At the end of season 5 of filming, Elizabeth Montgomery wanted out. She was feeling like the role was getting stale. The producers offered her so much money that she could not turn it down. She stayed with the show until the series ended in season 8.
Once she was free, Elizabeth looked for roles that would get her away from the good girl image she was typecast in with the role of Samantha she had portrayed for so many years. She took on a very controversial role as a victim of sexual assault in “A Case of Rape.” She also played a murderer, Lizzie Borden in the film The Legend of Lizzie Borden.
A Plummet In Ratings
Of course, fans everywhere noticed right away that there was a new actor playing the role of Samantha's husband, Darrin. Ratings began to fall drastically over the next three years, and the show ended up ending its run after 8 seasons. The show ended with actor Dick Sargent playing the role of Darrin, which Dick York originated. Who knows if the show would have gone on for longer if Dick York ended up staying.
Fans did not want to accept the change and embrace a new actor playing a role that they already were invested in. And rightfully so, especially because it was never mentioned or spoken of... So weird!
Elizabeth Montgomery Never Actually Wiggled Her Nose
Just like Samantha's magic in the show, “Bewitched” was actually just the handiwork of stagehands and camera tricks, Samantha’s famous nose wiggle was also nothing more than a little trick.
According to Erin who played Samantha’s daughter Tabitha on “Bewitched,” it was said that Samantha's nose wiggle was nothing more than a simple camera trick. If you really pay attention to the movement, you will see that Elizabeth Montgomery never moves her nose. The illusion is that her upper lip is moving which makes it look like her nose is moving. Fans of the show also claim that it is Samantha's mouth moving, which makes the nose look like it is moving too.
They All Cared
It was well known that Elizabeth Montgomery was an activist for all of the political causes that she backed. But, did you know, she was not the only member of the cast to be an activist.
Once Dick Sargent came out as a homosexual, he began to be an advocate for gay rights. He was tired of hiding behind lies and wanted to show people that you could be successful despite being gay. At the time people's attitudes towards gay people were very negative. He wanted to be an example for young people struggling with sexuality. He was hoping to lower the suicide rates that were skyrocketing among the youth.
Tue Tragedy
During an episode of “Bewitched” entitled “I Confess” which aired on April 4th, 1968, tragedy struck. The episode was interrupted by ABC news to announce the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. They announced that the civil rights leader was assassinated in Memphis Tennessee earlier that evening. Sadly, America was dealing with high tensions and race riots for years, and this was the boiling point!
It is unknown if the episode of “Bewitched” continued on after the news announcement or if they just saved the episode to re-air at a later day. I do not know if Bewitched resumed where it was interrupted or if this episode was re-aired at another time.