Bewitched

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This article is about the U.S. television sitcom. For the film, see Bewitched (film). For other meanings, see Bewitched (disambiguation).

Bewitched
The Bewitched title screen.
Genre	Sitcom
Creator(s)	Sol Saks
Starring	Elizabeth Montgomery Dick York Dick Sargent Agnes Moorehead David White Erin Murphy
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	252 and 2 recut episodes totalling 254
Production
Running time	30 minutes per episode
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC
Original run	September 17, 1964 – July 1, 1972
Links
IMDb profile

Bewitched was an American situation comedy starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York (1964-1969), and Dick Sargent (1969-1972). It was originally broadcast on ABC from 1964 to 1972.

It was the most successful of the 1960s/1970s supernatural sitcoms, which included The Ghost and Mrs. Muir derived from a popular novel and movie, My Favorite Martian, I Dream of Jeannie, Nanny and the Professor, The Girl With Something Extra, and dark comedies The Munsters and The Addams Family.

Contents 1 Overview of show 1.1 Premise 2 Changes during show's run 3 End of program 4 Behind the scenes 5 Continued interest in show 6 Controversy 7 Regular and recurring characters 8 Episode list 9 DVD releases 10 Spin-offs 10.1 Comic book 10.2 Tabitha and Adam and the Clown Family 10.3 Tabitha 10.4 Bewitched movie 10.5 Bewitched mobile game 11 Remakes 11.1 Argentina 11.2 India 11.3 Japan 11.4 Chile 12 Bewitched in other languages 13 Trivia 13.1 Darrin Stephens' wardrobe 14 See also 15 Further reading 16 Notes and references 17 External links

[edit] Overview of show

[edit] Premise

The focus of the show (which was initially entitled "The Witch of Westport", according to the A&E Biography of Elizabeth Montgomery), was on the mixed marriage of a nose-twitching witch, Samantha Stephens (Montgomery), and her mortal husband, Darrin, played by Dick York. The series' basic premise was that witches were a separate, almost godlike race that tended to either ignore or look down upon mortals. Samantha's mother, Endora (played by Agnes Moorehead), disapproves of Darrin (as indeed do most of Samantha's family, except for her Aunt Clara, Uncle Arthur, and Cousin Serena, all of whom are, not coincidentally, considered somewhat uncouth (or, in Clara's case, senile) by the rest of the family), and many episodes revolve around her using magic to make life difficult for her non-magical son-in-law, whose name she invariably mispronounces as "Derwood," "Darwin," and other variations even less complimentary.

Darrin works for McMann and Tate, an advertising agency, and his boss, Larry Tate, is a common presence on the show (though Mr McMann appeared only twice during the series). Despite Larry, along with his wife, Louise (Irene Vernon, and later, Kasey Rogers), witnessing plenty of strange events, neither of them ever learned of Samantha being a witch.

The Stephenses live at 1164 Morning Glory Circle, though the city and state have remained semi-ambiguous. Although most fan websites and some publications have listed the show's location as Westport, Connecticut (and, in episode 193, 'Just a Kid Again,' there was a direct referral), other on-air references gave the location as New York: Aunt Clara stated in Aunt Clara's Victoria Victory that the home was in New York; Larry Tate also referred to their home in New York. Numerous other references were made to New York City, Upper New York, Queens County, and Nassau County. The town of Patterson was specifically referred to in episode, 'Soapbox Derby' (incidentally, the Montgomery's place in Patterson was reportedly Elizabeth's favourite house of the two she grew up in). There are very few references actually made to the family living in Connecticut, though a couple were made to the family's moving or travelling there on rare occasions.

Across the street lived a retired couple, Abner Kravitz (played by stage and movie actor George Tobias) and his nosy wife, Gladys Kravitz (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 place was actually down from the Stephens' house exterior. Both home's exterior doors opened to cemented walls or support beams, as the interiors were shot elsewhere.

