Bewitched

Bewitched
Format	Sitcom
Created by	Sol Saks
Directed by	William Asher Richard Michaels and others
Starring	Elizabeth Montgomery Dick York Dick Sargent Agnes Moorehead David White Erin Murphy Alice Pearce Sandra Gould George Tobias Kasey Rogers Marion Lorne
Theme music composer	Howard Greenfield Jack Keller
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	8
No. of episodes	254 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Harry Ackerman
Producer(s)	Danny Arnold Jerry Davis William Froug William Asher
Running time	approx. 25 minutes
Production company(s)	Screen Gems Ashmont Productions
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC
Picture format	35mm film B&W (Seasons 1 – 2) Color (Seasons 3 – 8)
Audio format	Monaural
Original run	September 17, 1964 – July 1, 1972
Chronology
Followed by	Tabitha

Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York (1964–1969), Dick Sargent (1969–1972), Agnes Moorehead and David White. It is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban housewife. Bewitched continues to be seen throughout the world in syndication and on DVD and was the longest running supernatural themed sitcom of the 1960s–1970s era.

Series' premise and characters

Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York as Samantha and Darrin Stephens.

Plot Summary

A witch, Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) meets and marries a mortal, Darrin Stephens (originally Dick York, later Dick Sargent). The couple attempts to lead a typical suburban life, and true love endures despite the mixed marriage's ongoing struggles due to Samantha’s disapproving relatives, supernatural illnesses, nosy mortals, and Darrin’s difficult boss. Episodes often begin with an enraged Darrin becoming the victim of a spell, which would wreak havoc with other mortals. By the epilogue, however, Darrin and Samantha would embrace and confound the devious elements that failed to separate them.

The program made full use of the period's modest but effective special effects, accompanied by musical effects to highlight the magic. The witches were careful to avoid showing their powers in front of mortals, other than Darrin, but the perplexing unexplainable effects of their spells drives the plot of most episodes. All female witches in the series have names ending with the soft "-a" sound, and male witches are known as "warlocks."

Setting

The series is set in an upper middle class suburb in New York State or Westport, Connecticut as indicated by conflicting dialogue and car license plates throughout the series.^[1] The main setting for most scenes is the Stephens' house at 1164 Morning Glory Circle (although in "How Green Was My Grass" house number 162 is used as a plot device). Many scenes also take place at the advertising agency in Manhattan for which Darrin works.

Relatives

The pilot episode includes Samantha's mother, Endora (Agnes Moorehead) but she is not introduced to Darrin until the third episode. Later in the first season, Darrin meets Samantha's father, Maurice (Maurice Evans), and Samantha meets Darrin's parents, Phyllis and Frank Stephens, who never learn the truth of Samantha's supernatural heritage. Mabel Albertson plays Darrin's straightlaced mother, who often complains of "a sick headache" after she witnesses the effects of a magic spell.

Endora loathes mortals, and disapproves of Darrin, as do many of Samantha's family. Endora refuses to even use Darrin's name, alternatively calling him "Derwood," "What's-his-name," "Darwin," "Dum-Dum," etc., all much to his annoyance. She refers to him as "Darrin" only eight times during the entire series.^[2]

Many stories revolve around Endora, or another of Darrin's in-laws, using magic to undermine the union. Endora casts countless farcical spells on Darrin, but never attempts to outright destroy him. Endora's ploys to provoke a breakup always fail as their love overcomes every obstacle. When High Priestess Hepzibah expresses surprise that Darrin has withstood years of harassment from his mother-in-law, Endora can only shrug and admit, "He loves my daughter."

Agnes Moorehead as Endora.

Bewitched is unique for mid-1960s sticoms in that it portrays an estranged married couple—Samantha's parents, though their separation is implied. Maurice is an urbane thespian much like Elizabeth Montgomery's father, Robert Montgomery. Maurice occasionally pops in with a young, attractive female escort. In the episode "Samantha's Good News," Endora threatens to file for an “ectoplasmic interlocutory” (i.e. divorce), only to wrangle Maurice's affection. In another episode Endora threatens to “move in” with Maurice. Endora once introduces Maurice as “my daughter's father.” Maurice also refers to Darrin with other names, including "Duncan" and "Dustbin," with Endora going so far as to "correct" him, saying, “That’s Derwood.”

Samantha's far-out and egocentric lookalike cousin Serena first appears in season 2 at a hospital when Samantha gives birth to Tabitha. Serena, also played by Elizabeth Montgomery, is credited as "Pandora Spocks" from 1969 to 1972. 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 beauty mark on her cheek, raven black hair, and mod mini-skirts. More progressive than the typical witch or warlock, who generally abhor mortals, Samantha's counter-culture cousin occasionally dates some (including characters played by Jack Cassidy and Peter Lawford). Despite her wild behavior, and often plotting with Endora, 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. Despite many practical jokes at Darrin's expense, Arthur seems to like Darrin. In one episode, both Serena and Uncle Arthur go head-to-head with the Witch's Council to support the Stephenses' union, only to have their own powers suspended.

