'Bewitched' television series 10 little known facts

1.Inspired by the big screen

Bewitched was a television series that ran for 8 seasons on ABC from 1964 until 1972. Sol Saks the creator admitted in several interviews, that his script for the pilot episode was inspired by two films: Bell Book and Candle, and I Married a Witch. Both movies were owned by Columbia Pictures, which also owned Screen Gems, the company that produced Bewitched. This is why Saks was not worried about there being problems from his obtaining his plot from the two movies.

2. A tale of two Dick's

Dick Sergeant was slated to play opposite Elizabeth Montgomery as Darrin Stephens but accepted another role and the part went to Dick York. For the first four seasons, York suffered through the episodes due to back pain from an old injury, The pain became so severe that York did not return for season 5 and Dick Sergeant stepped into the role.

3. Aunt Clara's fascination with doorknobs was real

Marion Lorne portrayed bumbling, fumbling Aunt Clara whose spells often went wrong. She was sweet and got along with Darrin unlike Samantha's other family members. Aunt Clara had an unusual fascination with doorknobs. This was art imitating life as the actress had a real-life doorknob fetish; Lorne owned a collection of over 1000 antique door openers.

4. Two women had the role of Gladys Kravitz

Alice Pearce was the first to portray busybody neighbor Gladys Kravitz. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer 4 months prior to being hired on Bewitched but kept her condition a secret. Pearce had surgery but was informed by doctors that she was terminal. Pearce passed away in March 1966, and two months later was awarded a posthumous Outstanding Supporting Actress Emmy Award. Sandra Gould was hired and took on the role of Gladys Kravitz for the remainder of the series.

5. David White family tragedies

David White portrayed Darrin's boss Larry Tate and if his face looks familiar there is a very good reason why. White was in a number of television shows during the 1950s and early 1960s. He had roles in a variety of different episodes of both The Twilight Zone and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. The actor endured a number of personal tragedies beginning with his wife dying in childbirth during her second pregnancy.

I am assuming that the baby passed away as well because White raised his son Jonathan as a single father and no other children are mentioned. White also requested that his television son be named after his real life child. Jonathan was a passenger on flight Pan Am flight 103 which blew up over Lockerbie Scotland in 1988 killing everyone on board. White died 2 years later of a heart attack and he and his son are inurned together at the Hollywood Forever cemetery.

6. The theme song had lyric

They were never heard in the opening credits of the show but there were lyrics to the Bewitched theme song. Steve Lawrence sings them in the video.

7. Elizabeth Montgomery was pregnant 3 times during the series

The second and third pregnancies of Elizabeth Montgomery were written into the show when Samantha gave birth to Tabitha and Adam. Her first pregnancy was during season one and was hidden by loose fitting clothing.

8. Agnes Morehead loved Dick York

Agnes Morehead absolutely adored Dick York who was the first Darrin. She hated it when he left the series because of back pain and took it out on his successor. Morehead was rude to Dick Sargeant and never really gave him a chance.

9. Production halted due to assasanations

Elizabeth Asher and her husband Bill Asher were good friends of President John F Kennedy. On the day that he was assassinated. they shut down production of Bewitched. Taping was halted again in 1968 on the day that Dr.Martin Luther King was murdered.

10. Supporting actors used their own clothing

The supporting actors on the show would bring in their own clothing to use and the wardrobe department would make sure the items were cleaned and pressed.