Date de création: 2 novembre 2008

Creation: November 2nd 2008

Classement: G

Rating: G

Durée Totale: 25 min.

Total Duration: 25 min.

English version under

CRITIQUE: Le coffret est composé d'une série de livrets correspondants à chaque année. L'oeuvre globale de Bewitched est immense, à l'image du talent et de la renomée de cette série. Malheureusement, en 2008, la plupart des acteurs jouant des rôles dans la série sont décédés et ne subsistent plus que quelques acteurs secondaires moins connus. La série a été un vif succès, les coffrets sont très bient faits et facile à suivre puisque les épisodes sont enlignés exactement par ordre de présentation à la télé de l'époque. Il ne manque actuellement que deux saisons pour compléter le coffret, espérons que SONY procédera rapidement à ce sujet.

Dick Sargent, second mari de Samantha, a dévoilé son homosexualité dans les années 80 et s'est éteint du SIDA plus tard. Il aura toutefois déclaré de son vivant qu'il ne pouvait absolument pas dévoiler son orientation sexuelle pendant l'existence de la série vu les moeurs de l'époque et pour protéger la popularité de l'émission auprès d'un public conservateur. Il a souhaité le faire par la suite, avec le support et le soutien d'Elizabeth Montgomery (Samantha) qui participait avec lui à un défilé de la Fierté gaie peu avant son décès. Samantha sera par la suite décédée d'un cancer du côlon, les autres membres de l'équipe comme Larry, Tante Clara, Oncle Arthur et récemment Esmeralda sont tous décédés au fil du temps, laissant pour la postérité une oeuvre humoristique incroyable qu'il seait impossible aujourd'hui de reproduire. La cote à donner à ce coffret sera de 9/10 uniquement parce qu'il est incomplet, sinon il aurait reçu la note parfaite de 10.

(D'après Wikipedia)

Ma sorcière bien-aimée (Bewitched) est une série télévisée américaine en 254 épisodes de 25 minutes, créée par Sol Saks et diffusée entre le 17 septembre 1964 et le 25 mars 1972 sur le réseau ABC. En France, la série a été diffusée à partir du 17 juillet 1966 sur la première chaîne de l'ORTF et rediffusée à partir de 2006 sur Paris Première et à partir du 19 mai 2008 sur M6. En Belgique, la série a été diffusée sur RTL-TVi.