The only one of Samantha's relatives for whom Darrin regularly shows affection is the lovable, well-intentioned but bumbling, seemingly senile Aunt Clara (Marion Lorne). Her entrances and exits are often a grand fumble, such as entering via a chimney or colliding with a wall, and her spells rarely go right. She has collection of thousands of doorknobs, inspired by Lorne's own collection. A character similar to Clara, the anxiety-ridden witch-nanny/maid Esmeralda (Alice Ghostley), also well-intentioned but unable to control her magic, was created after Lorne's death.

During the series Samantha gives birth to a daughter, Tabitha (spelled Tabatha in production credits until season 5) and then a son, Adam. Both eventually prove to have supernatural powers.

Supernatural illnesses

A strange occurrence or condition was often used as a plot device, especially during Dick York’s extended absences. These were eventually explained as due to a supernatural illness. Assistance was often sought from the warlock Dr. Bombay (Bernard Fox) who was summoned by the phrase “Dr. Bombay, Dr. Bombay, emergency come right away,” and occasionally from the witches’ apothecary (Bernie Kopell). Dr. Bombay was a womanizer who often had a buxom assistant, and constantly cracked jokes which no one else found funny. The old apothecary also chased any female characters present.

Darrin's employer and other mortals

Darrin works as an executive at the McMann and Tate advertising agency. His profit-obsessed boss Larry Tate (David White) is a regular character, but Tate's partner, Mr. McMann, appears only twice during the series. Tate's opinions turn on a dime to appease a client in an attempt to land an account. Many episodes culminate in a dinner party at the Stephens', including Larry, the client, and their wives, and is affected due to the spell which had been the focus of the episode. Samantha usually figures out a clever way to smooth things over and save the day, as well as the account. Louise Tate, Larry's wife, is Samantha's closest mortal friend and, like Samantha, must constantly play hostess to the many clients and associates of McMann and Tate. Together the Tates have a son, Jonathan, who is several months older than Tabitha.

Across the street from Darrin and Samantha lives a retired couple, Abner Kravitz and his very nosy wife Gladys. She constantly tries to prove that there's "something funny" about Samantha, only resulting in Abner branding her delusional. In some episodes, the Kravitzes and the Stephenses act like friends, but in others, Gladys acts as more of an adversary who is out to get Samantha.

Racism

Some episodes take a backdoor approach to such topics as racism, as seen in the first season episode, "The Witches Are Out," in which Samantha objects to Darrin's demeaning ad portrayal of witches as ugly and deformed. Such stereotypical imagery, she believes, ignites biases which often causes Endora and others to flee the country until November. Another episode, "Sisters At Heart" (season 7), written and submitted by a tenth-grade English class^{[citation needed]}, involved Tabitha altering the skin tone of herself and a black friend with coordinating polka-dots, so that people would treat them alike.

Cast

Notable Cast Changes

The series is noted for having a number of major cast changes due to illness or death of the actors. Most notably, a major character, Darrin, was replaced mid-series with no explanation on the show. The various changes and many untimely deaths of the regular actors in the decades following the end of the series produced a mythology that the series was cursed. However, a study of the average age of death of the actors, many of whom were past middle aged during the show, reveals no unusual pattern.^[3]

Dick York was unable to continue his role due to a severe back condition. York's disability caused ongoing shooting delays and script rewrites. When he left the cast in 1969, 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).^{[verification needed]} The role went to Dick Sargent, who had been the original choice for the role, but was under contract elsewhere in 1964. On E! Entertainment Television, Erin Murphy (Tabitha) stated that Elizabeth Montgomery "probably preferred Dick Sargent's Darrin." Kasey Rogers, Bernard Fox, and Sandra Gould said that Dick York's "mugging" or animated facial expressions were what really made the character.^{[citation needed]} William Asher claimed that Dick York's screen kisses were more "passionate."^{[cite this quote]}

Gladys Kravitz was played first by Alice Pearce, who won a posthumous 1966 Emmy Award for the role. Harriet Kravitz, Abner's sister (Mary Grace Canfield), takes care of their house while the Kravitzes are said to be out of town in season 2. This was after Alice Pearce had died from ovarian cancer, and before Sandra Gould was cast for the role in season 3.

Marion Lorne appeared in 27 episodes as Aunt Clara and won a posthumous Emmy Award in 1968. Essentially replacing this character was the similarly magically-disabled Esmeralda (Alice Ghostley) in season 6. Coincidentally, Lorne and Ghostley had appeared side by side in the hotel scene of Mike Nichols' film version of The Graduate in 1967.

