| |
|---|---|
| Aunt Clara | |
| Biographical Information | |
| Name | Clara |
| Occupation | • Doorknob Collector • Member of the witches committee that tested Tabitha's powers (1966) |
| Species | Witch |
| Relationship Information | |
| Relatives | Samantha Stephens (niece) Darrin Stephens (nephew-in-law) Tabitha Stephens (great-niece) Adam Stephens (great-nephew) |
| Significant Other | Ocky (boyfriend) Hedley Partridge (boyfriend)[1] Kenzu Mishimoto (boyfriend)[2] |
| Unknown Relationship | Maurice Endora Bertha Hagatha Enchantra |
| Character Information | |
| Portrayer | Marion Lorne |
| First Episode | The Witches Are Out |
| Last Episode | Samantha's Secret Saucer |
| Episode Count | 28 |
| Image Gallery | |
Aunt Clara is Samantha's favorite aunt. She also has the distinction of being one of the few of Samantha's relatives that Darrin likes.
About
Because of old age, her powers do not work the way they used to, and as a result, she is constantly causing problems when she uses them. After each blunder, she tends to forget the spell and Samantha and Darrin have to work long and hard at getting the problem resolved so that no one - especially their nosy neighbor, Gladys Kravitz - discovered that magic was at work.
Aunt Clara often arrives (albeit unintentionally) coming down the chimney. She also had an unusual hobby of collecting doorknobs.
Trivia
General
Like her character, Marion Lorne collected doorknobs.
Family Tree Issue
Although Aunt Clara was Samantha's favorite aunt, we never find out exactly how the two are related. Most likely she is related to Endora since in Allergic to Macedonian Dodo Birds, Dr. Bombay states that only a relative could acquire Endora's powers, but no exact relation (sisters or cousins) is revealed. Similarly, it also is not known how Aunt Hagatha and Aunt Enchantra are related to Samantha or Endora, although some fans insist that they were Endora's sisters as the three prosecuted Clara in The Trial and Error of Aunt Clara. In Endora Moves in for a Spell, Endora says she was an only child until Arthur was born, which would imply Clara is not her sister, since she is older than Endora. Maurice's siblings are never mentioned leaving a possiblity Clara and other aunts of Samantha could be his siblings. There is also however a possiblity that the "Aunt" or "Cousin" title could be used in relation of a family friend, such as Cousin Edgar, who is an elf.
Clara and Esmeralda
When Marion Lorne passed away before the fifth season, the producers felt that her character could not be replaced by another actress, which had been done before in the cases of Gladys Kravitz, Louise Tate, and Frank Stephens. Instead, in season six, they created the character Esmeralda, played by Alice Ghostley, who could also be a befuddled witch with wobbly magic whose spells often went astray, although unlike Clara, not because of aging. Coincidentally, Lorne and Ghostley played alongside each other in the 1967 film The Graduate as partygoers.
Episodes
| Episode | Airdate |
|---|---|
| The Witches Are Out | October 29, 1964 |
| Samantha Meets the Folks | December 17, 1964 |
| There's No Witch Like an Old Witch | April 1, 1965 |
| Alias Darrin Stephens | September 18, 1965 |
| We're in for a Bad Spell | September 30, 1965 |
| Take Two Aspirins and Half a Pint of Porpoise Milk | October 21, 1965 |
| The Very Informal Dress | November 4, 1965 |
| Aunt Clara's Old Flame | November 25, 1965 |
| Samantha Meets the Folks (repeat) | January 27, 1966 |
| The Moment of Truth | September 22, 1966 |
| Witches and Warlocks Are My Favorite Things | September 29, 1966 |
| Accidental Twins | October 6, 1966 |
| The Short, Happy Circuit of Aunt Clara | November 10, 1966 |
| My Friend Ben | December 8, 1966 |
| Samantha for the Defense | December 15, 1966 |
| A Gazebo Never Forgets | December 22, 1966 |
| The Corn Is as High as a Guernsey's Eye | January 26, 1967 |
| The Trial and Error of Aunt Clara | February 2, 1967 |
| Aunt Clara's Victoria Victory | March 6, 1967 |
| Bewitched, Bothered and Infuriated | April 13, 1967 |
| Out of Sync, Out of Mind | November 2, 1967 |
| That Was No Chick, That Was My Wife | November 9, 1967 |
| Allergic to Macedonian Dodo Birds | November 16, 1967 |
| Samantha's Thanksgiving to Remember | November 23, 1967 |
| Samantha's Da Vinci Dilemma | December 28, 1967 |
| McTavish | February 15, 1968 |
| A Majority of Two | April 11, 1968 |
| Samantha's Secret Saucer | April 18, 1968 |
