Product Details

• Actors: Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, Agnes Moorehead, Erin Murphy, David Lawrence (IX)
• Directors: Ida Lupino, Alan Jay Factor, David Orrick McDearmon, Sidney Miller, Russ Mayberry
• Format: Box set, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, Color, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
• Subtitles: Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
  PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click here.
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• DVD Release Date: June 21, 2005
• Run Time: 917 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (235 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0009B16TO
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,843 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  #8 in	Movies & TV > Comedy > Television > Bewitched
  #30 in	Movies & TV > Television > Classic TV
  #82 in	Movies & TV > Classics > Kids & Family

• For more information about "Bewitched: The Complete First Season" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

• This is item 1 in The Bewitched Series.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
My stars! The first, and perhaps most magical, season of Bewitched still casts an enchanting spell. For escapist fantasy, this series, no doubt inspired by the play Bell, Book and Candle, broke significant television ground. The Stephens were sitcoms' first mixed marriage. Advertising executive Darrin Stephens (Dick York) was mortal, and wife Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) was a witch. According to a retrospective segment included on this four-disc set, the Stephenses were also the first couple to sleep in one bed! And Samantha's mother, Endora (the venerable Agnes Morehead), and father, Maurice (Maurice Evans, most popularly known as Dr. Zaius in the original Planet of the Apes, were TV's first separated couple. Surely, Darrin did for advertising what Dick Van Dyke's Rob Petrie did for comedy writing. And nose-twitching Samantha certainly gave Mary Tyler Moore's Laura Petrie a run for the money in the sexy suburbanite sweepstakes. This high-concept series' saving grace was that Darrin insisted that Samantha not engage in any "hocus-pocus." But in this first season, she would be compelled to use her extraordinary powers to right social wrongs (such as derogatory-witch stereotypes in the Halloween episode "The Witches Are Out"), champion the underdog (a lonely boy whose overprotective mother won't let him play baseball in "Little Pitchers Have Big Fears"), or to restore a troubled boy's Christmas spirit ("A Vision of Sugar Plums"). Or, she might just want to turn the tables on an insulting former girlfriend of Darrin's (the pilot, "Darrin, Take This Witch, Samantha").

York and Montgomery had palpable chemistry. They also received able support by a stellar ensemble of character actors. Alice Pearce and Marion Lorne would earn Emmys for their signature roles as busybody neighbor Mrs. Kravitz and dotty Aunt Clara, respectively. George Tobias portrayed oblivious. long-suffering Abner Kravitz, with David White as Darrin's boss, Larry Tate. In today's more PC climate, Bewitched may offend the "ban Harry Potter" crowd. But for baby boomers especially, this inaugural set will happily conjure up vintage television memories. --Donald Liebenson

Product Description
Elizabeth Montgomery stars as Samantha Stephens, a pretty, typical American housewife who just happens to be a witch in this beloved comedy classic. Included in this magical DVD collection is the Emmy (r) Award-winning series’ entire first season- 36 episodes that introduce one of the funniest ensemble casts in TV history. Dick York as Samantha’s mortal husband Darrin, Agnes Moorehead as his witch-of- a-mother-in-law Endora. Alice Pearce as nosey neighbor Gladys Kravitz, George Tobias as her oblivious husband Abner and Marion Lorne as dotty Aunt Clara. Join them and a who’s who of ‘60s pop icon guest stars- Adam West, Raquel Welch, Peggy Lipton and Arte Johnson- in this enchanting, charming, and hysterically funny look at the suburban lifestyles of the witch and famous.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

186 of 201 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Season one of this Elizabeth Montgomery sitcom is bedazzling, April 15, 2005

By	Robin Orlowski "political activist" (United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Bewitched - The Complete First Season (Black and White) (DVD)

At a time when interracial marriage was still making many Americans anxious, this sitcom helped to diffuse that real-life tension through a suburban fantasy. This show thus focuses less on the supernatural and more on issues of family, community, and idenity.

Thirty six episodes make up this 1964-1965 season. A 1963-filmed pilot episode is included in this season for good measure.

Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) is a witch who fell in love with and then married the mortal Darrin Stephens (who, for the first couple of seasons, is played by Dick York). Darrin accepts her `heritage' only on the condition that she now refrain from using witchcraft and `settle down' to be a normal American middle-class housewife.

