In the 1960s, Bewitched became one of the most popular sitcoms, and remains in our childhood memories to this day. But there are so many things that happened behind the scenes that viewers didn’t know and many of those things will shock you!
Sol Saks, the man who created the series, was inspired by the movies, “Bell, Book and Candle,” and “I Married A Witch”. Since both films were owned by Columbia, the same company that produced Bewitched, Saks wasn’t afraid of copyright violations. You’ll be so surprised by who Sak considered for the role of Samantha.
Saks wanted an actress named Tammy Grimes to play the main role, and she wasn’t even called Samantha. It was Elizabeth. But Grimes read the script and didn’t like it. So, the role went to Elizabeth Montgomery. Eventually, Saks renamed the character Samantha, which has a nicer ring to it than Cassandra. Now prepare to learn something surprising about the theme song.
It’s difficult to get that catchy, non-lyrical tune from the show’s theme song. But not too many people realize that the song actually had words to it. Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller originally composed the song, but producers opted to stick with an instrumental version of the song, and it worked. You’ll never imagine which actors were close friends in real life.
Dick York played Darrin, Samantha’s husband, who hated Endora, Sam’s mother, and trust us, the feeling was mutual. But in real life Agnes Moorehead, who played Endora, and Dick York had a mutual love for the Bible and spirituality, which made them good friends. If you can’t wiggle your nose like Samantha, don’t worry. Neither can she.
Samantha wiggled her nose to do a magical trick on the show, but many fans would be surprised to learn that she didn’t wiggle her nose. She just moved her upper lip, and the film was sped up slightly to make it seem like she could. Also, the xylophone effect helped a lot. Did you ever ask yourself why Darrin sat so much on the show?
Dick York had suffered some major back issues caused by injured he got while filming the movie, “They Came to Cordura”. So, the Bewitched producers had him sitting down in as many scenes as possible, but when he had to do a stunt, York had no other choice but to take lots of painkillers to cope. The Olsen sisters weren’t the only twins to have ever played one character.
In season 3, the Stephens had a daughter named Tabitha, who was played by Erin and Diane Murphy. But producers noticed that Erin was better in front of the camera, so they used her for close-ups and when Tabita had a line. Then Erin’s twin, Diane was dropped and Erin became the only actress playing Tabita. Did you ever ask yourself why two actors played Darrin on Bewitched?
During the filming of an episode, Dick York had a seizure and was taken to the hospital. But he never came back to the set. So, producers hired Dick Sargent to replace him. Unfortunately, fans didn’t like this new Darrin and the ratings took a serious hit. You can probably figure out with member of the cast wasn’t happy with the New Darrin.
Agnes Moorehead, aka Endora, didn’t like the fact that Sargent replaced her BFF York. So, she proved to be a real witch who fought constantly with Sargent and even made him cry. Eventually, the fighting stopped and the two became friends. Now you’ll finally know the reason behind Bewitched’s cancellation.
Ratings had never been the same since Dick York left the show, but the show was ultimately canceled because of the growing tension between Elizabeth Montgomery, and her husband, Bill Asher, who was the showrunner. The tension was caused because she allegedly had an affair with director Richard Michaels, which put an end to the show and her marriage. You won’t believe who wrote the show’s most progressive episode ever.
In the episode, “Sisters at Heart,” Samantha puts the whammy on Darrin’s bigoted client so that all he sees are people with black skin, including himself when he looked in the mirror. The episode was written by 22 African-American teens from a South Central Los Angeles school. Did you know that an A-List actor appeared on Bewitched?
Richard Dreyfuss was well known for his work in movies from the 1970s to the 1990s. But it was actually “Bewitched,” which gave him his big Hollywood break. On the show, he appeared as a young warlock named Rodney, whom Samantha once babysat. You will definitely find this next story oh-so touching.
Elizabeth Montgomery loved an 8.5-carat diamond brooch that Agnes Moorehead used to wear while filming. But when Moorehead passed away from uterine cancer in 1974, she left it to her onscreen daughter. Aw! You probably didn’t know this next actress/activist was so progressive.
Elizabeth Montgomery was a private person, who kept her personal life personal. So, maybe you didn’t know that she was one of the first celebrities to publicly support gay rights. She also volunteered at AIDS clinics and advocated for AIDS patients too. You’ll need to travel to this East Coast town to see this Bewitched landmark.
If you go to Salem, Massachusetts, you might run into this statue of Samantha, who’s flying on her broomstick. The monument marked the 40th anniversary of the show when it was unveiled in 2005. And although the show ended in 1972, it remains one of our favorite sitcoms ever.