Learn more about the Stephens's beds than you ever dreamed possible!

   By Paul

Who was first? There has long been much confusion about which married couple first shared the same bed on TV. Some have said Lucy and Ricky of I Love Lucy, others have gone for Carol and Mike of The Brady Bunch, Wilma and Fred of The Flintstones, Lily and Herman of The Munsters, and, of course, Samantha and Darrin of Bewitched. Strangely enough, it was none of these. The winner is Mary Kay and Johnny, which first aired on November 18, 1947. This was a 15-minute series that ran for three years. The Flintstones [1960-1966] were next, but are often discounted because they were cartoon characters, not real people. Next would be Bewitched and The Munsters both of which first aired in 1964.

Bewitched first showed Darrin and Samantha sharing a bed on October 22, 1964. The Munsters first showed Herman and Lily sharing the same bed in the episode "Autumn Croakus," which aired on November 26, 1964. The Brady Bunch didn’t come along until 1969. The Ricardos and the Nelsons, for example, always used twin beds.

The Munsters Were a Month behind Darrin and Samantha




The Stephens's Beds

During the eight years of Bewitched, Darrin and Samantha had three different beds. The first was used the first two seasons; the second was used for four seasons, three through six; and the third was used the last two seasons, seven and eight.


I

The first bed was used only during the black & white seasons. The headboard was a simple light color (assume white) box with a trim piece on the front, and a square column post at either end.


HEADBOARD


The headboard was set about three feet in front of a closet with vertical wood slats.


CLOSET


There was usually some decoration on the top of the headboard, and frequently a clock radio. This radio moved between the center and right side of the bed, and varied from a white to a wood grain finish between episodes.

  • The headboard appeared 17 times in the 36 episodes of the first season, and 11 times in the 38 episodes of the second season:

    Season 1:
    #s 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 17, 19, 20, 23, 25, 30, 32, and 36

    Season 2:
    #s 38, 40, 42, 45, 48, 55, 63, 64, 68, 71, and 74



CLOCK RADIO

  • The clock is noted in the center in 2 episodes:
    #s 9 and 17.

  • The clock is noted on the right in 13 episodes:
    #s 11, 19, 25, 32, 36, 38, 40, 42, 45, 48, 55, 63, and 64

    In some episodes there is not enough of the headboard shown to determine the clock location.


II

Beginning with the color episodes the headboard was changed and the bed relocated. The headboard is now up against a wall with pictures on it. The second headboard was a wood bookcase headboard, divided into five compartments with the center compartment being wider that the two on either side. There was a cutout trim on the end of the headboard. There appears to be sliding doors that will cover either of two compartments. These doors look like drawers to match the dresser that has been added to the room. The left side door is usually in place on the left end. Depending on the episode, the right door is either missing, covering the right end, covering the second space from the right, or between the first and second spaces on the right. Again a clock radio is frequently visible, sometimes white, sometimes wood grain, and moves from the center to the right from time to time. As usual, the entire headboard is not visible in some episodes. From the camera angle usually used, the left side will be visible first. This headboard appeared 33 times in the 126 episodes made during this time.



HEADBOARD

  • In the 33 episodes of the third season, the headboard was seen 12 times. In the 33 episodes of the fourth season, the headboard appeared 12 times. In the 30 episodes of the fifth season, the headboard was seen 9 times. In the 30 episodes of the sixth season, the headboard was seen three times.

    Season 3:
    #s 75, 77, 80, 81, 86, 91, 95, 96, 98, 99, 104, and 107

    Season 4:
    #s 108, 111, 113, 119, 120, 121, 123, 131, 132, 135, 138, and 140

    Season 5:
    #s 142, 145, 149, 155, 156, 158, 164, 165, and 168

    Season 6:
    #s 174, 184, and 199


HEADBOARD DOORS

  • The doors show on both ends in 14 episodes:
    #s 75, 104, 108, 113, 121, 123, 135, 140, 142, 156, 164, 174, 184, and 199

  • The door shows on the left end only in 10 episodes:
    #s 77, 80, 81, 96, 98, 105, 119, 138, 165, and 168

  • The door is on the right only in # 95.

