Bewitched S1 E1: I, Darrin, Take This Witch, Samantha

I had wanted to wait and do seasons 1 and 2 with the colorized version but I decided to just do them in black and white.

The theme song to Bewitched, written by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller, originally had lyrics. The version I included below is sung by Steve Lawrence. The person who posted the video on YouTube wrote this: "Steve Lawrence recorded the song and it was used for the flip-side of his 1964 single "I Will Wait For You." As far as I've been able to determine, it was never released on any album. In 2005 when the movie starring Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrel premiered, the song was included on the soundtrack, 41 years after it had been written."

 

 

Bewitched, bewitched, you've got me in your spell.

Bewitched, bewitched, you know your craft so well.

Before I knew what you were doing, I looked in your eyes.

That brand of woo that you've been brewin' Took me by surprise.

You witch, you witch! One thing is for sure,

that stuff you pitch, just hasn't got a cure.

My heart was under lock and key, but somehow it got unhitched.

I never thought my heart could be had. But now I'm caught and I'm kind of glad

To be, to be bewitched.

 

Bewitched! Bewitched!

My heart was under lock and key, but somehow it got unhitched.
I never thought my heart could be had, but now I'm caught and I'm kinda glad
that you, you do, that crazy voodoo
and I'm bewitched by you!

Rehearsals for Bewitched were set to begin on November 22, 1963. It was postponed however due to the assassination of President Kennedy.

Elizabeth Montgomery was pregnant when filming started and they had to shoot around it, resulting in lots of close-ups. It can be seen in some shots however.

The show aired for the first time on September 17, 1964. In the first episode, Darrin (Dick York) and Samantha (Montgomery) keep bumping into each other and end up getting married. And then she tells him - she's a witch. Luckily, Samantha bewitched Darrin as well as everyone who watched the show and a classic was born.

Here are the outfits from episode 1:

Here Samantha is wearing a textured Chanel suit (pale pink in the colorized version). It features a notched collar, three-quarter length sleeves, four matching buttons, and double pocket flaps. It appears to be made of nubby wool, mohair, or boucle.

 

 

      

This sleeveless, polka-dot shift dress has a gathered neckline and what appears to be a tie at the waist. It is a mustard color (seen further down in this post).

 

Promotional photos show that the robe is pale pink.

The home that Darrin and Samantha rent for the first two episodes before buying the home they would live in for the rest of the series features the exterior and the foyer/living room of the Baxter's home for Hazel (1961). (IMDb)

The sweater/jacket is the same as in this behind-the-scenes photo from the Pilot. Underneath is the sleeveless polka-dot dress (worn in the brief clip where Samantha is kissing Darrin under a tree which is pictured above). You can see more of it, including the white pumps, in the photos below.

You can really see her pregnancy in this shot.

 

A note on the costumes: According to IMDb, the costumes for the later seasons were by Vi Alford (women) and Byron Munson (men). However, in an interview conducted by Harpies Bazarre with Herbie J. Pilato, renowned Bewitched author and Elizabeth Montgomery biographer, he stated that while Munson was the costume designer (in earlier episodes), Montgomery often wore her own clothes (most likely the sweaters and slacks we've seen in season 3 especially) and even started her own clothing line around season 4 (you can read an interview with Montgomery about it here).

 

I'll leave you with this neat sketch of the opening credits by Hanna Barbera.