Gladys Kravitz
Encyclopedia
Gladys Kravitz is a fictional character
on the American
situation comedy
Bewitched
(1964-1972). Portrayed by Alice Pearce
from the show's premiere in 1964 until Pearce's death in 1966 and then by Sandra Gould
from 1966 until her last appearance in 1971, Gladys Kravitz is an across-the-street neighbor of the program's protagonists, Darrin Stephens (played by Dick York
from 1964 to 1969 and Dick Sargent
from 1969 until 1972) and his wife, witch Samantha Stephens (Elizabeth Montgomery
). Although a relatively minor character on Bewitched, the role was memorable enough that the term "Gladys Kravitz" entered the American lexicon
, and is even today used as a synonym for a nosy neighbor or colleague.
Early in the show's run, Alice Pearce's performance of Kravitz was essentially as a friendly, albeit over-bearing, neighbor, often looking to befriend the Stephens' and in doing so, notices the strange goings-on within the home. Samatha is often quite friendly to her, convincing her that the strange happenings are just her imagination. Additionally, the Stephens' visit their house regularly during this era. Sandra Gould's performance of the character, on the other hand, is more of an antagonist, often scheming to catch Samantha in an act of witchcraft or to get the Stephens' into some sort of trouble.
Kravitz is extremely nosy, frequently peeking through her curtains at the Stephens' home. She is convinced that there is something strange going on in their household (and indeed there is, for Samantha Stephens often uses witchcraft
that creates unusual events, and the Stephens' witch-and-warlock
relatives come and go from the house), and she would yell "ABNER!", referring to her husband (George Tobias
), although she can never adequately prove her assertions to him.
Kravitz's nosiness, her frustration at never being able to convince her husband or other neighbors of the odd behavior across the street, and the difficulties she causes the Stephens are all recurring themes on Bewitched. Samantha Stephens always comes up with a fabricated reason why Gladys Kravitz had seen what she had seen, and Kravitz can never prove to others that there is anything beyond the ordinary happening at the Stephens', which causes her no end of annoyance and causes her to question her own impressions and even sanity. Sometimes, however, when Gladys and her nosiness goes way too far, especially when it involves any city officials or the police, Samantha utters, in anger, that the trouble is "some more of Gladys Kravitz's handiwork!"
Gladys is one of the few, if not only, mortal characters to see through Samantha and Darrin's ruse. She clearly knows that there is something strange going on, even if she is not entirely sure of the source of the oddities. In contrast, Darrin's boss Larry Tate has frequent contact with Samantha and Darrin and never suspects a thing. Gladys is the one mortal who is observant (or nosy) enough to notice the effects of witchcraft at the Stephens' home, even though no one in the Stephens family ever admits to Gladys that Samantha is a witch.
In the Bewitched spinoff series, Tabitha
, Nancy Kravitz, Gladys' niece, goes to visit her old childhood friend, Tabitha (Lisa Hartman
), and not long after, Gladys and Abner showed up. Much like with Samantha, Gladys didn't approve of Tabitha (she thought of her as a bad influence on Nancy), and was still as nosy as ever. She also ran afoul of Tabitha's Aunt Minerva (Karen Morrow
).
Alice Pearce
, the first Gladys Kravitz, won a posthumous Emmy award in 1966 for her work on Bewitched. Mary Grace Canfield
(Ralph the carpenter from Green Acres
) played Harriet Kravitz, Abner's sister, Gladys's sister-in-law, in four episodes of Bewitched in early 1966, while Alice Pearce was either dying or had already died, before the hiring of Sandra Gould as Pearce's replacement as Gladys.
