TV Land Landmarks Immortalizes Samantha Stephens of Bewitched in Salem

TV Land Landmarks Immortalizes Samantha Stephens of Bewitched in Salem

Legendary Producer Bill Asher, Bewitched cast members, Mayor Stanley J. Usovicz, Jr. and TV Land's Larry W. Jones on Hand at Statue Unveiling

SALEM, Mass., June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- TV Land, home to the best of everything television, and the city of Salem, today honored one of television's most enduring shows, Bewitched, with a nine-foot bronze sculpture of "Samantha Stephens" -- as portrayed by Elizabeth Montgomery. Bill Asher, the series' executive producer and director who was also married to the late actress -- was joined by cast members Bernard Fox, ("Dr. Bombay"), Erin Murphy ("Tabitha Stephens") and Kasey Rogers ("Louise Tate"), as well as Salem's Mayor Stanley J. Usovicz, Jr., and Larry W. Jones, President of TV Land and Nick at Nite, at the unveiling. The statue dedication took place among a crowd of nearly 2000 people at Salem's Lappin Park at the corner of Washington and Essex Streets.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050615/NYW147-ahttp://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050615/NYW147-b )

"Bewitched was and still remains a magical and beloved series," explains Jones. "The series has been enchanting audiences for over 40 years, and it is filled with heart and humor. Because several episodes were filmed in Salem, it is truly fitting that we would celebrate it with a statue here."

"We are pleased to welcome the statue of Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens, to Salem," states Mayor Stanley J. Usovicz, Jr. "Our connection to this beautiful piece of contemporary art goes beyond the episodes filmed here; Samantha saw the magic in everyday life, and so do we."

The sculpture represents the network's fifth effort to honor people, places and moments from our TV heritage by recognizing the site as a "TV Land Landmark." The network's first salute -- a bronze statue of Ralph Kramden of The Honeymooners -- was unveiled in 2000 and now adorns the entrance to New York City's Port Authority Bus Terminal. In May 2002, a bronze statue of Mary Tyler Moore from The Mary Tyler Moore Show was unveiled and now stands on Nicollett Mall in downtown Minneapolis, MN. The Andy Griffith Show statue, which depicts Andy Griffith and a young Ron Howard in their roles of Sheriff Andy and Opie Taylor walking, hand-in-hand, is located in Raleigh's Pullen Park and was unveiled in October, 2003. In July of 2004, TV Land honored one of television's most enduring icons, Bob Newhart, with a life-sized bronze sculpture commemorating his role as Dr. Robert Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show in Chicago.

The video highlights of the unveiling will be available at http://www.tvland.com/ beginning at 6pm ET.

Additionally, TV Land will celebrate the premiere of the motion picture, "Bewitched," starring Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell with "Bewitched Week on TV Land." The network will air episodes from the classic series from Monday, June 20 through Thursday, June 23, 8 pm to 10 pm ET/PT. The marathon will feature interviews with the film's stars, Kidman and Ferrell, as well as Shirley MacLaine. Red carpet moments and interviews will also be showcased.

Studio EIS, a three-dimensional design and sculpture studio in New York founded by brothers Ivan and Elliot Schwartz, created the life-sized bronze sculpture. The studio also created The Andy Griffith Show statue which was unveiled in Raleigh, NC in October 2003 and the statue commemorating Bob Newhart's role as Dr. Robert Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show in July 2004.

Now seen in over 85 million U.S. homes, TV Land's program mix features popular dramas, sitcoms, westerns, Retromercials and a TV-referential interstitial environment, all programmed with a specific audience in mind -- the first generation of Americans to grow up watching television and features all-time Classic hits like All in the Family, Leave It To Beaver, The Andy Griffith Show, Sanford and Son and Bonanza.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050615/NYW147-a
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050615/NYW147-b
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN6 PRN7
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: TV Land

CONTACT: Jennifer Zaldivar of TV Land, +1-212-846-8964, or Ariana Urbont
of MTV Networks, +1-310-752-8079

Web site: http://www.nick-at-nite.com/

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