Tuesday, November 16, 2021

"Bewitched"


When I was growing up, "Bewitched" was one of the most popular shows on television. It lasted a then-unprecedented eight seasons. The show's characters and comedy were hilarious.

"Bewitched" stars Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha (Sam), a real witch married to a mortal (Darrin). The weirdest thing the show did was, in the fifth season, SWITCH actors for her husband Darrin (from Dick York to Dick Sargent). That struck me as very odd at the time and most viewers agreed. No explanation was given on the show for the switch. It's real-life reason was that Dick York had injured his back making a movie, became addicted to painkillers during his recovery and later suffered a seizure on the "Bewitched" set. While in the hospital, the show's director asked him if he wanted to quit and he did.

If you ever saw the show, you know its wacky cast of characters: Endora, Aunt Clara, nosy neighbor Gladys Kravitz (whose actress won an Emmy for the role), Uncle Arthur and Esmeralda.

Viewers loved Sam's famous nose-twitch. Practically no one knows the twitch wasn't real; instead it was created by visual editing and a sound effect.

The success of the show was only partly due to its lead actress's exceptional beauty; equal attention came from the show's skillful writing with barely-disguised sub-texts. Plots touched on issues of gender, race and even sexual orientation. A common theme was not being allowed by society to reveal one's hidden qualities.

Five years after the show ended, there was a spinoff, "Tabitha", about an adult version of daughter Tabitha. It didn't do well. Nor did a 2005 movie starring Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell that was a critical and box office failure.

After the show ended, almost all of the cast died of cancer in what's called "the Bewitched curse." Elizabeth Montgomery died at age 62, Dick York died at age 63 and Dick Sargeant died at age 64. Sad facts.

"Bewitched" is universally recognized as one of TV's classic shows. Have you seen it?

13 comments:

  1. Oh no, I didn't know the stars died so young :( Very sad facts indeed. It was a wonderful show though. I used to watch it with my Mum and sister and we would pretend to wiggle our noses to do magic!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I felt there was something different -enjoyably so - about Bewitched as well. Perhaps it was the two worlds that Sam existed in and trying to mostly for in with suburban life that added to both the comedy and the characters.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I was a big fan when I was a kid - I was always trying to twitch my nose like Sam! Endorra is a style icon!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I definitely remember Bewitched, I loved that show! xxx

    ReplyDelete
  5. I remember watching Bewitched, it was a decent show.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I used to watch it, I Dream of Jeannie, Brady Bunch and more growing up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I saw those others, too, but Bewitched was my favorite. There was something badly sexist about "I Dream of Jeannie."

      Delete
  7. No, I haven't seen it but I heard of it enough times to know it is an iconic show. How sad the actors died so young, I wasn't familiar with that fact.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Such a fantastic mid-century classic. Like many folks who were born post-1960s, I grew up with repeats of this delightful show (along with others from the era such as I Dream of Jeannie, The Munsters, The Addams Family, and The Andy Griffith Show) and still enjoy it to this day.

    In fact, I've long hoped to have a pet one day that would suit the name Endora, as I think it's such a fun, beautiful moniker. (Naturally a red haired one would make sense, but I don't see that as a must.)

    Autumn Zenith 🧡 Witchcrafted Life

    ReplyDelete