Bewitched – Doyle’s Space: SitCom Hall of Fame

The show’s now-iconic animated opening credits were created by Hanna-Barbera Productions, creators of such beloved 1960’s cartoons as The Flintstones (1960), The Jetsons (1962), and Scooby Doo, Where Are You! (1969). These cartoon characters also guest-starred on “The Flintstones”.

The reason Samantha wiggled her nose to cast spells is that Elizabeth Montgomery had the very rare ability to wiggle her nose (or rather wiggle her upper lip). Reportedly it was actually something of a tic of hers; her husband and series producer William Asher noticed it and suggested it to be adapted to her character.

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Main Cast

• Elizabeth Montgomery (April 15, 1933 – May 18, 1995) – Samantha Stephens (and her twin sister Serena) “The Legend of Lizzie Borden,” “Johnny Cool,” “A Case of Rape,” “The Awakening Land,” and various guest appearances on TV shows like “The Untouchables” and “77 Sunset Strip.”

• Dick York (September 4, 1928 – February 20, 1992) Darrin Stephens (Seasons 1–5) “Inherit the Wind,” “They Came to Cordura,” “The Twilight Zone,” and “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.”
• Dick Sargent (April 19, 1930 – July 8, 1994) Darrin Stephens (Seasons 6–8) “Operation Petticoat,” “The Climax,” “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken,” and appearances on shows like “I Dream of Jeannie” and “The Odd Couple.”

• Agnes Moorehead (December 6, 1900 – April 30, 1974) – Endora (Samantha’s mother) “Citizen Kane,” “The Magnificent Ambersons,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte,” and “The Twilight Zone.”
• David White (April 4, 1916 – November 27, 1990) Larry Tate (Darrin’s boss) “The Apartment,” “The Sweet Smell of Success,” “The Untouchables,” and “Mission: Impossible.”

• Erin Murphy (born June 17, 1964) – Tabitha Stephens (Samantha and Darrin’s daughter) (Seasons 3-8) “Lassie,” “The Comeback Kids,” and various guest appearances as herself on talk shows and reality TV.

• Alice Pearce (October 16, 1917 – March 3, 1966) Gladys Kravitz (Samantha’s nosy neighbor) (Seasons 1-2) “On the Town,” “The Belle of New York,” “My Sister Eileen,” and various TV guest appearances.
• Sandra Gould (July 23, 1916 – July 20, 1999) Gladys Kravitz (Replaced Alice Pearce after her death) (Seasons 3-7) “I Love Lucy,” “The Flintstones,” “Friends,” and “The Addams Family.”

• Marion Lorne (August 12, 1883 – May 9, 1968) Aunt Clara (Samantha’s bumbling, sweet aunt) “The Graduate,” “Strangers on a Train,” “Mr. Peepers,” and various TV guest appearances.
• Paul Lynde (June 13, 1926 – January 10, 1982) Uncle Arthur (Samantha’s mischievous warlock uncle) “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Send Me No Flowers,” “The Glass Bottom Boat,” “Charlotte’s Web” (voice of Templeton the Rat) TV Shows: “The Paul Lynde Show,” “Hollywood Squares” (as a regular panelist), “The Munsters,” “I Dream of Jeannie,” and guest appearances on “The Dean Martin Show” and “The Donny & Marie Show.”

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• The series is known in Japan as Oku-Sama wa Majo (奥さまは魔女, “The Wife is a Witch”).
• The Italian title of the series is Vita Da Strega (“Life As A Witch”).
• In France the show is known as Ma Sorcière Bien-Aimée (“My Beloved Witch”).

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Other Semi-regular Cast Members

• George Tobias – Alice’s husband, Abner Kravitz, who never sees or hears anyhing that she witnesses
• Bernard Fox – Dr. Bombay
• Alice Ghostley – Esmeralda, Tabitha’s babysitter
• Mabel Albertson – Darrin’s mother, Phyllis Stephens
• Robert F. Simon and Roy Roberts – alternating the role of Frank Stephens, Darrin’s father
• Irene Vernon (1964–1966), then Kasey Rogers (1966–1972) as Louise Tate, Larry’s wife
• Maurice Evans – Samantha’s father

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Some Memorable Episodes

• Season 1 – Episode 1 – “I, Darrin, Take This Witch, Samantha” – September 17, 1964 Plot: Samantha reveals to her new husband, Darrin, that she is a witch. Despite his initial shock, Darrin decides to stay married, but insists that Samantha live as a typical suburban housewife without using magic.
• Season 1 – Episode 7 – “The Witches Are Out” – October 29, 1964 Plot: Samantha becomes upset when she sees an advertising campaign portraying witches as ugly, wicked hags. To combat the stereotype, she and her aunts decide to take matters into their own hands and change public perception.
• Season 1 – Episode 13 – “Which Witch is Which?” – December 24, 1964 Plot: Endora transforms herself into Samantha to test Darrin’s loyalty. Confusion ensues when Darrin cannot tell the difference between his wife and her mother.
• Season 2 – Episode 1 – “Alias Darrin Stephens” – September 16, 1965 Plot: Darrin is transformed into a perfect look-alike of Samantha’s ex-boyfriend by Endora. Samantha must prove her love to both Darrin and her mother, while Darrin is stuck in another man’s body.
• Season 2 – Episode 7 – “Trick or Treat” – October 28, 1965 Plot: On Halloween, Endora turns Darrin into a werewolf after he refuses to let Samantha attend a witches’ event. The spell causes chaos at a dinner party with one of Darrin’s clients.

