| Phyllis Stephens | |
 | |
| First Appearance: | Samantha Meets the Folks |
| Last Appearance: | Samantha and the Antique Doll |
| Portrayer: | Mabel Albertson |
| Episode Count: | 19 |
| Species: | Mortal |
| Gender: | Female |
| Hair: | Gray |
| Occupation: | Homemaker |
| Spouse: | Frank Stephens |
| Children: | Darrin Stephens |
| Family: | Samantha Stephens (daughter-in-law) Tabitha Stephens (granddaughter) Adam Stephens (grandson) Madge (sister, mentioned) [1] |
| Relatives: | Helen (niece) Robbie (nephew) |
Phyllis Stephens is the mother of Darrin Stephens and wife of Frank Stephens. She was played through the series by character actress Mabel Albertson, first appearing in the episode, Samantha Meets The Folks.
Contents
Biography
Not much is known about Phyllis's life or how she met and married Frank. It is known that they married on November 2, 1932, celebrating their thirty-fifth anniversary in 1967. Her father might have been named Grover, who was mentioned by Samantha in 1970 (Samantha's Old Man), although Samantha might have just picked the name randomly. She has a sister named Madge, who thinks she is a lighthouse, a fact Samantha often mentions whenever Darrin discusses her family. They have one son, Darrin, and it is very possible she and Frank are retired when Darrin got married.
By all indications, Phyllis is not pleased to discover that Darrin has gotten married and is often reticent to the idea. She even goes as far as trying to give Samantha unwanted advice about her and Darrin's lives in their own home. Her uneasiness is often compounded by the strange and paranormal events in Darrin's house caused by Samantha's secret mystical abilities. Whenever she sees strange activity, she attributes it to a long-lasting perennial phantom "sick headache" she seems to have. On one occasion, she thinks she has magic powers (Samantha and the Antique Doll), and on another occasion, she enters a mental hospital after several hallucinations (Samantha's Secret Is Discovered) after Samantha and Darrin try telling her the truth. She is also stand-offish toward Samantha's family, whom she considers eccentrics, but as a grandmother, she is very loving to her grandchildren, Tabitha and Adam. Although they live some distance from Westport, the children stay with them several times.
Trivia
- In the series development, Darrin was originally going to have a sister to serve as his ally against Samantha's family. This character would have been another child for Frank and Phyllis, but the role was dropped after the pilot. It is unknown of the character exists somewhere in the background of the series.
Episodes
| Episode | Airdate |
|---|---|
| Samantha Meets the Folks | December 17, 1964 |
| A Nice Little Dinner Party | January 27, 1965 |
| Samantha Meets the Folks | January 27, 1966 |
| The Dancing Bear | February 10, 1966 |
| It's Wishcraft | March 30, 1967 |
| Out of Sync, Out of Mind | November 2, 1967 |
| McTavish | February 15, 1968 |
| Playmates | March 21, 1968 |
| Is It Magic or Imagination? | November 21, 1968 |
| I Don't Want to Be a Toad, I Want to Be a Butterfly | December 12, 1968 |
| Samantha's Super Maid | January 2, 1969 |
| Mrs. Stephens, Where Are You? | February 13, 1969 |
| Tabitha's Weekend | March 6, 1969 |
| Samantha and the Beanstalk | September 18, 1969 |
| Naming Samantha's New Baby | October 23, 1969 |
| Samantha's Double Mother Trouble | December 4, 1969 |
| Samantha's Secret Is Discovered | January 22, 1970 |
| Samantha's Psychic Pslip | April 1, 1971 |
| Samantha and the Antique Doll | April 22, 1971 |
