What is Harpies Bizarre and why is this Bewitched web site named after it?
The Harpies Bizarre name is in reference to a prop from the Bewitched TV show. It is the magazine that the witches read in several episodes. This prop amusingly played on the title of the popular Harper's Bazaar fashion magazine. Despite the vast amount of time that passed between the magazine's appearance on the show, it always had the same cover of a beautiful maiden harpy. We at Bewitched @ Harpies Bizarre have come to believe that while the content of the magazine changed every time a witch turned the page, the outside cover remained the same as they only ever needed to obtain one copy. After all, a wise witch would not waste time standing in line at Galactic Groceries waiting to purchase the magazine each month, or stay in one place long enough to have a subscription sent. Zap over to The Prop Is Familiar to see Endora and others reading the magazine.

Why did they switch Darrins on Bewitched?
Dick York left the show at the end of the 5th season due to chronic back problems. York suffered a seizure while filming #167, Daddy Does His Thing just after the Thanksgiving holidays in 1968. This event was brought on by years of constant pain caused by an injury suffered on a movie set in 1959. Dick Sargent was brought on as a replacement at the beginning of the 6th season. A very pregnant Samantha is seen painting a crib in the back yard and Darrin is practicing his golf swing while they discuss names for the baby in # 171 Samantha and the Beanstalk when viewers first saw the new Darrin. The switch was never addressed on the air. Viewers of the show became bewitched by the chemistry between York and Montgomery and the show was an immediate success. This made it hard for fans to accept the “new” Darrin. For more information on the impact of the switch, please read The Decline of Bewitched.

Did Darrin and Samantha have a 2nd child on the show?
Yes, Adam Stephens was born in episode # 175 And Something Makes Four. David Lawrence played the dark-haired boy in 15 episodes. Episode # 242 Adam, Warlock or Washout was a very good episode involving Adam, and viewer’s learned that he did have some magical abilities, but he was not as quick of a study at the craft as his older sister, Tabitha. She was said to have extraordinary powers for her age.

Were there words to the Bewitched theme song?
Yes, the words are listed on the Lyrics page. Vocal tracks have been recorded by Steve Lawrence, Peggy Lee, Billy Costa, and others. When Elizabeth Montgomery hosted The Hollywood Palace TV variety show on October 1, 1966, she did a dance number with an entourage of men (a la Marilyn Monroe in Gentleman Prefer Blondes) singing this song to her.

Did Dick York get fired for having a drug problem?
No, York was asked if he could continue, and he chose to say “No.” He had a seizure on the set that he attributed to the lighting and the fact that he and Maurice Evans were suspended on a ledge above the set. He had been in pain all day, so he went to the doctor and received an injection of B-12 vitamin during his lunch hour. He hadn't eaten or slept, so the exhaustion contributed to the episode. After the seizure, York was rushed to the hospital. It was while visiting him there that Bill Asher said on the E! True Hollywood Story Bewitched interview, that he asked York if he could continue with the show. It was in York’s best interest to leave the show and he had no grievance with Screen Gems management or the ABC network.

Did Dick Sargent die of AIDS?
No, he passed on due to prostate cancer in 1994. While Sargent did come out and discuss his homosexuality in early 1991, he did so because the tabloids were invading his personal life and he didn’t want to live a lie any longer, not because he had contracted HIV. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with cancer just a couple of years before that, so some speculated that his ill health was associated with AIDS. He even appeared on Entertainment Tonight to confirm that he was gravely ill and to say that it was due to cancer. Also, another famous TV dad, Robert Reed (forever remembered as Mike Brady on the Brady Bunch) did have HIV when he died of colon cancer in 1992, which some may have confused with Sargent’s death.

Why did the original Gladys Kravitz leave the show?
Alice Pearce died unexpectedly of ovarian cancer in 1966. Similar to the way the Darrin switch was handled later, the “new” Gladys (played by Sandra Gould) was never explained. What’s more interesting is the fact that the first Louise Tate (Irene Vernon) left Bewitched willingly to pursue a different career. She became a real estate agent after leaving Hollywood. In what was probably the most easily accepted switch during the 8 years that Bewitched was on the air, Kasey Rogers assumed the role of Louise.

The first switch on the show was actually Tabatha. She was first played by Laura and Heidi Gentry as the newborn witchlet. After one week, Tamar and Julie Young were brought on the set. By season three, the Murphy twins were twitching up trouble at 1164 Morning Glory Circle. Eventually, Erin took over as Tabitha (with an "i" at this point) full time and Diane appeared on the show as different characters.

Who was Pandora Spocks?
Clever Elizabeth Montgomery came up with the idea to credit her performance as Samantha’s spunky cousin, Serena, to the fictional Pandora Spocks. This name was a play on words involving the mythological story of Pandora’s Box.

