Bewitched and Beyond: The Fan Who Came to Dinner (2 page)

SueAne, words can never express my gratitude for all your help that day, and all the help you give still. You truly are a “best friend.” Thank you.

Baby Imogene circa 1927

Chapter 1

How I Became “Bewitched”

I was once asked, “Who do you think is actually “bewitched” in
Bewitched
?” If you think about it, it’s not Darrin. He isn’t the recipient of some magic spell used to
make
him fall in love with the wrong woman, as was the case in the
Bewitched
precursor,
Bell, Book and Candle.
And sensible Samantha isn’t the errant victim of her own love potion like Veronica Lake’s “Jennifer,” in
I Married a Witch.

So who was really “bewitched”?

The answer is simple.

We
were! We All were!

Samantha simply fell in love. I know exactly how she felt. Like Dorothy, who left the sepia-toned world of Kansas and ended up in the Technicolor world of Oz, I left Smyrna, Georgia and ended up in Tinsel Town. (Okay, close enough…) But being a tad smarter than Dorothy, I
never
wanted to go home. My favorite TV show of all-time was
Bewitched
and my favorite movie was
The Wizard of Oz.

So early on I realized I have a thing about witches. I like the kind of witches that ride on brooms, appear on Hallowe’en candy ads, and sometimes have green faces… Samantha Stephens always had a great line that she’d use when telling someone her secret; “I am a witch. A real-live house haunting, broom riding, card-carrying, cauldron stirring, witch!”
Those
are the kind of witches I mean and I’ll probably need a twelve step program to get over it!

One of the things I liked best about
Bewitched
was the fantasy and fun of being able to do anything
magical.
I wanted the powers and abilities they had! I can even twitch my nose… (I’d like to say it took years of practice, but who am I kidding? I could always do it! I’m also quite proud of the fact I am able to laugh every bit as loud and long as Margaret Hamilton!) Being a part of a generation whose chief babysitter was the television, I began to fall in love with the characters on that show.

Little did I know that many years later, I would end up meeting many of those same familiar faces I had grown up watching in my living room — Samantha, Tabatha, Darrin #2, Mrs. Kravitz, Esmeralda, Dr. Bombay, and the person who would eventually become my best friend and soul-mate, Kasey Rogers, better known to
Bewitched
fans as “the second Louise Tate.”

It happened like that old saying: “through a friend of a friend”…

…In September of 1991, I met a young man named David Story who is the author of a wonderful book called
America on the Re-run.

I shared with him my love of
Bewitched
and that I had an idea for a spin-off series called
Bewitched… Again!.
He, in turn, got me in touch with another author who had recently completed a book on
Bewitched,
and had some very important contacts, Herbie J Pilato (a name well known to
Bewitched
fans).

I called Herbie at his parent’s home in New York State, and we had an enjoyable time sharing our mutual love and admiration for all things
Bewitched.
During the course of our conversation, I also shared with him a synopsis of
Bewitched… Again!.
It went like this:

Adam Stephens; the product of a mixed marriage and son of Samantha and Darrin, wants to attend a MORTAL college like his father, much to the chagrin of his Aunt Enchantra, who prefers he go to MIC (Magic, Incantations and Conjuring).

Adam’s best friend is Danny Kravitz, the nephew of neighbors Abner and Gladys. Adam is also engaged to a beautiful girl named Judy Hawthorne, who, as fate would have it, is a direct descendant of
THE
Hawthorne’s, who had officiated over the Salem Witch Trials!

As you may notice, my story is a flip-flop of the original. This time around, it’s the pretty
girl
that is mortal, and the boy who is the
witch
… er…
warlock.

Through the ensuing years, the story line would change and adapt as Adam grew older and more of the original cast members passed away, but this was the original premise.

Herbie
loved
the idea and gladly gave me the home phone numbers of all the stars of
Bewitched!
Armed with the knowledge that Elizabeth Montgomery would have
nothing
to do with it, I still wanted to talk with someone who had been on the show. I wanted to get their honest reaction and see if anyone else would be even remotely interested in my spin-off.

I mulled over the list of phone numbers and decided to call Kasey Rogers; the only star on the list who didn’t seem to intimidate me!

I finally worked up the nerve to call her and picked up the phone. I rehearsed my “pitch” as it was ringing. After a few rings, it went to the answering machine. And there it was…
her voice
; not lilting, but deeper and throatier, and still recognizable to
any Bewitched
fan.

After her message, I explained who I was and asked if she would be interested in reprising her role as Louise Tate on a project I was currently working on.

There! I had taken the first step, and had even gotten it all out before the “beep” went off! Now, I wondered if I’d hear anything back.

The next day, I came home from who-knows-where, and my mom said, “Mark, your friend Kasey called.”

“Kasey?” I said, thinking out loud. “I don’t know any “Kasey”…

Two seconds later it hit me and I responded with an “OH MY GAWD!”! Immediately I ran to the phone to return her call.

Nervously, I dialed her number and this time she answered!

To say we hit it off from the get-go would be an understatement. Almost an hour later, we were still chatting away on the phone. Thus was the beginning of my journey on the road to finding that proverbial soul mate! Then again, it was Kasey’s road as well. We just didn’t know it yet!

Kasey Rogers… Louise Tate… The boss’ wife from
Bewitched
 — This is the woman who would eventually become my
everything
… And over the course of the next fifteen years she did exactly that.

Now, before I go any further, I will clear up that burning question that people are always wondering but [sometimes] too polite to ask; “Was your relationship sexual?”

The answer is, “NO.” Kasey and I were not sexually involved. I am not now, nor have I ever been what is referred to as a “boy-toy”! I’m the first to admit that I don’t have the body for it… then again, in my circle, anyone who drives after dark is considered a stud! HA!

For some reason, most people can’t seem to fathom a perfect “marriage” without sex. But believe it or not, Kasey and I had it.

I remember her initially hoping that I would be someone her youngest daughter could “get to know”… But all that was immediately cleared up at the now defunct Queen of Cups Tea-room in Venice Beach, where we once had our tea leaves read by a psychic.

The last word on the subject is this: You can count the
straight
fans of
Bewitched
on one hand.

Enough said.

Left to Right:
William Asher, Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York ponder the dialogue in a Bewitched script while standing in the garage set.

Chapter 2

The Year That Changed My Life

It was September, 1991, when I made that initial phone call to Kasey. By the following Hallowe’en, I found myself in Los Angeles for a small meeting set up at Columbia Pictures, which at that time was not yet owned by Sony, but still on its original lot at Sunset/Gower in Hollywood.

Kasey and I spoke constantly by phone until then. Herbie Pilato also flew out, so it was our first face-to-face meeting as well. We all made plans to meet at a restaurant in Burbank named Chadney’s (since closed for years).

Herbie and I walked in together, and there she was. I can still remember what she was wearing — a long, fuzzy, pink and white sweater, and pink leggings… she looked great, and that picture will stay in my mind forever. Hugs all around and then we enjoyed a pleasant lunch as we began preparing our plan of attack on Columbia!

During my visit, I would be staying with my sister, who lived near Disneyland some sixty miles away, but still close enough that I could drive up to Kasey’s every day. Since I was to be there over Hallowe’en, I brought along some costumes all the way from Smyrna. (And back then, I couldn’t imagine why Kasey wasn’t interested in going out on Hallowe’en with some guy she had just met who brought costumes from home!)

As you might guess, that was one Hallowe’en I spent sitting at home. Even my own sister wouldn’t go anywhere with me!