed by Ryōko Yonekura. Oku-sama wa majō is also the Japanese title for the original American series.

[edit] Chile

The Chilean television channel Mega, in collaboration with Sony Pictures Entertainment, will produce a remake called La Hechizada.[7]

[edit] United Kingdom

The BBC made a pilot episode of a British version of the series, with Sheridan Smith in the lead role of Samantha, Tom Price as Darrin Stevens and veteran actress Frances de la Tour as Endora. However, the show never got past the pilot stage.

[edit] See List of supernatural television series of the same era

[edit] See contemporary supernatural shows

[edit] Further reading

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ Happy 50th Anniversary TV Guide!!!. Retrieved on 2007-10-13.
  2. ^ Variety, May 24, 1972 pg. 35
  3. ^ Barbera, Joseph R. (Executive Producer/Writer), Montgomery, Elizabeth (Samantha Stephens), York, Dick (Darrin Stephens), Corden, Henry (Fred Flintstone), Vander Pyl, Jean (Wilma Flintstone), Blanc, Mel (Barney Rubble), and Johnson, Gerry (Betty Rubble). (2006 (Original Air Date: 1965-10-22)). The Flintstones – "Samantha" (DVD) [Television series]. USA: Warner Home Video. Retrieved on 2007-02-02.
  4. ^ Bedtime for Bewitched - Bewitched @ Harpies Bizarre
  5. ^ The Salem Saga, 1970 - Bewitched @ Harpies Bizarre
  6. ^ Japanese TBS site
  7. ^ La Tercera. Mega hará versiones chilenas de La Hechizada y Mi Bella Genio. Retrieved on October 14, 2007.

For Bewitched Ratings see also http://www.harpiesbizarre.com/declineofbewitched.htm

[edit] External links