Behind the Bewitched Set: Untold Tricks and Tales

Bewitched charmed TV audiences from 1964 to 1972, turning Samantha Stephens into a household name. Each week millions tuned in to watch her spells, family squabbles, and the odd mix of domestic life and witchcraft. The show helped launch the fantasy sitcom craze and left a lasting mark, even if plenty of set stories never made it on air. Keep reading for some surprising behind-the-scenes secrets.

Why the Show Lost Some Spark

The series opened fresh and funny, but fans noticed the scripts slipped as the years went on. Writers started recycling plots and borrowing ideas from other hits, which dulled the original magic. Producer William Asher’s I Love Lucy background showed through, and viewers spotted the sameness even though Bewitched added fantasy to the mix. That creative fade, coupled with other problems, hurt the ratings over time.

Gladys' Secret Heartbreak

Alice Pearce made neighbor Gladys a comic highlight, always convinced Samantha was up to something. She was cast in 1964 while quietly facing a terminal cancer diagnosis that she kept from her co-stars. Pearce gave no obvious signs of illness on set, yet she died in 1966 and was later honored with a posthumous Emmy. Her performance still stands out as one of the show’s bittersweet moments.

The Nose Wiggle Trick

Samantha’s signature nose wiggle began as a nervous twitch of Elizabeth Montgomery’s and became a show staple. The effect was heightened in the final footage by slightly speeding up the film, and the wiggle always landed with that jaunty xylophone chime. Watch closely and you can see she’s mainly moving her upper lip, but the camera work did the rest. It’s a small bit that helped define the show’s charm.

Darrin's Exit and On-Set Strain

Dick York’s health problems cast a long shadow over production after a crippling back injury years earlier. The crew tried to accommodate him with special furniture and even a slanted wall to rest on between takes, but his pain grew worse. York missed shoots, scripts were rewritten to explain his absence, and after a seizure in 1969 he left the show. His replacement, Dick Sargent, stepped in, but viewers noticed the change and ratings slipped.

Door Knobs Collection

Aunt Clara was one of the show’s fan favorites and it was always a blast to watch her spells backfire. She also had a pretty unusual hobby – and we’re not talking about coming down the chimney every time she visited Samantha. Aunt Clara loved collecting door knobs, and this unusual hobby was actually based on Marion Lorne’s obsession with these antique trinkets. The actress behind this character had a personal collection of over 1,000 door knobs, and some of them were even used as props on the show.

Multitasking

Elizabeth Montgomery became a household name thanks to the role of Samantha Stephens, but that wasn’t the only character she played on the show. The famous actress also took on the role of Samantha’s free-spirited cousin Serena in a couple of episodes. The resemblance between these characters was obviously uncanny, but Montgomery still managed to fuel the viewers with her transformation. Credited under the name Pandora Spocks (a play on the phrase Pandora’s Box), this non-existing actress ended up receiving a lot of fan mail as viewers didn’t realize it was just Montgomery in a wig.

Dream Team

Elizabeth Montgomery met director William Asher on the set of the 1963 film Johnny Cool, which he directed and she starred in, and the two quickly stated dating and tied the knot shortly after. They started searching for their next project together and found what they were looking for in Bewitched. The creator of this show, Sol Saks, revealed that their agents sent them out as a team, and that was the reason why they were hired together. They separated while the show was still on the air, and officially went their separate ways after it wrapped up.

Camera Trick

Samantha’s nose wiggle was one of the signature parts of the show, and they were inspired by the twitch that Montgomery actually had whenever she got nervous – but there’s more to this story. According to Erin Murphy, who played her daughter, the wiggle was enhanced by camera tricks. The film would be sped up slightly to accomplish this effect, and it would always be accompanied by the classic xylophone sound. If you actually pay close attention to Montgomery’s movements, you’ll notice she’s just moving her upper lip.

Cassandra Stephens?

Before Elizabeth Montgomery scored the role of Samantha Stephens, ABC had different things in mind for this show. The studio wanted Tammy Grimes to take on the lead role, and the beloved witch was actually named Cassandra in the first draft. The Tony-winning star of The Unsinkable Molly Brown wasn’t too enthusiastic about the script and decided to turn the role down, and pursue The Tammy Grimes Show instead. This project ended up being a huge failure and it was canceled after only four episodes. Once Montgomery was cast, the name of the main character was changed because she felt Cassandra "was too connected to the evil witches of Greek mythology."

