Psychedelic Sorceress


“I’m a witch, not a magician!” exclaims Samantha, tasked with saving Darrin’s hide (again) after trippy lookalike cousin Serena deals the famously short-fused spouse some deserved payback.

This is probably the funniest line from “Hippie, Hippie, Hooray,” episode 21 of long-running sitcom Bewitched’s fourth season. The show aired on February 1, 1968, mere months after the Summer of Love, making the counterculture-cunundrum humor timely, if awkward. Truth is, there’s a desperation to Serena’s “free spirit” shtick. I mean, look at that hat. It’s a cry for help.

What Samantha, the dutiful wife, really thinks of her outré cousin is hard to gauge. At one point, disguised as Serena, she regales the Tates, who have come to snoop, with an impromptu rendition of the “Iffin’ Song.” Tribute, or cruel parody? You decide: The Iffin’ Song.

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