Dick York Movies

Hoping to retrieve Tabitha's toy flying saucer, Aunt Clara accidentally summons a genuine spaceship from the dog star Sirius, bearing two canine-like aliens named Alpha (Hamilton Camp) and Orvis (Steve Franken). The crisis intensifies when a pair of Air Force officers (Larry D. Mann and Eldon Quick) descend upon the Stephens household. Originally telecast April 18, 1968, this was the final Bewitched episode to feature Marion Lorne as Aunt Clara; Lorne died on May 9 of that same year. "Samantha's Secret Saucer" was written by Jerry Mayer and Paul L. Friedman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Darrin wonders if his life would be any different if Samantha were to tell the world that she is a witch. To purge such thoughts from her husband's head, Sam conjures up a nightmare for Darrin, wherein he discovers that too much knowledge about Sam's magical powers would result in nothing but grief for everyone concerned. By the end of the dream, both Sam and Darrin have been forced to join the army under threat of being burned at the stake. Written by Richard Baer, "I Confess" originally aired on April 4, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Aunt Clara's warlock boyfriend, Ocky (Reginald Owen), is tired of having his British castle-hotel haunted by a pesky ghost named McTavish (Ronald Long). Troubleshooting Samantha manages to exorcise Ocky's establishment, only to have McTavish move in with the Stephens family, wails, rattling chains, and all. Meanwhile, Ocky suffers a drop-off in business when the customers -- including Darrin's parents -- complain that they miss old McTavish! Written by James Henerson, "McTavish" originally aired on February 15, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Elizabeth Montgomery appears in the dual role of Samantha Stephens and Sam's lookalike cousin, Serena. When the footloose and fancy-free Serena is arrested at a hippie love-in, her picture is splashed all over the front page, and everyone assumes that it was Sam who ended up in the slammer. Intending to apologize, Serena is miffed by Darrin's attitude and vows to make things worse by causing a ruckus at Darrin's office. Star Montgomery sings a swinging version of "Rock-a-Bye Baby" and a newly minted song, "Iffn." Written by Michael Morris, "Hippie, Hippie, Hooray" was first telecast on February 1, 1968, an occasion that somehow warranted a cover story in TV Guide. Curiously, the syndicated version of this episode contains no laugh track, leaving long and sometimes uncomfortable "reaction" pauses in the dialogue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story arc, an unpleasant encounter with Darrin's former sweetheart, Sheila Sommers (Nancy Kovack), leads Samantha to wonder what would have happened if she had never met Darrin. "Helpful" Endora casts as spell to allow Sam to see how Darrin's romance with Sheila would have progressed without Sam to break things up. At first, Sam is heartbroken, but this being a family sitcom, a happy ending is not long in coming. Along with the returning Nancy Kovack, Frank Wilcox makes an encore appearance as Sheila's millionaire father, J.P. Sommers. Written by Ed Jurist, "If They Never Meet" first aired on January 25, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With the exception of Marion Lorne, who passed away in the spring of 1968, the familiar cast members of the fantasy sitcom Bewitched are all back on the job as the series enters its fifth season. Heading the cast as always are Elizabeth Montgomery as attractive witch Samantha "Sam" Stephens; Dick York as her long-suffering mortal husband, ad executive Darrin Stephens; Agnes Moorehead as Sam's overbearing witch mother, Endora; and Erin Murphy (occasionally spelled by her twin sister Diane Murphy) as Sam and Darrin's daughter, Tabitha, who has obviously inherited her mom's special conjuring skills. Making more and more appearances during this season is Sam's funloving, hippie-like identical cousin, Serena, who is given a marvelous showcase in the two-part "Cousin Serena Strikes Again." As in previous seasons, the actress playing Serena is billed as "Pandora Spocks," though one would have to be extremely naïve or obtuse not to recognize her as Elizabeth Montgomery. Conversely, series co-star Dick York is noticeably absent from several episodes. The industry rumor at the time was that York was tired of playing Darrin Stephens, and was staying home to protest the sillier aspects of his character. The truth, which was carefully hidden from the public for many years, was that the actor was suffering from back injuries sustained years earlier while filming the theatrical feature They Came to Cordura. As it turned out, Dick York left Bewitched at the end of season five, paving the way for the legendary "Darrin Number Two," (aka Dick Sargent). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Thanks to another typical Bewitched misunderstanding, Darrin is convinced that his aggressive new client, lipstick manufacturer Madame Marushka (Lisa Kirk), is really Endora in disguise. Meanwhile, the real Endora causes friction between Darrin and Larry by casting a spell on Marushka's business manager, Wilkerson (Henry Beckman). Can Samantha twitch her way out of this mess? First telecast on April 6, 1967, "How to Fail in Business With All Kinds of Help" was written by Ron Friedman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

John Fiedler guest stars as Fergus F. Finglehoff, a frog who has been transformed into man. Having fallen in love with a female amphibian, Fergus demands that Samantha return him to his original frog form, but only the witch who cast the spell in first place can do that. Sam's solution is to change Fergus' froggy girlfriend, Phoebe (Corin Camcho), into a human -- a bit of magic which, alas, does not alleviate the crisis. Written by Ruth Brooks Flippen, "Nobody but a Frog Knows How to Live" originally aired on April 27, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Misunderstanding a random statement made by Darrin, bumbling Aunt Clara accidentally conjures up Queen Victoria (Jane Connell). Needless to say, the Queen is not amused, especially when she crosses swords with Darrin's highly opinionated new client, Mr. Morgan (Robert H. Harris). Before the crisis is resolved, Samantha finds herself playing hostess to the Queen's consort, Prince Albert. Written by Robert Riley Crutcher, "Aunt Clara's Victoria Victory" was originally broadcast on March 9, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Out of spite, Endora casts a spell that will make everyone hate and despite her son-in-law, Darrin. Unable to undo the spell, Samantha tries to set things right by giving Endora a taste of her own medicine. But Darrin, unaware that the spell is about to be lifted, nearly gums up the works with a boneheaded strategy of his own. Written by Jack Sher, "No More Mr. Nice Guy" originally aired on March 23, 1967, as the 100th episode of Bewitched. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Just as she'd done in the previous season's episode, "Double Tate," Endora gives Darrin three wishes without his knowledge. This time, however, Endora's "gift" is not a birthday present. Instead, the crafty old sorceress hopes to trap Darrin in a compromising situation with swimsuit model Buffy Baker (Linda Gaye Scott) during a business trip to Hawaii. Written by Robert Riley Crutcher, "Three Wishes" first aired on February 9, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Samantha is invited to paint a picture for a charity exhibit. Dissatisfied with the results, Endora secretly switches the painting with a genuine Monet masterpiece, affixing Sam's signature to the work of art. Trouble begins brewing when Sam wins first prize -- and Darrin's client, Mr. Cunningham (Arthur Julian), insists upon purchasing the painting. Written by Jack Sher, "Art for Sam's Sake" first aired on February 23, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Having played an obnoxious kiddie-show host named Captain Crocodile on The Monkees, comedian Joey Forman goes through similar paces in the Bewitched installment "HoHo the Clown." With the surreptitious aid of Endora, little Tabitha wins all the prizes on HoHo's daily TV show. This puts Darrin in hot water when it turns out that his new client is HoHo's biggest sponsor. Written by Richard Baer, "HoHo the Clown" originally aired on January 12, 1967, the night that Bewitched moved from its traditional 9:00 p.m. timeslot to the more family-friendly 8:30 p.m. berth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide