Show ITS A MAD MAD WORLD In Salem Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered David Segal The Washington Post t.- t. Executives at TV Land surely expected gracious applause when they announced plans for a bronze statue of Samantha Stephens in Bewitched But plans for the salute to go over well That's because TV Land decided the place for this nine-foot nine tribute to Americas America's most beloved housewife housewife house house- housewife wife witch is in Salem Mass best known for hanging 19 citizens accused of witchcraft OK it happened a long time but ago its it's still a sore sub sub- Capitalizing on that history with a statue of a TV witch struck some as really bad taste Its like TV Land going to Auschwitz and proposing to erect a statue of Colonel Klink says John Carr a former member of the Salem Historic District Commission Putting this statue in the park near the church where this all happened it trivializes the execution of 19 people Mayor Stanley says the town takes its dark past seriously and deals with it reverently in museums but that doesn't mean it should decline to showcase a pop- pop culture icon Will this statue redefine Salem Absolutely not he explains Will it add to the experience of coming here Definitely The network wont won't release photos photos pho pho- tos or drawings of the statue but its designers at in Brooklyn shared a rendering on condition that it not appear in the newspaper |