Bewitched Season 8? - Page 10

I have been going through all the episodes from season 1-8 this past week and have any of you noticed that during the 7th season I think Larry tends to start picking up the hints about Darrin and Samantha... I think during the last two seasons you can see Larry noticing somethings were different as compared to the previous seasons when he had no clue...  I like how the show evolved over the course of 8 years... very interesting

Well, it's about time that I dug my heels into watching the rest of the Bewitched series with Dick Sargeant(the second Darrin). Now, I'm planning to finally watching the rest of these episodes and I can say that after this that I have finally watched every single episode of Bewitched for the first time.

However, I still lilke the first two seasons, personally. For some reason, the black and white episodes of the first seasons are the best, at least, for me, personally.

I'm with you all the way.  The black and white shows were entirely different and far preferable for me.  It was a love story of two people trying to make the ultimate in "mixed marriages" work, taking the typically silly supernatural sitcom into moments that were genuinely moving and occasionally quite touching.  There was a sense of reality among all the shenanigans.  It worked on two levels:  it was a clever sitcom with special effects that kept kids entertained and at the same time it explored emotional relationships between two very different families brought together by marriage in ways that resonated with everyone trying to make any relationship work.  Later on, Dr. Bombay and Serena provided laughs, but that warmth found in the early shows was gone.

The Darrin vs. Endora conflict never contained the nuances it should have.  Deep down, there should have been a respect and mutual admiration by both for qualities that the other had even if they rarely rose to the surface.  My favorite moment with Darrin and Endora was at the birth of Tabitha, where Endora asks Darrin if he could swim and when he says he can't swim a stroke, she says, "Well then we better use these!" and zaps up a couple of handkerchieves to share their tears together.  More moments like that could have made their ongoing battles less strident, predictable and ultimately silly.

The black and white Gladys played by Alice Pearce elicited genuine audience sympathy as we watched her begin to doubt her sanity as she witnessed all the crazy goings on across the street.  The color-era Gladys played by Sandra Gould was just plain mean and you couldn't wait for her to get put in her place.  Much as I love Sandra Gould as an actress, I couldn't stand her character.  And when Marion Lorne left us after season four, she took the last vestiges of those early heart-felt episodes with her.

There were other occasional episodes during the later years that tried to give us some tender moments ("Sisters at Heart", etc.) but there was far too much Loch Ness Monster Serena-inspired camp without a whiff of reality anywhere.  As a sitcom aimed at children, it was still one of the best, but for adults looking for something more amidst all the childish hijinks, there was nothing there.

Seasons One and Two are among my favorite sitcoms of all time.  I wish I could say the same for the later years, but I can't.
Edited by Rob_Ray - 7/30/2009 at 06:38 pm GMT

Rob, I agree with you.

I just find it odd that the writers on the show always keep Darrin and Endora at odds with each other. While it was entertaining for the first few seasons, it became tediously ridiculous as the show went on with absolutely no character development.

While I'll always love the Bewitched series, I just think that the writers spent too much time trying to throw Darrin into one situation or another instead of trying to develop the various characters that appear throughout the series. I just think that writers spent more time developing the characters on I Dream of Jeannie than they did on Bewitched.

We should create a Bewitched Complete Series Home Theater Forum.  Anyone Interested?  I hope they include the Bewitched Back in Moment on all of them and have Liz introducing and all kinds of goodies... You know the Stephens House would be a nice display for the DVDs... Any suggestions?

I read an interesting piece of information about the series Temperatures Rising. It ran from 1972-1974 and William Asher would have done Bewitched until then, but Liz didn't want to come back for the future seasons... This is very interesting that would have meant BW would have had 10 seasons.  WOW!  William Asher did TR instead to stay on ABC's good side.  I think it would have been interesting to see Tabs get into her pre-teen years.  I also like the fact that in the last few years Samantha was getting more independent... wonder if any episodes for the 9th season were written?

There were shows in the early years where Endora actually helped Samantha help Darrin such as when Darrin's mother and father were going to get a divorce, Endora helped get them back together and when Samantha's father found out she married a mortal Endora stood by Samantha.

On another topic who else was Aunt Clara related to besides Samantha? It was always clear that Endora and Arthur were brother and sister but not so Clara. Did Endora ever refer to Clara as her sister ?

Even later on Endora helped Sam and Darrin if the chips were down.

As for Clara, yes it was said that she was Endora's sister.  The whole family tree was never really set in stone, though.  In season three alone, Endora says she was an only child until Arthur came along, but in two other episodes she and Clara and Hagatha and Enchantra are sisters.

