Of the two shows, Bewitched was definitely my favorite. Though I watched (and enjoyed) Jeannie too, of course.
One reason, I think, was its setting. Bewitched was so real to me because it could have happened anywhere. Even in suburbia. Although few of us actually grew up in such well-manicured surroundings, even fewer lived in Florida like Major Nelson, worked for NASA, and flew in space. Which seemed to make Jeannie more of a fantasy.
My fave cast member on Jeannie? Amanda Bellows. I guess I was born to love the character roles!
Funny, in retrospect, that Jeannie made those frequent trips to Baghdad to consult with "Hadji" though...
Bewitched had this definite gay subtext, which is why it struck a chord with all of us young homos. Acceptance, living in the closet, getting outed-- it's all in there. Aunt Clara even frequently entered through a closet!
Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't 90% of the Bewitched cast Gay and Lesbian? One or both of the Darrens, Agnes Moorehead, Paul Lynde, Maurice Evans (known for a bit of buggery himself.) And I am sure that the writers were too. They had to be. Seems the only straight cast member was Liz. And she was very gay friendly; you might even have said she was a fag hag, if you knew waht that was back then.
And the acting! A larger ensemble of dyed-in-the-wool hams has never been seen outside of the Novellas on Telemundo. The shameless mugging and scene stealing was non-stop. Loved it, of course!
"Calling Dr. Bombay! Calling Dr. Bombay!
Emergency! Come right away!"