Remembering Elizabeth Montgomery: 9 Queerest Moments of "Bewitched"

BenPanced · May 18, 2015

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/taylor-cole-miller/remembering-elizabeth-mon_b_7289652.html

One thing I've noticed about science fiction and fantasy, both genres have been used to explore the concept of "other". Science fiction many times looks at the sociopolitical structure, especially in dystopian works, and fantasy looks more at sociological aspects, mostly on the themes that are explored in the above article (at one sf/f convention I went to, I brought up the TV series Sabrina the Teenaged Witch because Sabrina also had to "stay in the closet" about her witchcraft but she also had black relatives and dated a black guy for a few episodes, both which were portrayed with little fanfare and neon arrows pointing out LOOK HOW PROGRESSIVE WE ARE!) Elizabeth Montgomery was unabashedly liberal in her politics, often butting heads with her unabashedly conservative father Robert on many issues, so she may have had more in mind when she and her husband William Asher set out to make a cute little sitcom.

RichardGarfinkle · May 19, 2015

That article was very interesting. I'd always seen Bewitched as horribly regressive and anti-feminist because Samantha denies what she truly is and refuses to exercise her native talents because it would wound her husband's oh-so-important pride. I was always on the side of her family who were clearly trying to help get her out of her emotionally abusive marriage.

Diana Hignutt · May 19, 2015

I always loved that show...

BenPanced · May 20, 2015

RichardGarfinkle said:
That article was very interesting. I'd always seen Bewitched as horribly regressive and anti-feminist because Samantha denies what she truly is and refuses to exercise her native talents because it would wound her husband's oh-so-important pride. I was always on the side of her family who were clearly trying to help get her out of her emotionally abusive marriage.

Elizabeth Montgomery was thrilled when they introduced Samantha's cousin Serena. While she enjoyed playing Samantha, she was happier playing Serena because she got all the good lines and costumes.

JohnnyGottaKeyboard · May 29, 2015

I know I'm a bit late getting to this thread, but thanks for the fun article. I think Bewitched was my favorite show when I was kid.

BenPanced · May 30, 2015

I watched it a lot in reruns because my mother liked the show (same thing with That Girl and The Dick Van Dyke Show). Now that I'm an adult, I'm much more annoyed by Darrin because of what can be considered oppressive/dickish behavior, but he did love Samantha, even when she didn't use her witchcraft to save his bacon. It still can be a fun show, especially since Elizabeth Montgomery was an amazing actress.

shakeysix · May 30, 2015

Only ten episodes with Paul Lynde? Seemed like more. He was so manic and all over the place, like an early Robin Williams. My late husband loved Gladys Kravitz. He watched the show just for her and her husband. He called me Gladys because i like to know what is going on in the neighborhood and am not above twitching a curtain. --s6

BenPanced · May 30, 2015

Logo ran about 10 episodes last Saturday, and two in a row featured the sibling rivalry between Endora and Uncle Arthur (IIRC, he's her younger brother). Pairing somebody as dry as Agnes Moorehead (who thought the show was beneath her but kept on because it was a steady paycheck that [almost] covered her debts) and as bitchy as Paul Lynde was hysterical.

shakeysix · May 30, 2015

Agnes Moorehead was the woman on the isolated farm in that creepy, creepy Twilight Zone Episode, the one with the tiny flying saucer. I still remember her chopping that saucer up with a butcher knife. She was also in a doozy of a Night Gallery. --s6

maxmordon · May 30, 2015

She was also Charles Foster Kane's mother.

Cyia · May 30, 2015

Agnes Moorehead was also the grouchy old woman in Polyanna. One of my mom's favorite movies.

shakeysix said:
Agnes Moorehead was the woman on the isolated farm in that creepy, creepy Twilight Zone Episode, the one with the tiny flying saucer. I still remember her chopping that saucer up with a butcher knife. She was also in a doozy of a Night Gallery. --s6

Elizabeth Montgomery was on Twilight Zone, too, as a brunette.

I watched this show in reruns as a kid, and absolutely adored Maurice. I loved the scenes where Samantha would get in trouble and ask if she couldn't just say one word to defend herself. The word was always "DADDY!" Uncle Arthur, Dr. Bombay, Hagatha and Esmeralda. It was truly a show where the secondary characters shined.

