Six Things I Learned from "Bewitched" about Life in the 1960's

Here's to you, "Bewitched"! That iconic show that ran from 1964 to 1972. After watching dozens of episodes of Samantha, Darrin, Tabitha (or Tabatha or whatever), Endora, and the lovable Aunt Clara, here is what I learned about how they lived life in the 1960's. 1. The women sure wore attractive dresses in the 1960's. Say what you think of that; housewives being repressed in sexist clothing while doing mundane chores, or acting out fantasies of being a princess, but one thing you gotta say: the dresses Samantha wore, even when housekeeping, were beautiful, tasteful, multi-patterned, and never seemed to be out of style, even today. 2. If you were invited into someone's house, you were always offered an alcoholic drink. I know, I know, bad habit, right? But every time some guest went into Samantha and Darrin's house, he or she was always offered a drink. They had a dandy-looking liquor cabinet in the house. The drink of choice usually seemed to be a martini. 3. Men presenting a service or as a representative of a company or utility were invited in the house by the housewife if he knocked on the door, even if he wasn't expected. This conjures up thoughts about how trusting--or how naive--they were in the 1960's. But I prefer to think of it as a bond in the community; strangers are welcome. The milkman still made rounds! 4. I learned more about the industry of advertising in the 1960's from "Bewitched" than I did in "Mad Men" For a show that focused a lot of witchery, there was a surprisingly huge amount of exposure to the inner workings of the advertising industry through the scenes involving Darrin (and his boss, Larry) working on sketches in his office or at home. And there were literally dozens of scenes of Darrin pitching ideas to clients, usually involving flip charts. I'd admit, I think some of these advertising ideas could still work today! 5. Dinners were more of a fine art. The dinners at home in "Bewitched"... come on! Coq au vin, pineapple upside down cake, bouillabaisse! The dinners were treated more as events, as they should be. I know it's a lot more work, but there's something to be said abut formality and striving for a higher variety. Silverware with the meals! Cloth napkins! 6. The dialogue in "Bewitched" doesn't appear that badly out of date. Even fifty years later, the folks in "Bewitched" still talk like we do. For a decade that seemed, in retrospect, to be riddled with sexism, "Bewitched" doesn't seem to treat women that badly. It helps a lot that two of the most assertive characters on the show are women: Samantha and her mother, Endora. They both dominate their respective husbands in terms of control. You could put in new actors in the show (although why would you want to?) and replace the appliances with modern ones and still keep the scripts as they are and it still wouldn't be that badly out of context. Here's to you, "Bewitched"! A show that surprisingly doesn't date easily.