40 Years Ago Today: 'Bewitched' Cast Its Last Spell - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 03-25-2012, 11:44 PM

March 25th, 1972 - The final episode of "Bewitched" was aired on ABC

"The Truth, Nothing but the Truth, So Help Me Sam"

Samantha and Darrin's devotion to each other is tested one more time in the series' final episode. Suspicious of Darrin's reasons for giving Samantha a unicorn pin, Endora casts a spell on it that causes mortals to tell the absolute truth while they are near it. This causes trouble for Darrin at the office, and later during cocktails with Larry, a client (Sara Seegar) and her husband (Parley Baer) at the Stephens' home. While Samantha is wearing the pin, the mortals all reveal their thoughts about the client's ridiculous ideas, and each other. A big fight ensues, much to Endora's amusement. During the epilogue however, it's discovered that everything turned out beautifully with the client thanks to the spell, and Darrin and Samantha truthfully profess their love for each other.

Willbo · 03-26-2012, 11:42 AM

Wow! It's hard to believe that it has been 40 years. Great show.

MickeyMac · 03-26-2012, 02:44 PM

It end out with a whimper and not a bang. The last season is barely watchable, and I am a big fan of this show.

Marvo301 · 03-26-2012, 05:06 PM

For me "Bewitched" cast it last spell when Dick Yoirk left the series.

bliss · 03-27-2012, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MickeyMac

It end out with a whimper and not a bang. The last season is barely watchable, and I am a big fan of this show.

EXACTLY!

They remade an old B&W episode. I was not impressed. The last episode should have been an original storyline it didn't need to be a finale (I think BW was suppose to have a 9th season but Liz didn't want to return)

If there was a 9th season I think she would have returned to her Samantha hairdo and not the long straight hair in a side part she had in the last season.

catlover79 · 03-27-2012, 01:25 AM

They actually remade quite a few of the b&w episodes, and they all fell flat. Once Dick York was unable to keep working due to his severely injured back and a growing addiction to prescription painkillers - the show was never the same. This is no slight on Dick Sargent. I don't think he was a bad actor in the least (I saw him as a guest star in numerous shows from the 70s and 80s) - I just think the only Darrin was DY. No one could've filled his shoes, not really.

Plus, by 1972 Liz was more than eager to move on and start the next chapter of her life and career. Later on that year she made her first TV movie, The Victim. Future soap star Jess Walton played her sister.

Willbo · 03-27-2012, 08:50 AM

I think overall the series was really good. I did enjoy the Dick York years more but still like the last 3 seasons. I liked seeing Tabitha grow up and take on a more important role.

bliss · 03-27-2012, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marvo301

For me "Bewitched" cast it last spell when Dick Yoirk left the series.

Adding Dick Sargent was a big mistake. It was like Sam was a widow and DS became her 2nd husband and Tab's stepdaddy. Producers could at least let the other Dick recover and have him return until the end of the series.

OH Nuts! · 04-04-2012, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bliss

Adding Dick Sargent was a big mistake. It was like Sam was a widow and DS became her 2nd husband and Tab's stepdaddy. Producers could at least let the other Dick recover and have him return until the end of the series.

Much of what you all have said here is why I only have the first 5 seasons.

torcan · 05-12-2012, 04:11 PM

I think there are some really strong episodes in the last 3 seasons - there are quite a few good ones in season 6, plus you have the Salem episodes and "Sisters at Heart" in season 7. I really like the ghost episode from the European trip in season 8. I don't mind the last episode - the last scene is sort of like a finale.

I read that if the show had returned for a season 9, as originally scheduled, it would have opened with a two-part show dealing with Tabitha and her witchcraft.

I would love to know what else they would have done for season 9. It's interesting to speculate if they would have changed the cartoon opening titles, or just gone with the same one for the fourth straight year.

Johnny be good! · 08-12-2012, 11:48 AM

All the seasons were great. In two years, it will be 50 years since it debuted.

biffbronson · 08-03-2013, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by torcan

I think there are some really strong episodes in the last 3 seasons - there are quite a few good ones in season 6, plus you have the Salem episodes and "Sisters at Heart" in season 7.

I've always loved the Salem story. Those episodes really captivated me when I was a young boy.

Once again, growing up I was only able to see the color seasons in syndication. Which means that I actually saw more of Dick Sargent than Dick York, considering that York's back problem limited his on-screen time as the 1960s drew to a close.

I imagine if the series had ended when York's work was over, and keeping in mind that color series began to rule in syndication, I may not have had the opportunity to grow up with Bewitched at all!!

Bringing in Sargent was not only necessary to keep the series running -- it also proved critical later on to keep Bewitched on the airwaves in syndication, as stations jettisoned older black & white shows.

Schmoopie · 08-04-2013, 03:03 AM

Wow... 40 years? Well, 41 now but man that makes me feel old! That means I was... oh never mind!

missy's pop pop · 01-01-2014, 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bliss

EXACTLY!

They remade an old B&W episode. I was not impressed. The last episode should have been an original storyline it didn't need to be a finale (I think BW was suppose to have a 9th season but Liz didn't want to return)

If there was a 9th season I think she would have returned to her Samantha hairdo and not the long straight hair in a side part she had in the last season.

"Bewitched" was remaking old episodes long before Dick Sargent came on the scene. In fact, the episode in which Sam meets Darrin's in-laws was remade for the second season with the same title and pretty much the same dialogue. Of course, this gave producers license to rework some of the old Dick York episodes to accommodate Dick Sargent.