In season 4's "Allergic to Ancient Macedonian DoDo Birds" Endora loses her powers, which attach themselves to a blood relative: Clara.

In season 4's "Allergic to Ancient Macedonian Do Do Birds" the reference is not to a Blood relative but to a relative so there is no confirmation there that Aunt Clara was Endora's sister.

As well there is never any statement that Clara is Endora's sister.
In the two episodes you refer too Hagatha & Enchantra are referred to as Sisters
as in being sisterly but there is never any connection relationship wise as to what
Endora & Aunt Clara were to each other or too Hagatha & Enchantra for that matter.

In Conclusion although it is not clear or definitive, my view is that Aunt Clara, Endora, Hagatha
and Enchantra were indeed sisters but it was never confirmed on screen so to speak.

Larry Tate :)

Actually the Temperatures rising series was not Bill Asher trying to stay in the good graces of ABC, rather it was part of the new contract that Liz & he signed with ABC & Screen Gems after season 5 to do at least 2 more seasons of Bewitched.

A 3rd season ( season 8) option was picked up but when the last options for a season 9 & a TV Movie with Bewitched was not picked up by Liz, then ABC was contractually bound for at least 2 seasons of some show to Ashmont their production company since 1964, hence the TR series came about.

As far as i know no season 9 scripts were ever written.

Larry Tate :)

Technically true, but academic.  The reference is more than clear: Dr. Bombay said the powers could not attach themselves to strangers, it would have to be a relative.  It makes no sense that it could be an "in-law" in that case. Why would an in-law be any more susceptible than a stranger?  And in "Witches and Warlocks Are My Favorite Things" Clara remarks... quite pointedly... that the two other sisters arrived together by commenting, "You came together. How very sisterly of you."  And again, why would her sisters-in-law be the ones to form the coven to make her earthbound?

RE: Temperatures Rising, that was only a part of the deal with ABC.  That same season (1972-73) Bill Asher produced and directed The Paul Lynde Show for Screen Gems and ABC.  He was a busy, busy man that year.

Not academic at all, there is a difference between relative & blood relative & one is stated & the other not.
To extrapolate one to the other is misleading to readers of such post, it is perfectly reasonable that just being a relative could magically make one susceptible to such power transference especially as there would have been a great deal of physical interaction between the transferer & the transferee, such interaction has many times caused a magical effect, bottom line is that it does not say Blood relative, that is not a techniality but a fact.

There is no reason to think that only relatives could be allowed to make up  a coven of any type deciding on the fate of another witch or warlock, quite the opposite one would think those outside the family would be brought in to determine the fate of said witch so as to ensure the fox was not guarding the chicken coop.

As well Hierarchy could determine such coven membership rendering being a relative or not moot.

Again Bottom line the thought that Hagatha & Enchantra are sisters of Endora & Clara is a thought & guess not a fact & that should be clearly delineated.

Larry Tate :)

Folks, it's just a TV Show

 

I refuse to accept that!

:)


Actually, on the subject of relatives - I often wondered if Endora and Maurice were actually ever Married! 

While they never actually said the word "married" they did plan on getting an "Ectoplasmic Interlocutory" in Season Five's episode, "Samantha's Good News."  So since "interlocutory decrees" were most often used in divorces (see here, http://www.nolo.com/definition.cfm/Term/3A26E080-FA7B-4D70-A10E0CBA7B7E7162/alpha/I/), the implication is that they were indeed married.

I know this is going back to season 3, but does anyone notice that from that Halloween episode that Boris the guy with Ava the cat was already in the house getting a drink before he and Eva walked up to the house?  I think it would be kind of cool if Sony released all the holiday episodes of BW on DVD!  Anyone know anything about the Fan favourites coming out or heard anything about the box set?

Hummmmm maybe it was Boris's lookalike cousin Fredrick who just happened to pop into the same party ;)

Nothing new on either DVD set, Christmas is the most logical time i think for the box set, nor any news on the fan favorites set other then The Joker is wild will be on it.

Larry Tate :)

I doubt I will purchase the fan favourites set, but I do want the complete box set.   My friends and I have been watching season 3 and they are getting into the show too...  Liz looks like she got a good tan over the break between seasons 2 and 3.  I hope Sony includes the whole episode of the Franklin parts 1 and 2 on the box set.  I noticed that Gladys in season 3 gets a bit meaner towards the Stephens especially in Soap Box Derby.    But back to season 8 does anyone know where they filmed the Loch Ness scene at? It kind of looks like the lake/pond they used in Friday the 13th part 3.

