Bewitched cartoon Samantha
 

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TV guide from 1965 with Samantha and Darrin on the cover

 
Bewitched is my favorite TV-series as long as I can remember. The name of my cattery (It's Wishcraft) comes from episode 103 of the series. Bewitched is a comedy about an exceptionally pretty young witch named Samantha and her earnest attempts to abandon her witchcraft to please her mortal husband, Darrin.

Samantha and Endora in the kitchenThe couple was married on the first telecast, but that was the last "normal" event in their union. Samantha was continually tempted to use her witchly powers, invoked by a twitch of her nose, to get her way around the house. There was also a bevy of her relatives, none of whom wanted her to go straight; her mother Endora, her father Maurice, practical-joking Uncle Arthur, and forgetful Aunt Clara, witches and warlocks all. Esmerelda the housekeeper, who came along in 1969, was also a witch, but her powers were declining; a timid soul, she would away when spoken to harshly.

 
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Sam's mischievous look-alike, cousin Serena, was also played by Elizabeth Montgomery. Also in the cast were Larry Tate, Darrin's long-suffering boss at the New York advertising agency of McMann and Tate, Larry's wife Louise, and the Stephens' easygoing but somewhat nosy neighbors, the Kravitzes. Samantha's first child, Tabatha,was "born" on the telecast of January 13, 1966. The newborn infant was played briefly by identical twins Heidi and Laura Gentry and then by Tama and Julie Young; beginning in the fall of 1966, two-year-old Erin and Diane Murphy assumed the role (later it was played by Erin alone). A son, Adam, came along on the night of October 16, 1969, although he was not seen regularly until the 1971-1972 season.

Henry VIII in BewitchedVisitors to the Stephens household included Julius Caesar (summoned up by mistake when Samantha asked Esmerelda to make a Caesar salad), George Washington, and Henry VIII (see pic). Bewitched was a multi-layered situation comedy considered light and fluffy by some, but in actuality was a sophisticated ensemble comedy textured with hundreds of pop culture references and relevant cultural themes. Well written and superbly performed, the show has run continuously for 40 years and proven to be timeless.

 
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