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50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Sad Farewell To Dick York In An Otherwise First Class Fifth Season, June 5, 2007
I believe the one thing above all else that really made the classic series "Bewitched", so special was the near perfect chemistry between actress Elizabeth Montgomery and actor Dick York as the beautiful housewife witch Samantha and her often harried but always loving husband Darrin. This well thought out teaming of two performers who were so compatible together and who actually seemed to be like a real husband and wife on screen certainly helped to carry "Bewitched", to the incredible success it enjoyed right from Episode One. By the beginning of Season Five, which is now happily being released onto DVD, the classic comedy series had really hit its full stride. With its ratings still high and with the show still collecting an annual batch of Emmy nominations the future for "Bewitched", looked very bright indeed. Season Five despite being very entertaining, as every true fan will know unfortunately has a dark side to it in that Dick York's ongoing back problems meant that he began to miss episodes as the show progressed through its fourth year and on into the fifth. About half way through Season Five with Dick York's health problems growing worse with him often unable to perform, the character of Darrin was repeatedly written out of many of the stories thus loosing that famed "Sam and Darrin", basis to the whole story. His characters absense was usually explained away by having Darrin "away on business", during the episode. Unfortunately York's health crisis didn't improve and he was forced to leave the series all together before the end of the season. It wasn't certain whether he would return for Season Six at that time which explains why an earlier filmed episode "Samantha and Darrin in Mexico City", was held back and shown as the last episode of Season Five.
Despite the tragedies going on behind the scenes during this season on "Bewitched", for the most part it's a terrific season with some wonderful episodes, a few of which even tackle some quite serious social issues that are timely even today. Ironically enough in the light of Dick York's declining health some of the earlier episodes in Season Five such as "Samantha's Wedding Present", and especially the classic "Mirror Mirror on the Wall" in my belief contain some of his greatest and very funniest work and give no indication of the terrible agony he was usually in with his back at this late stage of his involvement with "Bewitched".
Season Five of "Bewitched", holds some real favourites for me and a few of what I feel are the standout episodes are listed below.
"Samantha's Wedding Present", which introduces a more tanned and blonde Elizabeth Montgomery in a story borrowing heavily from the Sci Fi classic "The Incredible Shrinking Man", wherby Endora shrinks Darrin down to miniature size which causes him some harrowing experiences when he encounters the Kravitz's over sized new dog and is captured by an Irish drunk who thinks Darrin is a Leprechaun who he'll only release when he grants him three wishes.
"Mirror, Mirror on the Wall", a great favourite of mine with an absolutely hilarious performance by Dick York when Endora zaps a vanity spell on him making him the most egocentric and vain person imaginable. The sight of Dick York swishing around and camping it up in a Gold Lame Suit, hippy beads and Elvis-like sideburns will have you laughing out loud.
"Samantha's Super Maid", a great performance by Mabel Albertson as the interfering Mrs Stephens Snr. who forces Samantha to hire a new maid much to her and Darrin's opposition considering the witchcraft happening in the house all the time. Endora and Samantha join forces to undo Mrs Stephen's plans to "give Samantha more time away from home duties to socialise with the people who can help boost Darrin up the ladder of success".
"Going Ape", An episode Dick York missed but a very funny story of Tabitha changing an ape into a man who Larry feels has great potential for McMann and Tate's latest ad campaign. Desite his initial reluctance to allow Tabitha to change him back the Man/Ape gets bored with all the attention and with Samantha's help literally "goes ape", in the television studio causing complete mayhem and forcing Larry to fire him.
"Tabitha's Weekend", Another episode without Dick York but a great family domestic story when Phyllis attempts to have Tabitha stay for the weekend much to Samantha's opposition. Phyllis' plans however go astray when Endora and Samantha both also turn up causing all sorts of domestic tensions especially between long time rivals Endora and Phyllis. The resulting mayhem causes Phyllis to develop one of her famous "sick headaches".
"The Battle of Burning Oak", a wonderful story and another great favourite of mine where Endora turns Darrin into a terrible snob who aspires to join the exclusive Burning Oak Country Club. However when Samantha learns of the type of discrimination and "screening" used to gain membership, at the club she sets out to teach the snobs a very humbling lesson in tolerance and acceptance of others regardless of creed, colour, or status, with hilarious results. Samantha's catty lunch with the snobby "ladies", at the club is a comic highlight.
