'Bewitched' Star Elizabeth Montgomery Recalled "Rivalry" Between Agnes Moorehead and Mabel Albertson

'Bewitched' star Elizabeth Montgomery (ctr.) found herself between "mild" rivals Agnes Moorehead (l.) and Mabel Albertson (r.)Photo byPinterest.com

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

In the Bewitched Beginning...

This year marks the 60th Anniversary of the classic TV show Bewitched originally aired on ABC from 1964 to 1972. The magical sitcom starred Elizabeth Montgomery as twitch-witch Samantha Stephens. She was married to mortal advertising executive Darrin, played first by Dick York then Dick Sargent.

A Closer Look

Bewitched also boasted a large cast of supporting players, such as David White, who played Darrin's self-absorbed boss Larry Tate.

Other characters and cast members included Samantha's feisty supernatural mother was played by the strong-willed Agnes Moorehead. Darrin's equally feisty human mom, Phyllis Stephens, was played by the also-strong-willed actress Mabel Albertson.

Whenever Moorehead and Albertson were on the set together, in particular, there was what Elizabeth Montgomery referred to as "friendly competition" between the two elder stars.

"I kind of just stepped back and looked at these two ladies and said, 'Well, this is interesting. I wonder how all of this is going to turn out?"

In "Witch" Conclusion

In the end, whatever level of tension there was behind the scenes between Agnes Moorehead and Mabel Albertson worked on screen for the characters of Endora and Phyllis Stephens.

As Samantha's mother, Endora favored her daughter. As Darrin's mother, Phyllis held exception over her son Darrin.

Consequently, as Elizabeth Montgomery concluded, "That mild rivalry between Aggie [Moorehead] and Mable worked for their characters and their scenes together. It was perfect."