“Bewitched” is a very well-known and beloved sitcom from the 60s and 70s that revolved around a cheeky and charming witch named Samantha, her mortal husband Darrin, and their unusual household. People went crazy over Elizabeth Montgomery’s nose wiggles, the fun characters and all of the magic included in the series.
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The show was so popular that it went on for an unprecedented eight seasons, making it the longest-running supernatural-themed series of the 60s and 70s. However, there are some things you might not have known about the popular show. Here are some facts you didn’t know about “Bewitched”.
1. Elizabeth Montgomery played multiple roles
As most of you know, Elizabeth Montgomery starred as the beloved main character in Bewitched, Samantha. Well, on TV, lots of things are subject to change. At some point, she also took up the role of Samantha’s cousin, Serena, a progressive hippie-type witch who always manages to get on Samantha’s nerves.
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Serena has a distinct mark on her check that changes shape every episode such as a heart or a fish. The resemblance between Serena and Samantha is unmistakable but Montgomery apparently was able to fool some of the show’s staff the first time she wore the Serena wig. Also, if you look at the credits, the role of Serena is credited to a “Pandora Spocks,” a play on words of “Pandora’s Box.”
2. Samantha’s nose wiggles were part camera magic
Now, this is groundbreaking news. The signature part of the show was Samantha’s nose wiggles. Erin Murphy, who played the character’s daughter said that the “wiggle was actually a camera trick.” Can you believe it?
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Samantha’s nose does slightly wiggle, but if you look closely, you’ll notice that it’s just her upper lip that she’s moving. The wiggle was based on a twitch that Montgomery had in real life when she got nervous. To enhance the wiggle, the film was sped up slightly and accompanied by the classic xylophone sound. Many fans believed that Montgomery got the role because of the nose wiggle ability, but she was actually already cast for the part by the time the nose idea came up.
3. Actress Marion Lorne had a pretty kooky collection
Actress Marion Lorne played the role of quirky Aunt Clara. Real-life Lorne had a thing with doorknobs, and it made its way into the script based on the actress’s actual adoration for them. The odd obsession only added to the lovable Aunt Clara who was constantly forgetting things and whose spells regularly ended in disaster due to losing her powers to old age.
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Apparently, Lorne had a collection of over 1,000 antique doorknobs! She even used some of the doorknobs from her personal collection as props in the series. Wonder where she put them all. Lorne appeared in 27 episodes and sadly died in 1968 of a heart attack. She was never replaced in the series.
4. A series finale to forget
Generally, producers want the final episode of their series to be a memorable one. That certainly wasn’t the case with Bewitched. Did it feel familiar to you? It should have. The final episode, “The Truth, Nothing but the Truth, So Help Me Sam,” was nothing more than a rehash of a 1965 episode entitled “Speak the Truth.”
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Endora, suspicious of Darrin, casts a spell on Samantha’s pin causing everyone in proximity to it to tell the truth. Fights ensue at Darrin’s work and at home when he has clients over for cocktails. In the end, everything works out with the clients and Darrin and Samantha truthfully profess their love to one another.
5. The nosy neighbour with a dark secret
Alice Pearce, better known as Gladys the nosy neighbour, appeared on the show from 1964 to 1966. But she kept a huge secret to herself when she took the part. She had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She never told any of her co-stars
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Pearce was diagnosed with ovarian cancer around four months prior to landing the gig on Bewitch and never showed signs that she was ill, at least not any the cast members or producers noticed. She was awarded a posthumous Outstanding Supporting Actress Emmy Award for her role as Alice.
6. Darrin’s back injury
Dick York, the first actor who played Darrin, suffered a severe back injury in 1959 during the filming of the movie “They Came To Cordura.” From the third season of Bewitched, York had health issues that delayed production of the series. Many episodes were written so that York could be seated or lying down.
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As a result, his character Darrin was frequently “away on business.” In January 1969, York collapse during the filming of the episode “Daddy Does His Thing.” He never returned to the set of Bewitched. Dick Sargent was cast that very same month to replace York. Audiences were apparently not pleased with the swap seeing as how ratings significantly dropped after the switch.
7. Repeating and “borrowing”
As the series started to decline in popularity, so did the show’s writing. After Dick York suddenly left the show, much of the audience started losing interest. As a result, many episodes were just copies of previous Bewitched episodes or storyline copies of other shows.
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William Asher, the producer of the show, was also the director of the beloved sitcom I Love Lucy. Some of the Bewitched episodes were direct copies of I Love Lucy storylines, such as the episode entitled “Samantha’s Power Failure.” The episode featured Serena and Uncle Arthur working at a candy factory dipping bananas in chocolate and nuts then packaging them.
8. Three sets of twins played Tabitha!
The Olsen twins weren’t the only cute twins that shared a role in a TV series. Bewitched, however, took a different approach and used multiple sets of twins to fill the role of Tabitha.
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In the season 2 episode, “And Then There Were Three,” Samantha and Darrin have a baby daughter named Tabitha, the infant is played by Cynthia Black. Then she got replaced by twins Heidi and Laura Gentry and then again by twins Tamar and Julie Young! Finally, the producers stuck with twin toddlers Diane Murphy and Erin Murphy, who shared the role starting in season 3.
9. “Long Live the Queen”
Despite Samantha’s unorthodox lifestyle, she was appointed Queen of the Witches after the former Queen abdicated from the throne. Just goes to show that being strong-willed and having a firm set of beliefs pays off. But Samantha didn’t accept the position willingly.