"Daddy Does His Thing", not really a great episode but significant to all "Bewitched", buffs in that this was the final episode Dick York actually filmed before collapsing with a massive seizure. Quite heart breaking to watch as you can clearly see for the first time how terribly ill Dick York was during its filming.
"Samantha and Darrin in Mexico City", an earlier episode held back to finish the season off with a Dick York appearance. Complications arise for Darrin when Endora casts a spell that makes him disappear everytime he attempts to speak Spanish to a potential client group while in Mexico City. Samantha saves the day with a few spells of her own that allows Darrin to deliver a long dinner speech in both English and Spanish.
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51 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The last of the classics..., May 6, 2007
This fifth season of Bewitched was the last good one before the show began to run out of ideas (evident by the recycling of earlier episode plots in the sixth season onward). Here's the list of the episodes you'll be getting plus a brief description:
1. Samantha's Wedding Present
First aired: 9/26/1968
Endora tries to make peace with Darrin, but ends up shrinking him down to size . . . gradually. Samantha tries to get her mother to return Darrin to his regular size, but not before a drunk finds the diminutive Darrin in a mayonnaise jar in the trash.
2. Samantha Goes South for a Spell
First aired: 10/3/1968
Because of Serena's foolishness, Samantha is sent back in time by a jealous witch named Brunhilda, who happened to be Serena's boyfriend's wife. In 1868 New Orleans, Samantha is taken in by a maid named Aunt Jenny, and her owner, Rance Butler, falls for her. Now it is up to Darrin to get her back from the Southern gentleman.
3. Samantha on the Keyboard
First aired: 10/10/1968
Endora gets Tabitha to play beautifully on the piano, and Darrin dares Samantha to learn how to play the mortal way. The Piano teacher hears Tabitha play and invites a famous conductor to see her play. Without magic, Tabitha does a poor job and the conductor is stunned. Samantha then finds a real prodigy for the conductor, and wins the bet with Darrin.
4. Darrin, Gone and Forgotten
First aired: 10/17/1968
Once upon a time, Endora made a deal with another witch Carlotta that Samantha will marry her son Juke, but Samantha hasn't lived up to her part of the deal. Now Carlotta and Juke are back and Carlotta will stop at nothing to give Juke what he wants. She makes Darrin disappear and never brings him back until Samantha agrees to marry Juke. Samantha tells Juke to finally stand up to his mother and tell her off.
5. It's So Nice to Have a Spouse Around the House
First aired: 10/24/1968
Serena is involved again. This time, Darrin takes her to the honeymoon spot where he and Samantha went. Samantha is at a Witches Council meeting and doesn't know what is going on. Darrin gets intimate with Serena, thinking that she is Samantha, and she tells him to back off. Then Tabitha is called to solve the puzzle.
6. Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
First aired: 11/7/1968
Endora turns Darrin into the most self-centered, conceited person on earth. He thinks that this will make him lose an account with a new client, but Samantha saves the day when she tells the client that they should zero in on the youth market.
7. Samantha's French Pastry
First aired: 11/14/1968
Uncle Arthur is supposed to make napoleons for dessert, but ends up bringing in Napoleon Bonaparte instead! Arthur cannot remember how to send him back and Larry wants to use Napoleon to advertise detergent. Unknowingly, Samantha says the right words and he disappears back to his own time.
8. Is it Magic or Imagination?
First aired: 11/21/1968
Mrs. Stephens drops in unexpectedly, and insists Samantha enter a slogan contest to win a trip to Tahiti. And she wins! Of course, Larry Tate's none to happy as it turns out to be one of their biggest clients. The typical Stephens fight occurs. Darrin's furious! He thinks Samantha used witchcraft. Darrin heads to the neighborhood bar, gets drunk, and tells the he's married to a witch. Darrin comes around when Samantha's slogan is rejected after all.