It is the first series to have an estranged married couple, Endora and Maurice. While Maurice occasionally pops in with arm-candy, Endora is not usually connected to another male. Their separation is inferred and subtextual, as divorce was still taboo at the time. (In the episode, "Samantha's Good News", Endora did file for divorce via an "ectoplasmic interlocutory", so as to wrangle Maurice's affection.)

Although Endora casts countless spells on Darrin, she never outright removes him from Samantha's life, as she could no doubt easily do, by wiping his memories of her, teleporting him where Samantha cannot find him, or performing any other spell of such potential permanence. Endora's goal seems to be to pressure Darrin into leaving Samantha out of exasperation at Endora's intrusions or outright fear for his life, but Darrin's love for his wife overcomes every obstacle Endora throws at him, eventually earning him her exceedingly begrudging respect.

The member of Samantha's family that Darrin tolerates most easily is the lovably bumbling Aunt Clara (played by Marion Lorne, who won a posthumous Emmy in 1968 for the role). An aged witch whose powers have begun to wane, almost all of her spells end in disasters. She was in 27 episodes and the Aunt Clara character was not continued (nor the absence explained) when Lorne died during the fourth season. A similar character, Esmeralda, played by Alice Ghostley, would later make appearances starting in the 1969-1970 season. (Ghostley first appeared in a second-season episode as Naomi, the Stephens' klutzy, albeit well-meaning maid, whom Louise Tate commissioned as a brief replacement to her own maid, coincidentally called Esmeralda.)

Samantha's mischievous cousin, Serena, was another important character later on, first appearing in season two. Ever the troublemaker, Serena often chased after Darrin (York) in attempt to steal him away from Samantha. (Also played by Elizabeth Montgomery, she would be credited as 'Pandora Spocks' once becoming more regularly cast.)

Veteran actress Mabel Albertson (sister of Jack Albertson) played Darren's straight-laced mother. The character often complained of "a sick headache" when she caught a magic spell in action. Adding to the fun was the Stephens' witch daughter Tabitha, and the later-added baby boy Adam, as well as various witches, warlocks, and mere mortals, along with an occasional elf, leprechaun, nymph, and other such supernatural beings. The program made use of then-progressive special effects to work its magic, and the story lines were imaginative and good-natured, appealing to all ages. Most episodes ended with Darrin, having been the victim of witchcraft throughout the episode (often with a spell put upon him by Endora), affirming his love for Samantha and acknowledging that, like it or not, he would have to acclimate himself and accept witchcraft as part of his life.

Endora's buffoon-like 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 spends the next three minutes in rip-roaring laughter, it becomes clear that Darrin was set up. The trio get even with him when Darrin seemingly causes Endora to vanish. The episode ends with Arthur playing a harmless practical joke on his sister Endora--a telescope that blackens the eyes.

[edit] Changes during show's run

The show was a ratings success during its first five seasons, but it dropped in popularity when Dick York (who played Darrin) left the series in 1969 due to health problems. While Ray Fulmer (of Hazel ) was mentioned as a replacement (his 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 nervous, frantic 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; however, it should be noted that Dick Sargent was first considered for the role of Darrin only when actress Tammy Grimes was first offered the role of Samantha, before William Asher and Elizabeth Montgomery became involved with the show.

Asher's first and only choice was Dick York since "he was too perfect for the role". Erin Murphy said on "E! Entertainment" that Elizabeth Montgomery preferred Dick Sargent's Darrin (York's ongoing shooting delays would have been a financial liability on Montgomery's newly formed Ashmont company, via longer hours, and script rewrites). Kasey Rogers, Bernard Fox, Mabel Albertson 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 Kravitzs, 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 recalled/referenced than such other recasts as the two Lionel Jeffersons, two John-Boy Waltons, and others.

In an early episode Samatha had no reflection, because she wasn't mortal. Subsequently, the no-reflection angle was dropped, as the entry mirror showed just about every witch and warlock who swooped in.

