Posted on 04/28/2005 4:27:54 AM PDT by billorites
SALEM -- When the cast and crew of ''Bewitched" flew into Salem in 1970 to film episodes of the television sitcom, Witch City rolled out its red carpet.
Elizabeth Montgomery, the actress who played twitchy-nosed Samantha Stephens, was honored at official dinners. Fans thronged The House of the Seven Gables and other historic sites used in the filming. And Oct. 7, 1970, was declared ''Bewitched Day" in Salem.
But now some in Salem are upset over plans by the TV Land cable network to honor the late Montgomery with a 9-foot bronze statue in a city infamous for its 17th century persecution of people feared to be witches. The statue would depict Montgomery sitting sidesaddle on a broom. It would stand in a downtown park at the corner of Essex and Washington streets.
''It's insensitive to what happened in 1692," said Jean Harrison, one of several Salem residents opposing the plan. ''She was a fictional witch, but the people who died were not witches."
Mayor Stanley J. Usovicz Jr. said the statue will bring a bit of whimsy to town and maybe a boost to Salem's seasonal tourist trade. He said the city insisted that the statue be placed away from sites associated with the witch trials, such as a park dedicated to the memory of the 19 accused witches hanged on Gallows Hill in 1692.
The Samantha Stephens role, which is about to be reprised by Nicole Kidman in a ''Bewitched" movie, would join a cast of characters immortalized in bronze across America by TV Land, including Ralph Kramden, Andy and Opie Taylor, and Mary Richards. TV Land, which shows reruns of old television programs, calls the statues TV Land Landmarks.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
More vital "news" from the MSM.
Poor Mrs. Kravitz, she'll never get a statue...
(RIP, Miss Alice Pearce)
Calling Dr. Bombay, come right away.
You can almost see Abner reading his newspaper, trying to ignore her.
I think that the statue would be more of an eyesore. It's a nice park. Maybe a smaller version.
"Mayor Stanley J. Usovicz Jr. said the statue will bring a bit of whimsy to town and maybe a boost to Salem's seasonal tourist trade. He said the city insisted that the statue be placed away from sites associated with the witch trials, such as a park dedicated to the memory of the 19 accused witches hanged on Gallows Hill in 1692."
??? Hello?
How about a park that ISN'T dedicated to accused witches of the 17th century?
Salem's a nice city, but it seems very dependent on the tourist trade. Can't blame'em for wanting to dance with the girl that brung'em :)
Thanks for posting this story--it brings back lots of happy childhood memories of watching this show.
Some of my favorites as a child: Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Gilligan's Island, Love American Style, The Brady Bunch, The Waltons ...
They don't make t.v. shows like they used to.
"The Samantha Stephens role, which is about to be reprised by Nicole Kidman in a ''Bewitched" movie..."
This sounds somewhat promising, something I could maybe see with my daughter, a big Nicole Kidman fan. But they will never top the wonderful mother-daughter chemistry between Agnes Moorehead and Elizabeth Montgomery in the tv show. It keeps it highly watchable even to this day, even the episodes seen over and over again.
My childhood faves were All In the Family and The Carol Burnett Show. I watched I Dream Of Jeannie and Bewitched because I thought Elizabeth Montgomery and Barbara Eden were hot.
Yes, I've been there. And there must be a 1000 other places they can put it.
Yeah, probably. It's the size I object to. Nine feet is freakin' huge. I think a lifesize version would be better no matter where they put it. Folks could visit it to get their pics taken with it. Paging the city fathers...
It does sound big. I wonder if they're taking a measurement from the ground up, so several feet of the measurement isn't actually her on the broom, but a support of some kind so it appears as though it's suspended in midair?
Any pictures?
I thought Elizabeth Montgomery was such a beautiful woman during the "Bewitched" days. I later learned that that "Bewitched" cast was full of leftist radicals, including Montgomery herself, who was very active in assorted far-left causes from anti-Viet Nam to pro-homosexual. Dick Sargent, who played the second Darrin, became a homosexual activist and died from AIDS. Agnes Moorehead, (Endora) was a lesbian, although from an era where it wasn't to her advantage to announce it. I still have nostalgia for the show, but now I root for Larry Tait appearances. I got to know Sandra Gould, the other actress who played Mrs. Kravitz, when I lived in LA. She was a very nice lady, although it always felt odd to be talking to Gladys Kravitz.
Hee hee. The REAL Darrin. But he could be awfully nasty to Sam at times.
Witch Derwood, 1 or 2? ;)
Ok Freepers, who’s hotter:
Samantha vs. Genie?
I come down fully in the Samantha camp. Elizabeth Montgomery was very pleasant to look at.
What television show isn't lousy with leftists? I know what you mean though. I always had a thing about Meg Ryan until I figured out what a loon she is. Right now, I have a crush on Reese Witherspoon although, alas, I suspect she'll turn out to be a moonbat, too.
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