Bewitched broke the double bed barrier by allowing Samantha and Darrin to be shown in a double bed although the show never seems to get the credit for it. People mistakenly say the Brady Bunch or All in the Family was the first show to have a couple shown in a double bed. Although Darrin and Samantha do keep their distance in the bed, the show still does deserve credit for being brave enough to break the double bed barrier. I often wonder how the censors of 1964 decided to allow this. I can never find any real significant info on it. Anybody know how allowing a couple to be shown in a double bed came to be?

Never really thought about it that way. Could you imagine Samantha and Darrin in separate beds? It makes me wonder how Rob and Laura or even Lucy and Ricky had kids. Must've been real magic..hehe. :p

There was a show before Bewitched where the two main characters slept in the same bed - Mary Kay & Johnny, which ran from the late '40s into the very early '50s. Mary Kay and Johnny were married in real life and on the show, so the censors allowed them to be shown in the same bed.

I heard about Mary Kay & Johnny too, and did some research: Turns out that married couples sleeping in the same bed wasn't really a big deal until 1951, when the television code expressly forbid it.

So in that sense, Bewitched was breaking barriers. And Dick York and Elizabeth Montgomery weren't married in "real life". :eek: :crazy:

I did not know about Mary Kay and Johnny, so technically I guess that was the first one. I have said for years that Bewitched broke the double bed barrier, and considering the Television Code changes that took place in 1951, it should remain as the first "modern" show to hold the honor.

I recently learned that the Hayes Commission, which was primarily responsible for all of the ridiculous censorship in movies and television through the middle part of the 20th century, had its roots in a national Catholic organization in the 1930's. Of course, we all know now how effective that censorship was within the Church itself.

One of the things I loved about BW, especially in the earliest episodes, was the way EM and DY were able to portray a very strong underlying sexual vibe. In the premiere, when Darrin and Samantha are just about to enter the bedroom on their honeymoon, Samantha decides that this is the moment to tell Darrin she is a witch. She says "Let's talk", and then the way Dick York says "WHAT!?" is nothing less than Emmy material. An absolutely classic scene.

OK, now that I've defended Bewitched's place in TV history, I have to point something else out. It actually shares the double bed honor with another series, which also premiered in 1964. Any guesses? You probably won't believe the answer.

Kurt

The Munsters. ;)

Yes, the Munsters is the correct answer. You guys are good.

Yeah isn't that strange. "The Brady Bunch" is ALWAYS credited as being the first series to show the husband and wife sharing the same bed but Samantha and Darrin always slept together right from 1964. Bewitched once again as in alot of things was ahead of its time.
Simon

And.... Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York were so perfect together that they really looked like a real life married couple. I could NEVER imagine those two in seperate beds it would have ruined the great chemistry between them and (being naughty here) I always thought that Sam and Darren would have had a wonderful sex life anyway as they were always hugging and kissing on the show!
Simon

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Originally posted by Novarro
And.... Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York were so perfect together that they really looked like a real life married couple. I could NEVER imagine those two in seperate beds it would have ruined the great chemistry between them and (being naughty here) I always thought that Sam and Darren would have had a wonderful sex life anyway as they were always hugging and kissing on the show!
Simon

I always wonder how awkward that must have felt for the director William Asher, having been Liz's husband and all.

Ozzie and Harriet slept in the same bed on their show (though not in the first season) from 1953 on.

I am almost 100 percent positive that in one ep of "I Love Lucy", Fred and Ethel shared the same bed. I think it was the one where all four of them were staying at this place and there was a train that kept going by which shook the entire room. They kept switching beds around (not the one where Lucy tried to sleep in the hammock and she kept falling out of it)...but at one point, Fred and Ethel decided to share the big double bed for a minute or two. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I am sure I've seen this one a couple of times.

Originally posted by WstrnElect
Yes, the Munsters is the correct answer. You guys are good.

Bewitched premiered 09/17/64, one week before The Munsters (which premiered 09/24/64).