I remember the episode about Salem, where Sam was on trial in the 17th century and actually confessed to being a witch, then proved it to the court and they couldn't backpedal fast enough. A great comment on hypocrisy.

maxmordon · Jun 1, 2015

I grew up watching Bewitched, I Dream with Jennie, Zorro, The Three Stooges, Get Smart, The Munsters and The Addams Family. I may be a kid from the 90's but I always have been a bit of an old soul. Sometimes I wonder if growing up with these shows influenced my love of wearing suits.

BenPanced · Jun 1, 2015

shakeysix said:
Agnes Moorehead was the woman on the isolated farm in that creepy, creepy Twilight Zone Episode, the one with the tiny flying saucer. I still remember her chopping that saucer up with a butcher knife. She was also in a doozy of a Night Gallery. --s6

Cyia said:
Elizabeth Montgomery was on Twilight Zone, too, as a brunette.

As were Dick York and Larry White. But Larry White's hair was going from red to white.

maxmordon · Jun 1, 2015

York was also the schoolteacher in Inherit the Wind.

JohnnyGottaKeyboard · Jun 1, 2015

BenPanced said:
Now that I'm an adult, I'm much more annoyed by Darrin because of what can be considered oppressive/dickish behavior, but he did love Samantha, even when she didn't use her witchcraft to save his bacon. It still can be a fun show, especially since Elizabeth Montgomery was an amazing actress.

I know that when I was five or six watching it, most of the politics--sexual and otherwise--went way over my head. But we all knew ("all" being me and my sisters) that he was a cranky doofus and none of us wanted to be him when we played Bewitched.

maxmordon said:
York was also the schoolteacher in Inherit the Wind.

Scopes...Only not Scopes.

maxmordon · Jun 2, 2015

JohnnyGottaKeyboard said:
I know that when I was five or six watching it, most of the politics--sexual and otherwise--went way over my head. But we all knew ("all" being me and my sisters) that he was a cranky doofus and none of us wanted to be him when we played Bewitched.Scopes...Only not Scopes.

I prefered Major Anthony Nelson from Bewitched. Also, he was far better-looking.

I love how in old movies, plays and books they had that element where they based something off a real story but removed all real names. Like in All The King's Men. Nowadays, I think Law and Order is the only one doing so.

BenPanced · Jun 2, 2015

JohnnyGottaKeyboard said:
I know that when I was five or six watching it, most of the politics--sexual and otherwise--went way over my head. But we all knew ("all" being me and my sisters) that he was a cranky doofus and none of us wanted to be him when we played Bewitched.

When I was about 8 or 9, I thought it'd be cool to be a warlock like Samantha's father Maurice (funny trivia: his name was pronounced moe-REESE on the show, and he reprimanded anybody who called him MORRIS. In real live, Maurice Evans pronounced his name MORRIS and reprimanded anybody who called him moe-REESE). But as I got older and certain...proclivities...became known, I decided I want to be like Serena.

maxmordon said:
I prefered Major Anthony Nelson from Bewitched. Also, he was far better-looking.

Larry Hagman was Major Nelson on I Dream of Jeannie.

JohnnyGottaKeyboard · Jun 4, 2015

maxmordon said:
I prefered Major Anthony Nelson from Bewitched. Also, he was far better-looking.

BenPanced said:
Larry Hagman was Major Nelson on I Dream of Jeannie.

He was very nice too. When they filmed Bloodsport in my hometown, a friend and I just knocked on the door of his van and he invited us inside (which I guess would be considered criminal nowadays). He said he'd only give us autographs if we could tell him a joke that made him laugh. We probably hung out with him for like twenty minutes. It's still an incredibly fond memory of mine.

maxmordon · Jun 5, 2015

BenPanced said:
Larry Hagman was Major Nelson on I Dream of Jeannie.

Oops! I have seen both back-to-back so much that one gets easily confused. It doesn't help Paul Lynde once guest-starred I Dream with Jeannie as well.

BenPanced · Jun 6, 2015

That's okay. Two sitcoms about pretty blonde magic users? It's understood.

Remembering Elizabeth Montgomery: 9 Queerest Moments of "Bewitched"

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THE BLUEBERRY QUEEN OF HADES (he/him)

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THE BLUEBERRY QUEEN OF HADES (he/him)