• Season 2 – Episode 15 – “A Vision of Sugar Plums” – December 23, 1965 Plot: Samantha and Darrin take in an orphan for Christmas. Samantha uses magic to teach the skeptical boy the true meaning of the holiday, resulting in a heartwarming transformation.
• Season 3 – Episode 1 – “Nobody’s Perfect” – September 15, 1966 Plot: The Stephens family discovers that their newborn daughter, Tabitha, has inherited magical powers when she makes her toy elephant come to life.
• Season 3 – Episode 7 – “To Trick or Treat or Not to Trick” – October 27, 1966 Plot: Endora turns Darrin into a witch after he refuses to allow Samantha to celebrate Halloween in the traditional witchy way. The transformation creates amusing and challenging situations for Darrin at work.
• Season 3 – Episode 14 – “Samantha for the Defense” – December 29, 1966 Plot: Samantha tries to clear Aunt Clara’s name when she is put on trial for a supposed act of magical fraud involving the theft of a valuable painting.
• Season 4 – Episode 1 – “Long Live the Queen” – September 7, 1967 Plot: Samantha is appointed the Queen of the Witches but must choose between her royal responsibilities and her mortal life with Darrin. The episode explores Samantha’s loyalty to her husband and her supernatural heritage.

• Season 4 – Episode 8 – “The Safe and Sane Halloween” – October 26, 1967 Plot: Samantha’s cousin, Serena, disguises herself as Samantha for a Halloween party, leading to confusion and misunderstandings. Darrin and Larry’s business plans are thrown into chaos due to Serena’s playful antics.
• Season 4 – Episode 11 – “Allergic to Macedonian Dodo Birds” – November 16, 1967 Plot: Darrin develops an allergic reaction every time Endora is around. Samantha traces the problem to a magical Macedonian Dodo bird feather that is secretly placed in Darrin’s jacket by Endora.
• Season 5 – Episode 7 – “Samantha’s Super Maid” – October 31, 1968 Plot: Samantha decides to hire a magical maid, Esmeralda, to help around the house. However, Esmeralda’s spells often backfire, causing more trouble than help and leading to a series of comic mishaps.
• Season 5 – Episode 13 – “Instant Courtesy” – December 19, 1968 Plot: Samantha casts a spell on Darrin to make him more polite and courteous, but it backfires when he becomes overly generous, giving away all their belongings to neighbors and strangers.
• Season 6 – Episode 1 – “Samantha and the Beanstalk” – September 18, 1969 Plot: Tabitha creates a magical beanstalk in the backyard after reading “Jack and the Beanstalk.” Samantha and Darrin must deal with the giant and try to return things to normal.
• Season 6 – Episode 2 – “Samantha’s Yoo-Hoo Maid” – September 25, 1969 Plot: Esmeralda accidentally makes herself invisible after a spell goes wrong, causing confusion and complications when Darrin’s boss, Larry, arrives for a business dinner.

• Season 6 – Episode 7 – “To Trick or Treat or Not to Trick” – October 30, 1969 Plot: Endora transforms Darrin into a witch for Halloween as payback for him forbidding Samantha to celebrate. The spell creates havoc at a costume party Darrin and Samantha are attending.
• Season 7 – Episode 6 – “Samantha’s Old Man” – November 4, 1970 Plot: Endora casts a spell on Darrin, making him appear as an old man whenever his mother is around. This causes confusion and concern among their friends and family until the spell is reversed.
• Season 7 – Episode 9 – “Samantha’s Magic Sitter” – December 2, 1970 Plot: Esmeralda’s babysitting of Tabitha and her friend causes magical chaos when she accidentally transforms the friend into a chimpanzee. Samantha must find a way to reverse the spell before the parents return.
• Season 8 – Episode 14 – “A Good Turn Never Goes Unpunished” – December 15, 1971 Plot: After Samantha uses magic to help a friend in need, she is punished by the witches’ council. They demand that she repay her “magical debt,” leading to a series of humorous situations as Samantha attempts to balance her magical obligations with her mortal life.

Thanks to witchcraft, a number of interesting characters were seen, including 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, Bonanno Pisano, 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), Wood Nymph

Some Notable Guest Stars

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Further Reading

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Sources

• Wikipedia “Bewitched” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bewitched
• Wikipedia “List of Bewitched characters” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bewitched_characters
• Wikipedia “List of Bewitched episodes” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bewitched_episodes
• IMDB “Bewitched (1964–1972) Full Cast & Crew” https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057733/fullcredits
• IMDB “Bewitched” https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057733/?ref_=ttfc_ql
• TV Tropes “Bewitched » Trivia” https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Trivia/Bewitched

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