Funtasia's Bewitched!!

Bewitched was a comedy about an exceptionally pretty young witch named Samantha and her attempts to abandon her witchcraft to please her mortal husband, Darrin. The couple was married on the first telecast, but that was the last "normal" event in their union. Samantha was continually tempted to use her powers, invoked by a twitch of her nose, to get her way around the house. There was also a slew of her relatives, her mother Endora, her father Maurice, practical-joking Uncle Arthur, and forgetful Aunt Clara, all witches and warlocks. Esmerelda ( who first played a maid on the show) came along as a regular in 1969, and was also a witch, but her powers were declining; a timid soul, she would fade away when spoken to harshly. Samantha's mischievous look-alike, cousin Serena, was also played by Miss Montgomery, but was listed in the credits as Pandora Spocks.

Also in the cast were Larry Tate, Darrin's long-suffering boss at the New York advertising agency of McMann and Tate, Larry's wife Louise, and the Stephens' easygoing but somewhat nosy neighbors, the Kravitzes.

"Bewitched" aired from September 17, 1964 to July 1, 1972 on ABC for 254 episodes: 74 in black and white (1964-1966) and 180 in color (1966-1972). ABC broadcast reruns of the series weekday afternoons from Jan 1, 1968 to Sept. 1973. Simultaneously, Saturday morning repeats were transmitted over ABC starting in September 1971.

"Bewitched"'s final firstrun episode telecast was "The Truth, Nothing But The Truth, So Help Me, Sam" (3/25/1972); its final ABC primetime telecast of all was the 7/1/1972 repeat of "Adam, Warlock Or Washout" from 12/29/1971.

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Did you know? Tabitha was actually played by three sets of twins.

Samantha's first child, Tabitha, was "born" on the telecast of January 13, 1966. The newborn infant was played briefly by identical twins Heidi and Laura Gentry and then by Tama and Julie Young; beginning in the fall of 1966, two-year-old Erin and Diane Murphy assumed the role (later it was played by Erin alone). A son, Adam, came along on the night of October 16, 1969, although he was not seen regularly until the 1971-1972 season.

Cast List

Elizabeth Montgomery ...Samantha Stephens/Serena	David Lawrence ...Adam Stephens (1971-1972)
Dick York ...Darrin Stephens (1964-68)	Marion Lorne ...Aunt Clara (1964-68)
Dick Sargent ...Darrin Stephens (1969-72)	Maurice Evans ...Maurice (1964-72)
Agnes Moorehead ...Endora	Robert F. Simon ...Frank Stephens
David White ...Larry Tate	Roy Roberts ...Frank Stephens
Sandra Gould ...Gladys Kravitz (1966-1972)	Diane & Erin Murphy ...Tabitha
Alice Ghostley ...Esmeralda (1969-1972)	Greg Lawrence ...Adam Stephens (1971-1972)
Paul Lynde ...Uncle Arthur (1965-1972)	Irene Vernon ...Louise Tate (1964-1966)
Alice Pearce ...Gladys Kravitz (1964-66)	Bernard Fox ...Dr. Bombay (1967-1972)
Kasey Rogers ...Louise Tate (1966-1972)	George Tobias ...Abner Kravitz (1964-72)
Mabel Albertson ...Phyllis Stephens	Kit Smythe ...Gertrude (1964)

This graphic was designed for this site exclusively by " Old Jim."

A MILLION THANKS JIM!!