Chance Encounter

Agnes Moorehead was already a well-known actress with three Oscar nominations under her belt when she was cast in the role of Samantha’s quick-witted mother Endora. Elizabeth Montgomery and William Asher asked her to play this role after they randomly ran into her at Bloomingdale’s. Agnes was reluctant at first and thought no one would possibly want to watch a show about witches. Her expectations were extremely low when she agreed to film the pilot and she did not see its huge success coming. She was so surprised actually that she later confessed she felt a little bit trapped by its success because she didn’t have enough time to pursue other passions.

The Mystery of Endora’s Age

Witches have a much longer life span than mortals, but we never got to learn how old Samantha’s mother, Endora, actually is. Bewitched made several references regarding her age, and this became one of the show's funniest running jokes. It’s believed that Samantha was over 400 years old, but Endora’s age was a much bigger mystery. At one point she mentioned dating “Otzie the Ice Man” who lived around 3500 BC, which would make her over five thousand years old!

Montgomery’s Pregnancies

Elizabeth Montgomery was pregnant a total of three times during the show’s run, but her first pregnancy wasn’t a part of the storyline. So, to cover it up, the team first filmed the scenes that didn’t feature her appearance, and finished the rest once she gave birth. Her second and third pregnancy were a different story and the writers found a way to squeeze them in the script and make everything work naturally. They were incorporated into the show and Samantha had two children born - Tabitha and Adam.

York’s Departure

Dick York, who played the role of Samantha’s mortal husband Darrin Stephens, was the beating heart of this show and the ratings significantly dropped after he was replaced by Dick Sargent. York left the show to focus on his health after suffering a severe back injury on the set of 1959's They Came to Cordura that forever changed his life. His frequent absence was explained by saying he was “away on business” and he could often be seen seated or lying down. He decided to leave after suffering a seizure during filming of the episode “Daddy Does His Thing” in 1969.

Being There For York

The production team was aware of Dick York’s back issues from the very beginning, and they did everything in their power to make it work. Special furniture was used on set, and the crew even built a slanted wall for him to lean on between the shots so he could rest his back. But things started getting worse after the third season, and the writers went an extra mile to prepare for any emergencies that may occur. York often had to miss work due to his back pain so they prepared Darrin-less scripts or gave his lines to his boss, Larry Tate (played by David White) in case he didn’t show up.

Collapse on Set

York was rushed to the hospital after he collapsed on set and the incident brought his acting career to an early end. Leaving the show wasn’t an easy decision to make, but he decided it was time to devote himself to his recovery. Unfortunately, he started relying on painkillers, but eventually managed to break this habit. His wife stuck with him through hard times, and his memoir The Seesaw Girl and Me mostly focused on their relationship. It was published posthumously, years after he passed away in 1992 due to complications of emphysema.

Strong Bond

Darrin and Endora couldn’t stand each other, but the relationship between Dick York and Agnes Moorehead was the exact opposite of theirs. The actress had a hard time adapting after he left the show, due to the close friendship they developed over the years. It’s been reported that the duo bonded over their love of spirituality and Moorehead had a lifelong interest in religion. York’s successor, Dick Sargent, recalled she would arrive to set with the Bible in one hand and the script in the other.

Two Darrins

Dick York’s departure wasn’t easy to take, and the audience didn’t feel like the showrunners handled it with care. Everything kept going as usual when Dick Sargent was introduced, despite the fact they could’ve come with many creative ways to explain this change. Most people weren’t aware that Sargent was originally offered the role of Darrin Stephens in 1964, before York was cast. He decided to give it a pass because he already joined Broadside, but he was available to jump back in after this sitcom was canceled.

Big Change

After York left the show, pretending she hated her son-in-law became much easier for Moorehead. As it was hard for her to adapt to change, York's departure created some tension on set. When looking back at Moorehead’s behavior many years later, Sargent simply said, “She was very set in her ways and I had to really make her my friend.” Luckily, they managed to find common ground over time, and she never actually had anything personal against him – she simply missed York, just like the rest of us.

Brave Decision

Dick Sargent may not be everyone’s favorite Darrin Stephens, but this is still the role most people remember him by. He made a brave decision in 1991 when he decided to publicly come out as gay. Sargent was diagnosed with prostate cancer two years before coming out, and revealed that his ill health led many people to believe he was suffering from AIDS. After he passed away in 1994, his co-star Elizabeth Montgomery described him as “a great friend” and praised his remarkable courage.

