Salem, Mass. unveils Elizabeth Montgomery "Bewitched" statue

[Bluebear]

Actors from the 1960s sitcom 'Bewitched', from left, Bernard Fox, Casey Rogers and Erin Murphy, pose with a statue depicting fictional witch Samantha Stephens, who was played by Elizabeth Montgomery, during the unveiling of the statue, Wednesday, June 15, 2005, in Salem, Mass.

[KitchenWitch]

1. Very interesting

given the history.

[sasquatch]

2. Salem is now a pro-witch town now

It's sort of like they're trying to make up for it.

[KitchenWitch]

3. Cool

I may have to pay the town a visit :D

[graywarrior]

4. Being a Salem/Lynn native, I bet they hate it.

[bleedingheart]

5. There was nothing funny about the Salem Witch trials

this reeks of poor taste.

[no_hypocrisy]

8. Agreed. It is plain wrong to turn the scene of a planned massacre in the

name of religious intolerance and an outright land grab by the wealthy residents of Salem into a sweet, commercial symbol of a fictional character. You wouldn't have Dachau displaying a statue of Bob Crane/Col. Hogan or Col. Klink.

[supernova]

13. Well, actually

I agree that the whole story of the Salem Witch Trials is nothing short of murderous, sordid, and a classic example of mass hysteria. I certainly do feel for the victims and their families. Nothing and no one is going to replace the lives that were destroyed, least of all Tituba's who did nothing except become someone's house slave and tell a few wild tales to a bunch of teenage girls.

However, not to excuse it, but did you know there is a theory that the town may have been suffering from ergot poisoning? The rye they grew and ate may have been tainted. The symptoms of ergot poisoning are identical to those who witnessed the girls having one of their "fits." My point is, the overrection may have had as much to do with illness as just plain blind hatred and ignorance. A tragedy all around no matter how you look at it.

As for Samantha, however bizarre it may seem, certain charcaters become so beloved over time that they take on a life of their own. Through our love for them, we are, with time, able to see a more complex, complete picture of those they represent. Samantha, I believe is one of those.

No if course, she's not a real person and doesn't practice real Wicca. But Samantha represents something we all would like to be: using our magic and powers for the good of all, not evil. Perhaps one day we will get there. Having a reminder of that ideal around really isn't such a bad thing.

[arwalden]

6. Isn't That WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!

I adore her!

[terrya]

12. They had a nice profile of Elizabeth Montgomery on "Access Hollywood"...

yesterday. NOT that I watch those kind of shows...but I was flipping through the channels and caught it. They interviewed her son, Bill Asher about her. She just seemed like such a nice lady in real life.

[arwalden]

15. Oh... Drat! I Missed That One.

Here's a good quickie bio on Elizabeth Montgomery. I love the early photos of her in Cosmopolitan magazine.

http://www.harpiesbizarre.com/beography-em.htm

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

7. As a direct descendant of one of the Salem "witches"

who was tortured, condemned (because she wouldn't say her daughter was a withc), and died in the Salem jail, I find the statue a bit hokey. And Wiccans know that what they practice is far from what was shown on the sit-com. Oh well, I suppose the Chamber of Commerce figures more tourists will come.....

[baldguy]

10. But the tourists would come ANYWAY.

It's one of the oldest European settlements on the continent.

[Enraged_Ape]

9. Dr. Bombay is still alive?

That guy must take good care of himself. Almost everybody else on the show has been dead many years.

[terrya]

14. Alice Ghostley is still alive. I think there are only 4 cast members left.

[Left Is Write]

16. He's actually younger than Kasey Rogers, also pictured,

who played Louise Tate.

He was in Titanic and The Mummy.

[Deja Q]

11. Wow, I had no idea Samantha was so endowed...

:wow:

Not that I ever looked, mind you...

[mondo joe]

17. What, no Uncle Arthur statue?