Day 4: Samantha’s Thanksgiving to Remember Bewitched- Season 4, Episode 12

Welcome back to our 27 Days of Movies, Classic Sitcoms, and Thanksgiving Specials! Today we’re bringing a little magic to our Thanksgiving movie marathon with an episode of one of television’s most memorable sitcoms, Bewitched. Did you watch #Bewitched?

Now, I’ll be honest. I was never the biggest Bewitched fan. I watched it, and there were certainly characters who made me laugh. But there were a few things about this show that always stuck with me. But on my #Birthday I’m sure I could have picked out a show I loved to share with you but that wasn’t in the cards for today so let’s watch Bewitch this morning.

If you haven’t watched Bewitch I would like to introduce you to some of the character’s First there is Aunt Clara she is Samantha’s Aunt. How could you not love her? Especially her collection of doorknobs! I mean, who collects doorknobs? LOL Although, some of those old-fashioned glass doorknobs are actually quite pretty, so perhaps she was onto something.

Then there’s Samantha and all the trouble she manages to get herself into. Sometimes I wondered how one little twitch of her nose could turn an ordinary day upside down! And let’s not forget her mother, Endora. Talk about a mother-in-law from you-know-where! She never seemed particularly fond of Darrin, and she certainly wasn’t shy about letting him know it. She even insisted on calling him Darrin with her own special emphasis. I always wondered how Samantha managed to keep the peace between those two. Which I wouldn’t have wanted to do. How about you?

One thing about Bewitched that always made me stop and scratch my head was the fact that halfway through the series, the man playing Darrin changed.One day, it was Dick York, and then suddenly it was Dick Sargent. I remember thinking, wait a minute, what happened?

Well, Dick York played Darrin during the first five seasons. Serious back problems eventually forced him to leave the show, and Dick Sargent took over the role for the remaining three seasons. I suppose that’s one way to keep viewers on their toes! Now, I have a question for you. Was you #TeamDarrinOne or #TeamDarrinnTwo and why?

A few more Bewitched characters worth remembering

• Samantha Stephens: Played by Elizabeth Montgomery, she’s the witch who falls in love with an ordinary mortal and tries to live a normal suburban life.
• Endora: Played by Agnes Moorehead, Samantha’s mother, who never quite approved of her daughter’s choice of husband.
• Darrin Stephens: First played by Dick York and later Dick Sargent. The mortal husband who somehow finds himself surrounded by magic.
• Aunt Clara: Played by Marion Lorne, whose good intentions and sometimes questionable magic made her one of my favorites.
• Gladys Kravitz: The neighbor who always seemed to be watching. If Gladys were my neighbor, I might have to consider moving! Laughing out loud.
• Abner Kravitz: Gladys’s husband, who usually had to listen to her latest discoveries.
• Larry Tate: Darrin’s boss at the advertising agency McMann & Tate. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind having a boss like Larry sometimes. Working in an advertising agency could be fun, too!

And let’s not forget that the show eventually gave Samantha and Darrin a family of their own. Tabitha was introduced as Samantha and Darrin’s daughter during the second season. She inherited her mother’s magical abilities, which certainly gave her parents a few things to worry about!

Erin Murphy became the familiar face of Tabitha as the series continued, although her twin sister Diane also played the character during the early years. Which was another #teachingmoment for my family. How about yours? Later, Samantha and Darrin welcomed a little boy named Adam.

Unlike his sister, Adam was not born with magical powers. And here’s another fun television fact: Tabitha eventually grew up and got her own television show! The spinoff was simply called Tabitha. Lisa Hartman took over the role of the grown-up Tabitha, and the show followed her life as a young woman working at a television station. It also brought Adam back into the story. Unfortunately, it didn’t last very long, running from 1977 into 1978.

Here is something I’ve always wondered about did Bewitched ever have a proper ending? How about you? This is something I always wondered about because I don’t remember ever seeing the show come to a real conclusion. It turns out I wasn’t missing some big family farewell!

Bewitched ran for eight seasons, from 1964 until 1972. Its final episode was called “The Truth, Nothing But the Truth, So Help Me Sam.” It was actually a regular episode rather than a planned series finale. The cast didn’t even know it would be the last one. So there wasn’t a big goodbye or a proper ending to Samantha and Darrin’s story. Isn’t that interesting? Sometimes the television shows we remember most fondly don’t get the endings we expect.

Now let’s get back to today’s reason for gathering around the television! In this Season 4 episode, Aunt Clara gets nostalgic about the first Thanksgiving and decides she would love to visit her Pilgrim friends. Of course, when Aunt Clara starts experimenting with her magic, things don’t always go according to plan.

Before anyone knows what’s happening, Samantha, Darrin, Tabitha, Aunt Clara, and even Gladys Kravitz the nosy neighbor find themselves transported back to seventeenth-century Plymouth. And wouldn’t you know it? They arrive just in time for Thanksgiving!

There is just one little problem. Darrin finds himself in trouble when he’s mistaken for a warlock. Suddenly, being married to a witch isn’t quite as much fun as he thought it would be! Samantha has to find a way to help her husband, while Aunt Clara struggles to remember the spell that will get everyone home.

Meanwhile, Gladys has another adventure to explain away when she returns to her own neighborhood. This episode originally aired November 23, 1967, and is a fun little reminder that even the most ordinary Thanksgiving dinner can turn into quite an adventure when Aunt Clara is around.

If you’d like to join me in watching today’s episode, there are several places worth checking. But remember Streaming availability changes, but Bewitched has been listed on:

• The Roku Channel
• Tubi
• Hulu
• Philo
• Amazon Prime Video channels

You may also find individual episodes or the complete series available for purchase. Check your favorite streaming service for the specific episode before settling in. You can also look for the show on classic television channels such as FETV. So, what do you say?

Grab your popcorn, your favorite snack, and your beverage of choice. Get comfortable, and let’s spend a little time with Samantha, Darrin, Tabitha, Aunt Clara, and the rest of the gang. And while we’re watching, I have to ask: Did you enjoy Bewitched growing up? Were you Team Dick York or Team Dick Sargent? Did you love Aunt Clara as much as I did? And how in the world would you handle having Gladys Kravitz living next door? I’d love to hear your memories!

Until tomorrow, remember to be grateful, thankful, and blessed. Sometimes a little television nostalgia, a few laughs, and time spent together are just what we need to make another Thanksgiving memory.

Grateful. Thankful. Blessed.

GreatfulMoments.com

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates