Long before Will Ferrel and Nicole Kidman were miscast in a goofy adaptation, the original television series, Bewitched, was a smash in the 1960s. Elizabeth Montgomery starred as Samantha, a witch who marries a mortal by the name of Darrin Stevens (played first by Dick York, then by Dick Sargent). The couple lived a pleasant suburban life while Darrin worked for an advertising agency and Samantha served as the happy housewife. Apart from the occasional bout of subtle witchcraft, Sam was determined to live her life as humanly as possible. Often complicating this ideal was Sam???s meddling mother, Endora (played by Agnes Moorehead), who used her own powers to torment Darrin and generally make life difficult for the couple. Their nosy neighbor, Gladys Kravitz (played by Alice Pearce, then Sandra Gould), and her long-suffering husband, Abner (George Tobias) were sometimes witness to the strange goings-on across the street at the Stevens??? house but each spectacle was put down to Gladys??? questionable mental health. Bernard Fox played the wacky witchdoctor, Dr. Bombay, and Marion Lorne played the absent-minded but adorable Aunt Clara. Character actor Paul Lynde put in a memorably sarcastic performance as the wise-cracking warlock, Uncle Arthur. In addition to Endora???s mean-spirited spells that caused Darrin great grief, many of the show???s plots revolved around Darrin???s work and his boss, Larry Tate (played by David White), inevitably featuring Sam???s powers (both magical and otherwise) being used to career-saving effect. Aunt Clara also provided a great deal of episode story material with her never-ending louse-ups and spells-gone-wrong lending to even more save-the-day plotlines. When Sam and Darrin had a daughter who inherited her mother???s powers, even more magical madness ensued. Tabitha Stevens, played by Diane and Erin Murphy, often made innocent trouble by bringing storybook characters to life, turning people into animals, or making items float when guests were visiting. She would later have a son, Adam, played by Somehow, throughout the show???s run from 1964 to 1972, the family secret was never found out. Bewitched was directed by Montgomery???s husband, William Asher, who had also directed I Love Lucy. The series reruns have enjoyed an extended life on the TV LAND network.