What was Samantha’s maiden name?
Her surname was never mentioned on the show. However, in Al Hine’s novel Bewitched, which used the characters from the show, her maiden name was referred to as “Dobson.”

Were Endora and Maurice divorced?
No, Endora threatened an ectoplasmic interlocutory (the witches’ version of Divorce Court) when Maurice paraded a new bombshell secretary around in front of her in #168, Samantha's Good News, but they clearly did not live together or get along all that well on the show. Yet, they both accepted (begrudgingly) their daughter’s choice to live a mortal existence and popped in for visits with their grandchildren. Bewitched was very liberal for its time. Not only did they feature a couple that were separated, they also were the first sitcom to show bedroom scenes. Florence Henderson once attributed the Bradys to being the first couple to share a bed on TV, but Sam and Darrin were seen in a double bed (unlike Rob and Laura Petrie who managed to conceive little Richie despite their twin beds) since the 1st season in 1964.

Why do television stations edit scenes out of Bewitched?
In the early years of television advertisements, a sponsor would be assigned to the show by the network, so the 30-minute time slot would feature a 5-minute commercial and a 25-minute episode. In the case of Bewitched, a cartoon opening for Chevy and Quaker Oats was included. Today, networks only show about 22 minutes and the other 8 minutes are commercials. So, scenes are edited based on the length of the show and the relevance to the story line. Please refer to the Bewitched on Video page for other available formats, such as DVD.

Bewitched is on in different countries. How does it translate?
Throughout the world, there are fans watching Bewitched 30-plus years later. The main differences seem to be with the names of the characters. In Brazil, Darrin’s name is James. When Endora goofs on his name, she calls him Jimbo, Jumbo, Dumbo, etc.

In the French translation, Darrin is named Jean-Pierre. Endora calls him Jean-Paul, Jean-François, and sometimes Machin-Chose (which means "sort of nothing" in French). Larry Tate is named Alfred and Gladys Kravitz is named Charlotte. In the 60s, French people were not used to foreign names and the translators preferred to give to the characters names that were common to the French audience. During the show, Tabatha is the only name of the Stephens girl. She is never called Tabitha. It’s also amusing to hear the French-speaking voices that are given to the characters. Samantha’s voice isn’t nearly pretty enough to suit her, but Aunt Clara’s is right on the mark!

Cesar from Peru recently shared a comparison with his native country's translation. He said that there is no laugh track in this Spanish-dubbed version. But viewers are sure to be laughing out loud when they hear someone call for Dr. Bombay. Instead of the typical "Calling, Dr. Bombay. Emergency, come right away!" they hear "Doctor Bombay venga aqui antes que diga Ay!," which loosely translates to "Dr. Bombay come here at once before I go OUCH!"

Is the Sabrina, the Teenage Witch TV show a knock-off of Bewitched?
Surprisingly, the answer is no. The Sabrina character was created in 1962 by Archie Comics. The Bewitched pilot was filmed in 1963 and didn't air until September of 1964. There have been 3 generations of the Sabrina comic book. The last relaunch was inspired by Melissa Joan Hart's success as the teen TV witch. Also of note is that Dick Sargent starred as the father of a teenage daughter with supernatural powers in 1989's Teen Witch (and the daughter's name was Louise, not Tabitha!)

Where are some of the props from Bewitched now?
While the whereabouts of many of the props from Bewitched remain a mystery, we have received word on a few items. Elizabeth's only daughter is said to have the pave diamond heart necklace and the Mona Sammy painting, Elizabeth's starburst brooch that was willed to her by Agnes Moorehead was auctioned off at Southeby's in the Spring of 2003 to an unknown bidder, Darrin's supercar is on display at Darryl Starbird's National Rod and Custom Hall of Fame museum in Afton, Oklahoma, and Kasey Rogers kept both portraits of herself from the "Mona Sammy" episode. Agnes Moorehead left many of her personal papers, including Bewitched scripts, call sheets, and articles about the show to Wisconsin's Historical Society Museum of Film and Theater Studies. Sadly, 9 times out of 10, the props listed for sale on eBay cannot be authenticated.

Who are McMann and Tate?
While most viewers of the show are familiar with Darrin's boss, Larry Tate (played by David White throughout the run of the show), the other partner at the advertising agency is Howard McMann. Larry Tate was married to Louise (played by Irene Vernon and Kasey Rogers) and they had one son named Jonathan. Like many in the Bewitched cast, two different actors played McMann in his two appearances on the show. McMann was played by Roland Winters in #139 and Leon Ames in #191. His wife also appeared in # 191, and was referred to as "Mrs. McMann." And once, in a script, she was called "Margaret" by Larry. She was played by Jeanne Sorel (Jeanne was also in # 177, where she played Mrs. Townsend).