029. Salem is Bewitched

Happy Halloween, Pedestal Peeps! We visit Salem Massachusetts in this mini-sode to see a whimsical piece of pop culture art. 

Transcript

Hello and welcome to the New England on a Pedestal podcast with me, Doug Farquharson. We travel around our six-state area, find some interesting statues, and discuss them. This one will be one of our “mini-sodes” where we cut to the chase and do a quick dive into one local work and its particular history. I hope you enjoy it!

Today we find ourselves in Salem, Massachusetts, which is quite the popular place this time of year. It is the go-to destination in these parts for Halloween fun. Heck, you can barely find a parking spot for the entire month of October. Some locals love it, some don’t. It’s obviously great for the local economy, but some find that it trivializes the actual history of the area and the earlier inhabitants. I guess it all depends on your personal point of view.

We are going to take a light-hearted look at one particular statue in Salem. In episode 28, we talked about a comic book character that brought me back to my youth. That got me thinking about other fictional characters from my youth, both in comic books and on television. And that had me remembering the time I visited Salem and found not a historical figure cast in bronze, but rather a TV character. First airing in September 1964 Bewitched ran on ABC for eight seasons. It also had a long, long run in syndication and you can still find reruns on TV-Land from time to time. It was a lighthearted comedy about a modern-day witch living as a suburban housewife. Elizabeth Mongomery played Samantha the witch who married a mortal played by two different actors over the years. Most of the story lines involved the mix of a magical being living in the normal world and comical interactions as a result. Sort of like an older, less dark version of wizards and muggles coexisting. In 1970, several episodes were filmed in Salem after a fire in the California studios where they normally filmed. For the show’s fortieth anniversary, TV-Land gifted the statue to the city. Over the years, tourists and visitors have taken thousands of selfies casting a spell or twitching their nose like Samatha did to work her magic. Much like the busy Halloween season, some locals love the Bewitched statue, and some don’t. Some think it’s a fun attraction, celebrating a cool connection to pop culture. Some feel that it trivializes the pain and suffering experienced during the Salem Witch Trials.

It is located in Lappin Park at the intersection of Essex and Washington Streets. All manners of fun shops and eateries can be found nearby. There is a great pedestrian walk on part of Essex St where you can often find wonderful street performers. The Peabody Essex Museum is nearby as well and is a fantastic place to visit. So Happy Halloween, Pedestal Peeps! And don’t worry if you didn’t visit Salem this October. There’s plenty to see and do any time of year.

We would love to hear from you. Let us know what you think. Tell us about a statue with a story near and dear to you. We can be reached via email at newenglandonapedestal@farqie.com. That’s New England on a Pedestal all one word at F A R Q I E dot com.  Find us on Facebook and Instagram. We post photos and links on those social media platforms from time to time. You can now find a fan mail link in the description of each episode to send a message to us. There is also a voicemail and text line where you can leave us a message. Call or text (857) 410-0464. If you’re calling from outside the United States, remember to add the +1-country code. 

As always, I want to thank Jason, Jake, Sam, and Bekka for their artistic and technical help in producing this podcast and Steffani for her administrative assistance. But, most importantly, I want to thank you, the listener, for tuning in and sticking with us. Without you, there is no podcast!

Join us next episode when we venture to another New England town and dig into some local history there. Or maybe we’ll take a field trip. Until next time, be safe, be well, be kind and keep discovering. Thanks for listening!