Diane and Erin Murphy started playing Tabitha in season 3. In time, the fraternal twins began looking less alike, so Diane was dropped.

Alice Ghostley, Paul Lynde (Uncle Arthur), and Bernard Fox (Dr. Bombay) all had guest roles during the first two seasons as mortal characters before being cast as magical semi-regulars.

Other Recurring Characters

• Aunt Enchantra and Aunt Hagatha, Samantha's aunts. They occasionally ride in an antique car called "Macbeth" (sometimes driven by chauffeur Rasputin, other times operating sans driver) which 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. Starting at the end of season 4, Hagatha sometimes appears to babysit Tabitha, and later Adam.
• The witches’ apothecary (Bernie Kopell).
• The "drunk guy" (Dick Wilson) shows up in various bars, jail cells and sidewalks to witness acts of witchcraft.
• Betty, the secretary at McMann and Tate, played by various actresses.
• Dave (Gene Blakely), Darrin's "best friend" and a Morning Glory Circle councilman in the first two seasons.
• Howard McMann, Larry Tate's business partner, seen in "Man of the Year" (139) and "What Makes Darrin Run" (191).
• Ms. Peabody, Tabitha's 2nd grade teacher (Maudie Prickett), appears in two episodes of season 8, "Tabitha's First Day of School" (248) and "School Days, School Daze" (251).

A number of historical, contemporary, and fictional characters also made appearances, among them Benjamin Franklin, Franklin Pierce, George and Martha Washington, Paul Revere, Sigmund Freud, Julius Caesar, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Leonardo da Vinci, Napoleon, King Henry VIII, Cleopatra, Santa Claus, Jack, of Jack and the Beanstalk, Mother Goose, The Artful Dodger, Hansel and Gretel, The Tooth Fairy, the Loch Ness Monster, a Leprechaun, Prince Charming, Sleeping Beauty, Willie Mays (playing himself), and Boyce and Hart (playing themselves).

Production

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 Me), and the John Van Druten play that was eventually adapted as Bell, Book and Candle (1958).

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 did not 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 cannot 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 was not yet ready to approve the idea. 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.

ABC had planned a ninth season for Bewitched, but Elizabeth Montgomery had fallen in love with director Richard Michaels and moved in with him at the end of season 8, deciding not to come back for another season.^{[citation needed]} Season 9 was to begin filming in the Spring of 1972 and 26 more episodes would have been filmed, but then-husband William Asher told ABC that he would produce another series for them to complete their contract: the sitcom The Paul Lynde Show, which lasted only one season; and Temperatures Rising, a hospital comedy.^{[citation needed]}

Storylines repeated from I Love Lucy

In the episode "Samantha's Power Failure," Serena's and Uncle Arthur's powers are removed by the Witches' Council, and they get jobs in a confectionery factory, with Serena and Arthur hiding and tossing an onslaught of bananas from a conveyor belt which they must dip in chocolate and nuts, then package. This episode mimics the famous chocolate assembly-line episode of I Love Lucy ("Job Switching"), which was directed by "Bewitched" producer/director William Asher. Serena and Arthur's jokes and physical antics are taken from Lucy (Lucille Ball) and Ethel's (Vivian Vance) playbook. In another episode Samantha interviews a maid, and the scene is almost identical to one in Lucy. Season 8 featured a European vacation, but was filmed in Hollywood using stock footage, like the "European" episodes of Lucy.

Sets and locations

The 1959 Columbia Pictures Gidget movie was filmed on location at a real home in Santa Monica (at 267 18th Street). The blueprint design of this home was later reversed and replicated as a house facade attached to an existing garage on the backlot of Columbia's Ranch. This was the house seen on Bewitched. The patio and living room sets seen in Columbia's Gidget Goes to Rome (1963) were soon adapted for the permanent Bewitched set for 1964.

In June 1970, Bewitched filmed on location in Salem, Magnolia and Gloucester, Massachusetts. These location shoots marked the only time the show would film away from their Hollywood studio set, which was being rebuilt due to a fire. The eight so-called "Salem Saga" episodes helped the show's ratings.^[4]

On the Columbia studio backlot, the Kravitzes' house was actually down the street from the Stephenses' 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 Kravitzes' 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.^{[citation needed]}

In Popular Culture

The magical powers of the characters on the show, and the sudden switch of actors playing Darrin at the start of the 1969 season without explanation have both been sources of many popular culture references to the show, such as on sitcoms like Roseanne and The Nanny, as well as in the movie Wayne's World, in which the character Wayne Campbell said, "Dick York and Dick Sargent. Yeah, right, as if we wouldn't notice."

Episode Availability

Internet

Episodes can be downloaded on iTunes, or streamed for free in the US on IMDB, Hulu, and Minisodes. Regular episodes are available on Crackle.