Bewitched Trivia

Alice Ghostley did not originally appear as Esmeralda but as maid Naomi who caused havoc at the Stephens house. In the same episode ("Maid To Order"), she is asked to help with a client dinner at the Tate's home because their own maid was ill that night. The name of the Tate's usual maid was Esmeralda.
Elizabeth Montgomery played the roles of Samantha Stephens and her more free-spirited cousin Serena. However in the cast listing, the role of Serena was listed as being played by Pandora Spocks. (Pandoras Box) Many viewers didn't realize this, and wrote "Pandora" fan mail.
Although fraternal twins Erin Murphy and Diane Murphy shared the role of Tabitha Stephens up until the middle of the fifth season, Diane only played Tabitha on her own in one episode - Samantha Fights City Hall.
There were 2 Darrins, two Gladys Kravitzes, two Louise Tates, two of Darrin's father. Dick York left the show in 1969 due to health problems; his role of Darrin was taken over by Dick Sargent. When Alice Pearce died, her role of Mrs. Kravitz was taken over by Sandra Gould.
When Dick York was replaced by Dick Sargent the ratings dropped 13 places
During the first six years, practically every car in sight is a Chevrolet, because the car company was one of the show's original sponsors.
The show aired from 17 September 1964 to 1 July 1972 on ABC for 254 episodes: 74 in black and white (1964-1966) and 180 in color (1966-1972)
The 4 April 1968 episode "I Confess", was interrupted by ABC during its original airing for news coverage of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King
The final first-run episode telecast was "The Truth, Nothing But The Truth, So Help Me, Sam" (3/25/1972); its final ABC primetime telecast of all was the 7/1/1972 repeat of "Adam, Warlock Or Washout" from 12/29/1971
Elizabeth Montgomery didn't actually twitch her nose to cause Samantha's magic to occur; she twitched her upper lip, causing her nose to follow.
Almost all of the female witches' character names end with the letter "a", including Samantha, Endora, Esmeralda, Clara, Hagatha, Enchantra and Tabitha.
Paul Lynde, who played Uncle Arthur, appeared in an earlier episode as a nervous driving instructor who teaches Samantha how to drive.
2 supporting actresses: Alice Pearce (Gladys) and Marion Lorne (Aunt Clara) both were awarded Emmys posthumously.
The show's now-famous animated opening credits were created by Hanna-Barbera Productions.
The role of Samantha was originally offered to Tammy Grimes.
Jodie Foster was once considered for the role of Tabitha.
Jim Backus was the first choice to play Abner Kravitz, but turned it down, because he was already working on "Gilligan's Island"
When it became clear that Dick York could not continue with the series, William Asher considered canceling it, not only because of York's departure, but because he and Elizabeth Montgomery wanted to move on. However, the ratings were still high enough that the network wanted the show to go on. Dick Sargent was brought in to replace York, but there was still one problem: how to explain why Darrin looked and sounded different. Many people working on the show came up with ideas, but Asher thought the viewers understood this was an actor playing a role, so he decided that the best explanation was no explanation.
During the hiatus between the 1968-1969 and 1969-1970 seasons, the network reran all 14 episodes in which Dick York did not appear in hopes of making it easier for fans to accept Dick Sargent as the new Darrin.
After the third season, it was often not known if Dick York would be well enough to work any given week, because of his back pain issues. "Darrin-less" scripts were therefore on hand, or scripts were made Darrin-less (often by giving his lines to Larry Tate). Most sources tend to assume York missed thirteen episodes from his back pain issues, when in reality, most of the episodes York "missed" were actually filmed after he had already left the show (in season five). They were then aired mixed with episodes he had completed. At least one of the two episodes he missed in season three had nothing to do with his back pain issues, but was because his father had died. Bernard Fox appeared earlier on the show as a witch-hunting anthropologist before taking on the role of Dr. Bombay.
In episode "Hippie, Hippie, Hooray", we see Larry and Louise Tate in their kitchen. It's the same set used as Tony Nelson's kitchen from "I Dream of Jeannie" (1965)
Darrin and Samantha Stephens lived at 1164 Morning Glory Circle, Westport, Connecticut. The Stephens house still exists today on the Warner Bros. Ranch lot in Burbank, California, at Hollywood Way. Originally the Columbia Ranch that was owned by Columbia Studios, which produced "Bewitched," the lot was re-named "The Burbank Studios Ranch" in 1972, when Columbia Studios moved onto the Warner Bros. lot. By 1990, Columbia had moved to the former MGM Studio lot in Culver City; and the ranch lot was acquired by Warner Bros. Studios, thereby necessitating another change of name to the "Warner Bros. Ranch". The house still looks very much like it did when "Bewitched" ended production.
The exterior of the Kravitz house is the same exterior as used in "The Partridge Family" (1970) and "The Donna Reed Show" (1958).
The Tates had a son named Jonathan that was a few months older than Tabitha, but was only seen occasionally
Samantha's maiden name was never revealed.
After her initial five-year contract was up, Elizabeth Montgomery announced she would move on to other things. Desperate to keep the show going, the network gave her part ownership as part of her new contract.
In the episode "Eye of the Beholder" Samantha tells Darrin her birthday is June 6.
In the original draft of the pilot episode Samantha was originally going to be named Cassandra.
Rehearsals for the pilot were set to begin on November 22, 1963. However, they were postponed because of the assassination earlier that day of President Kennedy, who was a good friend of William Asher.
The series marked the first time that a married couple, played by unmarried actors, was seen in the same bed together in a live-action television show. Prior to this, most shows featured married couples in separate beds.
Agnes Moorehead was chosen to play Endora after a chance meeting with Elizabeth Montgomery and 'William Asher (I)' at a Bloomingdale's department store.
The house used for the Sally Field show "Gidget" (1965) was located right next door to the Stephens house, and was used in the season 1 episode "Pleasure O'Reilly" which featured a new neighbor by the same name moving in next door.