Synopsis
Membre d'une éminente société de sorcellerie et après avoir vécu pendant plusieurs siècles loin des humains, une ravissante sorcière, Samantha, tombe amoureuse de Jean-Pierre (Darrin dans la version originale) Stephens, un mortel travaillant dans une agence de publicité, chez McMann et Tate, et l'épouse.
La vie de Jean-Pierre est bouleversée lorsque sa femme lui avoue être une sorcière le soir de leur nuit de noce. Samantha n'a qu'à bouger son nez pour lancer un sortilège. Samantha est une sorcière comme ses parents, Endora et Maurice, et tout le reste de sa famille.
À la demande de son mari qui ne veut pas de magie chez lui, Samantha décide de ne plus utiliser ses pouvoirs et de vivre comme une femme normale. Mais voilà que Endora, la mère de Samantha, refuse de voir sa fille traitée comme la bonne à tout faire de ce simple mortel. Aussi, elle s'acharne à vouloir montrer à Samantha l'erreur qu'elle a faite en épousant cet être inférieur et se lance dans diverses manigances pour ensorceler Jean-Pierre. Il fut ainsi changé en singe, perroquet, en enfant, en vieillard, en loup-garou, désintégré, etc.
Samantha est donc parfois obligée de recourir à la magie pour sortir Jean-Pierre d'un mauvais pas ou arranger la situation, lorsque suite aux agissements d'Endora ou d'autres sorciers, la situation entre Jean-Pierre et ses clients tourne à la catastrophe. Mais Endora n'est pas la seule coupable des déboires de Jean-Pierre. En effet, Maurice, le père de Samantha, est lui aussi opposé à ce mariage, il y a aussi la tante Clara, qui bien que très gentille est assez âgée et maladroite. Ses pouvoirs fonctionnent très mal et voulant toujours rendre service, cause des catastrophes. L'Oncle Arthur est un plaisantin qui s'amuse à faire des blagues en utilisant ses pouvoirs. La cousine Serena, physiquement semblable à Samantha, est elle aussi espiègle et désinvolte et cause bien des soucis à ce pauvre Jean-Pierre.
Enfin, il y a le couple Kravitz, les voisins des Stephens. Si Monsieur Kravitz est un homme tranquille et blasé de la vie de couple avec Charlotte (Gladys dans la VO), sa femme, celle-ci est une vraie commère et une espionne invétérée qui s'obstine à vouloir prouver que Samantha Stephens est une sorcière. Mais la pauvre femme passe pour une folle aux yeux de son mari qui trouve le couple Stephens des plus adorables et des plus ordinaires.
Ce couple modèle à l'américaine a également deux enfants : une fille, Tabatha, qui a, elle aussi, bien du mal à s'empêcher d'utiliser ses pouvoirs magiques et un fils, Adam, qui naît lors de la sixième saison.
Distribution
* Elizabeth Montgomery (VF : Martine Sarcey) : Samantha Stephens / Serena
* Dick York (VF : Daniel Crouet) : Jean-Pierre (Darrin en VO) Stephens (1964-1969)
* Dick Sargent (VF : Daniel Crouet) : Jean-Pierre (Darrin en VO) Stephens (1969-1972)
* David White (VF : Gérard Ferrat) : Alfred ( Larry en VO) Tate
* Agnes Moorehead (VF : Lita Recio) : Endora
* Diane Murphy : Tabatha Stephens (1966-1968)
* Erin Murphy : Tabatha Stephens (1968-1972)
* Maurice Evans (VF : Pierre Leproux puis Albert Médina) : Maurice
* Marion Lorne (VF : Henriette Marion) : Tante Clara (1964-1968)
* Reta Shaw : Tanta Agatha (1964-1966)
* Paul Lynde (VF : Philippe Dumat) : Oncle Arthur (1965-1971)
* Alice Pearce : Charlotte Kravitz (1964-1966)
* Sandra Gould : Charlotte Kravitz (1966-1971)
* George Tobias (VF : Jean-Henri Chambois puis Roger Tréville) : Albert Kravitz (1964-1971)
* Irene Vernon (VF : Lily Baron) : Louise Tate (1964-1966)
* Kasey Rogers (VF : Lily Baron) : Louise Tate (1966-1972)
* Mabel Albertson (VF : Hélène Tossy) : Phyllis Stephens
* Robert F. Simon : Frank Stephens (1964-1967)
* Jill Foster : Betty (1965-1969)
* Bernard Fox : Docteur Bombay (1967-1972)
* Roy Roberts : Frank Stephens (1967-1971)
* Alice Ghostley : Esméralda (1969-1972)
Fiche technique [modifier]
* Producteur : William Asher
* Producteur exécutif : Harry Ackerman
* Principaux réalisateurs : William Asher, Richard Michaels, R. Robert Rosenbaum, Richard Kinon, E.W. Swackhamer
Récompenses
* Emmy Awards 1966 : Meilleure actrice dans un second rôle pour Alice Pearce
* Emmy Awards 1966 : Meilleure direction d'acteurs pour William Asher
* Emmy Awards 1968 : Meilleure actrice dans un second rôle pour Marion Lorne
Épisodes
Icône de détail Article détaillé : Liste des épisodes de Ma sorcière bien-aimée.
Commentaires
* Chaque épisode, presque sans exception, se termine par un baiser entre Jean-Pierre et Samantha.
* Avant d'être une série télévisée, Ma sorcière bien-aimée était, dans les années 1900, l'expression employée par Albert Einstein quand il s'adressait à la femme qu'il aimait, Mileva Maric[1].
* En version française, les prénoms de plusieurs personnages ont été francisés : Darrin devient Jean-Pierre, Larry Tate est prénommé Alfred tandis que les voisins Abner et Gladys deviennent Albert et Charlotte Kravitz. Tabitha elle-même est traduite en Tabatha.
* Un grand nombre d'Américaines, nées entre 1966 et 1967 et prénommées Tabatha ou Samantha, durent leur prénom à l'immense succès que rencontra cette série.
* L'acteur qui jouait le rôle de Jean-Pierre entre 1969 et 1972 (Dick Sargent) fit une apparition dans Columbo un peu avant de décéder.
* Le générique animé de la série fut créé par Hanna-Barbera Productions.
* Le succès de Ma sorcière bien-aimée a poussé NBC, la chaîne concurrente d'ABC, à lancer sa propre série dont le personnage principal serait doté de pouvoirs surnaturels. Ainsi est née la série Jinny de mes rêves en 1965. On peut s'amuser à comparer les nombreuses similitudes entre les deux séries (génériques sous forme animée, personnages centraux (Samantha / Jinny) toutes deux blondes et essayant (l'une sorcière, l'autre génie) de s'adapter à un monde de mortels, partenaires bruns et « mortels »). Dans les deux séries, les intrigues découlent souvent de la confrontation entre ce monde de « mortels » et les effets d'un sortilège ou d'un « tour » mal géré.
* Le thème musical et l'univers de la série sont souvent utilisés, encore dans les années 2000, au cinéma, à la télévision et dans la publicité. Citons par exemple l'utilisation du thème musical pour la promotion des plumeaux de la marque Swiffer (septembre 2005) ou en sonnerie du téléphone portable de Nathalie Baye dans le film Passe-passe (dans lequel Edouard Baer est d'ailleurs prestidigitateur.