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 witch abilities, adding to Darrin's worries. In 1968, Diane Murphy was dropped as the sisters began looking less and less alike. The Tate's son Jonathan, who was 1 1/2 years older than Tabitha, was seldom seen or referenced after season 4, 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). In 1969, Bewitched introduced Adam Stephens, played by Greg & David Lawrence. Many saw this new baby addition as a sign of decline, or what would now be referred to as the show "jumping the shark". Adam initially didn't display any powers, but started to do so in the last few episodes of the series.

[edit] End of program

Montgomery wanted to end the series at the conclusion of the fifth season, not only because of Dick York's departure, but because both she and her husband, the show's producer William Asher, were getting tired of the series 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 for another three seasons plus part ownership of the series (the last season was produced by Ashmont, a production company owned by Asher and Montgomery). By the seventh season, the story ideas had started to run dry, with many older episodes being remade. Alice Ghostley had departed to join Mayberry R.F.D. in 1970, but would return in season eight for a few appearances (in particular where she straightened The Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy and in another episode where she conjured up George Washington). After the seventh season, Abner and Gladys Kravitz were written out of the show. By the last season (1971–1972), episodes were being remade almost word for word and even Agnes Moorehead's Endora was seen less. 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. 72 in the ratings (Variety, May 24, 1972 pg. 35). ABC had planned a ninth season, according to the network's contract with Montgomery and Asher, but with the ratings so low, Asher offered to produce another series in place of a ninth season.

[edit] Behind the scenes

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, produced by Davis and with Bernard Slade as head writer, included somewhat wackier plots, 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 deicisions. After a year, Froug left the show, and Asher took over as full-time producer of the series for the rest of its run.

With the departure of Arnold, Davis, and the other writers from the first season, and Asher's increasing creative control, most of the episodes from this point on would be more formulaic and more about magical shenanigans than the romantic comedy Bewitched had been in its first season.

[edit] Continued interest in show

Bewitched continues to be seen throughout the world in syndication. TV Guide recently listed Bewitched as the 50th Greatest Television Program of All Time.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the first two seasons of Bewitched on DVD in 2005, with the third and fourth seasons released in 2006. 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 region 2 and region 4. The photo above of George Tobias and Alice Pearce is from the colorized version, as Pearce only appeared in the episodes filmed in black and white.

[edit] Controversy

• The show's producer's were worried in late 1963 that the deep South would reject the show's witchcraft premise. A few fundamentalist and evangelical Christian organizations, claimed that the show whimsically portrayed occultic powers and put them in an appealing package (Montgomery). Some groups cited that the show's witches and warlocks had no surnames (except for Dr. Bombay) because Wicca is steeped in goddess lore and worship of Mother Earth (early in the series, Darrin asked for Endora's last name. Endora responded, "You'd never be able to pronounce it"). Series fans saw any such criticism as being paranoid. Bewitched, like "The Wizard of Oz", avoided such dark controversies. Furthermore, the series celebrated Christmas- a Christian holiday- in 1964, 1965, 1967, 1969, and 1970.
• Agnes Moorehead, who played Endora, was a Reformed Presbyterian and practicing Christian, and presumably would not have participated in a series had she thought it was promoting the occult.
• Dick Sargent worked at masking his sexual orientation. Early bios listed comic actress/writer Fannie Flagg as his fiance. In 1970 he was the celebrity bachelor on a "Dating Game" episode and chose one of the bachelorettes as his date. While Sargent and Lynde were both gay, there have been erroneous postings of Agnes Moorehead as either gay or bisexual. According to most who knew her well, she was heterosexual.
• Montgomery had an affair with Richard Michaels^{[citation needed]}, a director of the show, during the filming of the eighth season. According to Michaels interview on ET, the set hairdresser acted as their go-between. They finally revealed their relationship after the finish of the season. Her marriage to producer William Asher ended and so did the series. The show had been picked up by ABC for a ninth season, but the magic had already left both the marriage and the series. Montgomery moved out of their house and in with Michaels, with whom she spent two and a half years before they parted.
• TV Land erected a 7' bronze statue of Samantha Stephens in downtown Salem, Massachusetts in June 2005. The "Bewitched Statue" portrays Samantha Stephens riding a broom, resting on a crescent moon. The statue has been a focus of controversy from both Christian fundamentalists who charge the statue promotes witchcraft; and from groups who charge that the statue makes light of the 20 innocent people who were executed for witchcraft in Salem in the year 1692. Coincidentally, during the 1970-1971 season, in a multi-part story arc, Samantha, Darrin, Endora, Serena, Larry, and Louise took a trip to Salem, Massachusetts. For Samantha, Endora and Serena it was for a witches' convention while for Darrin and Larry it was a business trip. More info about Bewitched' June trip to Salem in 1970 and the controversial unveiling of the Samantha Stephens statue in 2005 at http://palachi.com.

