Another supporting cast member who was a fan-favorite was the doctor to the Stephens family. They, of course, could not have a regular doctor, they had a witch doctor. His name was Dr. Bombay. He was played by an actor named Bernard Fox. Dr. Bombay would appear in episodes in crazy costumes.
It was also said that the supporting cast members had to bring their own wardrobe. It is not certain if the outlandish costumes Dr. Bombay wore were actually his own Or if he was an exception to that rule. He also appeared as Dr. Bombay multiple times on the “Bewitched” spin-off called “Tabitha.”
Samantha’s Magic Was Really Just Stagehands
Of course, CGI and all kinds of movie magic did not exist yet back in the ’60s when “Bewitched” first got started. The magic that Samantha created with her witchery had to be done in a very particular manner. The production team had stagehands who worked tirelessly to conjure up all of the magic.
Let's say, for instance, Samantha wanted to clean up a messy room quickly, Elizabeth (who played Samantha) would actually just stand there, she would throw her arms up, and then the director would cut the scene. At this point, stagehands would come on set and remove everything that her magic was going to remove. Then they would roll again, and it would look like she had made everything disappear.
Samantha-Serena Similarities
Did you know that Elizabeth Montgomery played two roles on the show “Bewitched?” she played Samantha, of course, but she also played the role of Serena. The two, while very different, also had many similarities.
Just like Samantha, Serena hung out with Mortals. She dated them as well; however, she was not married, she was more of a hippie swinger. She approved of Samantha marrying Darrin, who was just a mortal. Typically the two characters were not filmed in the same scene because that kind of technology was not around yet, but they would try to use split screen to have them appear simultaneously.
Cassandra Wasn’t Meant To Be
Could you imagine the classic “Bewitched” with a different actress and a different name?! It almost was that way. Tammy Grimes was an actress who almost became the lead witch in “Bewitched.” At this time the role was named Cassandra, not Samantha! She auditioned for the role, and Sol Saks really wanted her to play Cassandra, but she was under a contract with Screen Gems and would not have been able to take the job.
At that point, they cast Elizabeth Montgomery and changed the role to Samantha. The rest, as they say, is history! She became an iconic character, and the show was a mega success.
Off-Screen Relationships
It is always curious to learn about the real-life relationships that go on between actors. Fans were always interested in the dynamic between Samantha and Tabitha in real life. Erin Murphy was a child actress who played the role of Tabitha, alongside her twin sister.
Erin recently had an interview about her role on “Bewitched,” and of course talked about the dynamic between her and Elizabeth Montgomery. She said that she was extremely close with her on-screen parents, Darrin and Samantha, she even said that she had nicknames for them. She revealed that she looked up to Elizabeth much like a real parent. She also stated that she is a lot like Elizabeth Montgomery since she grew up so close to her.