VERSION ANGLAISE (d'après Wikipedia)

Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972. The show stars Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York (1964–1969), Dick Sargent (1969–1972), Agnes Moorehead and David White. It continues to be seen throughout the world in syndication and it is the longest running supernatural themed sitcom of the 1960s–1970s.

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 the John Van Druten play that was eventually adapted as Bell, Book and Candle (1958).
The series' premise and characters
The focus of the show (which was based on a satirical short story in Harper's Weekly Magazine, written by a young Norman Mailer and titled The Witch of Westport, according to the A&E Network Biography of Elizabeth Montgomery) is on the mixed marriage of a nose-twitching witch, Samantha Stephens (Montgomery), and her mortal husband, Darrin (originally played by Dick York and later by Dick Sargent). The series, a romantic comedy, shows how true love can endure the most vexing of situations, even between a witch and a human. The series is set in an upper middle class suburb, from which Darrin commutes to Manhattan for work.
Darrin works for advertising agency McMann and Tate. Darrin's profit-obsessed boss Larry Tate (David White) is an almost constant presence on the show, even though Tate's partner, Mr. McMann, appears only twice during the series. Tate's opinions would turn on a dime to appease a client and land a deal.
Samantha's mother Endora (Agnes Moorehead) loathes mortals, and disapproves of Darrin, as do most of Samantha's family. Endora refuses to use Darrin's name, variously 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.[1]).
Many episodes revolve around Endora, or another of Darrin's in-laws, using magic to undermine the union. Although Endora casts countless spells on Darrin, she never threatens to outright destroy him, as she could easily do. Endora's ploy seems to be to provoke Darrin into leaving Samantha, but the mortal's love for his wife overcomes every obstacle. During a sequence when High Priestess Hepzibah (see below) expresses surprise that Darrin has withstood years of Endora's harassment, Endora can only shrug and admit, "He loves my daughter."
The pilot shows the two meeting and eloping. Endora is in the pilot but does not meet Darrin until early in the season. Later in the first season, Darrin meets Samantha's father, Maurice, and Samantha meets Darrin's parents, Phyllis and Frank Stephens. The second episode shows the couple buying a home in Westport Connecticut, at 1164 Morning Glory Circle, the main setting for all episodes except several at the beginning of the seventh and eighth seasons, which take place in Salem, Massachusetts and Europe respectively. The premise of the Salem episodes is they are there for a witches convention, but this was done of necessity as the set of their house had burned down and was being rebuilt.
Several episodes begin with an enraged Darrin becoming the victim of a spell. The after effects would wreak havoc with fellow mortals such as his mother, neighbors or agency clientele. By the epilogue, however, Darrin and Samantha would embrace and confound the devious elements that failed to separate them.
Some storylines take a backdoor approach to such topics as racism, as seen in the first season episode, "The Witches Are Out." Samantha objects to Darrin's demeaning ad portrayal of witches as ugly and deformed. Such stereotypical imagery, she believes, ignites biases which have often caused Endora and her to flee the country until November. One episode, "Sisters At Heart" (season 7), was written and submitted by a tenth-grade class. It involved Tabitha altering her and her black friend's skin tones with coordinating polka-dots, so that people would treat them alike. (A similar white-with-black vs. black-with-white concept had been seen earlier in Star Trek:"Let That Be Your Last Battlefield," in which Frank Gorshin had appeared versus Lou Antonio.)