Originally posted by shocolah
I am almost 100 percent positive that in one ep of "I Love Lucy", Fred and Ethel shared the same bed. I think it was the one where all four of them were staying at this place and there was a train that kept going by which shook the entire room. They kept switching beds around (not the one where Lucy tried to sleep in the hammock and she kept falling out of it)...but at one point, Fred and Ethel decided to share the big double bed for a minute or two. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I am sure I've seen this one a couple of times. you're right about that "I Love Lucy" episode, which aired in Jan. 1955 (it's one of the shows "Hollywood episodes") and that has been mentioned as the first show to have a married couple "hit the sheets". However, some people don't count it, as it was a comic scene. It's also been mentioned that "The Flintstones" was also the first show to show it, but, again, some people don't count that because it was animated. Also, sometimes Fred & Wilma had a double bed & sometimes they had single beds.

On a related note, this was a $7000 question on Who Wants to be a Millionaire the other day---

While "The Brady Bunch" and "The Munsters" are often cited as the first, the 1940's sitcom "Mary Kay and Johnny" actually preceded both in showing what?

A) An extramarital affair
B) Someone driving drunk
C) The death of a main character
D) A married couple sharing a bed

Yet another show for consideration is "Green Acres (1965)". That Regency inspired rococo headboard so out of place in the partially redecorated bedroom was attached to a queen or king size frame and Oliver and Lisa were shown together in it a few times.

"Mary Kay and Johnny (1947)" was also the first sitcom in which a pregnant woman's baby bump was shown when Mary Kay who was married to Johnny in real life became pregnant at such a point in time where the show runners deemed it easier on time constraints to just run with it and let her be shown.

Yeah isn't that strange. "The Brady Bunch" is ALWAYS credited as being the first series to show the husband and wife sharing the same bed but Samantha and Darrin always slept together right from 1964. Bewitched once again as in alot of things was ahead of its time.
Simon
What sets "The Brady Bunch (1969)" apart from other sitcoms - at least in my eyes - is what Carol and Mike got up to in bed, necking and kissing and being quite frisky. Someone would turn off the lamp or the camera would otherwise cut, but one can imagine the rest.

Ed and Trixie on the Honeymooners have twin beds pushed together, although in the episode it's shown it's Ralph and Ed who share it.

What sets "The Brady Bunch (1969)" apart from other sitcoms - at least in my eyes - is what Carol and Mike got up to in bed, necking and kissing and being quite frisky. Someone would turn off the lamp or the camera would otherwise cut, but one can imagine the rest.

Samantha and Darrin were frisky too, especially in season 1. So the Bradys weren't new in that regard either.

But, I don't recall their being frisky *in bed*. Two other shows - "The Donna Reed Show (1959)" and "Father Knows Best (1954)" featured the husband and wife exchanging passionate kisses while standing up and fully clothed. It's been awhile since I watched Bewitched regularly - this will be a good occasion to get back into the series.

I am supposing that we are talking about the first season or two? As maudlin as it sounds I enjoy the fights the two lovebirds had with Sam bucking like a wild mule and not giving an inch. I have heard that the Petries had entertaining spats but I never much got into that show.

But, I don't recall their being frisky *in bed*. Two other shows - "The Donna Reed Show (1959)" and "Father Knows Best (1954)" featured the husband and wife exchanging passionate kisses while standing up and fully clothed. It's been awhile since I watched Bewitched regularly - this will be a good occasion to get back into the series.

I am supposing that we are talking about the first season or two? As maudlin as it sounds I enjoy the fights the two lovebirds had with Sam bucking like a wild mule and not giving an inch. I have heard that the Petries had entertaining spats but I never much got into that show.

From the top of my head, I remember Sam and Darrin being frisky in bed at the end of season 5's "It's So Nice to Have a Spouse Around the House" (a very innuendo-filled episode anyway). There's others I can't think of right now from earlier seasons.