[edit] Regular and recurring characters

• Samantha Stephens - Elizabeth Montgomery
• Darrin Stephens - Dick York 1964-69, Dick Sargent 1969-72
• Endora, Samantha's mother - Agnes Moorehead
• Tabitha Stephens - Erin 1966-72 and Diane Murphy 1966-68
• Adam Stephens - Greg and David Lawrence 1970-72
• Abner Kravitz - George Tobias 1964-71
• Gladys Kravitz - Alice Pearce 1964-66, Sandra Gould 1966-71
• Larry Tate - David White
• Louise Tate - Irene Vernon 1964-66, Kasey Rogers 1966-72
• Aunt Clara, Samantha's aunt (whether she was the sister of Endora or Maurice was never clarified) - Marion Lorne 1964-68
• Esmeralda - Alice Ghostley 1969-70, 1971-72
• Dr. Bombay - Bernard Fox
• Serena, Samantha's cousin and niece to Endora and Arthur - Pandora Spocks (a pseudonym for Elizabeth Montgomery, a play on Pandora's Box)
• Uncle Arthur, Samantha's uncle and Endora's brother - Paul Lynde
• Maurice, Samantha's father - Maurice Evans
• Phyllis Stephens, Darrin's mother - Mabel Albertson
• Frank Stephens, Darrin's father - Roy Roberts and Robert F. Simon

• less frequently seen

Aunt Enchantra and Aunt Hagatha, Endora's sisters and Samantha's aunts. The "holy terrors" of the family, they customarily rode in an antique car called "Macbeth," which entered the Stephens home through the wall. Enchantra was played by three different actresses, while Hagatha was played by five, including Reta Shaw.

Cousin Mario, Endora's nephew. He married a witch in Egypt, and his favorite aunt attended. He was never seen.

Great-Great-Grandfather Adam, Maurice's great-grandfather. His great-great-great-grandson (Samantha's son) was named Adam.

Cousin Edgar, Endora's nephew. He is an elf who is Enchantra's stepson from her 47th marriage to an elf.

Great-Aunt Cornelia, Maurice's aunt. She was a muse who resembled Samantha and the Mona Lisa.

Cousin Henry, Samantha's cousin (and possibly Uncle Arthur's son; when Endora once called Henry "the clown prince of the cosmos," she added "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, disapproved of Samantha's marriage to Darrin.

[edit] Episode list

See companion page: List of Bewitched episodes for a complete list of the episodes.

[edit] DVD releases

• Main Article: Bewitched DVD Releases

[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.

[edit] 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, most notably the ages of Tabitha and Adam (who should have been 11 and 8 years of age in 1977). The Samantha and Darrin characters never appeared in the spin-off series, though Bernard Fox, Sandra Gould, and George Tobias made separate guest appearances as Dr. Bombay, Gladys Kravitz, and Abner Kravitz, respectively.

[edit] 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 Isabel Bigelow (Kidman), who 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, often 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.

[edit] Bewitched mobile game

Sony Pictures Digital mobile Game.

