| My Friend Ben | |
|---|---|
| Season 3, Episode 13 Series Episode 87 | |
| |
| Airdate | December 8, 1966 |
| Written by | James Henerson |
| Directed by | William Asher |
| Episode Guide | |
| Previous "Sam's Spooky Chair" |
Next "Samantha for the Defense" |
My Friend Ben is the thirteenth episode of the third season and the eighty-seventh episode of the Bewitched series. The episode was completed by June 15, 1966. It is part one of two episodes.
Plot[]
Aunt Clara calls for an electrician to fix a lamp for Samantha and conjures Benjamin Franklin. Despite Aunt Clara's memory problems remembering her incantation to send him back, Samantha enjoys the company of Ben Franklin, an intelligent and courteous man, and is pleased by her guest's sense of wonder when he learns the results of his many inventions. However, such a famous guest attracts attention. The Stephenses have a lot to do to hide Franklin from their nosy neighbor Gladys Kravitz, and they make Larry believe that the "actor" playing Benjamin is part of Darrin's campaign idea for Franklin Electronics. However, Franklin wants to see for himself the state of his inventions and, accompanied by Sam and Aunt Clara, he becomes emboldened to experiment with his inventions himself and ends up getting arrested for stealing a fire truck. Samantha and Darrin must decide whether to keep Franklin until his scheduled court date in a month, or send him back to his own time.
Trivia[]
Casting[]
- Agnes Moorehead did not appear and received credit only.
General[]
- Actor Fredd Wayne, who was starring in a one-man show about Benjamin Franklin at the time, was credited with portraying the famous character and listed as a historical consultant.
- First episode filmed in color, but shelved for broadcasting until mid-season three.
- Partly remade in Season Four as "Samantha's Da Vinci Dilemma" and remade in Season Eight as "George Washington Zapped Here (Part 1)".
Cast[]
- Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens
- Dick York as Darrin Stephens
- Marion Lorne as Aunt Clara
- David White as Larry Tate
- Sandra Gould as Gladys Kravitz
- George Tobias as Abner Kravitz
- Fredd Wayne as Benjamin Franklin
- Hollis Morrison as Reporter
- Mike Road as Chuck Hawkins
- Harry Holcombe as Judge
- Billy Beck as First Man
- Tim Rooney as Teenager
- Don Mitchell as Policeman
- Erin Murphy as Tabatha Stephens (uncredited)
- Al Rosen as Man Outside Fire House (uncredited)
See Also[]
Sources[]
- Pierce, David L. "The omni-directional three-dimensional vectoring paper printed omnibus for Bewitched analysis : a.k.a. the Bewitched history book." BearManor Media, 2012, pages 221-222.
- James, Adam-Michael. "The Bewitched Continuum: The Ultimate Linear Guide to the Classic TV Series." (Foreword and Edited by Herbie J. Pilato), Bright Horse Publishing, 2014, pages 174-175.
- Pilato, Herbie J. "Bewitched forever : the immortal companion to television's most magical supernatural situation comedy." Summit Pub. Group, 1996, page 152.
- My Friend Ben on the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on December 18, 2024.
- My Friend Ben on Wikipedia. Retrieved on December 18, 2024.