9. Samantha Fights City Hall
First aired: 11/28/1968
Samantha gets involved in a fight against tearing down a neighborhood park for a supermarket. The bad news is that the park is owned by Darrin's new client, Mr. Mossler, and because of her involvement, Darrin ends up losing his job. Samantha saves the day when she brings one of the statues in the park to life to convince Mossler to stop with the construction.
10. Samantha Loses Her Voice
First aired: 12/5/1968
As a joke, Uncle Arthur switches Samantha and Darrin's voices, and they try to keep a depressed Louise and Larry from finding out.
11. I Don't Want to Be a Toad, I Want to Be a Butterfly
First aired: 12/12/1968
Tabitha goes to pre-school for the first time and meets Amy, a classmate. When the teacher groups the children in animal groups, Amy gets chosen to be a toad in the toad group, but she wants to be in a butterfly group. Tabitha misunderstands her request and actually turns her into a butterfly! Samantha, who has been watching the whole thing through the window, chases Amy the butterfly all around the city and catches her so Tabitha can change her back.
12. Weep No More My Willow
First aired: 12/19/1968
Samantha wants to keep a willow tree in her yard and decides to treat it. She calls Dr. Bombay to make her tree weep, but Samantha gets caught in the spell and each time the wind blows, she starts crying. When Larry hears her cry, he thinks that she and Darrin are having a fight and comes over to comfort her, but not before Dr. Bombay comes by to give her an antidote to make her laugh. When Larry comes by, Samantha starts laughing and laughing, and Larry starts laughing too. Then Darrin comes in to find Samantha and Larry laughing for no apparent reason. Then Dr. Bombay comes by with another antidote to make everything and everyone normal again.
13. Instant Courtesy
First aired: 12/26/1968
Darrin is turned into the most nicest person in the world by Endora and gets a tough client named Mrs. Sebastian to sign with McMann and Tate. When Mrs. Sebastian suspects that something is up, she then takes back her account, but Samantha changes her mind and she accepts Darrin.
14. Samantha's Super Maid
First aired: 1/2/1969
Phyllis hires a maid for Samantha and Darrin, and a good-hearted maid named Amelia is chosen. The Stephens have to let her go because of the witchcraft in Samantha's family. Phyllis' friend, Mrs. Otis, decides to use Amelia.
15. Serena Strikes Again (1)
First aired: 1/9/1969
A sexy client named Clio Vanita tries to get with Darrin, but not if Serena can help it. Taking up for her cousin, Serena decides to turn Clio into a monkey! Darrin tries to get Serena to change her back, but she doesn't and Clio the monkey hangs around......
16. Serena Strikes Again (2)
First aired: 1/16/1969
The minute Clio flies the coop, Serena comes back. The Stephens and Serena find the monkey Clio in the hands of a little boy, an organgrinder, and the police! Serena changes Clio back and Samantha comes up with a stellar idea for the Clio Vanita wine account when Larry meets the organgrinder who kept Clio company as a monkey.
17. One Touch of Midas
First aired: 1/23/1969
Endora creates a toy called the Fuzz, a toy that has the power to charm people. Darrin presents this idea to Larry and the Fuzz charms Darrin to the tune of a million dollars. Samantha is worried about Darrin when he tells her that he will finally give her and Tabitha everything they could possibly want. Endora removes the spell and Samantha tells Darrin that as long as she and Tabitha love Darrin, that is worth a lot more than money.
18. Samantha the Bard
First aired: 1/30/1969
Samantha is speaking in rhymes, which turns out to be a bad thing when Darrin is entertaining a client who has been using jingles for years and is tired of them. Larry gets tired of Samantha rhyming and wants her to quit it. Dr. Bombay comes by and gets Samantha to stop rhyming. She then explains to the client that she spoke in rhymes to prove how annoying they can be.
19. Samantha the Sculptress
First aired: 2/6/1969
Endora causes trouble when she zaps two living statues of Larry and Darrin in Morning Glory Circle.
20. Mrs. Stephens, Where are You?
First aired: 2/13/1969
Phyllis breaks bad on Samantha's family, and Serena shuts her up by turning her into a cat! Miss Parsons finds Phyllis as a cat and decides to keep her. Meanwhile, Frank is looking for Phyllis and Samantha finds her at Miss Parsons' house with a whole bunch of other cats she has collected! She then finds cat Phyllis and gets Serena to change her back to a human.
