Ah, the age-old question finally rears its ugly head here at the lair: Bewitched? Or I Dream of Jeannie?
Well, if you like your all-powerful women to remain subservient and wishing only to do your bidding while scantily clad and calling you “Master”…then you’re a pig.
However, if you like your magical immortals a little more head-strong, a little more mischievous, a little more in control…then it’s all about Samantha Stephens, my friends.
Yeah, yeah, I’m being hyperbolic yet again. I Dream of Jeannie wasn’t completely misogynistic (although damn if it didn’t try really hard to be) and Bewitched wasn’t 100-percent “girl power.” It was, after all, a show about a witch who decided to suppress her true self to please the mortal man she married. However, even as a kid, I always felt like Jeannie was…wrong. Not that I felt like Samantha was right in wanting to deny her own unique powers just because they made Darrin feel like less of the man of the house. Still, there was something about Jeannie’s obsequious nature…that fragile desperation to please Major Nelson and that gushing heartbreak to which she would succumb when her attempts inevitably failed…it just annoyed me. Meanwhile, I was always happiest when Samantha’s attempts to “be normal” failed and we were treated to yet another episode of witchy nose-twitching hilarity. Plus, rarely did Samantha kowtow to Darrin. And heaven help the poor man if he pissed her off. Or, even worse, if he pissed off Endora. Hell hath no fury like a mother-in-law with occult powers.
Ah, Endora. I have to say, as much as I adored Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha, I think it was supporting cast like Agnes Moorehead’s performance as Endora and Paul Lynde as Uncle Arthur who made Bewitched all the more beguiling to me.
//www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/JTXEnCc-pco
With family like this, Samantha had no chance of denying who she was. And Darrin had no chance of ever having a “traditional” marriage, no matter how much he wanted it. Who needs tradition, though, when you’ve got Paul Lynde?
Of course, one of the first things that most people ask about is the issue of “The Two Darrins.” Dick York, the original actor cast as Darrin Stephens, Samantha’s constantly bewitched, bothered, and bewildered mortal husband, could no longer stand the constant pain he was in from a back injury he suffered in 1959 while filming the movie They Came to Cordura. The crew did all manner of things to make him more comfortable on the set, including building special furniture for him. He lasted as Darrin Stephens from 1964 until a collapse on the set in 1969 marked his abrupt retirement. From then until the series end in 1972, Dick Sargent portrayed Darrin Stephens.
Rather than give you comparing photos of York and Sargent, I’m just going to leave the two animated intros, featuring caricatures of each actor, right here…because, I love the cartoon Samantha (so much so that I have a coffee mug bedecked with her bewitching countenance) and, frankly, I need to include the theme song to this show at some point in this flashback. It’s one of two theme songs I’ve ever downloaded as a ring tone…that’s how much I love it. So first, Dick York:
//www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/XRZitnndpoY
And now Dick Sargent:
//www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/txP2JK2ecmA
And, just because I love that I finally found this, here’s a clip of the original theme song, as sung by Steve Lawrence. I always heard that the theme had lyrics but it was years before I finally confirmed the rumors for myself. This version is obviously trying to give off a Frank Sinatra vibe, which kind of works for me. I’m glad that they used the instrumental for the show (especially since Lawrence seemed to enjoy singing the word “witch” with quite a bit of gusto that gave a sinister element to this version), but this is pretty groovy for a listen or two:
//www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/mKOGTiSGlYY
Back to the Darrins, I’m sure this was a rather unexpected switch, especially back in the pre-Internet days when audiences simply had to accept it without explanation, but it wasn’t a change drastic enough to cause people to stop watching. I’m sure, though, that a lot of Bewitched fans were used to switch-ups like this thanks to soap operas doing similar things. To be honest, when I watched the show, I never really cared. I mean, I think I preferred Dick York to Dick Sargent, but honestly? I wasn’t watching for Darrin. Darrin was…well, I won’t say he was a necessary evil. He was the catalyst for the show’s purpose, which was more Samantha, more Endora, and more Uncle Arthur. Beyond that, meh.
[Loba Tangent: I have to give a bit of credit here to another classic sitcom, Roseanne, for using this infamous Darrin debacle to acknowledge their own need to replace actress Alicia Goranson, the show’s original Becky, with Sarah Chalke when Goranson decided to attend college. Actually, this YouTube clip showcases not only this switcharoo nod but also Goranson’s return…and Chalke’s return…and…well, just watch. Nice spoof of The Patty Duke Show as well!]
//www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/6HYXTyrZLfM
It’s been a very long time since I last saw an episode of Bewitched, but I can assure you, denizens, this show played a huge role in fashioning the twitchy-witchy wolf I am today. Not even that awful Will Ferrell abomination of a remake could dull my love for the original series (although I have to admit, Shirley MacLaine was damned good as Endora and Steve Carell made quite the convincing Uncle Arthur…too bad everyone else, including the screen writer, botched everything else).
Plus, any time one of my favorite sitcoms crosses streams with one of my favorite cartoons? Stick a fork in me, because I. Am. Done. No, Samantha never joined forces with my favorite teen sleuths and their pesky Great Dane (I think that might have been more than I could handle). She did, however, find her way to the quaint little town of Bedrock. Oh, yes, denizens. The Stephenses met the Flintstones. And the Rubbles. And hilarity, indeed, ensued. Plus some awesome meta-ness that still cracks me up. I’ll just leave these here for you while I twitch off…
//www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/puwyccNsLdQ