Jd, that is why I hate these studios who would rather release a $15 fan favoruites DVD rather than go with those familiar 'test drive' DVD's that Warner Brothers released. Does everyone remember those? Warner Brothers released a string of 'test drive' DVD's that contained two episode of a particular TV series they released on DVD and also included a $5 (or was that $10) discount coupon off the purchase price of the actual DVD set for that series.

I remember that Warner Brothers released such DVD's like Babylon 5, Dukes of Hazzard (I think) and those DVD's only cost about $10, sometimes cheaper.

I just don't buy those 'favourite episodes' collections because they are a waste of money. Rather than spend $10 or $15 on such a DVD, I'll buy a DVD season set of a show that I was on the fence about.

The only good thing about those 'fan favourite' DVD's is that they provoke me into buying a DVD set from another studio and that happens more frequently, with me, than you think.

Really its just Disc 1 of Season 2. The colorized version.

I bet that they highlighted "Uncle Arthur's first appearance because he was in the Bewitched movie, possibly to drive sales on the DVD movie and the DVD boxed sets. At any rate, I have all eight seasons which I plan on sitting down this weekend and finish watching. 

Wow!  I didn't think it was possible for the "Fan Favorites" collection to be any dumber in execution than it was in conception... but I was wrong.  Who the heck came up with that choice???

Yes Liz took up golfing on her hiatus from season 2 to 3 as Bill Asher liked to play it, she got a great tan & lost about 10 pounds of baby weight from season 2  looked spectacular as a result.

As for the Ben Franklin 2 parter i would not hold your breath, i bet you it will be the same edited versions dollars to dough-nuts.

I am starting to think the Loch Ness lake scene was filmed at the LA reservoir not in Loch Ness proper.

This whole fan favorites thing is a total scam, make then pay $15 for 9 episodes which would be pro rated out to $45 for the set when you can get the whole thing for $25 or less, what a joke.

Larry Tate :)

All actual European locale footage was stock footage, most originally filmed for MGM's James A. FitzPatrick 1930s - 1950s travelogues.  BEWITCHED did no actual filming in Europe for those S8 episodes.

The "Loch Ness" scenes with Liz, Dick and Bernie Kopell were done on a backlot in the Valley.  It was not the smaller pond on the Columbia Ranch (today, the Warner Bros. Ranch) in Burbank, but a nearby facility.

That is so ridiculous about the fan favourites DVD just the first 9 episodes from season 2.  I agree with everyone on here.  When you hear "Fan Favourites" you think of maybe 1 episode from each of the 8 seasons.  That DVD most likely will not sell very well!  You know I think if Sony did anything they could have made a DVD package up with the 14 episodes that Dick York was absent.  I mean I wouldn't necessarily call them fan favourites, but it would be a unique DVD package.  Another idea would to make a DVD collection of all the Holiday episodes one for the Christmas, Halloween, and other holidays.  I have the VHS tapes of the Halloween and Christmas ones.  I won't purchase the Fan Favourites.

Speaking of fan faves what episodes do you guys like the best?

Some of mine are "Mona Sammy",  "Darrin Goes Ape",  "Serena's Youth Pill",  "Sam's Old Man", "Serena Stops The Show", and "Sam on Thin Ice".   Those are just a few, but I wish Sony would have done a survey so we could pick our favourite episodes then releasing that package!

True, true.  Do they really think this will sell?  The die hard fans will have already bought every season.  They would have done better to do a sampler of one from each season hoping to woo people on the fence about buying the season sets.  Oh well...

Mike, I too hope they fix the Ben Franklin eps, but I fear Larry Tate is right: we'll probably get the same discs in the box set.  That is Sony's pattern, and I can't see them varying from it just for BW.

As far as some of my favorite eps, it's hard to narrow to one disc worth, but my MOST favorite eps are:

A is for Aardvaark
Abner Kadabra
A Very Special Delivery
The Joker is a Card
The Moment of Truth
Charlie Harper, Winner
The Crone of Cawdor
I Remember You Sometimes
If They Never Met
Playmates
My What Big Ears You Have
Samantha Goes South for a Spell
Mirror Mirror on the Wall
One Touch of Midas
What Makes Darrin Run
Just A Kid Again
A Chance on Love
Mona Sammy
Samantha's Old Man
This Little Piggie
Mixed Doubles
Three Men and A Witch on a Horse
Serena's Youth Pill

Edited by JohnMor - 8/24/09 at 11:42pm

Maybe someone can answer this question.  Who was the announcer that announced Elizabeth Montgomery in seasons 6-8? And isn't it true that during the original run it just started with season 8?  Does anyone know why they started doing it for 6 and 7? Was it because Dick Sargent so people wouldn't get confused?  Just curious... I really love the last 3 seasons and like to know all the trivia possible about them.  Thanks