Bewitched is unique for the mid-1960s in that it portrays an estranged married couple—Samantha's parents, Endora (Agnes Moorehead) and Maurice (Maurice Evans). Maurice was portrayed as an urbane thespian not unlike Elizabeth Montgomery's real father, Robert Montgomery. Maurice occasionally pops in with a young, attractive female escort. The couple's separation is implied and subtextual. In the episode "Samantha's Good News," Endora threatened to file for an "ectoplasmic interlocutory" (code for divorce), only to wrangle Maurice's affection. In another episode Endora threatens to live with Maurice, thus acknowledging a separation. Endora once introduced Maurice as "my daughter's father." Maurice often refers to Darrin as "Dustbin".
Agnes Moorehead as Endora.
The one of the few members of Samantha's family for whom Darrin shows any affection is the lovable but bumbling Aunt Clara (played by Marion Lorne). She often appeared in the fireplace, or attempted to leave by walking through a wall, which she would inevitably bump into. Lorne won a posthumous Emmy in 1968 for the role of the aged witch, whose powers had begun to wane, and whose well-intentioned fractured spells often end in disaster. She appeared in 27 episodes; when Lorne died during the fourth season, the absence of Aunt Clara was left unexplained. Because Lorne was so popular and loved by the cast, another actress taking the role was never considered. A similar character, the anxiety-ridden witch-nanny/maid Esmeralda, played by Alice Ghostley, would later make appearances starting during the 1969–1970 season. (Both Ghostley and comic actor Paul Lynde, who later played Samantha's Uncle Arthur, had guest roles the first season as mortal characters before being cast as magical semi-regulars.)
Samantha's far-out and egocentric lookalike cousin Serena is another important character, first appearing in season two. Serena was played by Elizabeth Montgomery, and was credited as "Pandora Spocks" between 1968 and 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 a character played by Jack Cassidy).
During the show's run, both Aunt Clara (to Louise Tate) and Serena (to Phyllis Stephens) state they are from Maurice's side of the family, though Serena sometimes plots with "Auntie" Endora. Despite her wild behavior, 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. 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 erupts in rip-roaring laughter, it becomes clear that Darrin was set up. The trio get even with Arthur when Darrin's own practical joke seemingly obliterates Endora. Despite the hoax, Arthur genuinely likes Darrin. In another episode, Serena and Uncle Arthur go toe-to-toe with the Witch's Council to support the Stephens' union, only to have their own powers suspended.
Veteran actress Mabel Albertson, the sister of Jack Albertson, plays Darrin's straightlaced mother, Phyllis. The character often complains of "a sick headache" when she witnesses a magic spell in motion. Adding to the fun are the Stephens' witch daughter Tabitha (spelled Tabatha in production credits until season five) played by Erin Murphy, and her baby brother Adam. Along the way are various witches, warlocks, and mere mortals, as well as an occasional elf, leprechaun, nymph, and other supernatural being. The program made full use of the period's modest but effective special effects wizardry.
Across the street lives a retired couple, Abner Kravitz (stage and movie actor George Tobias) and his nosy wife, Gladys, the latter of whom was always trying to prove that Samantha was a witch, only to have her husband think her delusional. Gladys Kravitz was 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 Kravitzes' house was actually near the Stephens' 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 Kravitz's 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.
Note that all the female witches' names ended with a soft "-a" sound: Samantha, Endora, Tabitha, Esmeralda, Clara, Hepzibah, Serena, Hagatha, even Contessa Piranha.
Episode Déjà vu
During the spring of 1969, several episodes had to be rewritten as the series was technically between the two Darrins. According to William Asher on E! Entertainment Television, York had collapsed on the set due to back pain and was hospitalized. One such episode, "Samantha's Power Failure," shows an asleep Darrin for the first ten seconds and no more. The plot had Serena and Uncle Arthur powerless at the hands of the Witches' Council, and subsequently working in a confectionery factory. This episode mimics the famous chocolate assembly-line episode of I Love Lucy in several ways; something not surprising, as William Asher had directed numerous I Love Lucy episodes (including the renowned "Job Switching" episode that inspired Bewitched's version). With slight variations, Serena and Arthur's banana dipping jokes and physical antics are taken from Lucy (Lucille Ball) and Ethel's (Vivian Vance) playbook. In short order, Serena and Arthur start hidng and tossing the onslaught of bananas to avoid being fired from their jobs.
