"You're still very young and inexperienced. You don't know what prejudice you'll run into. They all think that witches work only one day a year - on Halloween - and we all wear those big ugly hats and fly around on brooms. What if he finds out you're a witch?" - Endora (Agnes Moorehead) upon learning that her daughter has married a mortal
Bewitched: The Complete First Season DVD Review
By A.J. Carson
The 1960s were a turbulent time in American history - assassinations, the struggle for civil rights, anti-war protests - but you'd never guess from watching the era's sitcoms. Urban sitcom life in the '60s consisted of perky "girls" perkily struggling to become perky actresses and hillbillies living in fabulous Beverly Hills mansions after striking oil. The real action, though, was happening in the suburbs, where horses talked, Martians masqueraded as humans, genies lived in swank bottles, and gorgeous witches kept house with a mere twitch of the nose.
In many ways, Darrin and Samantha Stephens are typical newlyweds. Darrin (Dick York) is an ad exec who works long hours to provide for his new bride. Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) eagerly strives to become the perfect housewife. One tiny thing sets them apart - as Darrin learns on their honeymoon, Samantha is actually a witch who - simply by twitching her nose or muttering an incantation - can turn an overzealous letch into a dog or fly off to Paris for lunch. Darrin, spooked by Sam's abilities, forbids his wife from practicing magic. Sam is eager to give up conjuring in order to become a simple housewife, but it's so much easier to frost a cake with a nose twitch rather than a knife. And then there is Sam's mother, Endora (Agnes Moorehead), the very picture of a horrid mother-in-law, who is horrified that her daughter would not only marry a mortal but pretend to be one. Suddenly, it seems unlikely that the Stephens' marriage will last until next week, much less until their paper anniversary.
Bewitched, which premiered September 17 1964 on ABC, holds up surprisingly well. Unlike similarly-themed comedic fantasies (Mister Ed, My Favorite Martian), the series' out-of-this-world gimmick is secondary to its plots. The series is, at heart, a funny look at marital relations, but with its central conflicts stemming from witchcraft rather than the typical woes of coupledom. All of the milestones are covered: jealousy over ex-girlfriends ("I, Darrin, Take This Witch, Samantha"), meeting the in-laws ("Mother Meets What's His Name," "Just One Happy Family," "Samantha Meets the Folks"), family get-togethers ("A Nice Little Dinner Party"), insecurity about growing older ("Eye of the Beholder"). Of course, in the Stephens' case, each of these events comes with a magical twist, as when Samantha literally blows away her competition and Endora threatens to turn her new son-in-law into an artichoke at their first meeting.
The series also benefits from its wide range of appealing actors and characters. With her stunning but approachable good looks and guileless charm, Montgomery is perfectly cast as Samantha. The camera loves her, and she should also prove irresistible to all but the most hard-hearted of viewers. Her unflappable coolness is a pleasing yin to York's manic, bug-eyed yang.
With her tony pedigree - she's a four-time Oscar nominee and member of Orson Welles' Mercury Theater - Agnes Moorehead at first seems like an odd choice to play Samantha's flamboyant mother. In actuality, she comes close to stealing every scene she's in, which is no small task when playing opposite Montgomery. She also seems to be having a great time. Be on the lookout for the tiny moment in "Witch or Wife" where, in a Parisian hotspot, she cuts a morsel of her fancy meal and surreptitiously places it on another character's plate. She is also blessed with one of the funniest and most memorable running gags in sitcom history: Endora's dismissive refusal to refer to her son-in-law by his real name.
The series' supporting characters are just as finely drawn and cast. Thanks to her handy binoculars, shrill-voiced, goggle-eyed neighbor Gladys Kravitz (Alice Pearce) is often witness to Samantha's magic. Abner (George Tobias), her nonplused husband, simply medicates his wife before returning to his evening paper. Larry Tate (David White) is Darrin's somewhat smarmy boss.
The greatest of the supporting players, however, is Marion Lorne, who appears as Samantha's dotty Aunt Clara. Aunt Clara is so feeble-minded that she often walks right into walls when her failing magic doesn't allow her to walk through them. She also has a fixation on doorknobs: her collection is 3,000 strong and growing. As she explains, "It keeps me out of the pool halls." Aunt Clara's quirks are imaginatively written, and Lorne's portrayal of the character is touchingly vivid.
It has to be noted that Bewitched just might be the gayest TV show ever created, making Will & Grace look like The 700 Club. With her near-grotesque makeup, ultra-mod wardrobe, and sneeringly bitchy attitude, Endora practically sets the bar for drag queen culture. Samantha has a highly personal secret that she is forced to keep in the closet by an unaccepting public. And although the trés gay Uncle Arthur wouldn't appear until the second season, Paul Lynde guest stars in season one's "Driving is the Only Way to Fly" as Harold Harold, an equally flaming instructor who tries to teach Samantha to drive. Throw in Bewitched's liberal doses of mid-century modern furniture and its obsession with cocktails and you have a show that will never need a Queer Eye makeover.
Other familiar faces popping up in the first season include Jack Warden (Crazy Like a Fox), Charlie Ruggles (Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends), June Lockhart (Lost in Space), Maureen McCormick (The Brady Bunch), Shelley Berman, Raquel Welch, Cheryl Holdridge (The Mickey Mouse Club), Maurice Evans (Beneath the Planet of the Apes), Adam West (Batman), Billy Mumy (Lost in Space), Peggy Lipton (Twin Peaks), Vic Tayback (Alice), Arte Johnson (Laugh-in), Beverly Adams (Gidget), and Christopher George (The Rat Patrol).
The thirty-six episodes that make up the first season are divided onto four discs. The discs are housed in two slim, clear plastic keepcases, each of which holds two discs. The fronts of the cases are decorated with publicity stills of Montgomery, York, and Moorehead. The backs of the cases include titles and brief synopses for each episode. The interiors of the cases and the discs themselves also include production and publicity photos along with the cityscape over which Samantha flies in the show's opening credits. The DVDs continue the cityscape theme. Each also spotlights one of the cast members - Montgomery on disc one, York on disc two, Lynde on disc three, and Moorehead on disc four. The keepcases slide into a cardboard outer sleeve.
The DVD menus, which start off full-motion before freezing on a static image, mimic the series' animated opening credits. Viewers can play all of the disc's episodes or choose an individual one. The episodes are divided into chapters, but there are no scene selection menus.