In the 2005 film Bewitched, based on the television series, the role of Gladys Kravitz is played by Kristin Chenoweth
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Bewitched
Bewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
(1964-1972). Portrayed by Alice Pearce
Alice Pearce
Alicia “Alice” Pearce was an American actress. Brought to Hollywood by Gene Kelly to reprise her Broadway performance in the film version of On the Town , Pearce played comedic supporting roles in several films, before being cast as Gladys Kravitz in Bewitched in 1964...
from the show's premiere in 1964 until Pearce's death in 1966 and then by Sandra Gould
Sandra Gould
Sandra Gould was an American actress, who appeared mainly in television. Among her many credits was a regular role on the sitcom Bewitched as the second Gladys Kravitz....
from 1966 until her last appearance in 1971, Gladys Kravitz is an across-the-street neighbor of the program's protagonists, Darrin Stephens (played by Dick York
Dick York
Richard Allen "Dick" York was an American actor. He is best remembered for his role as the first Darrin Stephens on the ABC television fantasy sitcom Bewitched...
from 1964 to 1969 and Dick Sargent
Dick Sargent
Richard Stanford Cox , known professionally as Dick Sargent, was an American actor, notable as the second actor to portray Darrin Stephens on the television series Bewitched...
from 1969 until 1972) and his wife, witch Samantha Stephens (Elizabeth Montgomery
Elizabeth Montgomery
Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery was an American film and television actress whose career spanned five decades. She is perhaps best remembered for her roles as Samantha Stephens in Bewitched, as Ellen Harrod in A Case of Rape and as Lizzie Borden in The Legend of Lizzie Borden.-Early life:Born in Los...
). Although a relatively minor character on Bewitched, the role was memorable enough that the term "Gladys Kravitz" entered the American lexicon
Lexicon
In linguistics, the lexicon of a language is its vocabulary, including its words and expressions. A lexicon is also a synonym of the word thesaurus. More formally, it is a language's inventory of lexemes. Coined in English 1603, the word "lexicon" derives from the Greek "λεξικόν" , neut...
, and is even today used as a synonym for a nosy neighbor or colleague.
Early in the show's run, Alice Pearce's performance of Kravitz was essentially as a friendly, albeit over-bearing, neighbor, often looking to befriend the Stephens' and in doing so, notices the strange goings-on within the home. Samatha is often quite friendly to her, convincing her that the strange happenings are just her imagination. Additionally, the Stephens' visit their house regularly during this era. Sandra Gould's performance of the character, on the other hand, is more of an antagonist, often scheming to catch Samantha in an act of witchcraft or to get the Stephens' into some sort of trouble.
Kravitz is extremely nosy, frequently peeking through her curtains at the Stephens' home. She is convinced that there is something strange going on in their household (and indeed there is, for Samantha Stephens often uses witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
that creates unusual events, and the Stephens' witch-and-warlock
Warlock
The term warlock in origin means "traitor, oathbreaker".In early modern Scots, the word came to be used as the male equivalent of witch ....
relatives come and go from the house), and she would yell "ABNER!", referring to her husband (George Tobias
George Tobias
George Tobias was an American character actor.-Early life and career:Born to a Jewish family in New York, he began his acting career at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena, California. He then spent several years in theater groups before moving on to Broadway and, eventually, Hollywood...
), although she can never adequately prove her assertions to him.
Kravitz's nosiness, her frustration at never being able to convince her husband or other neighbors of the odd behavior across the street, and the difficulties she causes the Stephens are all recurring themes on Bewitched. Samantha Stephens always comes up with a fabricated reason why Gladys Kravitz had seen what she had seen, and Kravitz can never prove to others that there is anything beyond the ordinary happening at the Stephens', which causes her no end of annoyance and causes her to question her own impressions and even sanity. Sometimes, however, when Gladys and her nosiness goes way too far, especially when it involves any city officials or the police, Samantha utters, in anger, that the trouble is "some more of Gladys Kravitz's handiwork!"
Gladys is one of the few, if not only, mortal characters to see through Samantha and Darrin's ruse. She clearly knows that there is something strange going on, even if she is not entirely sure of the source of the oddities. In contrast, Darrin's boss Larry Tate has frequent contact with Samantha and Darrin and never suspects a thing. Gladys is the one mortal who is observant (or nosy) enough to notice the effects of witchcraft at the Stephens' home, even though no one in the Stephens family ever admits to Gladys that Samantha is a witch.