[edit] Remakes

[edit] Argentina

In 2006, the local remake of Bewitched, Hechizada, will be made by Telefé and is slated to be aired in 2007. Florencia Peña will play the role of "Samantha".

[edit] India

In 2002, Sony Entertainment Television (India) 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 奥さまは魔女 (Oku-sama wa majo) (My wife is a witch). Eleven episodes were broadcast on Friday nights at 22:00, from January 16 to March 26, 2004, with a special extra episode broadcast on December 21, 2004. The main character, Arisa Matsui, was performed by Ryōko Yonekura. 奥さまは魔女 (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.(Read more) (in Spanish)

[edit] Bewitched in other languages

• Catalan: Embruixada (lit. Bewitched)
• Chinese: 神仙家庭 (Shén xiān Jiā tíng ㄕㄣ ˊㄒㄧㄢ ˉㄐㄧㄚ ˉㄊㄧㄥ ˊ lit. "Immortal's Household")
• Finnish: Vaimoni on noita (lit. "My Wife is a Witch")
• French: Ma sorcière bien-aimée (lit. "My beloved witch")
• German: Verliebt in eine Hexe (lit. "In Love With a Witch")
• Greek: Η μάγισσα (I Mághissa lit. "The Witch")
• Hebrew: סמנת'ה (S-m-nt'h lit. "Samantha")
• Italian: Vita da Strega (lit. "Life as a Witch")
• Japanese: 奥さまは魔女 (Oku-sama wa Majo おくさま は まじょ lit. "My Wife is a Witch")
• Korean: 아내는 요술쟁이 (A-nae-neun Yo-sul-jaeng-i lit. "My wife is a witch")
  • The Korean title of Bewitched (film) is 그녀는 요술쟁이 (Geu-nyeo-neun Yo-sul-jaeng-i lit. "She is a witch") because of storyline.
• Portuguese
  • Brazil: A Feiticeira (lit. "The Sorceress")
  • Portugal: Casei com uma feiticeira (lit. "I Married a Sorceress")
• Spanish
  • Spain: Embrujada (lit. "Bewitched")
  • Latin America: Hechizada (lit. "Bewitched"), also La Brujita (lit. "The Little Witch")
    • Mexico: Hechizada
    • Chile: The title of the remake is La Hechizada (lit. "The Bewitched")
    • Ecuador "La Hechicera"

Colombia, like some countries: La Brujita

• Swedish Förhäxed (lit. "Bewitched/Charmed")
  • The Swedish title of Charmed, which is also about witches, is also Förhäxed.
• Turkish: Tatlı Cadı (lit. "Sweet Witch")