The Gidget/Bewitched connection
The 1959 Columbia Pictures' Gidget filmed on location at a real home in Santa Monica (at 267 18th Street) as seen in the film. 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. The reversed Gidget house was primarily used on the Columbia/Screen Gems hit television show Bewitched which premiered in 1964. The patio and livingroom sets seen in Columbia's Gidget Goes to Rome (1963) were soon adapted for the permanent Bewitched set for 1964. In the TV series from 1965-66, Gidget (played by Sally Field) is often shown with a "Samantha" doll in her bedroom (a merchandise cross promotion for the other Columbia tv show), and in 1986's The New Gidget (produced by Columbia executive and producer Harry Ackerman) the facade used in shots for her home is the reversed Gidget house (better known by TV audiences from those subsequent decades of reruns as Samantha's home on Bewitched). [2]
Changes
The show was a ratings success during its first five seasons, but it lost some viewers when Dick York, who had originated the role of Darrin Stephens, lost his ability to continue in the role due to a severe back condition. 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). But the role went to Dick Sargent. He had been the original first choice for the role, to play opposite Tammy Grimes, the original choice for Samantha, but he was under contract elsewhere in 1964. Sargent's version of Darrin was a more acidic, smarmy character, in contrast to York's hyper, high octane portrayal.
On E! Entertainment Television, Erin Murphy (Tabitha) stated that Elizabeth Montgomery "probably preferred Dick Sargent's Darrin." York's disability caused ongoing shooting delays and script rewrites, which would have been a financial liability to the newly formed Ashmont Production Company (owned by Montgomery and then husband, William Asher). Kasey Rogers, Bernard Fox, 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 Kravitzes, 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 so than such other recastings as the two John-Boy Waltons or the two Lionel Jeffersons, and others.
In 1966, the show saw Samantha give birth to daughter Tabitha, played by fraternal twins Diane and Erin Murphy. Tabitha's magical abilities began with "wishcraft", thus adding to Darrin's worries. In time, the Murphy twins began looking less alike, so Diane was dropped. The Tates' son Jonathan, who was 1 1/2 years older than Tabitha, was seldom seen or referenced after 1966, but made a final appearance in season 7. The character had been named Jonathan after David White's real-life son, whose 1988 plane death made headlines. In 1969, Bewitched introduced Adam Stephens, played by Greg and David Lawrence. The writers sought new familial challenges, but some skeptics saw the birth as an veiled attempt to retool past Tabitha plots. Adam initially didn't display any powers, but started to do so in the last few episodes of the series.
The death of actress Marion Lorne (Aunt Clara) in 1968 prompted the creation of a replacement character, actress Alice Ghostley as Esmeralda. Coincidentally, Lorne and Ghostley appeared side by side in the hotel scene of Mike Nichols's film version of The Graduate, which had been released in 1967.
End of the series
Montgomery wanted to end the series at the conclusion of the fifth season because both she and her husband, the show's producer William Asher, were getting tired of it 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, plus part ownership of the series (via Ashmont, a production company owned by Asher and Montgomery), for another three seasons. By season eight, the story ideas had started to run dry – with some scripts from earlier seasons re-shot nearly verbatim. During the last season, (1971–1972) Abner and Gladys Kravitz were only referenced, and Uncle Arthur and Darrin's parents also did not appear. 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 [3]. ABC had planned a ninth season, according to the network's contract with Montgomery and Asher.
