DVD Review - Bewitched: Seasons 1 & 2

Bewitched: Seasons 1 & 2
Starring: Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, Agnes Moorehead
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: January 21, 2014
Retail: $14.98
ASIN: B00GOC74RU
Running Time: 1860 minutes
Rating: Not Rated

Review:

It’s hard to believe that the classic television series Bewitched will turn fifty-years-old this fall. Though the series ended in 1972, Samantha Stephens has continued to live on through syndication reruns. Sony Home Entertainment released the series on DVD sets, but most are out-of-print. Luckily, Mill Creek Entertainment struck a deal to distribute Sony Home Entertainment titles to DVD, which one of those titles is Bewitched.

Today, January 21, 2014, the first two seasons of Bewitched were released on DVD, as well as a two season combo pack, which happens to be the one that was sent to me for this review. All 74 episodes from seasons one and two are presented in their original classic black & white presentation, totaling an approx. runtime of 31 hours of bedazzling entertainment for the entire family.

I grew up watching the reruns when I was kid during the late 80s and early 90s, but for some odd reason I can't remember a plot from one single episode, not unless you count the so-so 2005 big-screen version starring Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman, which I'm afraid to admit I have seen the movie several times. That being said, I was eagerly looking forward to watching a few episodes of the series again.

Like I said, I don't remember the actually plots, but I also don't recall how the series started, where Darrin Stephens (played by Dick York) bumps into Samantha (played by Elizabeth Montgomery). The two quickly tie the knot and then on the wedding night, Darrin learns Samantha is a witch. They don't move into famous Stephens' house until the second episode "Be It Ever So Mortgaged." Darren doesn't meet his mother-in-law, Endora (played by Agnes Moorehead) until the fourth episode titled "Mother Meet What's His Name," though she had been pestering Samantha in the previous episodes for marring a mortal.


The episodes on the six-disc set are:

Season One

Disc One:

• I, Darrin, Take This Witch, Samantha
• Be It Ever So Mortgaged
• It Shouldn't Happened To A Dog
• Mother Meet What's His Name
• Help, Help, Don't Save Me
• Little Pitcher's Have Big Fears
• The Withes Are Out
• Witch Or Wife
• The Girl Reporter
• Just One Happy Family
• It Takes one To Know One
• ..And Something Makes Three

Disc Two:

• Love Is Blind
• Samantha Meets The Folks
• A Vision of Sugar Plums
• It's Magic
• A Is For Aardvark
• The Cat's Meow
• A Nice Little Dinner Party
• Your Witch Is Showing
• Ling Ling
• Eye Of The Beholder
• Red Light, Green Light
• Which Witch Is Which?

Disc Three:

• Pleasure O'Riley
• Driving Is The Only Way To Fly
• There's No Witch Like An Old Witch
• Open The Door, Witchcraft
• Abner Kadabra
• George The Warlock
• That Was My Wife
• Illegal Separation
• A Change of Face
• Remember the Man
• Eat At Mario's
• Cousin Edgar

Season Two

Disc One:

• Alias Darrin Stephens
• A Very Special Delivery
• We're In For A Bad Spell
• My Grandson, The Warlock
• The Joker is A Card
• Take Two Aspirins And Half A Pint Of Porpoise Milk
• Trick Or Treat
• The Very Informal Dress
• And Then I Wrote
• Junior Executive
• Aunt Clara's Old Flame
• A Strange Little Visitor

Disc Two:

• My Boss, The Teddy Bear
• Speak The Truth
• A Vision Of Sugar Plums
• The Magic Cabin
• Maid To Order
• And Then There Were Three
• My Baby, The Tycoon
• Samantha Meets The Folks
• Fastest Gun On Madison Avenue
• The Dancing Bear
• Double Tate
• Samantha The Dressmaker
• The Horse's Mouth

Disc Three:

• Baby's First Paragraph
• The Leperchaun
• Double Split
• Disappearing Samantha
• Follow That Witch (Part 1)
• Follow That Witch (Part 2)
• A Bum Raps
• Divided He Falls
• Man's Best Friend
• The Catnapper
• What Every Young Man Should Know
• The Girl With The Golden Nose
• Prodigy

I  thought cramming 12 to 13 episodes per disc would be a little too much, but the picture quality is pretty good, though there a few lines in the first episode, probably because of the old film that was used transfered to the DVDs. The disc menus are simple with all the episodes listed for easy "play" access. The episodes are presented in their original "full screen" ratio, but I had no problem adjusting my LED TV's picture screen size, so I could watch each episode in widescreen. I've only had the six-disc set for a week, so I've only had time to watch a handful of episodes. Overall, I have enjoyed watching the Bewitched: Seasons 1 & 2 Combo Set and I highly recommend it to everyone. For less than $15 you can own 74 episodes of this charming series, which is about the same amount of two cups of coffee from Starbucks.

*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.