Bewitched, Bewitched, You’ve Got Me In Your Spell
by Jeff Baker
AUTHOR’S NOTE: As I mentioned last month, this column was intended for October and Halloween but maybe it fits for the Thanksgiving season too! ——jeff
If there’s one fantasy sitcom that is perfect viewing for LGBT viewers year-round, especially during the Halloween season it’s probably “Bewitched,” the magical comedy that starred Elizabeth Montgomery as a witch happily married to a mere mortal. Not only does the series feature several LGBT performers but its themes of accepting “the other” are something an audience doesn’t have to be Gay to understand or empathize with. So with Halloween in the air, here are a group (coven?) of “Bewitched” episodes for your perusal. And we’ll focus on two of the performers who don’t usually get the attention, the mortal half of the cast as Darrin Stephens: Dick York and Dick Sargent.
Actor Dick Sargent took over from the ailing Dick York at the start of the sixth season. He was Gay and came out later in life, hoping to be a role model for LGBT youth. A fine actor he is overshadowed by following the original and by the series’ major flaw; namely that many of the later episodes were scene-by-scene remakes of earlier episodes.
Since Sargent gets short shrift, here are a few of his notable episodes.
“The Ghost Who Made a Spectre of Himself.”
The Stephens’ visit an English castle and Darrin is possessed by an amorous ghost who has a liking for Samantha. Giving Sargent a chance to basically play a different version of his character.
“Okay, Who’s the Wise Witch?”
As a result of Samantha not using her magic (living a normal life without witchcraft was the basic premise of the series) the house becomes “vapor-locked,” trapping the Stephens’s and Endora in the house. There had been an earlier episode exploring the fantasy premise of abstinence from using magic powers and this one did it in a clever way.
“The Phrase is Familiar”
Darrin is under one of Endora’s spells, this one to talk in, and later to act out, cliches. This episode gives Sargent a chance to demonstrate some fine physical comedy.
“Samantha’s Old Man”
Another spell by Endora, this time making Darrin look about seventy years old. Sargent gets another chance to play someone besides his usual role when he is pretending to be “Grandpa Grover Stephens.” Rolf Miller’s old-age makeup on both Sargent and Montgomery was spotlighted in several newspaper articles and was nominated for an award.
Dick York, the original Darrin, appeared from the beginning of the series when the idea and scripts were almost all fresh and clever.
“Mirror Mirror On the Wall.”
A spell by Endora making Darrin vain is an opportunity for York to show some wonderful physical comedy chops of his own.
“I Darrin Take This Witch Samantha”
The pilot episode, introducing the characters and the premise shows the entire cast in fine form. It plays a little like a “Twilight Zone” episode based on a story from the legendary fantasy magazine “Unknown.”
“The Joker Is a Card.”
York steals the show from Paul Lynde hilariously performing a fake incantation Lynde’s practical-joking Uncle Arthur gave him to counter Endora’s magic. More cowbell!!
“And Something Makes Three”
In a sitcom misunderstanding, Darrin thinks Samantha is pregnant and envisions himself as father to a whole coven of little witches (including a young Maureen McCormick!)
The potential of witchy offspring would come true in Season 2’s
“And Then There Were Three.”
Baby Tabitha is born. York has a wonderfully sweet scene with Agnes Moorehead’s Endora when they are both happily crying over the baby’s birth and apparently both actor’s tears were real.
To close it out, here are two episodes that showed the series’ genuine heart and soul. First, one with Dick Sargent;
“Sisters at Heart”
This Christmas episode shows its social conscience tackling racism as Tabitha is told she and a young Black friend cannot be sisters because they are different colors. This episode was co-written by the students of an inner-city High School and won the Governor’s Award. Elizabeth Montgomery later said she wished the show had done more episodes dealing with issues like this.
And one with Dick York:
“Samantha Meets the Folks”
Newlywed Samantha has a houseful with her first meeting of her in-laws and her bumbling Aunt Clara. The scene between Dick York and Marion Lorne’s Aunt Clara in which she pretends not to listen is wonderfully heartrending without being mawkish. A sentimentality that would fade from the show as it went on and is not seen at all in today’s sitcoms.
With its magical tales of love and acceptance of those who are “different,” be they witch or mortal, “Bewitched” remains a favorite with audiences all over every possible spectrum.
As Samantha would say: “Oh, my stars!”
Jeff Baker blogs about reading (and writing) SciFi, Fantasy and Horror on or around the thirteenth of every month. He is a regular contributor to the RoM/Mantic Reads e-zine and his fiction and non-fiction regularly get rejected from many other markets. He and his husband Darryl love “Bewitched,” but do not have a favorite Darrin. He posts fiction on his blog https://authorjeffbaker.com/ and wastes time on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063555483587 and wish all the readers the very best for Thanksgiving.