To the horror of her mother Endora (Agnes Moorehead), Samantha has agreed to the request. But, Endora ultimately worried over nothing. Samantha herself soon discovers that giving up witchcraft was an impossible promise. Conflict between her promise and an often-more complicated reality drive this series' storylines.

Tensions immediately flare in the first season when an old flame of Darrin's (Nancy Kovak) invites them to a dinner party. Because Shelia Sommers is so obnoxious, Samantha breaks her promise in order to avoid being shown up in front of her husband. Beginning with this episode, Darrin recognizes that he cannot control when Samantha does/does not use her magic, and can only make suggestions. Whether this advice is taken then rests entirely with Samantha.

In "Be it ever so mortgaged" we meet Gladys and Abner Kravitz (Alice Pearce and George Tobias) who are the Steven's next door neighbors. Ever the busybody, Mrs. Kravitz begins a series-long tirade about `something weird going on over there'. Less concerned, her husband is a largely-silent type.

"It shouldn't happen to a dog" introduces us to Darrin's boss Larry Tate (David White) and his wife Louise (at this point being played by Irene Vernon). It also previews the many problems Darrin will have working at the McMahon & Tate advertising company.

"The witches are out" finds Samantha protesting the negative pop culture images of witches traditionally associated with American Halloweens. With the help of her beloved Aunt Clara (Marion Lorne) Samantha convinces an advertising client of Darrin's that using a pretty witch for their candy sales would be a better strategy through changing that executive's appearance: If he did not like being an ugly witch, neither did they! Aunt Clara has the distinction of being Samantha's only female relative who genuinely appears to like Darrin

Samantha meets her in-laws, Phyllis (Mabel Albertson) and Frank Stephens (Robert F. Simon) during "Samantha meets the folks". Aunt Clara's unexpected return and helping out upsets Darrin who had wanted his parents to believe that Samantha did all the housework by herself. Because she had wanted to find some fault with this housework (regardless of who actually did it), Phyllis was honestly disappointed by how perfect everything looked. Darrin's mother is later relieved to learn that her daughter in law is not actually a good housekeeper, and Darrin then makes up with Aunt Clara.

Aunt Clara makes another great appearance in "There's no witch like an old witch". Aunt Clara is a great babysitter until she accidentally tells the kids that she is a witch. Because witches supposedly do not exist, she is barred from babysitting. Although a judge (who had every reason to doubt her statement of being a witch) is instead impressed with Aunt Clara, the Stephens decide to send her to Miami for a convenient get away vacation with her friends. This will provide time for people to forget what they were told in this episode.

Forty years later, these episodes hold up great. Some sitcoms which cannot age well obviously depend on extras in the DVD sets in order to gain market appeal with `today's audience'. Bewitched is one of the rare titles which has always remained watch-able and really does not need the special features included in this release.

Even the 'black and white' filming of this season is not annoying. Bewitched was head and shoulders above many other sitcoms of the era to begin with.

The price for this product is really affordable considering the production quality AND all of the DVD extras. Exclusive DVD featurettes include bloopers, a feature how the 'magic' was performed, and a theatrical trailer for the upcoming Bewitched movie with Nicole Kidman.

I am only saddened that Montgomery and both `Darrins' are no longer around to participate in the DVD release for this series.

42 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed this show., July 13, 2005

By	Kevin Himpelmann (Morris, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Bewitched - The Complete First Season (Black and White) (DVD)

I recently purchased this boxed set (the original Black & White version, naturally). It's been ages since I'd watched any Bewitched, as I've been more concerned with Star Trek, Stargate, and any other show along those lines.
I have to tell you, going back and watching this was a real treat. The episodes, to this day, are still very funny. It's amazing too, just hhow many of these I remember, given how long it's been since I'd seen any of them.
As I said in the subject line, I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed watching this.
I don't think I really need to try to sell anyone on this release, as, really, who in the last few dacades didn't grow up watching this show?
Just go out, buy the set (even if you go with the colorized version), go home, pop it in, sit down and enjoy.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They don't make 'em like they used to, October 19, 2005

By	J. A. Overland "SaugaBookBoy" (Mississauga, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Bewitched - The Complete First Season (Black and White) (DVD)

Maybe I'm stuck in the past, but I don't think that (most) modern TV programs can compare to the great writing and acting from the older shows. Bewitched is one of those shows from my childhood that still shines brighter than anything new on the air today. Unless you subscribe to one of those specialty TV stations that replay the oldies, this DVD set is a must!