Turning Down Darrin

Dick Sargent accepted the role of Darrin Stephens after being contacted by ABC bosses for the second time, but it turns out he wasn’t the only actor who initially turned down this part. Richard Crenna was also in the running to play the role of Samantha’s mortal husband, but he decided it’s not the right fit. The Real McCoys just wrapped up after six seasons, and he didn’t want to commit to another TV show that could last many years.

Name Dropping

It’s common belief that many mothers have trouble getting along with their sons-in-law, and some of the most memorable running jokes on Bewitched were inspired by this stereotype. Samantha’s mom Endora never approved of her husband and came with many elaborate plots to break them up. She didn’t even bother pronouncing Darrin’s name right, and referred to him as Dobbin, Digby, Darwin, and even Dum-Dum. Passionate fans of the show noticed she only pronounced his name correctly on eight occasions.

Family Troubles

Darrin had trouble getting along with the majority of Samantha’s family members, not just her mom. Many of them actually took a page from Endora’s book and never referred to him by his real name – with two notable exceptions. Aunt Clara and Uncle Arthur were Samantha’s only two relatives who consistently called Darrin by his proper name. Despite her strange nature, Aunt Clara always managed to bring the best out of Samantha’s husband and they got along pretty well, all things considered.

Double Trouble

Casting kids can be extremely tricky since it’s impossible to tell if they’re going to have any acting talent once they grow up. The creators of Bewitched know this best, since they went through multiple sets of twins to fill the role of Tabitha. When Samantha and Darrin first welcomed their baby girl, the infant was played by Cynthia Black. Heidi and Laura Gentry then took on the role of toddler Tabitha, before being replaced by Tamar and Julie Young. The showrunners eventually decided to stick with Diane and Erin Murphy, who took on the role in Season 3.

Main Tabitha

Diane and Erin Murphy shared the role of Tabitha for some time, but they started looking less alike as they got older. Starting with Season 4, Erin was in charge of playing the role on her own because she seemed much more comfortable in front of the camera. After Bewitched wrapped up, Murphy appeared in over 100 commercials, and worked as a casting director, makeup artist, fashion stylist, acting teacher, and motivational speaker. She currently works as a writer, mostly focusing on fashion and beauty related topics.

Another Switch

It’s not uncommon for long-running shows to switch certain cast members, but Bewitched did it more than once. Darrin and Tabitha weren’t the only characters played by different actors over the years, and this show featured another significant switch. After Alice Pearce passed away in 1966, Sandra Gould took over the role of the nosy neighbor Gladys. She managed to make the character her own with her over-the-top acting and high-pitched screams, and the viewers fully enjoyed her performance on this show.

Darrin’s Secretary

It wasn’t uncommon for the producers to hire several actors for the same role, but most of these changes didn’t slip our minds. Darrin’s secretary at McMann and Tate is probably the only significant exception. Betty was a minor character, played by many different actresses, and the masterminds behind this show assumed people wouldn’t even notice the difference - and they were right. Several actresses portrayed this role over the years, including Jill Foster and Marcia Wallace, who later won an Emmy for voicing Edna Krabappel on The Simpsons.

Guest Stars

Main characters always resonate the most with the audience, but Bewitched also featured many recurring characters who were equally beloved by the audience – especially because they were played by the most popular actors of that era. The Bye Bye Birdie star Paul Lynde became a fan favorite thanks to the role of Uncle Arthur, who always made us laugh with his crazy pranks. The Long list of guest stars also includes Grace Lee Whitney (Star Trek), June Lockhart (Lost in Space) and Raquel Welch, who made her TV debut on this show before becoming an international superstar.

Minor Role

Raquel Welch wasn’t the only Hollywood superstars who landed one of her first roles on the set of Bewitched. Richard Dreyfuss, who later found an enormous success with hit movies Jaws, Stand by Me, and The Goodbye Girl which transformed him into an Oscar winner, made an appearance in 1966's episode “Man’s Best Friend”, where he played the role of Rodney, a warlock that Samantha used to babysit. We can’t help but wonder if the rest of the cast could tell he was destined for great things.

Black Wig

Another Bewitched character who was played by multiple actors was Samantha’s closest friend, Louise Tate. Irene Vernon played this role for two seasons, and Kasey Rogers jumped into her shoes once she decided to leave. In order to achieve the signature Louise Tate look, Rogers wore a short black wig in the beginning, but didn’t enjoy the experience one bit. After the director William Asher noticed she’s tugging at the wig, he encouraged her to take it off, and she was rocking her natural red hair for the following three seasons.

