I have noticed by watching Bewitched, and by reading the excellent blueprints for the Stephens house in the book TV Sets, that the interior of the house matches the exterior perfectly, which is amazing, considering other sets, The Brady Bunch comes to mind first, where the interior doesn't look like the exterior at all, or like any kind of layout resembling a real house. Bewitched did mess up its perfect layout though around the 7th season by putting a staircase into the kitchen. I can't figure out why it was added, and according the the architectural layout, it would go up to an edge of the house where the roof meets the first floor, so I have no idea where in the house it goes. I guess maybe it could go up to that patio over the garage. In any case, I can never figure out why so many sitcom kitchens have staircases going into them. I have only been in one house that I can remember w/ multiple staircases, and it was about the size of a mansion, certainly not a typical middle-class house that would be depicted in a sitcom. Does anyone remember anyone ever using this staircase or when it was introduced? I gave the 7th season as a date when I think I first saw it because it showed up in the 7th season Christmas ep "Sisters at Heart".

My sister & brother-in-law have a house where there is a staircase that pretty much leads into the kitchen. It actually leads down to the little entryway of the back door entrance off of the driveway, but you have to turn left at the bottom of the stairs in order to leave the house. If you simply continue to walk straight ahead as you finish descending the steps, you walk right into the kitchen. The staircase was an add-on feature made by the previous owners, who had added a second story to the original house.

As far as the Stephens' house, hmm... I don't really remember the back stairway, except as a brief fleeting thought recollected by your post. So... nope, I don't remember any explanation for it in the show.

Maybe they remodeled? :crazy:

I like how Bewitched made the extra effort to have the exterior and interior match up pretty well, even duplicating the front door and walkway on the indoor sets to have it be more realistic. :)

It irks me to see shows like "Full House" or "Smart Guy" with those HUGE living rooms, a front door leading to nowhere on the side, stairs leading up to nowhere, and you NEVER see ceilings. They don't fit up with the "establishing" shot of the outdoor house in the least- which the cast never actually goes outside of it or anything.....

I think it's a bit harder to have the interiors and exteriors match up when the show is filmed in front of a studio audience, because the set designers have to be careful of obstructing the audience view. (That's why you also don't see ceilings on the three-camera/studio audience shows.) Look at how the "Happy Days" house matched until it started filming in front of an audience and the set was redesigned. "Bewitched" was filmed with one-camera and without an audience.

That said, I agree -- the "Full House" set isn't even close.

Go to http://www.harpiesbizarre.com and find out about the consistencies and inconsistencies of the entire Stephens house throughout the show.

Thanks for the www.harpiesbizarre.com link. I always did wonder why no one came down the kitchen stairway. The site also shows a lot of the reuse of props and sets both on Bewitched and between Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. It also shows a still pic from Sisters at Heart, which I mentioned previously, where you can see the phony staircase in the back.

That kitchen staircase, like the rest of the Stephens' decor in the 1970s, was HIDEOUS!! puke: Give me the old look anyday!!

Tis true! And the fact we never had an on-air explanation for the set changes really gets my goat!

Tis true! And the fact we never had an on-air explanation for the set changes really gets my goat!
Good point.

Glad to see another BW lover! :)

Glad to see another BW lover! :)
Same to you!! :D

Tis true! And the fact we never had an on-air explanation for the set changes really gets my goat!
I understood that there was a fire on the set and the kitchen got damaged. Seems like they could have put it back instead constructing something new that didn't seem to match.

I understood that there was a fire on the set and the kitchen got damaged. Seems like they could have put it back instead constructing something new that didn't seem to match.
I agree - the whole 1970s decor looked awful. I too would've tried to reconstruct that set to look the way it did before.

To me, an explanation of "Darrin got a big bonus at McMann and Tate, so we decided to remodel the kitchen" etc would have sufficed.

Heres something interesting-- In the early 1970's movie Brian's Song about Football players Brian Picallo and Gale Sayers, The Sayers' Are living in the Stephens' house. Brian goes to visit Gale, and I remember seeing the entryway, the stairs and the hallway, and they go down to the basement through what was a closet door in the hallway.

I remember seeing that scene it was pretty cool.

The new kitchen on 'Bewitched' appeared in season 7. Interestingly enough, after 'Bewitched' was cancelled in 1972, 'The Paul Lynde Show' used the 'Bewitched' kitchen set, with a few modifications.

The new kitchen on 'Bewitched' appeared in season 7. Interestingly enough, after 'Bewitched' was cancelled in 1972, 'The Paul Lynde Show' used the 'Bewitched' kitchen set, with a few modifications.
Yeah, a lot of those Screen Gems shows used the same sets. :nod:

I agree that the Season 7 decor is hideous. That monotonous busy wallpaper covering the whole downstairs...and the ugly pictures...and the tacky carpet. The redesigned kitchen is pretty bad, too. Aparently you have to walk all the way around an island with a wooden top to even get to the table...and the table appears to be positioned halfway through where the wall behind the stove was before.

My favorite decor was in the early color episodes

Heres something interesting-- In the early 1970's movie Brian's Song about Football players Brian Picallo and Gale Sayers, The Sayers' Are living in the Stephens' house. Brian goes to visit Gale, and I remember seeing the entryway, the stairs and the hallway, and they go down to the basement through what was a closet door in the hallway.

