The Show Started To Fade When Aunt Clara Left. - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

callmetootie · 05-13-2001, 11:36 PM

Does anyone agree with me about this. I thought that Aunt Clara was responsible for all of the laughs that were said during 1964-1968.

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Andrew Carden

Richard · 06-12-2001, 05:57 PM

You could be right.Marion Lorne won the Best Supporting Actress award for Bewitched in 1968-but since she had died two weeks before, Elizabeth Montgomery accepted it for her.

Aunt Clara was a loveable old lady who really did add a lot to the show,and her passing did leave a void...that Alice Ghostly as bumbling maid Esmeredla couldn't really fill.

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Richard Ranke

06-17-2001, 03:02 AM

Maybe. I liked Aunt Clara, but I didn't like Esmerelda. I think that ratings went downhill when Esmerelda joined the cast. I can't put my finger on it, but there's something about her I didn't like.........

gail.mc · 12-15-2001, 03:03 AM

I don't know about being responsible for all the laughs - but she sure did play her part well. I really loved her character (along with Uncle Arthur). She seemed so sweet. Her ability to appear such a clutz and a ditherer was very amusing.

TV Guy · 12-15-2001, 07:30 PM

I really liked Aunt Clara, and I think the show did start to fade when Marion Lorne died, but Aunt Clara's absence was only part of the problem. The biggest problem was that the show got away from its romantic comedy roots and started repeating itself. I mean, how many times did they do the plot where Samantha was caught by someone doing magic, and she explained it away as part of one of Darrin's advertising campaigns?

cablejockey · 12-29-2001, 08:40 PM

The show seemed to lose its spark about the time Dick York left. The next seasons Elizabeth Montgomery seemed tired of it all and was just going thru the motions. She seemed to be doing a parody of the character that seemed so loving and real in the first years.

TV Guy · 12-30-2001, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by cablejockey
The next seasons Elizabeth Montgomery seemed tired of it all and was just going thru the motions. She seemed to be doing a parody of the character that seemed so loving and real in the first years.

You know, someone pointed this out to me recently. I then watched one of the later episodes, and have to say that I couldn't agree more. The eighth season is particularly bad -- Sam comes off as almost nasty at times.

east215 · 08-21-2004, 12:16 AM

I loved Marion Lorne as Aunt Clara. Didn't much care for Esmeralda though. I love Alice Ghostley as an actress (in fact, if she's playing Bernice on Designing Women she usually walks away with the whole show). Great actress and comedienne with great comic timing. Just didn't care for the character of Esmeralda. Big shoes to fill after Aunt Clara.

vze3t9q9 · 08-25-2004, 05:20 PM

Has anyone seen Marion in Mr Peepers? Mr Peepers, as 1950's show with Tony Randall, Wally Cox and Marion. I think it took place in a high school. I wonder what her character was like in that show.

east215 · 08-27-2004, 11:02 PM

I saw an episode of Mr Peepers on PBS years ago. The print was poor quality, might have been a kinescope. Marion Lorne played the English teacher. She was very much in the Aunt Clara mode. Being that she was 10 years younger, the character wasn't as muddled and confused, but it kind of gave you the idea that the teacher could have been Aunt Clara in disguise. Her powers were fading so she took a mortal job. The character reminded me of those old teachers we had in school that we knew were ready to retire soon. The type that basically let the kids run the class.

Bob's TV Treasures · 08-27-2004, 11:37 PM

Anyone interested in seeing the genius of Marion Lorne on kinescope, contact me. I have two episodes of "Mr. Peepers" available for trade.

mstewart · 08-27-2004, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by TV Guy
You know, someone pointed this out to me recently. I then watched one of the later episodes, and have to say that I couldn't agree more. The eighth season is particularly bad -- Sam comes off as almost nasty at times.

Three episodes come to mind in the final season when Samantha looked as though she wanted to do some bodily harm to the following people:

Episode #254 "A Good Turn Never Goes Unpunished". She looked as though she wanted to do some majorly bodily harm to Darrin for assuming she used witchcraft in helping Darrin with his campaign. She was livid. The old Samantha in the earlier seasons, the Dick York years, would not acted out like that towards Darrin.

Episode #251 "School Days, School Daze" Wow Samantha lit into Tabitha's teacher as though the woman kidnapped Tabitha.

Episode #240 "The Eight-Year Itch" Samantha telling Endora, her mother, that she was bugging her was out of character for the Samantha we all came to know and loved.

Again, as I stated in my previous postings on this subject matter, Liz was tired of the show and her feelings about it filtered into Samantha during the final season. Also, her martial problems with her husband William Asher intensified her issues even more. There was rumors that he was messing around with someone on the set.

I hope Liz's upcoming bio will give clarity to why she was unhappy during the final season of the show and what made her finally pulled the plug, when it should had been pulled after Dick York was unable to do the show. I hope it give clarity to what happened between her and Bill. They seemed like an idea couple.

Bewitched had all the potential of going down as a classic in the same league as I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show and other shows. But the show overstayed its welcome, too many major cast changes and recasting.

BWLuv · 08-28-2004, 10:03 PM

It is well-established that Liz thought about ending the show after York left, but that ABC made her such a great financial offer that she couldn't turn it down. She got very rich from Bewitched. The show was all set for a ninth season but Liz canceled during the summer because she could not reconcile with Bill after he was caught in an affair. (Good for Liz!) Bill Asher admitted all this in several interviews.

jamesanthony · 08-30-2004, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BWLuv
It is well-established that Liz thought about ending the show after York left, but that ABC made her such a great financial offer that she couldn't turn it down. She got very rich from Bewitched. The show was all set for a ninth season but Liz canceled during the summer because she could not reconcile with Bill after he was caught in an affair. (Good for Liz!) Bill Asher admitted all this in several interviews.