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Darrin didn’t want her to be queen and Sam herself didn’t think she would be able to juggle the responsibilities of the position and her family at the same time. In the end, everything worked out. All hail the queen!
10. Endora was older than sliced bread
We all know that the witches in Bewitched live much longer than mortals. Throughout the series, many references are made to Endora’s age. They are not always consistent and it’s hard to know if she was being sarcastic, but did you catch her oldest reference?
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In one episode Endora states that she dated “Otzie the Ice Man” who lived around 3500 BC. That would make her over 5,500 years old! Her daughter Samantha is believed to have been born between 1570 and 1600, making her over 400.
11. The Bewitched “Curse”
Elizabeth Montgomery was diagnosed with colon cancer and struggled with the disease for many years. At one point her doctors believed that she was cancer-free after treatment but cancer returned and spread to her liver. Refusing to die in a hospital, she spent her last days at home with her husband, Robert Foxworth.
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Montgomery died on June 18, 1995. She was 62 years old. Such a large percentage of the cast died of cancer that people refer to it as the “Bewitched curse.” One researcher calculated that 85% of the cast has died from cancer.
12. The case of the two Darrins
More than one actor was used to play the character of Samantha’s husband, Darrin. Dick York was replaced by Dick Sargent, without any type of acknowledgement by the characters in the show. They just kept going as usual.
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The show’s producers hoped that audiences wouldn’t be able to tell much difference and accept the new actor in the beloved role of Darrin. The sudden switch between actors came to be dubbed “The Darrin Syndrome.” Unfortunately for them, the switch was noticed by audiences worldwide and they weren’t very forgiving.
13. The theme song actually has lyrics!
The famous Bewitched theme song is so catchy and definitely familiar but you couldn’t really sing it because it didn’t have any words. Yet, that isn’t entirely true! While we never heard the lyrics sung in the opening, they do exist.
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Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller wrote and composed the theme song for Bewitched but the producers decided to go with an instrumental version instead! “Bewitched, bewitched, you’ve got me in your spell.”
14. Darrin wasn’t the only switched-out character
Darrin wasn’t the only character on the show to be swapped out. The nosy neighbour, Gladys Kravitz was also played by two actresses. The character was well known for her overly dramatic freakouts and high-pitched screams.
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First, Alice Pearce took the role, and later, the role was given to Sandra Gould. The character was so beloved that it won Pearce a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy.
15. Bewitched’s set was a hand-me-down
As much as you would like to think that every location we see on TV and in movies is real and unique, chances are the set was used before or will be used again. If you have a really good eye for detail you’ll start noticing these houses popping up in other series and films.
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The set used in the 1959 movie “Gidget” was actually a real house in Santa Monica and the blueprint design was later reversed and reproduced for the set of Bewitched! Columbia Pictures also used the patio and living room sets from Gidget Goes to Rome (1963). Rival series I Dream of Jeannie also used the set, making it quite magical!
16. Samantha’s original name was Cassandra!
Cassandra just doesn’t seem like the right name for a young-looking blonde witch who wins the heart of a mortal! In the beginning developments of this ABC show, Sol Saks had the actress Tammy Grimes in mind to play the main character and planned on naming the witch Cassandra.
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The English actress, however, turned down the role after she read the script and decided instead to pursue her own series, The Tammy Grimes Show. The show was, however, short-lived. The Tammy Grimes Show was poorly received and canceled after just four episodes. We wonder if she has any regrets considering how popular Bewitched became!
17. York had a seizure onset
Actor Dick York had a seizure on the set of Bewitched and was rushed to the hospital, he never returned to his role as Darrin. He tore the muscles along the right side of his back in an accident on the set of the movie “They Came to Cordura,” setting his life and career on a downward spiral.
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York, while attempting to recover, became addicted to painkillers. He eventually broke the habit but his physical body never healed. York died of complications with emphysema in 1992 at the age of 63. His role as Darrin went to actor Dick Sargent, who was originally offered the role.
18. Dick Sargent made a bold move
Darrin number two, Dick Sargent, made headlines in 1991 when he came out as gay on National Coming Out Day. He became an outspoken advocate for gay rights issues, citing high rates of gay teen suicide as the main reason.
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Sargent was diagnosed with prostate cancer and his poor health led many to falsely assume that he suffered from HIV/AIDS. He died in 1994 at the age of 64. Montgomery, upon hearing of his passing, said: “He was a great friend, and I will miss his love, his sense of humor and his remarkable courage.”
19. The Kravtiz’s shared their house with another TV series!
Just like Samantha and Darrin’s home was used by other shows and movies, their nosy neighbours’ house was also a hand-me-down. On the set, the Kravitz’s and Stephens weren’t actually neighbours.
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In fact, the Kravitz house was down the street from Stephen’s “house” and was used for others shows as well. From 1964 to 1966, the house was used on The Donna Reed Show. Then later, it was used in The Partridge Family at the same time! This must have been a popular house seeing as it was used for over 50 years!
20. Bewitched had a rival show
Bewitched was the only show airing in the ’60s that was about a young woman with magical power. The creator of I Dream of Jeannie, Sidney Sheldon was inspired by Bewitched and its success, hence why he aired his show on the rival network, NBC.
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I Dream of Jeannie came out a year later in 1965 and although it wasn’t as popular as Bewitched, Elizabeth Montgomery wasn’t happy with her counterpart, the magical Jeannie. She reportedly considered the show to be nothing more than creative theft. I mean, they are both magical blonde women who fall in love with a mortal…