The Flintstones episode, "Samantha", features Dick York & Elizabeth Montgomery as Darrin and Samantha Stephens[4]
Cast
Main characters (opening credits)
* Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens
* As Darrin Stephens: Dick York (1964–1969) and Dick Sargent (1969–1972)
* Agnes Moorehead as Endora, Samantha's mother
* David White as Larry Tate, Darrin's boss at McMann and Tate
[edit] Recurring characters
* Marion Lorne as Aunt Clara, Samantha's aunt (1964–1968)
* As Tabitha Stephens, Darrin and Samantha's daughter, "born" on January 13, 1966: Erin Murphy (1966–1972), Diane Murphy (1966–1968), and Tamar and Julie Young (1966) (as infant Tabitha).
* Greg and David Lawrence as Adam Stephens, son of Darrin and Samantha, "born" on October 16, 1969 (1970–1972)
* As Gladys Kravitz: Alice Pearce (1964–1966) and Sandra Gould (1966–1971)
* George Tobias as Abner Kravitz (1964–1971)
* Maurice Evans as Maurice, Samantha's father and Endora's estranged husband.
* Alice Ghostley as Esmeralda, Samantha and Darrin's witch maid (1969–1972)
* As Louise Tate, Larry's wife: Irene Vernon (1964–1966), and Kasey Rogers (1966–1972).
* Bernard Fox as Dr. Bombay, the warlock family doctor (1967–1972)
* Paul Lynde as Uncle Arthur, Samantha's uncle and Endora's brother (1965–1971).
* Mabel Albertson as Phyllis Stephens, Darrin's mother (1964–1971)
* As Frank Stephens, Darrin's father: Robert F. Simon (1964–1967 and 1971) and Roy Roberts (1967–1970).
* Bernie Kopell as the apothecary (1969-1972).
Characters less frequently seen
* Aunt Enchantra and Aunt Hagatha, Samantha's aunts and apparently sisters of Endora, with whom they side in any quarrel between her and Maurice, one of the few family members willing to stand up to them. The "holy terrors" of the family, they customarily ride in an antique car called "Macbeth" (sometimes driven by chauffeur Rasputin, other times operating sans driver) which, demonstrating the sisters' utter disdain for mortal conventions, 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. In later seasons, when Esmeralda was not available, Hagatha sometimes appeared as a babysitter to Tabitha and Adam.
* Aunt Bertha, another aunt of Samantha's.
* Cousin Edgar, Endora's nephew and an elf, implying that one of Endora's siblings is married to an elf. He is very protective of Samantha.
* Great-Aunt Cornelia, Maurice's aunt. She is a muse who resembled Samantha and the Mona Lisa.
* Cousin Henry, Samantha's cousin (and possibly Uncle Arthur's son; when Endora once calls Henry "the clown prince of the cosmos," she adds "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, disapprove of Samantha's marriage to Darrin.
* Queen Ticheba, who made one appearance to pass the mantle of Queen to Samantha in season 4. Her name apparently derived from Tituba, although she was played by white actress Ruth McDevitt. In the Dick Sargent years, a High Priestess rather than a Queen was shown; she was Hepzibah, played by Jane Connell. There was one mention of Samantha being ex-queen. Her abdication was never brought up in the series, nor was her successor. Why the witches' ruler was changed to a High Priestess was never explained.
* Albert Stephens, the uncle of Darrin Stephens, only shown briefly in episode number 69, "'A Bum Raps".
* Darrin's Cousin Helen, appearing in episode 129, "A Prince of a Guy". She and Uncle Albert are Darrin's only relatives shown, other than his parents.
* Betty, the secretary at McMann and Tate, played by various actresses.
* Mr. McMann, Larry's partner, seen in episode 139, "Man of the Year" and again in episode 191, "What Makes Darrin Run".
* Harriet Kravitz, Abner's sister (Mary Grace Canfield), who takes care of the house for Abner and Gladys while they are out of town in season 2. This was after Alice Pearce had died and before the show had recast her role in season 3.
* Ms. Peabody, Tabitha's 2nd grade teacher (Maudie Prickett), appeared 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:
* Santa Claus
* Jack, of Jack and the Beanstalk
* Benjamin Franklin
* Franklin Pierce
* George and Martha Washington
* Sigmund Freud
* Julius Caesar
* Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
* Leonardo da Vinci
* Mother Goose
* The Artful Dodger

