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'Bewitched' statue plan bothers, bewilders - But Salem touts it as tourism booster
Boston Globe ^ | April 28, 2005 | Kathy McCabe

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 ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Massachusetts
KEYWORDS: salem; statue; tourism; witches
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1 posted on 04/28/2005 4:27:55 AM PDT by billorites
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To: billorites
Gee, I wonder if this has anything to do with the upcoming "Bewitched" movie.

More vital "news" from the MSM.

2 posted on 04/28/2005 4:30:31 AM PDT by Wormwood (Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!)
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To: billorites

Poor Mrs. Kravitz, she'll never get a statue...

(RIP, Miss Alice Pearce)


3 posted on 04/28/2005 4:32:56 AM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (*Gregoire is French for Stealing an Election*)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

Calling Dr. Bombay, come right away.


4 posted on 04/28/2005 4:52:25 AM PDT by speedy
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To: billorites

You can almost see Abner reading his newspaper, trying to ignore her.


5 posted on 04/28/2005 4:53:30 AM PDT by speedy
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To: billorites

I think that the statue would be more of an eyesore. It's a nice park. Maybe a smaller version.


6 posted on 04/28/2005 4:56:21 AM PDT by mewzilla
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To: billorites

"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?


7 posted on 04/28/2005 4:58:45 AM PDT by nuconvert (No More Axis of Evil by Christmas ! TLR)
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To: nuconvert
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 :)

8 posted on 04/28/2005 5:01:57 AM PDT by mewzilla
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To: billorites

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.


9 posted on 04/28/2005 5:02:37 AM PDT by proud American in Canada
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To: proud American in Canada

"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.


10 posted on 04/28/2005 5:06:18 AM PDT by jocon307 (CVCVMELLA CAFEARIA CLAVSA EST)
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To: proud American in Canada

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.


11 posted on 04/28/2005 5:06:38 AM PDT by Right Angler
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To: mewzilla

Yes, I've been there. And there must be a 1000 other places they can put it.


12 posted on 04/28/2005 5:06:45 AM PDT by nuconvert (No More Axis of Evil by Christmas ! TLR)
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To: nuconvert

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...


13 posted on 04/28/2005 5:08:45 AM PDT by mewzilla
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To: nuconvert
What? No Derwood statue?


14 posted on 04/28/2005 5:15:03 AM PDT by Puppage (You may disagree with what I have to say, but I shall defend to your death my right to say it.)
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To: mewzilla

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?


15 posted on 04/28/2005 5:15:58 AM PDT by nuconvert (No More Axis of Evil by Christmas ! TLR)
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To: Right Angler

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.


16 posted on 04/28/2005 5:16:01 AM PDT by speedy
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To: Puppage

Hee hee. The REAL Darrin. But he could be awfully nasty to Sam at times.


17 posted on 04/28/2005 5:17:21 AM PDT by speedy
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To: Puppage

Witch Derwood, 1 or 2? ;)


18 posted on 04/28/2005 5:18:07 AM PDT by mewzilla
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To: Wormwood

Ok Freepers, who’s hotter:

Samantha vs. Genie?

I come down fully in the Samantha camp. Elizabeth Montgomery was very pleasant to look at.


19 posted on 04/28/2005 5:20:19 AM PDT by ElTianti
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To: speedy

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.


20 posted on 04/28/2005 5:22:25 AM PDT by Right Angler
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