Considering that most of year 8's plots were retreads I can only imagine what a year 9 would have been like. What would they have done, take another road trip and spend the rest of the year remaking episodes?

BWLuv · 08-30-2004, 10:32 AM

I imagine they could have done a trip, but both Tabitha and Adam were older and they could have come up with original plots centering around them. Tabitha was in school, so that could have made for some fun and Adam was about five or so and could have contributed more. They could have also brought back Uncle Arthur, and other characters, Serena was in a lot during. They could have gone to a whole other extreme and did flashback episodes to when Samantha was a young witch, tying that in some way to the present day.

The thing was that the 1970s sitcoms were way different from what was in the 1960s and viewers were looking for something different.

05-13-2001, 11:36 PM	#1
callmetootie Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 06, 2001 Location: Clifton Park, NY Posts: 4,768	The Show Started To Fade When Aunt Clara Left. Does anyone agree with me about this. I thought that Aunt Clara was responsible for all of the laughs that were said during 1964-1968. ------------------ Andrew Carden

06-17-2001, 03:02 AM	#3
FOL & DS fan 4ever Guest Posts: n/a	Maybe. I liked Aunt Clara, but I didn't like Esmerelda. I think that ratings went downhill when Esmerelda joined the cast. I can't put my finger on it, but there's something about her I didn't like.........
FOL & DS fan 4ever Guest Posts: n/a

12-15-2001, 03:03 AM	#4
gail.mc Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Dec 03, 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 16	Aunt Clara I don't know about being responsible for all the laughs - but she sure did play her part well. I really loved her character (along with Uncle Arthur). She seemed so sweet. Her ability to appear such a clutz and a ditherer was very amusing.

08-21-2004, 12:16 AM	#8
east215 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 29, 2003 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 115	I loved Marion Lorne as Aunt Clara. Didn't much care for Esmeralda though. I love Alice Ghostley as an actress (in fact, if she's playing Bernice on Designing Women she usually walks away with the whole show). Great actress and comedienne with great comic timing. Just didn't care for the character of Esmeralda. Big shoes to fill after Aunt Clara.
	__________________ MARK in Mass.

08-27-2004, 11:37 PM	#11
Bob's TV Treasures Member Forum Regular Join Date: Aug 12, 2004 Location: california Posts: 529	Marion Lorne in Mr. Peepers Anyone interested in seeing the genius of Marion Lorne on kinescope, contact me. I have two episodes of "Mr. Peepers" available for trade.

06-12-2001, 05:57 PM	#2
Richard Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 01, 2000 Location: Cleveland,Ohio-USA Posts: 352	You could be right.Marion Lorne won the Best Supporting Actress award for Bewitched in 1968-but since she had died two weeks before, Elizabeth Montgomery accepted it for her. Aunt Clara was a loveable old lady who really did add a lot to the show,and her passing did leave a void...that Alice Ghostly as bumbling maid Esmeredla couldn't really fill. ------------------ Richard Ranke

12-15-2001, 07:30 PM	#5
TV Guy Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 25, 2001 Location: Boston, MA, USA Posts: 3,419	I really liked Aunt Clara, and I think the show did start to fade when Marion Lorne died, but Aunt Clara's absence was only part of the problem. The biggest problem was that the show got away from its romantic comedy roots and started repeating itself. I mean, how many times did they do the plot where Samantha was caught by someone doing magic, and she explained it away as part of one of Darrin's advertising campaigns?

12-29-2001, 08:40 PM	#6
cablejockey Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: ontario canada Posts: 478	The show seemed to lose its spark about the time Dick York left. The next seasons Elizabeth Montgomery seemed tired of it all and was just going thru the motions. She seemed to be doing a parody of the character that seemed so loving and real in the first years.

08-25-2004, 05:20 PM	#9
vze3t9q9 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jan 31, 2003 Location: ROCKCOVE Posts: 548	Has anyone seen Marion in Mr Peepers? Mr Peepers, as 1950's show with Tony Randall, Wally Cox and Marion. I think it took place in a high school. I wonder what her character was like in that show.

08-27-2004, 11:02 PM	#10
east215 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 29, 2003 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 115	I saw an episode of Mr Peepers on PBS years ago. The print was poor quality, might have been a kinescope. Marion Lorne played the English teacher. She was very much in the Aunt Clara mode. Being that she was 10 years younger, the character wasn't as muddled and confused, but it kind of gave you the idea that the teacher could have been Aunt Clara in disguise. Her powers were fading so she took a mortal job. The character reminded me of those old teachers we had in school that we knew were ready to retire soon. The type that basically let the kids run the class.

08-28-2004, 10:03 PM	#13
BWLuv Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 21, 2004 Posts: 203	It is well-established that Liz thought about ending the show after York left, but that ABC made her such a great financial offer that she couldn't turn it down. She got very rich from Bewitched. The show was all set for a ninth season but Liz canceled during the summer because she could not reconcile with Bill after he was caught in an affair. (Good for Liz!) Bill Asher admitted all this in several interviews.

08-30-2004, 10:32 AM	#15
BWLuv Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 21, 2004 Posts: 203	I imagine they could have done a trip, but both Tabitha and Adam were older and they could have come up with original plots centering around them. Tabitha was in school, so that could have made for some fun and Adam was about five or so and could have contributed more. They could have also brought back Uncle Arthur, and other characters, Serena was in a lot during. They could have gone to a whole other extreme and did flashback episodes to when Samantha was a young witch, tying that in some way to the present day. The thing was that the 1970s sitcoms were way different from what was in the 1960s and viewers were looking for something different.