'Bewitched' Star Elizabeth Montgomery 'Adored' working with Paul Lynde ("Uncle Arthur")

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[Note: Unless otherwise indicated, all quotes and commentary that appear in this article were culled from interviews conducted by the author with those individuals mentioned.]

Overview

In now the sixtieth anniversary of its debut, the classic TV show Bewitched, which originally aired on ABC from 1964 to 1972, remains one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time. That is mostly due to the chemistry of its cast, including star Elizabeth Montgomery (daughter of famed film and TV actor Robert Montgomery), and an extensive list of supporting actors such as Agnes Moorehead, Marion Lorne, and Paul Lynde.

The supernatural comedy featured Montgomery as Samantha Stephens, "the witch with a twitch," whose "other-worldly" family members, included Moorhead's feisty mother Endora, Lorne's bumbling sorceress Aunt Clara, and Lynde's practical-joking Uncle Arthur. Each of these characters, and more, frequenetly interrupted Samantha's mortal life with human husband Darrin Stephens (first played by Dick York and then Dick Sargent).

A Closer Look

Of all the actors who appeared on Bewitched, it was Paul Lynde who Elizabeth Montgomery laugh more with on and off-screen. As the actress once recalled, "I adored Paul, and enjoyed every minute" of performing with him.

"When you're working with someone who is as off-the-wall as Paul was," Montgomery continues, "it gives you a lot of creative freedom. His instincts were fascinating."

Montgomery went on to explain how she and the show's main producer/director William "Bill" Asher (to whom she was married at the time) had known Lynde for a long time. "They really trusted each other," Montgomery said. "We all had a great social relationship. Paul and I appreciated each other. We got along very well."

Sometimes, almost too well.

One morning on the Bewitched set, Lynde, who appeared in countless stage, movie, and TV shows, and Montgomery became so hysterical over some joke that Asher threw his hands in the air and called lunch at 10:30 AM. Lynde looked at Montgomery and told Asher, "It's all her fault."

Asher laughed a little bit, but as Montgomery continued to recall, she and Lynde "were both so obnoxious that we became useless on the set."

But no matter. Lynde was a treasure to work with. He only made nine guest appearances on Bewitched, but his indelible presence led the audience to believe that he made countless episodes of the show. As Bewitched writer Bernie Kahn remembered, Lynde "was unique. Flat-out wonderful. He gloried in his own uniqueness."

Kahn referred to Lynde's classic line delivery and comic timing. The actor was peerless in the way he would tip his head, shake it with biting and bitter cynicism, and utter even just the shortest phrase, such as, "Hiya, Sammi!"

Fellow-Bewitched scribe Ed Jurist, who was a story editor on the show, and who went on to work for The Paul Lynde Show and The New Temperature's Rising Show (on which Lynde also starred), recalled:

"If we did The Paul Lynde Show today, it would be a shoo-in. But Paul's outrageousness as a main [lead] character was not acceptable then [in the early 1970s]. He was too much to take on a weekly basis. All he would have to do was moan a line like, 'Oh, my knees!' and he'd get a roar of laughter from the audience."

Conclusion

Paul Lynde, who succumbed to a heart attack in 1982, touched everyone with his ability to make others smile. As Elizabeth Montgomery, who died of cancer in 1995, once concluded, "He was a favorite."