  • The doors are on the left and right center in 2 episodes:
    #s 149 and 158

  • The doors are on the left and half way between right and right center in # 145.

  • The doors are on the left and right center, but in the second scene the right door is on the far right in # 132.


RADIO
  • A small radio is seen in # 96

  • A large white radio is seen in the center in 12 episodes:
    #s 113, 135, 138, 140, 145, 149, 155, 156, 158, 164, 184, and 199

  • The radio is on the right in 2 episodes:
    #s 108 and 168

  • A brown radio is in the center in 3 episodes:
    #s 75, 123 and 132

  • The radio is on the left hand nightstand in # 247

    It is noted that there is no radio in #s 77, 81, 111, and 165.

 


CLOCK
  • A clock is seen on the nightstand in # 155


III

In seasons seven and eight, the headboard is now a brass frame. Same wall, same pictures behind the headboard to start, but the pictures varied during the two seasons. The numbers for the seventh and eighth seasons can be misleading, since in season seven, five shows were set in Salem, and in season eight, seven shows were set in Europe, with the remaining eighteen shows taking place back home.



HEADBOARD

  • The headboard appears five times in the 28 episodes of season seven. In the 26 episodes of season eight, the headboard appears only three times.

    Season 7:
    #s 202, 212, 215, 221, and 222

    Season 8:
    #s 247, 251 and 252

     

If the viewer is using cut episodes (as is usually aired in syndication) it is possible that the bed scenes may be cut out of some episodes, and thus not be seen. For example, in most cut versions of # 25, "Pleasure O'Riley," the entire opening scene of Sam and Darrin in bed is cut.

It is interesting to note the decrease in the headboard, and corresponding bedroom, scenes over the years. The first year was the most, and the next four were a little less, but constant. There was a dramatic drop off beginning in the sixth season when Sargent replaced York as Darrin. After Sargent took over as Darrin, not only were the number of headboard scenes cut, the number of times Samantha and Darrin were in bed together dropped drastically. The drop in the bed appearances in the fifth season is not as much as might be expected since Darrin (York) did not appear in 10 episodes made that year.


    • Samantha and Darrin appear in bed together in the following episodes
      (Appearing together means both in nightclothes and in or on a bed prepared for sleep):

      Season 1:
      #s 6, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 25, 30, 32, and 36

      Season 2:
      #s 40, 45, 48, 55, 63, 64, 68, 71, and 74

      Season 3:
      #s 77, 80, 81, 86, 95, 96, and 104

      Season 4:
      #s 123, 131, and 135

      Season 5:
      #s 145, 155, 156, 158, and 165

      Season 6:
      # 184

      Season 7:
      #s 215, 221, and 222

      Season 8:
      # 235 (in English castle)


    • Samantha is seen in bed alone in 9 episodes:

      #s 4, 5, 9, 23, 38, 42, 75, 113, and 199


    • Darrin is seen alone in bed in 11 episodes:

      #s 17, 20, 38, 107, 108, 111, 119, 138, 149, 164, and 152


    • Darrin usually had the left side of the bed, Samantha the right. This varied in 5 episodes:

       # 96  - Together, Samantha on left

      # 111 - Darrin alone on right

      # 135 - Together, Samantha on left

      # 142 - Darrin alone on right

      # 149 - Darrin on right


    • A monkey (Clio Vanita) sneaks into the Stephens's bed in # 155.


    • Samantha and Darrin appear not in, but above the bed in # 113.


The average number of times shown in bed together for the York years
(Adjusted for the absence of York in 10 episodes in season 5 and 2 episodes in each of seasons 3 and 4) is .192 times per episode or once every 5.23 episodes. The peak was in the first year when the average was once every 4 episodes. In the Sargent era the average was .06 per episode or once every 16.8 episodes.



Source:

Urban Legends Reference Pages

 

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ALSO SEE: The Master Bedroom

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