Syndication

In October 2008, the show began to air in the US on WGN America. Previous cable television syndication had been on WTBS throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Nick at Nite in the 1990s, the Hallmark Channel from 2001 to 2003, and TV Land from 2003 to 2006.

After completing its run on ABC Daytime in the 1970s, Bewitched has been syndicated on many local US broadcast stations as well.

Channel 9 Australia is currently airing the series from beginning to end, weekdays at 3pm on their High Definition Channel (the episodes are not available to standard viewers).

DVD releases

In regions 1 and 4, seasons 1 and 2 were each released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in two versions—one with the episodes as originally broadcast in black-and-white and one colorized. The colorized sets outsold the black and white sets by a substantial margin.^{[citation needed]} Only the colorized editions were released in regions 2 and 3.

Sony released the first two seasons of Bewitched in 2005. Seasons 3–7 have since been released and season 8 is expected July 14, 2009, with an expected Complete Series release following in November - December 2009.

Spin-offs and remakes

The Flintstones episode, "Samantha", features Dick York & Elizabeth Montgomery as Darrin and Samantha Stephens^[5]

Comic book

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

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

Tabitha

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. Adam is shown developing supernatural powers in the original show, but in this spin-off they state he inherited none of his mother's abilities. 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.

The Bewitched movie

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. 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. The film was not well received by many critics and did poorly at the box-office.

International Remakes

• Argentina - A remake called Hechizada, produced by Telefé, aired in early 2007. It starred Florencia Peña as Samantha, Gustavo Garzón as her husband, Eduardo, and Georgina Barbarrosa as Endora. This show adapted original scripts to an Argentinian context, with local humor and a contemporary setting. The show was cancelled due to low ratings after a few weeks.

• Chile - In 2005 the Chilean television channel Mega, in collaboration with Sony Pictures Entertainment, stated they would produce a remake called La Hechizada.^{[6][verification needed]}

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

• Japan - TBS, a flagship station of Japan News Network, produced a remake called Oku-sama wa majo (奥さまは魔女 The Wife is a Witch), in collaboration with Sony Pictures Entertainment.^[7] Eleven episodes were broadcast on JNN stations Fridays at 10 p.m., from January 16, 2004 to March 26, 2004, and a special on December 21, 2004. The main character, Arisa Matsui, was portrayed by Ryōko Yonekura. Oku-sama wa majo is also the Japanese title for the original American series.

• Russia - In 2009, TV3 broadcast a remake entitled "Моя любимая ведьма" ("My Favorite Witch"), starring Anna Zdor as Nadia (Samantha), Ivan Grishanov, as Ivan (Darrin) and Marina Esepenko as Nadia's mother. The series is very similar to the original, with most episodes based on those from the original series.

• United Kingdom - In 2008, the BBC made a pilot episode of a British version, with Sheridan Smith as Samantha, Tom Price as Darrin, and veteran actress Frances de la Tour as Endora. A series has not yet been commissioned.

See also

• List of Bewitched episodes

Select list of similar supernatural television series of the era

• I Dream of Jeannie
• My Favorite Martian
• The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
• Nanny and the Professor
• The Girl With Something Extra
• My Mother The Car

Contemporary supernatural television shows

• My Hero
• Oku-sama wa Maho Shojo
• Sabrina, the Teenage Witch

Further reading

• Alachi, Peter (2006). Salem's Summer of Sam: On the Trail of "Bewitched" in Salem, 1970. [1]. ISBN 978-0977675128. 
• Metz, Walter (2007-01-30). Bewitched. TV Milestones. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0814332313. 
• Meyers, Gina (2004-06-20). The Magic of Bewitched Trivia and More. iUniverse, Inc. ISBN 978-0595315574. 
• Pilato, Herbie (2004-10). Bewitched Forever: 40th Anniversary Edition (2nd ed.). Tapestry Press. ISBN 978-1930819405. 
• Piro, Rita (2006-03-24). Elizabeth Montgomery: A Bewitching Life (5th ed.). Great Feats Press. ISBN 978-0970626127. 
• Tranberg, Charles (2007-08-31). I Love the Illusion: The Life and Career of Agnes Moorehead (2nd ed.). BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1593930950. 
• Rogers, Kasey (1995-11-01). The Official Bewitched Cookbook: Magic in the Kitchen. Kensington Books. ISBN 978-1575660950. 
• York, Dick (2004-06). The Seesaw Girl and Me: A Memoir. New Path Press. ISBN 978-0974544649. 

Notes and references

External links

• Bewitched at the Internet Movie Database
• Bewitched at TV.com
• Encyclopedia of Television
• Bewitched @ Harpies Bizarre
• Bewitched ratings
• Mischa's Bewitched
• Bewitched.net
• Sculpture of Samantha at night - Salem, MA