21. Marriage, Witches' Style
First aired: 2/20/1969
Serena decides to do the same thing that Samantha did and tries to find a mortal to date. She finds Franklin Blodgett through a computer dating service, but like all TV Land computer dating agencies, the matches always turn out to be bad. This proves this fact when Franklin insults Serena's magic when they are about to be engaged.
22. Going Ape
First aired: 2/27/1969
Tabitha changes an ape into a handsome man named Harry who is instantly discovered as model potential. Harry gets bored of the whole situation, and Samantha tells him to act like himself, a mad ape.
23. Tabitha's Weekend
First aired: 3/6/1969
Phyllis wants Tabitha to spend a weekend with her and Frank, but doesn't count on Samantha and Endora to be there also. They all start fighting and arguing until Tabitha turns herself into a cookie. Samantha convinces her daughter that she is not the cause of all of their arguments and wants her to turn back into a human.
24. The Battle of Burning Oak
First aired: 3/13/1969
Darrin is invited to join the Burning Oak Country Club, a very exclusive club. To get the right attitude, Endora changes him into a snob of all snobs.
25. Samantha's Power Failure
First aired: 3/20/1969
The Witches Council takes away Samantha's powers when she refuses to break up with Darrin. Uncle Arthur and Serena help out Samantha and, as a result, loses their powers as well. After a terribly frustrating day in the mortal working world, Serena and Uncle Arthur decide that they are better off with their powers. Samantha goes to the Witches Council and tells them they are in the wrong for their ignorance. Then Samantha, Serena, and Uncle Arthur get their powers back.
26. Samantha Twitches for UNICEF
First aired: 3/27/1969
Samantha gets through to a greedy miser Mr. Haskell when he doesn't contribute to the UNICEF fund. Samantha and Endora mess up Haskell's love life when they hex Lila to admit that she is in an affair with another man!
27. Daddy Does His Thing
First aired: 4/3/1969
Maurice gives Darrin a magic lighter, which Darrin doesn't accept. Maurice turns Darrin into a donkey because of his ingratitude. Samantha tries to find her father and finds him in Paris. She returns to see that Darrin the donkey has been taken to an animal shelter. Darrin is released and Maurice back tracks everything that he did to turn Darrin back to a human.
28. Samantha's Good News
First aired: 4/10/1969
Endora and Maurice get into an argument about Maurice's new secretary and Endora makes him jealous by going out with a warlock who good in speaking Shakespeare. Then Maurice and the warlock duke it out with soliloquies and Maurice wins out. Then Samantha announces that she is to have another baby!
29. Samantha's Shopping Spree
First aired 4/17/1969
Samantha, Endora, Tabitha and their warlock cousin Henry spend a day in a department store. Henry is offended by a salesman, and he turns the salesman into a mannequin and refuses to change him back. Samantha and Endora try everything, but Tabitha remembers the spell and restores the salesman.
30. Samantha and Darrin in Mexico City
First aired: 4/24/1969
Samantha and Darrin are in Mexico City where Darrin is working on a new account for McMann and Tate. Endora puts a spell on him that makes him disappear when he speaks Spanish. Samantha gets her mother back who has the nerve to reverse the spell, this time, making Darrin disappear when he speaks English! Samantha helps him out when he delivers an excellent speech to Spanish and American patrons.
Let's hope they give us some extras on this one; haven't seen too much of that since the release of the first season and there are some terrific documentaries on the cast and the show itself that could and should be issued at some stage. Enjoy!
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love this season...5 stars for the show NOT Sony, July 12, 2007
I love this season and we waited a long time for it to be released. Now I wonder why it took so long as Sony did absolutely nothing but transfer it to DVD. Several of the episodes have some color fading and Sony chose not to remaster them. Also they placed this giant theft control device over the episode listing on one of the cases. Was it necessary to ruin the case because you are paranoid about thieves?
This is nothing against Bewitched, it is my favorite show. I just wish Sony had restored some of the episodes to their original quality and treated the show with the respect it deserves!
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