“Bewitched” had an amazing starring cast. However, it has to be noted that they also had a lot of strong supporting cast members as well. A unanimous favorite among fans was the character of Uncle Arthur. He was played by actor Paul Lynde.
Paul Lynde also made appearances on “I Dream of Jeannie” not once, but three times! Some role he played on the competing show was a director, an IRS agent and a co-worker at NASA. It was always surprising when people who had supporting roles showed up on both “Bewitched” and “I Dream of Jeannie” as the two shows were in direct competition with each other.
A Tale of Two Women
Both TV shows “Bewitched” and “I Dream of Jeannie” were actually pretty similar. They both starred beautiful blond female lead characters who had various powers. Jeannie was a genie in a bottle who had a love story with an astronaut from NASA. Samantha was a witch married to a mortal. The characters were similar, and at times, they even had very similar storylines.
While there were rumors swirling that Elizabeth Montgomery was not happy when “I Dream of Jeannie” debuted, she has confirmed that she never felt any animosity toward the cast members, Barbara Eden (Jeannie) or Larry Hagman. She was just upset about the show.
The Nervous Tick
Elizabeth Montgomery was married to “Bewitched” director, William Asher. of course, being so close to her he had all of the inside scoop to her nuances. He had stated that her little wriggle was a nervous tick that she had, and it came out when she was nervous or when she got frustrated. Elizabeth Montgomery was Asher’s 2nd wife.
Asher was a big wig director, and he was nominated 4 times for Emmy Awards! He won the award once, in 1966 for his direction of “Bewitched.” Elizabeth and William got divorced shortly after the series “Bewitched” ended in 1972. He was married two other times after the divorce.
Staying Young Forever
Elizabeth Montgomery was such a beauty. She stole hearts during the 1960s with her portrayal of Samantha on “Bewitched". It seemed like people everywhere had little crushes on the beautiful Samantha! She was absolutely stunning, and funny to boot! Her acting talent also seemed to add to her ravishing beauty.
As Elizabeth got older, she remained absolutely stunning! It even seemed like she used her special powers to put a spell on herself! She seemed to just get more and more beautiful, almost as if she knew of a secret anti-aging spell. Her beauty lived on, just like her beloved character, the nose-twitching witch, Samantha.
What Could Have Been
Elizabeth Montgomery almost did not become a famous actress. She was first married in 1955 when she was only 20. Her husband was a socialite named Fred Cammann. He did not like the fact that Elizabeth was an actress and urged her to quit acting. During this time, women usually were housewives, so it was not that absurd that he wanted her to quit her career.
Elizabeth Montgomery was not satisfied with this life, she wanted more. She did not want to sit at home and be a stay-at-home housewife. She left her husband Fred and moved to Los Angeles. After about a year, they were divorced, and soon after, Elizabeth Montgomery became a household name.