Marion Lorne Movies

In this comedy sequel to Wonderful Town (a popular Broadway musical), Kim, a museum worker from Providence, Rhode Island, inherits half ownership of a Las Vegas hotel when her father dies. She and her Aunt Clara go there to learn more about it. Unfortunately, just before they arrive, the other owner, Ether Ferguson, gambles the hotel away. When Kim and Clara arrive, Kim is led to believe that the hotel she co-owns is the Flamingo Hotel which is really owned by Victor Monte. Victor finds the naive lass charming and so allows the delusion to persist. Eventually they fall in love. Songs include: "An Occasional Man," "Take a Chance," "We're Alone," "The Girl Rush," "Champagne," "Birmingham," "Out of Doors," "Choose Your Partner," and "My Hillbilly Heart." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Filmed in black-and-white, the first season of Bewitched got under way just after the wedding of Darrin and Samantha Stephens (Dick York and Elizabeth Montgomery). The first major crisis in the marriage arises when "Sam" calmly informs her ad executive hubby, Darrin, that she is a witch -- "a genuine, broom-flying, cauldron-stirring witch" -- and proceeds to prove it by moving objects through the air and casting spells with the twitch of her nose. A mere mortal, Darrin is clearly taken aback by this revelation, but he loves Sam and is determined to make the marriage work. There is one condition, however: Sam must keep her powers a secret from others, and she must never use witchcraft in her everyday wifely activities. Though Sam does a good job with the first part of the condition (despite the suspicions of her snoopy next-door neighbor Gladys Kravitz [Sandra Gould]), she oftens finds that there is no alternative but to use her powers whenever Darrin gets into a mess, usually in connection with his job at the ad firm run by the bombastic Larry Tate (David White). Among the supporting characters making their first appearances in season one are Sam's witch mother, Endora (Agnes Moorehead), who detests Darrin and uses every power at her command to sabotage the marriage; Endora's husband, Maurice (Maurice Evans), an elegant warlock with a mercurial temperament; Sam's befuddled Aunt Clara (Marion Lorne), whose application of witchcraft is eccentric and misguided, to say the least; George Tobias as the obstreperous Gladys Kravitz's laid-back husband, Abner; and Irene Vernon as Larry Tate's good-natured wife, Louise. Guest stars this season include Adam West, Arte Johnson, Raquel Welch, Shelley Berman, June Lockhart, and, as a nervous driving instructor, Paul Lynde, two years before he became a Bewitched semi-regular in the role of Sam's prankish Uncle Arthur. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bumbling Aunt Clara pays another visit to the Stephens family. Taking Clara at her word that she doesn't want to be pampered, Samantha and Darrin assign the old dear to babysit a pair of precocious children. This turns out to be a big mistake when Clara casually informs the kiddies that she is a witch -- then sets about to prove it. First shown on April 1, 1965, "There's No Witch Like an Old Witch" was written by Ted Sherdeman and Jane Klove. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Darrin cannot understand why so much bad luck has befallen his friend Adam Newlarkin (William Redfield). Doing a bit of research on her own, Samantha discovers that the accident-prone Adam is plagued by an ancient curse. With the "help" of dotty old Aunt Clara, Sam tries to lift the curse by following a strict -- and very odd -- antidotal procedure. Written by Bernard Slade, "We're in for a Bad Spell" originally aired on September 30, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The title of this episode refers to a magical prescription conjured up by Aunt Clara. Samantha would be wise to follow Clara's advice; as the result of exposure to a black Peruvian rose, Sam has lost her magical powers. Even worse, she has broken out in bizarre square blotches (which are supposed to be green, but photograph as black.) Written by Bernard Slade, "Take Two Aspirins and Half a Pint of Porpoise Milk" originally aired on October 21, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The big news in season two of Bewitched is the birth of Tabitha Stephens, the daughter of attractive witch Samantha Stephens (Elizabeth Montgomery) and her mortal ad executive husband, Darrin Stevens (Dick York). The big event occurs in the episode titled "And Then There Were Three," originally telecast January 13, 1966. Otherwise, the status of the series' first season remains quo, with Samantha doing her best to avoid resorting to witchcraft at the request of her nervous husband, and Sam's imperious mother, Endora (Agnes Moorehead), casting all manner of spells to make poor Darrin's life miserable. Filmed in black-and-white, the second season of Bewitched marks the first appearance of Sam's funky, fun-loving cousin, Serena (who according to the cast credits is portrayed by one "Pandora Spocks," but who looks an awful lot like Elizabeth Montgomery). On a more somber note, this season marks the final appearance of Alice Pearce in her Emmy-winning role as Darrin and Sam's snoopy, suspicious next-door neighbor Gladys Kravitz; the actress died on March 3, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story arc, the Stephenses are still playing host to Benjamin Franklin (Fredd Wayne), whom Aunt Clara has accidentally zapped into the 20th century. Fascinated with all the "new" technology around him, Ben decides to take a test ride on a fire engine and ends up arrested for grand theft. Despite the very real possibility that she will be exposed as a witch, Samantha serves as Ben's defense attorney in court. Written by James Henerson, "Samantha for the Defense" originally aired on December 15, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Who caused the Great Power Blackout on November 9, 1965? According to this episode of Bewitched, the culprit may well have been dear old Aunt Clara. It seems that Clara was in a deep blue funk because her warlock boyfriend, Ocky (Reginald Owen), left her for a younger woman. And when Clara suffers, everybody suffers. Scripted by Ed Jurist from a story by Lee Erwin, "The Short Happy Circuit of Aunt Clara" first aired on November 10, 1966, on the occasion of the infamous Blackout's first anniversary. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Despite all of Samantha's efforts at obfuscation, Darrin realizes that his baby daughter Tabitha is a witch. Once he has come to grips with this information, he is faced with another crisis: How will he hide Tabitha's magical powers from Mr. and Mrs. Tate during the Stephenses' anniversary party? Kasey Rogers makes her first series appearance as Louise Tate, replacing Irene Vernon. Written by David V. Robison and John L. Greene, "The Moment of Truth" originally aired on September 22, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season three of the fantasy sitcom Bewitched not only marks the series' switchover from black-and-white to color, but also introduces several new regular and recurring actors. Joining series stars Elizabeth Montgomery (as glamorous witch Samantha Stephens), Dick York (as Samantha's nervous mortal ad exec husband, Darrin Stephens) and Agnes Moorehead (as "Sam"'s overbearing witch mother) is child actress Erin Murphy, making her first appearance as Darrin and Sam's daughter, Tabitha, who purportedly was born halfway through season two. (Tabitha was previously portrayed by two sets of twin babies, Heidi and Laura Gentry and Tamar and Julie Young; and even after Erin Murphy was established in the role, she was occasionally spelled by her own twin sister, Diane Murphy.) Likewise added to the cast is Paul Lynde as Sam's Uncle Arthur, a wacky warlock devoted to practical jokes; and Bernard Fox as Dr. Bombay, a zany warlock physician who appears out of nowhere from time to time with a vast array of remedies to certain witch ailments. Additionally, two new actors are brought in to replace a couple of departing performers. Sandra Gould steps into the role of Darrin and Sam's nosy neighbor Gladys Kravitz, taking over from the late Alice Pearce. Also, Kasey Rogers replaces Irene Vernon in the recurring role of Louise Tate, the wife of Darrin Stephens' obstreperous boss, Larry Tate. Among the season's best episodes are those in which Sam's befuddled Aunt Clara (Marion Lorne), likewise a witch, accidentally conjures up famous historical characters. These include "Aunt Clara's Victoria Victory," guest-starring Jane Connell as Queen Victoria, and "My Friend Ben" and "Samantha for the Defense," both of which feature Fredd Wayne as Benjamin Franklin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

"Just one word: plastic." "Are you here for an affair?" These lines and others became cultural touchstones, as 1960s youth rebellion seeped into the California upper middle-class in Mike Nichols' landmark hit. Mentally adrift the summer after graduating from college, suburbanite Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) would rather float in his parents' pool than follow adult advice about his future. But the exhortation of family friend Mr. Robinson (Murray Hamilton) to seize every possible opportunity inspires Ben to accept an offer of sex from icily feline Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft). The affair and the pool are all well and good until Ben is pushed to go out with the Robinsons' daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross) and he falls in love with her. Mrs. Robinson sabotages the relationship and an understandably disgusted Elaine runs back to college. Determined not to let Elaine get away, Ben follows her to school and then disrupts her family-sanctioned wedding. None too happy about her pre-determined destiny, Elaine flees with Ben -- but to what? Directing his second feature film after Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Nichols matched the story's satire of suffocating middle-class shallowness with an anti-Hollywood style influenced by the then-voguish French New Wave. Using odd angles, jittery editing, and evocative widescreen photography, Nichols welded a hip New Wave style and a generation-gap theme to a fairly traditional screwball comedy script by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham from Charles Webb's novel. Adding to the European art film sensibility, the movie offers an unsettling and ambiguous ending with no firm closure. And rather than Robert Redford, Nichols opted for a less glamorous unknown for the pivotal role of Ben, turning Hoffman into a star and opening the door for unconventional leading men throughout the 1970s. With a pop-song score written by Paul Simon and performed by Simon & Garfunkel bolstering its contemporary appeal, The Graduate opened to rave reviews in December 1967 and surpassed all commercial expectations. It became the top-grossing film of 1968 and was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Actor, and Actress, with Nichols winning Best Director. Together with Bonnie and Clyde, it stands as one of the most influential films of the late '60s, as its mordant dissection of the generation gap helped lead the way to the youth-oriented Hollywood artistic "renaissance" of the early '70s. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

Samantha goes into a tizzy when she thinks that Aunt Clara has turned herself into a cow. Actually, the "bossy" in question is Ginger, the mascot for Darrin's potential client, Morton Milk. The complications really begin piling up when Sam brings Ginger into the Stephens' living room. Howard Smith guest stars as the confused Mr. Morton, while Joseph Perry plays Mr. Henerson (an inside joke: one of the series' most frequent scripters was James Henerson). Written by Ruth Brooks Flippen, "The Corn Is as High as a Guernsey's Eye" originally aired on January 26, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide