Bewitched (TV Milestones) [Paperback]

Walter Metz (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0814332315 | ISBN-13: 978-0814332313 | Publication Date: January 30, 2007

The classic situation comedy Bewitched chronicled the everyday lives of Samantha, a witch, and Darrin Stephens, her mortal husband, dramatizing the often-humorous troubles caused by their mixed marriage. For much of its eight-year run, Bewitched enjoyed strong popularity because of its broad appeal. A parade of magical characters, animals, special effects, and gimmickry used to portray witchcraft ensured that the series appealed strongly to children, while its domestic tensions, feminist undertones, and hints at gay and lesbian subculture grabbed the attention of adult viewers. Bewitched also participated in industrial innovations, like the shift from black-and-white to color television production, and found itself caught in the political shift from Lyndon Johnson s Great Society to Richard Nixon s staunch conservatism. With all of these factors in mind, Walter Metz considers the series an important touchstone in 1960s and 1970s culture.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Among the many gaps in television history is the lack of detailed analysis of individual television series. Here Walter Metz carefully places Bewitched in a range of contexts personal, industrial, aesthetic, gendered, historical. In doing so he demonstrates how a single popular program distills, intensifies, and somehow magically examines our most significant cultural questions. --Horace Newcomb, director, the George Foster Peabody Awards and editor of The Museum of Broadcast Communications Encyclopedia of Television and Television: The Critical View, 7th edition

Classic TV meets contemporary theory in this readable, engaging, and consistently thought-provoking study of Bewitched. --Diane Negra, reader in film and television studies, University of East Anglia and author of Off-White Hollywood: American Culture and Ethnic Female Stardom

An appropriately inspired analysis of one of TV s most inspired and undervalued sitcoms. From his opening proposition of a queer reading of Bewitched to his savvy analysis of its portrayal of ideology, class, and especially gender, Walter Metz builds a convincing case that this slice of 1960s everyday television was among that era s most progressive depictions of marriage and family, and a key precursor to the burgeoning feminist movement. --Thomas Schatz, executive director, University of Texas Film Institute and author of The Genius of the System: Hollywood Filmmaking in the Studio Era

About the Author

Walter Metz is associate professor of film and theater at Montana State University

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Wayne State Univ Pr (T) (January 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814332315
• ISBN-13: 978-0814332313
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,455,497 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tiny book about cute little show gives OUTSTANDING intellectual observations!, July 4, 2008

By 

You Can Call Me "Books" "Amazon8" (Phila., PA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bewitched (TV Milestones) (Paperback)

I was surprised when I got the book in the mail because it is small, about the size of a 5 X 7 portatrait? But after I opened it, all my worries went away. This book packs a wallop- giving historical & social signifigance to a popular TV sitcom that is normally ignored by scholars and serious TV fans alike. It rightfully acknowledges how Samantha and Co. set the standard for free thinking females throughout the 60s and 70s. But the book also cites inconsistencies & hypocrisy as well, from the writers and directors of the show. Basically, it's not easy to poke fun of the status quo BUT Bewitched was deliciously subversive by using camp, exaggeration, comedy and talent. Fashion, special effects, sexuality, history, feminism, politics, racism are all used as subject matter in this tiny book. This book is intelligent, informative and a bit dry. BUT all the great statements, observations, questions and theories made about the show make this book a MUST HAVE for true Bewitched fans. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars because it IS kind of studious and almost like a textbook. But what saves the read is that the book is about such a fun and fabulous show.

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Major Disappointmen, September 2, 2008

By 

Harry Ohsiek (Salt Lake City, UT) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bewitched (TV Milestones) (Paperback)

If your're expecting lots of pictures, behind-the-scenes, interviews, cast bios, trivia, etc dont waste your money. This book is very plain & boring (the bland cover should be a give-away). Yes there are some black & white fuzzy photos of scenes from selected episodes.
But the whole purpose of this book is through a political point-of-view to show how the series compares to real-world situations then & now (when mentioned that is, the author also talks about other TV series) .