[edit] Trivia

• Agnes Moorehead was offered to be in the show twice. She rejected it the first time and was offered to be in the show for a second time when she ran into Elizabeth Montgomery at a department store. She reluctantly accepted the offer from Montgomery, but did not expect the show to last more than one season, let alone become a huge hit.
• Dr. Bombay appeared on two episodes of the NBC soap opera Passions.
• Tabitha Lenox the witch on Passions has a daughter named Endora, Tabitha's parents were named Darrin and Samantha.
• Every female witch in the series with a character name has a name that ends in "a."
• The show was featured in a Jack Chick tract, which portrays it as Satan's favorite television show.
• Australia's first winner of Nine Network's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? quiz show correctly answered a) Bewitched, to the million dollar question: Which, of these four '60s television show, premiered first: a) Bewitched, b) Get Smart, c) Hogan's Heroes or d) I Dream of Jeannie.
• Darrin Stephens is named James Stephens in Brazil and Jean-Pierre Stephens in France.
• Samantha and Darrin Stephens made a cameo in The Flintstones (see above).
• 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 (Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns shared a bed in an earlier sitcom but were married in real life). The episode in question, "Little Pitchers Have Big Fears," aired on October 22, 1964. Despite popular belief, it was not The Munsters (which showed Herman and Lily first sharing a bed in the episode "Autumn Croakus" on November 26, 1964) or The Brady Bunch, which didn't air until 1969. [1]. When Don Grady ("My Three Sons") learned that he and his TV wife were given separate single beds, he told CBS brass that rival network ABC allowed Darrin and Samantha to sleep in one double bed. Soon thereafter, the single beds were replaced with a queen size bed (where the two could lie together without close proximity).
• Bewitched proved to be very popular with young girls when it first aired in Japan, and is considered to be the inspiration for the Magical girl genre of anime.
• A slip in genealogical continuity can been seen as Uncle Arthur is referenced as Endora's brother, and Serena is referenced as being Samantha's cousin "on her father's (Maurice's) side of the family". Nonetheless, Serena calls Arthur "uncle", and was close to Endora who was estranged from Maurice.
• Bewitched is referenced in The Simpsons in an episode where Maggie turns into a real witch following a curse at a Halloween party. In the last scene, where Maggie is flying on a broomstick, the first and last parts of the Bewitched theme music are played.
• In an episode of The Fairly OddParents, "Timmy TV", Mrs. and Mr. Turner appear in a scene that was very similar to the Bewitched opening.
• Bewitched was referenced twice on Family Guy.
  • The first reference was made in the episode "The Cleveland-Loretta Quagmire", when Stewie was watching Bewitched on TV where Endora turns Darrin into an elephant. Samantha begs for Endora to turn Darrin back into a human, and she obliges. Darrin then begins raging at Endora saying that he is tired of her constantly abusing him, and he retaliates by splashing Holy Water on her while saying, "The Power of Christ compels you, bitch!", while the Holy water burned on Endora's face. Cleveland, who was angry at the time, said, "I hate Bewitched!", and turned over the couch with Stewie on it.
  • Bewitched was referenced again in the episode "Jungle Love", when Stewie was watching the 2005 movie version in a theater when Will Ferrell made a corny joke on-screen (Isabel: Guess what, I'm a witch! Jack: Guess what, I'm a Clippers fan!). Right after the joke was made, Stewie left the theatre, traveled to Will Ferrell's mansion in Hollywood, punched him, and said, "That's not funny!"
• Reruns can be seen on LIVINGtv in the UK
• A prop used in a number of episodes is a magazine read by Endora, Harpies Bizarre, which has prompted the naming of one of the many fan sites at http://www.harpiesbizarre.com/ . (It's an obvious pun on 'Harpers Bazaar', an earthly magazine.
• At the end of the Histeria! episode "When America Was Young", Molly Pitcher (who is accused of being a witch) turns some of the kids into frogs by wiggling her nose.
• Both Elizabeth Montgomery and Nicole Kidman play Samantha Stephens character, and they both also play the part of a Rape Victim (Montgomery in A Case of Rape and Kidman in Dogville).
• Bewitched filmed on location in Salem, Gloucester and Magnolia in June, 1970, making it the first and only time the show would film away from their burnt-down Hollywood Studio. The eight "Salem Saga" episodes, as they became known, introduced Salem, MA to a world-wide audience and helped improve the show's ratings. http://palachi.com touches on this remarkable period of Bewitched history and the controversial selection of Salem as the home of TV Land's Samantha Stephens landmark statue - unveiled at Lappin Park in June, 2005.

[edit] Darrin Stephens' wardrobe

• Dick York's Wardrobe: The Hit Parade Videos was a video collection from British indie band The Wedding Present, while on the show Dick Sargent's wardrobe was provided by Botany 500, the name of which influenced 1990s Scottish pop band Botany 5. The opening credits of one episode of Futurama stated Bender's Wardrobe by Robotany 500.

[edit] See also

• I Dream of Jeannie
• My Favorite Martian
• My Hero
• Oku-sama wa Maho Shojo
• List of television series that include time travel

[edit] Further reading

Bewitched, Walter Metz (Wayne State University Press, 2007)

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] External links

• The Bewitched and Elizabeth Montgomery Web Site
• Bewitched @ Harpies Bizarre
• Encyclopedia of Television
• Bewitched at the Internet Movie Database