Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Favorite Fictional Character --- Endora


I have no idea if I'm ever going to have a mother-in-law.  I'm turning forty this year, and I've been single for over 12 years now.  I'm not willing to say the marriage train has completely left the station at this point, but it definitely wants to get the hell out of town.  For whatever reason, I've always pictured myself getting along with a future mother-in-law, but not in best friends, or even a motherly sort of way.  I've always been more inclined to the idea that any future mother-in-law, would be a little more feisty.  She would be a little out there, have a wicked tongue on her, be able to throw down with the best of them, but still be able to support and love when it's needed.  Sort of like Darrin Stephen's mother-in-law, Endora, in one of the best television comedies of all time, Bewitched.  Hopefully, my version of Endora would actually like me a little bit better.


I always wondered if Darrin knew who his mother-in-law was going to be, if he still would have proposed to Samantha.  The hopeless romantic in me, would assume that he'd have no problems popping the question, but the pragmatic side of me, knows he would have had his doubts.  Endora is the ultimate overbearing and disdainful mother-in-law.  She decries her daughter marrying the man, doesn't think much of him, but can give him a begrudged compliment every once in a while.  She has an acid tongue on her, and refuses to call him by his real name, Durwood being one of her favorites. It can't have been easy for Darrin, and often times, he would lose his temper, though that never got him very far.  Throw in the whole immortal witch thing, and it's amazing that he never had to commit himself.

Despite all that, I think Endora had a heart of gold when it came to her family.  She would have done anything for her daughter, and once Tabitha was born, she was snared all over again.  She could even be counted on to help Darrin out, even if it was with more vinegar than honey.  I'm not even sure I really bought the whole, I don't like him shtick to begin with.  I think it was in her nature to be contradictory, and after a while, the disdainful attitude, could be mistaken for fondness, albeit an odd form of affection.  She was a woman all her own, and even if her portrayer, Agnes Moorehead, never really warmed to her, I absolutely adored her.

I'm still holding onto the idea of having a mother-in-law someday, I'm just hoping that she is able to get my name right. 


8 comments:

Angela's Anxious Life said...

I am just glad I get along with my mother-in-law. I always see these crazy stories of people who have mother-in-laws that they just hate. I don't have kids and my mother-in-law has always bugged me about that.. but otherwise I think we have a good relationship. I'm almost 40 myself... I think you would still have a chance at a spouse. 40 is not old! Though there was a time when I thought it was ancient. LOL!

bermudaonion said...

Agnes Moorehead played her to perfection! That clip is really dated, isn't it? lol

Nise' said...

Endora's make-up is back in style! I am a mother-in-law and never want to be "one of those MILs".

TracyK said...

I loved this show and Endora was a great character.

Lisa said...

And she made the show so much better - it could so easily have slipped into ridiculous syrupy sweetness.

Denver AC Repair said...

Grateful ffor sharing this

John Grundmann said...

Newbie here to your blog. This is the first entry I'm looking at.

Endora is a sublime jewel, and to get Ms. Moorehead to play her was mighty lucky. Not only do I enjoy her delivery of icy lines and stinging insults to Dirward or Dumbdumb, I also really dig her fashions and her over the top coiffs and makeup. The sitcom for me is fun but it's not one of my favorites from that era; it relied too heavily on recycling plots or on simply making something outrageous or fantastic (a unicorn or cow or Leonardo DaVinci or a leprechaun) suddenly and conveniently becoming the McMahon & Tate ad campaign focal point. But I'm being fussy here ... how can you not like a show with Liz Montgomery, after all. And I think my favorite character next to Endora is Serena. She swings like London, baby. :)

Kendall Rivers said...

It's quite ironic that Ms. Moorehead didn't like playing Endora and thought it hurt her career and yet she played that role so perfect and natural that you'd swear she was having a ball playing her.