2 reviews
Having been a big fan of its parent show BEWITCHED, I really wanted this "spin-off" to work. I thought the idea of following the escapades of a now grown-up Tabitha was an interesting continuation of the BEWITCHED concept.
The first outing (with Liberty Williams as a very unlikely brunette Tabitha) bombed. I actually cringed while watching it. But ABC seemed determined to make it work (someone there was obviously just as big a fan of BEWITCHED) so they reworked the pilot episode by scrapping the entire original cast and crew.
Lisa Hartman was then cast as the lead and proved to be more charming and likeable. The rest of the cast and the writing however were no improvement over the first pilot. It was mainly a regurgitation of many of the familiar BEWITCHED plotlines and ideas, with mortal brother Adam chastising Tabitha every time she used her powers (as daddy Darrin did with Mom Samantha), and obnoxious, mischievous mortal-phobe Aunt Minerva filling in for Endora - causing problems for all the mortals in Tabitha's life. However, even with original characters from BEWITCHED turning up a few times (Dr. Bombay, Mrs. Kravitz) played by the actors who first originated them, the show seemed somehow detached and alien from the original show.
The whole thing was really not funny and only mildly entertaining, and it lasted only a handful of episodes.
Another nail in the show's coffin seemed to be that the sophisticated TV audiences of that era (the mid 70's), by then used to gritty and groundbreaking sitcoms like M*A*S*H, All In The Family, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, scoffed at such frothy nonsense. It would perhaps seem more fitting now in this current TV decade when audiences are more willing to accept such supernatural, effects-heavy shows as The X-Files, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and Sabrina The Teenage Witch (which is in many ways the BEWITCHED of the 90's). With all the current nostalgia these days for the shows/music/movies of the 60's and 70's, it's only a matter of time before someone takes another crack at it...
The first outing (with Liberty Williams as a very unlikely brunette Tabitha) bombed. I actually cringed while watching it. But ABC seemed determined to make it work (someone there was obviously just as big a fan of BEWITCHED) so they reworked the pilot episode by scrapping the entire original cast and crew.
Lisa Hartman was then cast as the lead and proved to be more charming and likeable. The rest of the cast and the writing however were no improvement over the first pilot. It was mainly a regurgitation of many of the familiar BEWITCHED plotlines and ideas, with mortal brother Adam chastising Tabitha every time she used her powers (as daddy Darrin did with Mom Samantha), and obnoxious, mischievous mortal-phobe Aunt Minerva filling in for Endora - causing problems for all the mortals in Tabitha's life. However, even with original characters from BEWITCHED turning up a few times (Dr. Bombay, Mrs. Kravitz) played by the actors who first originated them, the show seemed somehow detached and alien from the original show.
The whole thing was really not funny and only mildly entertaining, and it lasted only a handful of episodes.
Another nail in the show's coffin seemed to be that the sophisticated TV audiences of that era (the mid 70's), by then used to gritty and groundbreaking sitcoms like M*A*S*H, All In The Family, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, scoffed at such frothy nonsense. It would perhaps seem more fitting now in this current TV decade when audiences are more willing to accept such supernatural, effects-heavy shows as The X-Files, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and Sabrina The Teenage Witch (which is in many ways the BEWITCHED of the 90's). With all the current nostalgia these days for the shows/music/movies of the 60's and 70's, it's only a matter of time before someone takes another crack at it...
I first saw this movie as a kid and loved it. And, being the ol' sentimental softy that I am, I sometimes like to revisit happy childhood memories by watching these old favorites from time to time and feeling like a kid again.
So I picked up a copy of the 30th Anniversary BEDKNOBS & BROOMSTICKS DVD when it came out, vaguely remembering hearing about some old footage that had been found and restored for the DVD edition. Thinking this footage was included as bonus material, I was dismayed to find out upon viewing the disc that these scenes had actually been edited back into the movie! While seeing the movie in this re-edited form was a curious novelty, once was enough. Not only did the footage make the already overlong story drag, but it did nothing to enhance the movie. To top it off, as the original soundtrack for these cuts was purportedly damaged or otherwise unavailable, the majority of the dialog in these scenes was redubbed by different actors (understandably - the movie IS over 25 years old). However, the dubbing is not only glaringly obvious (the voices don't even come close to matching those of the original actors) but poorly synced. So what was the point? This ruined the viewing experience for me totally. I feel these scenes should have been included as bonus material just as other DVDs include deleted scenes in segments separate from the main film. If the original footage had had its original audio intact, eliminating the need for dubbing, this new version would've been just a little more acceptable. As it is now, I feel they should've left well enough alone.
So I picked up a copy of the 30th Anniversary BEDKNOBS & BROOMSTICKS DVD when it came out, vaguely remembering hearing about some old footage that had been found and restored for the DVD edition. Thinking this footage was included as bonus material, I was dismayed to find out upon viewing the disc that these scenes had actually been edited back into the movie! While seeing the movie in this re-edited form was a curious novelty, once was enough. Not only did the footage make the already overlong story drag, but it did nothing to enhance the movie. To top it off, as the original soundtrack for these cuts was purportedly damaged or otherwise unavailable, the majority of the dialog in these scenes was redubbed by different actors (understandably - the movie IS over 25 years old). However, the dubbing is not only glaringly obvious (the voices don't even come close to matching those of the original actors) but poorly synced. So what was the point? This ruined the viewing experience for me totally. I feel these scenes should have been included as bonus material just as other DVDs include deleted scenes in segments separate from the main film. If the original footage had had its original audio intact, eliminating the need for dubbing, this new version would've been just a little more acceptable. As it is now, I feel they should've left well enough alone.