6 Enchanting Facts About ‘Bewitched’
Before WandaVision, Charmed, or even I Dream of Jeannie, there was Bewitched. A new spin on family sitcoms, the show, which debuted on September 17, 1964, featured Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens, a loving wife to husband Darrin (and eventual mom to babies Tabitha and Adam). The twist on this average-seeming American family? Samantha and her nagging mother Endora were witches, and their collective attempt to lead normal lives while keeping their secret from the world (and, more specifically, Darrin’s boss) captivated fans for eight magical seasons.
One of TV’s most beloved classics, you may think you know all there is to know about Bewitched. But there’s still more magic to discover about this series.
1 The show was inspired by two movies
Courtesy Everett Collection
Witchcraft was in the air in the 1940s and ’50s! At least it was on the big screen, where 1942’s Veronica Lake-starring I Married a Witch and the 1958 Kim Novak picture Bell, Book and Candle proved that audiences loved stories about beautiful witches in love with ordinary men. In I Married a Witch, Lake’s Jennifer is a pretty serious witch — the reincarnation of a woman killed in Salem, she comes back to life to torment the descendent of one of the men who executed her, only to eventually fall for him. Novak’s character in Bell, Book and Candle is a bit closer to Samantha Stevens — Gillian, a normal young woman running an antique shop in swingin’ 1950s Greenwich Village, happens to come from a family of mischievous witches, and finds herself interested in mortal man Shep (James Stewart).
Both films were owned by Columbia Pictures, which also happened to own the production company that created Bewitched.
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2 Samantha was almost played by a Broadway star and Darrin was almost played by … the other Darrin
Ken Whitmore/TV Guide/Courtesy Everett Collection
While it’s almost impossible to imagine anyone besides Elizabeth Montgomery dispensing with those magical nose twitches, the show almost had a very different star. 1961 Tony Winner Tammy Grimes was initially set to play the show’s female lead (then named “Cassandra”), but ended up walking away from the role because she thought the premise was silly. Montgomery, who was then married to the show’s producer William Asher, got the nod, and the rest is history.
The role of Darrin is even more of a roller coaster, as none other than Dick Sargent was first in line for the role. Unfortunately, Grimes’ departure caused a delay, leading to him accepting another opportunity. The next choice was The Real McCoys‘ Richard Krenna, but he passed as well. The show finally landed on its male lead Dick York, who would be forced to leave the show at the end of season five due to a debilitating back injury, only to be replaced by — you guessed it — Dick Sargent.
> Why Dick York Was Suddenly Replaced by Dick Sargent in ‘Bewitched’
3 Elizabeth Montgomery was pregnant in real life during season one
Everett Collection
While Samantha and Darrin would eventually become parents on Bewitched, Elizabeth got a head start on her character with a pregnancy of her own during filming of the show’s first episodes. Loose clothing and strategic blocking behind furniture and other objects were used to disguise her ever-changing proportions. Her next two pregnancies would be handled much differently, as writers were able to work them into the show to give the Stephens two beautiful children of their own: Tabitha (Erin Murphy) and Adam.
4 The actress who played “Gladys Kravitz” kept her terminal illness a secret on set
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Gladys Kravitz, the quintessential nosy neighbor, was brought to vivid life by the talented Alice Pearce. Relegated to comedy roles due to a disfigured jaw (its growth was stunted when she fell off a playground swing and smashed it when she was nine years old), Pearce finally got her big break on Bewitched.
Sadly, the timing couldn’t have been worse, as she’d been diagnosed with incurable ovarian cancer just four months prior. Pearce elected to keep her illness a secret, accepting the job and playing Gladys until her untimely passing in March of 1966. She was posthumously awarded an Outstanding Supporting Actress Emmy two months later, and veteran actress Sandra Gould took over the role of Gladys Kravitz for the rest of the series.
5 Dick York and Agnes Moorehead were BFFs behind the scenes
Everett Collection
Even though on the show, Samantha’s mother, Endora (played by the hilariously abrasive Agnes Moorehead), had a strong distaste for Darrin, off-camera was a very different story. In fact, Moorehead was closer to Dick York than any of the other cast members. An extremely devout Presbyterian, she respected and related to York’s unique sense of spirituality, not to mention his acting talent. Naturally, she was reportedly not at all pleased when York was replaced with Dick Sargent.
> Agnes Moorehead’s Roles Before ‘Bewitched’ That You May Have Forgotten
6 The Bewitched theme song has lyrics?
Believe it or not, a version of the show’s iconic, bouncy instrumental theme song with lyrics actually exists. Sung with a swingin’ style by the legendary Steve Lawrence, this version is slower than the one fans have heard on the show for decades. The words, however, fit the show to a tee: “Bewitched, bewitched, you’ve got me in your spell. Bewitched, bewitched, you know your craft so well!” Pure musical magic!
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Witches
October 2023
Take a fond look back at our favorite small-screen spellbinders
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