The story is told that ABC wanted "Bewitched" to return for a ninth season, despite its poor ratings on Saturday night against "All in the Family." As it was, Elizabeth Montgomery was tired of being the perky little witch and wanted to do something more dramatic, as she ultimately did. Not to mention it was reported that Liz was having an affair with one of the series' other directors, which tore apart her marriage with William Asher.

As for the hairdos, Herbie J Pilato wrote in 1997's Bewitched Forever that Liz wanted her hairstyle different each season (I think, personally, her 1968-69 look was the best). Cosmo and Peanuts, the show's hairstylists, had their hands full. Not to mention, starting in the 1969-70 season, Clairol came on-line as a co-sponsor. I recall seeing (and YouTube has a video) a commercial where Liz talks about the "droop-proof curl" provided by the new Kindness Instant Hairsetter (a curl that survived "wind, weather, or just plain living!" as she cheerfully described it).

The problem with the idea of Tabitha and Adam continuing into the 9th season, to me, would have turned "Bewitched" into a bargain-basement version of "The Addams Family" or "The Munsters" with a good dash of "The Brady Bunch" added--not a very tasty witch's brew, so to speak.

03-25-2012, 11:44 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	40 Years Ago Today: 'Bewitched' Cast Its Last Spell March 25th, 1972 - The final episode of "Bewitched" was aired on ABC "The Truth, Nothing but the Truth, So Help Me Sam" Samantha and Darrin's devotion to each other is tested one more time in the series' final episode. Suspicious of Darrin's reasons for giving Samantha a unicorn pin, Endora casts a spell on it that causes mortals to tell the absolute truth while they are near it. This causes trouble for Darrin at the office, and later during cocktails with Larry, a client (Sara Seegar) and her husband (Parley Baer) at the Stephens' home. While Samantha is wearing the pin, the mortals all reveal their thoughts about the client's ridiculous ideas, and each other. A big fight ensues, much to Endora's amusement. During the epilogue however, it's discovered that everything turned out beautifully with the client thanks to the spell, and Darrin and Samantha truthfully profess their love for each other.
	__________________ The Key to the Kingdom of Heaven: John 3:3 *Money Doesn't Buy Happiness...But I'd Rather Cry in My Private Jet*

03-26-2012, 05:06 PM	#4
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,460	For me "Bewitched" cast it last spell when Dick Yoirk left the series.
	__________________ Only a life lived for others is worth living. Albert Einstein A life isn't worth living unless it has impact on other lives. Jackie Robinson Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. Benjamin Franklin

03-27-2012, 01:25 AM	#6
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,392	They actually remade quite a few of the b&w episodes, and they all fell flat. Once Dick York was unable to keep working due to his severely injured back and a growing addiction to prescription painkillers - the show was never the same. This is no slight on Dick Sargent. I don't think he was a bad actor in the least (I saw him as a guest star in numerous shows from the 70s and 80s) - I just think the only Darrin was DY. No one could've filled his shoes, not really. Plus, by 1972 Liz was more than eager to move on and start the next chapter of her life and career. Later on that year she made her first TV movie, The Victim. Future soap star Jess Walton played her sister.
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

08-12-2012, 11:48 AM	#11
Johnny be good! Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 18, 2007 Location: Westland, Michigan Posts: 1,633	All the seasons were great. In two years, it will be 50 years since it debuted.
	__________________ Alex Bogue

08-04-2013, 03:03 AM	#13
Schmoopie Keep Calm and Love Snoopy Forum Star Join Date: Jul 13, 2008 Location: Lynnwood, Washington Posts: 15,697	Wow... 40 years? Well, 41 now but man that makes me feel old! That means I was... oh never mind!
	__________________ In memory of my wonderful husband. I love and miss you more than words can say, but I will always and forever keep you in my heart. September 23, 1961-January 14, 2019

03-26-2012, 11:42 AM	#2
Willbo Member Forum Regular Join Date: Feb 10, 2012 Location: Chattanooga, TN Posts: 864	Wow! It's hard to believe that it has been 40 years. Great show.

03-26-2012, 02:44 PM	#3
MickeyMac Member Forum Star Join Date: Jun 18, 2008 Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan Posts: 19,008	It end out with a whimper and not a bang. The last season is barely watchable, and I am a big fan of this show.

03-27-2012, 08:50 AM	#7
Willbo Member Forum Regular Join Date: Feb 10, 2012 Location: Chattanooga, TN Posts: 864	I think overall the series was really good. I did enjoy the Dick York years more but still like the last 3 seasons. I liked seeing Tabitha grow up and take on a more important role.

05-12-2012, 04:11 PM	#10
torcan Member Frequent Poster Join Date: May 04, 2009 Location: Toronto Posts: 154	I think there are some really strong episodes in the last 3 seasons - there are quite a few good ones in season 6, plus you have the Salem episodes and "Sisters at Heart" in season 7. I really like the ghost episode from the European trip in season 8. I don't mind the last episode - the last scene is sort of like a finale. I read that if the show had returned for a season 9, as originally scheduled, it would have opened with a two-part show dealing with Tabitha and her witchcraft. I would love to know what else they would have done for season 9. It's interesting to speculate if they would have changed the cartoon opening titles, or just gone with the same one for the fourth straight year.