Was it Hecubus who told me Bill Asher used to think it was sexy when EM used to bring the black Serena wig and wear it, uh, off the clock? Or did I see that on THS? Either could totally be true. I admit, though, that the very first time I heard the Gay Theory of Bewitched, it felt like seeing how small my grade-school playground was...I got over it, but maybe that sort of feeling is upsetting to the "Can't you just be *entertained*?"posse.
Wesley: And how does your kind define love? Demon: Same as all bodies. Same as everywheres. Love is sacrifice.
'The Girl in Question'
Buffista Movies 7: Brides for 7 Samurai
A place to talk about movies--old and new, good and bad, high art and high cheese. It's the place to place your kittens on the award winners, gossip about upcoming fims and discuss DVD releases and extras. Spoiler policy: White font all plot-related discussion until a movie's been in wide release two weeks, and keep the major HSQ in white font until two weeks after the video/DVD release.
erikaj - Jan 07, 2010 9:45:26 am PST #6039 of 30000
Always Anti-fascist!
Scrappy - Jan 07, 2010 9:46:16 am PST #6040 of 30000
Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
That's what I'm saying. It's a show that works and draws us in despite its flaws, and sometimes part of that can be stuff going on subtextually--as well as stuff like the considerable charms of EM.
Tom Scola - Jan 07, 2010 9:46:38 am PST #6041 of 30000
Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.
A large percentage of the cast of Bewitched was gay.
Amy - Jan 07, 2010 9:47:05 am PST #6042 of 30000
Because books.
Oh, that was good, Kathy. I loved her.
And I agree, msbelle -- for the longest time, I couldn't understand why *my* mom wasn't entertaining my dad's clients at home all the time, and serving cocktails on a tray and all.
Amy - Jan 07, 2010 9:48:32 am PST #6043 of 30000
Because books.
A large percentage of the cast of Bewitched was gay.
I just read somewhere that Agnes Moorehead wasn't, despite rumors. But lots of the others, yes.
And man, how much did I love EM playing Serena. She clearly got such a kick out of it, too.
msbelle - Jan 07, 2010 9:48:45 am PST #6044 of 30000
I remember the crazy days. 500 posts an hour. Nubmer! Natgbsb
maybe I should not be resisting my move to suburbia so much mentally. I will shift gears instead and see it as a return to Bewitched.
erikaj - Jan 07, 2010 9:50:17 am PST #6045 of 30000
Always Anti-fascist!
The Attractive Fantasy...one of the TV-writing books I read says every show has one. Bewitched has "Look, I'm awesome at being normal, but that's not all I am. Check it out! Magic." But then, what's the AF of like...Deadwood? Not a lot of wish-fulfillment there, except if you ever thought "When I get big, I will curse as much as I want."
Frankenbuddha - Jan 07, 2010 10:11:36 am PST #6046 of 30000
"We are the Goon Squad and we're coming to town...Beep! Beep!" - David Bowie, "Fashion"
I wish I could rewatch the TV movie with Elizabeth Montgomery as Lizzie Borden.
I think I have this on VHS somewhere! At least I did at one point. I saw it as an adult, and it still worked very well. Ah, back in the 70s when TV movies were a thing and sometimes had teeth.
Yeah, LOVES me some Elizabeth Montgomery.
This was the big draw of the show for me - I had a huge crush on her.
She makes the Bewitched statue in Salem a bit more palatable, that's for sure.
Fred Pete - Jan 07, 2010 10:30:54 am PST #6047 of 30000
Ann, that's a ferret.
TVLand used to show Bewitched daily a couple of years ago. Hubs and I TiVo'd it until they started recycling episodes -- took maybe a year, maybe a little less.
Regardless of what the show's Powers That Be intended, it has interesting things to say about the situation of The Outsider in mainstream society. Because Samantha doesn't only get pressure from that society to conform to its norms -- she also gets pressure from Witchly Society (especially Endora) to conform to its norms.
Matt the Bruins fan - Jan 07, 2010 10:42:12 am PST #6048 of 30000
"I remember when they eventually introduced that drug kingpin who murdered people and smuggled drugs inside snakes and I was like 'Finally. A normal person.'” —RahvinDragand
Yep. Though I think that aspect tended to correspond more to the overt racially mixed marriage metaphor than the gay subtext.