Special Brooch

Endora became somewhat of a style icon thanks to her flashy personal style, and spectacular starburst diamond brooch was one of her favorite items. This vintage piece of jewelry, consisting of 8.5 carats of diamonds, actually belong to the actress Agnes Moorehead. Moorehead left it to her TV daughter Elizabeth Montgomery after she passed away in 1974. She died of uterine cancer and left a great legacy behind her. In addition to winning two Golden Globes and one Primetime Emmy, she also had four Oscar nominations under her belt.

True Inspiration

Bewitched served as inspiration for several similar shows that came after it, but the idea for this series didn’t simply appear out of thin air. Creator Sol Saks actually drew inspiration from numerous fantasy movies with similar theme, including I Married a Witch and Bell, Book and Candle. Saks wasn’t worried about the legal concerns regarding similarities between these projects, because they were all developed by Columbia Pictures, which owned the company Screen Gems, in charge of producing his show Bewitched.

Catchy Tune

Bewitched gave us one of the catchiest theme songs in TV history, and it’s instantly recognizable even decades later. Unfortunately, we can’t sing along to it, because it didn’t come with any lyrics – or did it? This unforgettable tune, composed by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller, originally came with the lyrics “Bewitched, bewitched, you’ve got me in your spell!" but the network eventually decided to go with the instrumental version, so we never got to hear these words.

Hand-Me-Down Set

Production of every TV show comes with a high price tag, and using the same set over and over again is a popular way to reduce the costs. The producers of Bewitched used this common trick, and the set of this show didn’t only serve as the home to Samantha Stephens and her family. After Columbia Pictures filmed 1959's Gidget at a real house in Santa Monica, they reversed its blueprint design and used it to reproduce the set for Bewitched. They later used this patio and living room set for several other projects, including NBC’s rival show I Dream of Jeannie.

Rival Show

Bewitched was such a huge success for ABC that other networks took a page from their book and started plotting their own shows with supernatural elements. NBC was the first one in line, and they started airing Sidney Sheldon’s I Dream of Jeannie only a year later. The similarities between the two shows were so obvious that it was impossible to deny them. They both featured a young blond woman with magical power who fell in love with ordinary mortals. Sheldon tried to avoid casting a blonde actress to avoid the confusion, but Barbara Eden was the only one who fit the part.

The Kravtiz Home

Samantha and Darrin’s home wasn’t the only one being used as a setting for other TV shows and movies. The house belonging to their noisy neighbors the Kravitzs was also a hand-me-down. The Donna Reed Show was set inside the same house from 1964 until it wrapped up in 1966. When ABC developed a new family sitcom The Partridge Family, the executives at Columbia Pictures Television knew exactly where to send the cast of this show – straight to the Kravitzs house!

Old School CGI

CGI still wasn’t around when Bewitched stared filming in the mid ‘60s, and its old-school effects look extremely outdated today. A team of hard-working stagehands made them possible and they helped Samantha create her magic every step of the way. Whenever she was supposed to clean her room with a quick magic trick, the director would yell “cut” and let the stagehands take care of the mess. They would keep on rolling afterwards, but Elizabeth Montgomery had to keep her arms raised the whole time, while standing in one place.

“Sisters at Heart”

After a group of African-American 10th graders visited the set of Bewitched, Elizabeth Montgomery and her husband William Asher learned that most of them weren’t able to read or write at a high school level. He decided to encourage them to dream bigger by letting them write the teleplay for the unforgettable episode “Sisters at Heart” under their teacher’s supervision. The central theme of this episode was overcoming racism and prejudice, and Montgomery considered it her personal favorite because it was “conceived in the image of innocence and filled with truth.”

Fearless Activist

Elizabeth Montgomery struggled with colon cancer for many years, before passing away in 1995. She married Robert Foxworth two years prior, after living together for twenty years. In addition to being one of the most recognizable TV stars of her generation, Montgomery dedicated a lot of her time to activism and charity work. Her views were pretty progressive for that era, and she championed women’s rights, AIDS activism, and gay rights long before other popular celebrities started supporting these causes.

Unremarkable Finale?

Most showrunners want to end their shows on a high note, but fans of Bewitched generally agree that the last episode wasn’t a memorable one – mostly because it seemed awfully familiar. “The Truth, Nothing but the Truth, So Help Me Sam” was just a rehash of “Speak the Truth” which originally aired in 1965 and revolved around a simple truth spell. We have to give the creators of this show some credit, though – Bewitched ran for a total of 254 episodes and they probably started running out of ideas for new storylines.

