| |
|---|---|
| Aunt Clara | |
| Biographical Information | |
| Occupation | • Doorknob Collector • Member of the witches committee that tested Tabitha's powers |
| Species | Witch |
| Relationship Information | |
| Family | Samantha Stephens (niece) Darrin Stephens (nephew-in-law) Tabitha Stephens (great-niece) Adam Stephens (great-nephew) |
| Relatives | Maurice (unknown relation) Endora (unknown relation) Bertha (unknown relation) Hagatha (unknown relation) Enchantra (unknown relation) Grimalda (unknown relation) |
| 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. 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 would forget the spell and Samantha and Darrin would have to work long and hard at getting the problem resolved so that no one - especially their neighbor, Gladys Kravitz - discovered that magic was at work. Aunt Clara's favorite way of visiting was coming down the chimney. She also had an unusual hobby of collecting doorknobs.
Episodes
- A Gazebo Never Forgets
- A Majority of Two
- Accidental Twins
- Alias Darrin Stephens
- Allergic to Macedonian Dodo Birds
- Aunt Clara's Old Flame
- Aunt Clara's Victoria Victory
- Bewitched, Bothered and Infuriated
- McTavish
- My Friend Ben
- Out of Sync, Out of Mind
- Samantha for the Defense
- Samantha Meets the Folks (and repeat)
- Samantha's Da Vinci Dilemma
- Samantha's Secret Saucer
- Samantha's Thanksgiving to Remember
- Take Two Aspirins and Half a Pint of Porpoise Milk
- That Was No Chick, That Was My Wife
- The Corn Is as High as a Guernsey's Eye
- The Moment of Truth
- The Short, Happy Circuit of Aunt Clara
- The Trial and Error of Aunt Clara
- The Very Informal Dress
- The Witches Are Out
- There's No Witch Like an Old Witch
- We're in for a Bad Spell
- Witches and Warlocks Are My Favorite Things
Trivia
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 episode Allergic to Macedonian Dodo Birds, Dr. Bombay states only an older blood relative could acquire Endora's powers, but no exact relation (sisters or cousins) is revealed. The major problem is that the writers never decided how Clara was related to Samantha. It also isn't known how Aunt Hagatha and Aunt Enchantra are related to Samantha though some fans insist that they were Endora's sisters as the three prosecuted her in The Trial and Error of Aunt Clara, but in another episode, Endora says she was an only child until Arthur was born, but however, it's possible could have been born later or somehow adopted. Samantha also has several cousins mentioned in the show with unknown connections to her Aunts or Uncles except for Cousin Henry, who is said to be Arthur's son (mother unknown who could be one of the known Aunts). Maurice's siblings are never mentioned leaving a possiblity Clara and others can 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 while no other characters "related" to Samantha are elves. It is also possible Clara was Samantha's godmother because of their closeness.
Clara and Esmeralda
When Marion Lorne passed away before the fifth season, the producers felt that her character, Clara "couldn't be replicated by another actress" which was done before up to that time in the cases of Gladys Kravitz, Louise Tate, and Frank Stephens. So what they did instead was create the character Esmeralda played by Alice Ghostley who could also be a "befuddled witch with wobbly magic whose spells often went astray" because of aging. Coincidentally, Lorne and Ghostley played alongside each other in the 1967 film The Graduate as partygoers.