In the Bewitched spinoff series, Tabitha
Tabitha
-People:Tabitha is a biblical name from the Hebrew text of Dorcas and Acts 9:36 in the NIV Bible. The meaning is gazelle.-Literature:* Tabitha Twitchit, Tom Kitten's mother in the books for children by Beatrix Potter...
, Nancy Kravitz, Gladys' niece, goes to visit her old childhood friend, Tabitha (Lisa Hartman
Lisa Hartman
Lisa Hartman is an American actress and singer.After some minor television appearances, Lisa Hartman starred in the short-lived Bewitched spin-off, Tabitha during 1977-78...
), and not long after, Gladys and Abner showed up. Much like with Samantha, Gladys didn't approve of Tabitha (she thought of her as a bad influence on Nancy), and was still as nosy as ever. She also ran afoul of Tabitha's Aunt Minerva (Karen Morrow
Karen Morrow
Karen Morrow is an American singer – actress best known for her work in musical theater. Her honors include an Emmy Award and a Theatre World Award, and an Ovation Award and five Drama-Logue Award nominations....
).
Alice Pearce
Alice Pearce
Alicia “Alice” Pearce was an American actress. Brought to Hollywood by Gene Kelly to reprise her Broadway performance in the film version of On the Town , Pearce played comedic supporting roles in several films, before being cast as Gladys Kravitz in Bewitched in 1964...
, the first Gladys Kravitz, won a posthumous Emmy award in 1966 for her work on Bewitched. Mary Grace Canfield
Mary Grace Canfield
Mary Grace Canfield is an American actress who often played the role of a romance-starved spinster/wallflower...
(Ralph the carpenter from Green Acres
Green Acres
Green Acres is an American television series starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm...
) played Harriet Kravitz, Abner's sister, Gladys's sister-in-law, in four episodes of Bewitched in early 1966, while Alice Pearce was either dying or had already died, before the hiring of Sandra Gould as Pearce's replacement as Gladys.
In the 2005 film Bewitched, based on the television series, the role of Gladys Kravitz is played by Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth is an American singer and actress, with credits in musical theatre, film and television. She is best known on Broadway for her performance as Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown , for which she won a Tony Award, and for originating the role of Glinda in the musical...
.
In popular culture
- In the episode "Dammit Janet!" of the animated television series Family GuyFamily GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
, Lois GriffinLois GriffinLois Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is voiced by writer Alex Borstein and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Lois was created and designed by series creator Seth MacFarlane...
finds her husband, PeterPeter GriffinPeter Griffin is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated comedy series Family Guy and the patriarch of the Griffin family. He is voiced by cartoonist Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998....
, and son, ChrisChris GriffinChris Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is the son and middle child of Peter and Lois Griffin, brother of Stewie and Meg Griffin. Chris is voiced by Seth Green.-Personality:...
, taking down the Christmas decorations on the roof by throwing rocks at them. She is concerned about what the neighbors will think. The scene cuts to an animated version of Gladys looking through her window and telling Abner, who is watching a pornographic film, that "the Griffin boy just killed a plastic reindeer".
- In an episode of The Hogan FamilyThe Hogan FamilyThe Hogan Family is an American television situation comedy that aired from March 1, 1986 to July 20, 1991...
, Jason is trying to convince Sandra he saw something. When she warns him he is "beginning to sound like Gladys Kravitz", he notes "Yeah, but she was always right!"
- In the episode of The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
entitled "Milhouse Doesn't Live Here AnymoreMilhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore"Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons fifteenth season, airing on February 15, 2004.-Plot:During a school field trip, Bart notices a change in Milhouse's behavior. Milhouse talks back to Mrs. Krabappel, wanders away from the group and causes mischief with Bart,...
", Gladys Kravitz has a statue in the TV Museum inside the "Hall of Nosy Neighbors" (next to Ned FlandersNed FlandersNedward "Ned" Flanders, Jr. is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer, and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the next door neighbor to the Simpson family and is generally...
).
- American rock band The Tories released a song called "Gladys Kravitz" as the first single from their debut album Wonderful Life in 1998. The song is a character study of a prototypical gossip who is compared to the character from the Bewitched series.