* Hansel and Gretel
* The Tooth Fairy
* Napoleon
* Loch Ness Monster
* King Henry VIII
* Cleopatra
* Leprechaun
* Paul Revere
* Prince Charming
* Sleeping Beauty
* Willie Mays (playing himself)
* Boyce & Hart (playing themselves)
[edit] Ratings for Bewitched
Bewitched did very well the first six seasons it aired, but then the ratings began to drop off in the early 1970s.
The ratings for each season, at the end of the season, were:
Season Ratings Rank
1) 1964-1965 #2
2) 1965-1966 #7
3) 1966-1967 #8
4) 1967-1968 #11
5) 1968-1969 #12
6) 1969-1970 #25
7) 1970-1971 #34
8) 1971-1972 #72
ABC had planned Season 9 for Bewitched which would have been the 1972–1973 season, but Elizabeth Montgomery decided not to come back after Season 8. Then-husband William Asher told ABC that he would produce another series for them since Bewitched's ratings had dropped so low. He wound up producing two: The Paul Lynde Show, a sitcom starring the "Uncle Arthur" actor (and Hollywood Squares regular) Paul Lynde, which lasted only one season in 1972-73; and Temperatures Rising, a two-year comedy set in a hospital and starring James Whitmore in its first season. Because of the Lynde show's failure and contractual problems with Whitmore, Asher cast Paul Lynde as a manic, hospital chief in the 1973-74 season, and also signed Alice Ghostley as a hospital staff member. The show, absent of Whitmore's pragmatic, scholarly center was soon canceled.
Production
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 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 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 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.
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 (A married couple, Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns, first shared a bed in the 1940s sitcom Mary Kay and Johnny). The episode, "Little Pitchers Have Big Fears," aired on October 22, 1964, preceding The Munsters episode "Autumn Croakus" broadcast on November 26, 1964.[5].
In June 1970, Bewitched filmed on location in Salem, Magnolia and Gloucester, Massachusetts. The Massachusetts locations shoots marked the only time the show would film away from their Hollywood studio set, which had burned down. The eight "Salem Saga" episodes, as they became known, helped improve the show's ratings [6]. Season 8 featured a European vacation for the characters, but the episodes were filmed in Hollywood using stock footage.[edit] DVD releases
Main article: Bewitched DVD Releases
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the first two seasons of Bewitched on DVD in 2005, with the third and fourth seasons released in 2006, the fifth season in 2007 and the sixth season in 2008. Seasons Seven and Eight are to be released by decade's end. Because 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 regions 2, 3 and 4.

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
Main article: Tabitha (TV series)
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. 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
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 that perfect girl in Isabel Bigelow (Kidman), who, it turns out, 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, 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. But the film was not well received, and was rated poorly by many critics and did weak box-office business.