I wonder if they tripped over Darrin's golf clubs on their way downstairs? :lol:

I wonder if they tripped over Darrin's golf clubs on their way downstairs? :lol:
:rofl:

They did remodel the kitchen due to a fire on the set that summer, just before season 7 was to go into production. That is why the first few eps of Season 7 took place in 'Salem', since the set was not built in time for them to start shooting back at the home.

Thier new kitchen was rather trendy for the early 70s - people were remodeling their kitchens back then (away from the 60s look) and the seperate 'island workspace' was very big (the Bradys had one as well).

By the 80s, people were trading in their 'islands' for the smaller 'butcherblock table' in the middle of the kitchen (I think the Golden Girls had the smaller butcherblock).

The kitchen stairway was introduced in the lost episode from Season 7- "Darren's Bonus"

In one scene Larry told Darren that if Darren could get them the Bradley account Larry would give Darren a choice of 3 bonuses. A new car, a trip to Paris, or new kitchen stairs. Darren asked "Why would anyone want kitchen stairs?", unfortunately because of Larry's big hangover all he heard was "Kitchen stairs" and thought that was Darren's choice.

The final scene has Endora and Sam in the kitchen where Endora says "Only a booby like Darwood would want kitchen stairs."

I just watched the first couple episodes of season 7 on DVD. In the first episode, Endora does briefly compliment the new living room set to Samantha. This is the only mention I heard. Also, in addition to the stairs, the kitchen looks bigger, like the back of I was extended out and a door to the patio added I believe.

The kitchen stairway was introduced in the lost episode from Season 7- "Darren's Bonus"

In one scene Larry told Darren that if Darren could get them the Bradley account Larry would give Darren a choice of 3 bonuses. A new car, a trip to Paris, or new kitchen stairs. Darren asked "Why would anyone want kitchen stairs?", unfortunately because of Larry's big hangover all he heard was "Kitchen stairs" and thought that was Darren's choice.

The final scene has Endora and Sam in the kitchen where Endora says "Only a booby like Darwood would want kitchen stairs."

"Derwood, Dum Dum!" :lol:

"Derwood, Dum Dum!" :lol:

That actually sounds like a funny episode, too bad I'm the one that thought of it.;)

I just watched the first couple episodes of season 7 on DVD. In the first episode, Endora does briefly compliment the new living room set to Samantha. This is the only mention I heard. Also, in addition to the stairs, the kitchen looks bigger, like the back of I was extended out and a door to the patio added I believe.

I remember seeing that scene it was pretty cool.

Thanks for the screenshots, Ohio!

I had semi-forgotten about those ugly, out of place stairs, which seem unnecessary, considering the small size of the Stephens' house. The top of the front staircase couldn't have been more than 10 or 15 feet from that staircase.

I like the kitchen staircase.... I always thought it would have to lead to around the same place as the one in the living room, it seems like both staircases would meet each other almost in the same spot.

I'm must be old! I grew up in the seventies and watched Bewitched reruns back then, so I remember those kind of furnishings, colors, and decor. Shag carpeting was in! Not just the house, but the fashions and hairstyles changed, too! I remember the first time I watched the episode where the Stephens remodeled their house, and I thought it was cool at the time. It made the show seem more modern to me, and I could identify with. Of course, now, it looks really dated, but at the time it was cool. Now, I prefer the earlier look.

For some reason I was always thinking there was a staircase in the "broom closet" in the kitchen from the beginning, I thought Aunt Clara crashed down from there once.

Of course, we're just talking about a TV set, but I pulled out my TV Sets book, and looked at the the fictitious blueprints for the Stephens' house.

To expand that kitchen enough to allow for the stairs (if this were real), there wouldn't be room...the kitchen would expand into the den, and that would also eliminate the hall...this is all toward the front of the house. There's really no place for that stair to go, as was previously mentioned...it would land right in the middle of Tabitha's room. She'd probably zap it away if she disapproved.

Another odd thing about the design even before the rebuilt kitchen (also shown on the blueprint): it's weird for a house with an attached garage to not have a door from the garage directly into the house. With that setup, you'd have to go outside from the large garage door to get in the house. Not nice in bad weather. Of course, I guess it doesn't rain much on the soundstage...

They tore down the back wall in the kitchen (behind the stove) and extended it towards the backyard--not towards the front den. This created a little breakfast nook-type area, and they also added a back door in the kitchen that lead to the patio background area.

Of course, we're just talking about a TV set, but I pulled out my TV Sets book, and looked at the the fictitious blueprints for the Stephens' house.

To expand that kitchen enough to allow for the stairs (if this were real), there wouldn't be room...the kitchen would expand into the den, and that would also eliminate the hall...this is all toward the front of the house. There's really no place for that stair to go, as was previously mentioned...it would land right in the middle of Tabitha's room. She'd probably zap it away if she disapproved.

Another odd thing about the design even before the rebuilt kitchen (also shown on the blueprint): it's weird for a house with an attached garage to not have a door from the garage directly into the house. With that setup, you'd have to go outside from the large garage door to get in the house. Not nice in bad weather. Of course, I guess it doesn't rain much on the soundstage...


I prolly was not as precise are you, but I tried to half way figure out the lay-out with the kitchen staircase, and to me, it seemed like it would land like exactly where the living room staircase lands. It almost seems like you could have went up the living room staircase and in only a step or 2 go down the kitchen one. It just always seemed to me they'd meet in about exactly the same place.