MovieChat Forums > Bewitched (1964) Discussion > Thoughts on "Grandmama"

Thoughts on "Grandmama"

posted 4 years ago by [email protected] (5515)
5 replies | jump to latest

Just watched "I Got Your Nanny, You Get My Goat" after not having seen it for a long time. I've always wondered why Endora was so deadset against Nanny Elspeth! She had been Sam's nanny, so obviously Endora had approved of her. Sam always had to have a witch look after Tabitha while she was still small and experimenting with her powers. Sam could hardly trust a mortal babysitter not to see some magical shenanigans.

Other relatives watched Tabitha. Now all of a sudden Endora thinks she's being replaced?

I enjoyed Hermione Baddeley's appearance as a truly magical nanny. I think the show was trying to capitalize on the success of Mary Poppins.

Also, Endora did not seem the least bit protective of Tabitha when she allowed a toy soldier to babysit in her absence in "Toys in Babeland". It's a very amusing episode as Tabitha follows suit and brings ALL her toys to life.
It's a great character study of Larry Tate. He starts out paranoid when he finds out that a client had invited Darrin to dinner and Larry wasn't invited too. Larry often thought that Darrin was leaving the firm and taking clients with him. He didn't stop to think that Darrin was super loyal and didn't care about the bottom line (money) as much as he did.

Still, I have trouble with the premise that Endora would leave Tabitha with a TOY for a babysitter! And she left for such a long time. She was supposed to sit while Samantha had lunch with Darrin. But there it was, night time and she hadn't returned. I just don't buy the idea that Endora would be so neglectful.

[–] AdamSephens (79) 4 years ago

I just watched that episode the other day. I thought it was odd too, but obviously it was a plot device. It was kind of stupid, especially since the toy soldier could only nod "yes" and not even "no", plus that sound effect was annoying.

Also Endora should've been able to summon Aunt Hagatha or Enchantra (who probably are her own aunts, but that's another thread), but again then there would be no story.

On the plus side, it was nice how Tabitha learned the spell right away just by watching Endora. Erin Murphy did a nice job of combining hand movements with her manual nose-twitch! :)

Larry Tate was good, showing his insecurities come to life.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 4 years ago

I totally get where Endora was jealous of Elspeth. She WAS bit "touchy-feelie" with Tabitha. I can totally see it.

Incidentally, while this episode aired in December 1967, it was actually the very first ep filmed for the fourth year
in June of '67. The producers were actually playing around with making Elspeth a semi-regular (her stay is left open
at the end of "Nanny"). I enjoyed her, but I'm glad she wasn't a regular, although she would've been a MASSIVE
improvement over Esmeralda!

"Babes in Toyland" is actually one of my favorite episodes. It was also one of David White's favorites.

[–] [email protected] (5515) 4 years ago

Well yes, Endora was possessiveof Sam and overprotective, so I guess she'd feel the same way with Tabitha. It's just that Elspeth WAS Sam'snanny. Endora had no problem leaving her daughter in the care of another. So why did she go so ballistic over Elspeth looking after her granddaughter for one evening?

Just wondering...Endora did seem to have a busy social life, she wasn't always available to babysit. I don't think she had a right to dictate to Sam who was going to look after Tabitha.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 4 years ago

Of course she didn't have a right. Endora was in the wrong. I just happen to buy her jealousy. Maybe it's
because she was called out of the blue. Certainly, Endora had no problem "installing" Hagatha anytime she
wanted to! (I guess Hagatha was like Mr. Trumbull - available all the time, at all hours!).

Maybe, too, Endora could get a little jealous of Elspeth when she took care of baby Samantha. Who knows?

The "Nanny" episode is sure dated. That blowhard client ONLY wants to work with a "man's man." Can you
imagine that dude around a gay ad executive??

[–] [email protected] (5515) 4 years ago

Oh yes, I see what you mean. I also "buy" her jealousy. Endora could be just as irrational as the "flawed mortals" that she criticized. I believe she was even jealous of Maurice's new "secretary" Abigail Beecham in the late fifth season episode (when Sam revealed her pregnancy). I never understood why it bothered her. She and Maurice did not even live together. They led separate lives and Endora seemed to enjoy her 'busy social life" as I deemed it

I could believe that Endora could've been jealous of Elspeth when she was Sam's nanny. I have heard of instances where women who work fulltime have a full time babysitter and their young children get very attached to their sitters. The moms get jealous that their little ones go to their babysitter instead of them.

Not only "Nanny", but a lot of the episodes are dated regarding the business world. Whenever a woman was the head of a company, it was usually pointed out how "odd" that was. Or when a good looking model walked into the office, she was usually accompanied by sexy background music.

Of course shows from that era are dated in a lot of ways. I recently bought the first season of The Bionic Woman. Haven't seen it in years and I wanted to see it again. Her boss, Oscar Goldman, was reluctant to send Jaime Sommers on dangerous undercover missions at first. It was understandable since she really was a civilian and not at all trained in spy work, unlike the Six Million Dollar Man who was a Colonel in the Air Force and a former astronaut. He was used to danger.
In one of the episodes, he is sending Jaime to try and rescue one of our ambassadors who was in a war zone. But he could get carried away acting so paternalistic. He called her "sweetheart" and said that he wouldn't send her if she didn't want to go. He kissed her on the cheek.

I thought, "Boy! I bet he never called Steve Austin "sweetheart" and kissed HIM!" lol Or else he might've found out how much it hurt to get punched with a bionic arm.