Timeless Legacy

Bewitched officially wrapped up in 1972, after eight seasons on the air, but its legacy still lives on. Fantasy sitcoms were dominating the airwaves in the mid-60s, but this show was the longest-running project of its genre. In addition to making it to TV Guides’ list of 50 greatest shows of all time, Bewitched also got a monument built in its honor. Salem, Massachusetts celebrated the 40th anniversary of this timeless classic by unveiling a statue of Samantha flying on a broomstick.

Ahead of Its Time

Many critics felt that Bewitched broke new ground in its depiction of women in television. Unlike many characters of her era, Samantha didn’t divide her time between dreaming of love and plotting revenge on her husband. This show also subverted cultural stereotypes regarding witches, because it was always clear how different Samantha and Endora were from the rest of their community. Even if she seemed like a typical housewife to the outsiders, Samantha was always the one in control and she was far more powerful than her husband.

Spinoff Show

In addition to inspiring several copycats, Bewitched also served as inspiration for a spinoff show, which aired five years after the original series wrapped up and centered on Tabitha Stephens. Instead of casting Erin Murphy, who played the role before, ABC decided to go with newcomer Lisa Hartman. The show followed the young witch’s adventures as she navigated her life in Los Angeles, where she worked as a production assistant at a TV station. It wasn’t a huge success, and ABC canceled it after a single season.

International Versions

Bewitched was such a huge hit that they tried to replicate its success in other countries. Russia, India, and the United Kingdom were three of the countries with their own remakes of the hit show. Interestingly enough, most of them were filmed after 2000, which means that the message of this hit fantasy sitcom still resonates today. Needless to say, the original show was syndicated in various countries around the world. The Brazilian version was a little bit different than the rest of them, since Darrin’s name was changed to James because it sounded feminine and it was difficult to pronounce.

Movie Remake

Bewitched was such a huge success that it was just a matter of time before Hollywood executives decided to revisit it again. That moment finally came in 2005, when a big screen remake starring actors Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell hit the theaters. Unfortunately, this movie wasn’t able to revive the magic of the original, and it was a critical and commercial failure for Columbia Pictures. The sparks weren’t flying between Kidman and Ferrell who ended up winning a Golden Raspberry Award for worst on-screen couple.

Potential Reboot

Many of our favorite shows are getting revivals these days, but is this ever going to happen to Bewitched? Rumors of a potential reboot have been circling around for years and several plans for bringing this show back already fell apart. Most recently, Black-ish creator Kenya Barris started plotting a reboot for ABC, featuring an interracial blended family. It was later reported that the network won’t be proceeding with this series because “the script wasn’t quite there”, but the project remains “in active development” – so there’s still some hope left!

Fox Is Moving Forward With A Reimagining

A new hour-long take on Bewitched is in development at Fox, with Sony Pictures Television co-producing. Judalina Neira, known for her TV work, is writing and executive producing. The project aims to show Samantha and Darrin before the sitcom, focusing on their early romance and the cultural friction between two very different families. This is a fresh creative push, but it will not arrive overnight.

Tabitha Is Getting New Spins

Alongside the hour-long reimagining, multiple Tabitha projects are reportedly moving forward. One is a live-action series about a pre-teen Tabitha, the other is a kids animated spinoff aimed at younger viewers. Producers seem interested in stretching the property across formats, trying different angles to find what connects with today’s audiences. Expect different tones depending on which project survives development.

Erin Murphy Remains Part Of The Conversation

Erin Murphy, the actress most associated with Tabitha, is still active with fans and in entertainment circles. She attends conventions, engages on social media, and has pursued multiple business ventures outside acting. Murphy has said she would be open to appearing in new Bewitched projects, which keeps a direct link to the original series in any reboot discussion. Her name pops up early whenever the subject of continuity comes up.

The Originals Still Shape The Franchise

Even as studios try new directions, the original cast’s legacy guides most choices. Elizabeth Montgomery’s advocacy and on-screen leadership keep getting mentioned as reasons to treat the material with care. Physical tributes live on, like the bronze Samantha statue in Salem and later honors that reaffirm the show’s place in TV history. Any successful revival will likely nod to that original spirit.

Reboot Attempts Keep Coming And Going

Bewitched has attracted reboot interest for years, with several pitches and pilots never making it to series. The 2005 film tried to update the idea and failed to capture the original magic, a cautionary tale for developers. That history means producers face pressure to offer something new while respecting what fans loved. For now, the latest slate is in early development and we will have to wait to see which project moves forward.