Bewitched Trivia
Alice Ghostley did not originally appear as Esmeralda but as maid Naomi who caused havoc at the Stephens house. In the same episode ("Maid To Order"), she is asked to help with a client dinner at the Tate's home because their own maid was ill that night. The name of the Tate's usual maid was Esmeralda. Elizabeth Montgomery played the roles of Samantha Stephens and her more free-spirited cousin Serena. However in the cast listing, the role of Serena was listed as being played by Pandora Spocks. (Pandoras Box) Many viewers didn't realize this, and wrote "Pandora" fan mail. Although fraternal twins Erin Murphy and Diane Murphy shared the role of Tabitha Stephens up until the middle of the fifth season, Diane only played Tabitha on her own in one episode - Samantha Fights City Hall. There were 2 Darrins, two Gladys Kravitzes, two Louise Tates, two of Darrin's father. Dick York left the show in 1969 due to health problems; his role of Darrin was taken over by Dick Sargent. When Alice Pearce died, her role of Mrs. Kravitz was taken over by Sandra Gould. When Dick York was replaced by Dick Sargent the ratings dropped 13 places During the first six years, practically every car in sight is a Chevrolet, because the car company was one of the show's original sponsors. The show aired from 17 September 1964 to 1 July 1972 on ABC for 254 episodes: 74 in black and white (1964-1966) and 180 in color (1966-1972) The 4 April 1968 episode "I Confess", was interrupted by ABC during its original airing for news coverage of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King The final first-run episode telecast was "The Truth, Nothing But The Truth, So Help Me, Sam" (3/25/1972); its final ABC primetime telecast of all was the 7/1/1972 repeat of "Adam, Warlock Or Washout" from 12/29/1971 Elizabeth Montgomery didn't actually twitch her nose to cause Samantha's magic to occur; she twitched her upper lip, causing her nose to follow. Almost all of the female witches' character names end with the letter "a", including Samantha, Endora, Esmeralda, Clara, Hagatha, Enchantra and Tabitha. Paul Lynde, who played Uncle Arthur, appeared in an earlier episode as a nervous driving instructor who teaches Samantha how to drive. 2 supporting actresses: Alice Pearce (Gladys) and Marion Lorne (Aunt Clara) both were awarded Emmys posthumously. The show's now-famous animated opening credits were created by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The role of Samantha was originally offered to Tammy Grimes. Jodie Foster was once considered for the role of Tabitha. Jim Backus was the first choice to play Abner Kravitz, but turned it down, because he was already working on "Gilligan's Island" When it became clear that Dick York could not continue with the series, William Asher considered canceling it, not only because of York's departure, but because he and Elizabeth Montgomery wanted to move on. However, the ratings were still high enough that the network wanted the show to go on. Dick Sargent was brought in to replace York, but there was still one problem: how to explain why Darrin looked and sounded different. Many people working on the show came up with ideas, but Asher thought the viewers understood this was an actor playing a role, so he decided that the best explanation was no explanation. During the hiatus between the 1968-1969 and 1969-1970 seasons, the network reran all 14 episodes in which Dick York did not appear in hopes of making it easier for fans to accept Dick Sargent as the new Darrin. After the third season, it was often not known if Dick York would be well enough to work any given week, because of his back pain issues. "Darrin-less" scripts were therefore on hand, or scripts were made Darrin-less (often by giving his lines to Larry Tate). Most sources tend to assume York missed thirteen episodes from his back pain issues, when in reality, most of the episodes York "missed" were actually filmed after he had already left the show (in season five). They were then aired mixed with episodes he had completed. At least one of the two episodes he missed in season three had nothing to do with his back pain issues, but was because his father had died. Bernard Fox appeared earlier on the show as a witch-hunting anthropologist before taking on the role of Dr. Bombay. In episode "Hippie, Hippie, Hooray", we see Larry and Louise Tate in their kitchen. It's the same set used as Tony Nelson's kitchen from "I Dream of Jeannie" (1965) Darrin and Samantha Stephens lived at 1164 Morning Glory Circle, Westport, Connecticut. The Stephens house still exists today on the Warner Bros. Ranch lot in Burbank, California, at Hollywood Way. Originally the Columbia Ranch that was owned by Columbia Studios, which produced "Bewitched," the lot was re-named "The Burbank Studios Ranch" in 1972, when Columbia Studios moved onto the Warner Bros. lot. By 1990, Columbia had moved to the former MGM Studio lot in Culver City; and the ranch lot was acquired by Warner Bros. Studios, thereby necessitating another change of name to the "Warner Bros. Ranch". The house still looks very much like it did when "Bewitched" ended production. The exterior of the Kravitz house is the same exterior as used in "The Partridge Family" (1970) and "The Donna Reed Show" (1958). The Tates had a son named Jonathan that was a few months older than Tabitha, but was only seen occasionally Samantha's maiden name was never revealed. After her initial five-year contract was up, Elizabeth Montgomery announced she would move on to other things. Desperate to keep the show going, the network gave her part ownership as part of her new contract. In the episode "Eye of the Beholder" Samantha tells Darrin her birthday is June 6. In the original draft of the pilot episode Samantha was originally going to be named Cassandra. Rehearsals for the pilot were set to begin on November 22, 1963. However, they were postponed because of the assassination earlier that day of President Kennedy, who was a good friend of William Asher. The series marked the first time that a married couple, played by unmarried actors, was seen in the same bed together in a live-action television show. Prior to this, most shows featured married couples in separate beds. Agnes Moorehead was chosen to play Endora after a chance meeting with Elizabeth Montgomery and 'William Asher (I)' at a Bloomingdale's department store. The house used for the Sally Field show "Gidget" (1965) was located right next door to the Stephens house, and was used in the season 1 episode "Pleasure O'Reilly" which featured a new neighbor by the same name moving in next door.