York and Gary Cooper were propelling a handcar along the rail tracks while filming a movie scene. The actor loved his job so much he stuck it out far longer than he should have given the numerous health problems that plagued him on set. He eventually quit the drugs, enduring a horrific withdrawal complete with auditory hallucinations. You wouldnt be alone. Still, Asher didnt deny that Sargent was originally up for the role. [citation needed], While filming the fifth-season episode "Daddy Does His Thing," York fell ill: "I was too sick to go on. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. This later led to a dependency on painkillers and to York missing a handful of Bewitched episodes in seasons 3 and 4. Her subsequent two pregnancies were written into the Bewitched script, adding Tabitha and Adam to the Stephens family. Even though Endora barely tolerated Darrin on the show, off-camera Moorehead was closer to York than any other cast member. If not for his back injury its kind of easy to think that Dick York might have been able to keep going with the show and possibly move on to something else once it had run its course, but hey, things happen sometimes, not always for the better, but they happen all the same. Anyway, there was one thing I never knew about the show - why they suddenly replaced Dick York, the actor who originally played Samantha's husband, Darrin. Originally starring Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York, the series went through a bit of a metamorphosis during its eight-season run. The two Andrews girls are named Tabitha and Abigail. He and his wife Joan purchased an apartment building and planned to live off the rent for income, but he proved too compassionate for the job of landlord. York died February 20, 1992, at age 63. However, circumstances beyond anyones expectations can throw a wrench in a shows casting plans. In a case like that, Elizabeth Montgomery had to stand in place, arms upraised, while the director called cut and members of the crew then rushed around to remove the laundry, newspapers, and other clutter from the set. In 1960's sitcom Bewitched, Sam's husband Darrin has a habit of overreacting to her magical hijinks. Nosey Gladys Kravitz was first played by Alice Pearce and then Sandra Gould. Darren was also missing from the opening but Samantha just did her normal acts as if he were there anyway. David died two years later of a heart attack, and is inurned with his son in a niche at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. RELATED: Bewitched Stole Certain Plotlines From I Love Lucy Because Of One Sneaky Producer. :). But he did not raise his voice quite like Yorks Darrin. Am I right? It's like a squeaky piece of chalk scratching on my nerves.". You can see Moorehead wearing the brooch on an episode of Password above. Because of this back injury however his time on Bewitched was great affected as he couldnt walk fast or run anywhere and he had to spend a lot of time seated in many scenes. Elizabeth Montgomery with Dick York's replacement, Dick Sargeant. It is the magazine that the witches read in several episodes. The truth, unknown to audiences for years after York left the sitcom, is far less salacious, yet just as mortal as the character Darrin was envisaged for television: injury and addiction were the catalysts that prompted Yorks departure from Bewitched. Form 1964 to 1969 York portrayed the mortal husband to Elizabeth Montgomerys witch Samantha and her magical, misfit family members, including acerbic, mortal-hating mother-in-law Endora, played by Agnes Moorehead. Tragically, Jonathan was a passenger on Pan Am Flight 103 which exploded over. I was on the bottom stroke of this sort of teeter-totter mechanism that made the handcar run. Director William Asher Writers Ed Jurist Sol Saks Stars Elizabeth Montgomery Dick Sargent Agnes Moorehead See production, box office & company info Laughosaurus - Humor & Amazing Videos
"If it's all right with you, Billy," York replied. The seizure may have ended his time onBewitched, but industry insiders claim the ousting was a long time coming. He knew of York's anguish and asked him point blank is he wanted to quit the show. Sargent took another job while the pilot was in search of a new Samantha, and interestingly enough he would go on to play Tammys twin brother on her short-lived show. The chronic pain from the injury made standing for long periods of time difficult and also caused the actor to become dependent on painkillers to get through the day. On the hit 1960s sitcom Bewitched, Dick York played Darrin Stephens, the long-suffering mortal married to witch-turned-housewife, Samantha. David White, who played unctuous advertising exec Larry Tate, had a son named Jonathan whom hed raised as a single father after his wife died due to complications during her second pregnancy. Her undershot jaw prevented her from landing any leading lady roles when she took up acting, but she could be counted on as a good comic foil. He then quit drugs cold turkey, which led to six months' difficult withdrawal and recovery. Neatorama is the neat side of the Web. The years of poor health were not helped by his cigarette habit, and the three-pack-a-day smoker developed emphysema, which ultimately claimed his life at the age of 63 on Feb. 20, 1992. Copyright 2023 PopCulture.com. Web every day. Because his health was continuing to worsen during the course of filming, producers decided to recast Darrin's role for the remaining three seasons of the show. At one point York, who had been a three-pack a day smoker for years, developed emphysema and as a result his health started to deteriorate rather quickly as he passed away in his 60s. York was a three-pack-a-day smoker for much of his life and often smoked cigarettes on the set of Bewitched; he spent his final years battling emphysema. They just snapped and let loose, York said in an interview published in FilmFax magazine in 1992. No wonder Napoleon wasn't in the mood for Josephine - he was busy! As a novelist and a screenwriter, he enjoys promoting one story or another. First The Oscars and Now The Voice Season 12 Finale Hallelujah! York said yes. The Reason The First Darrin Left the TV Show Bewitched Tom Foster 3 years ago Some actors grow disillusioned with their roles on TV and want something more, while others might find themselves in. "Yeah," he says, "she's quirky and nosey and every time she's nosey, she gets her comeuppance. York was in too much pain, most of the time, to continue in the role. I've been surrounded by people in radio, on stage, and in motion pictures and television who love me. York made a name for himself in the entertainment industry long before he nabbed a role on Bewitched. and one of the 'wounded' cast members reached up and grabbed the handle. He ended up developing a reliance on painkillers, which ended up affecting his physical abilities. She also admired his acting talent and was not at all pleased when he was replaced with Dick Sargent. I had always assumed it was because of creative differences or whatever term Hollywood likes to use, but Icouldnt have been morewrong. Kept in the dark though, they could only use their gut to determine if they could follow the show with such a drastic change of casting. Cordura and Inherit the Wind (1960) were his biggest film successes, but it was an accident during shooting on the former that would inform and influence the remainder of his life. An illness during filming of the fifth season finally benched York for good. If you're a fan of the original Bewitched series, which aired from 1964 to 1972, you would know that the original actor who portrayed Darrin, Dick York, left the show after five seasons. Let's talk about that iconic intro. Supa Fluffy - Cute Animals & Pets. Producers, on the other hand, hoped that the audience wouldnt notice when they changed Darrins identity. The facade of the Stephens house was also the same facade . Things seemed to be going great for both York and the show itself. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Dick Sargent was brought in at that point since York was in constant pain and had to be kept in recovery. While in the hospital recovering, he was visited by director William Asher asked if he wanted to quit, and York answered, "If it's all right with you, Billy," according to his own account in his final interview before his death in 1992. You have reached your limit of free articles. On the hit 1960s sitcom Bewitched, Dick York played Darrin Stephens, the long-suffering mortal married to witch-turned-housewife, Samantha. But the story idea and basic script was written by 22 African-American 10th graders in Marcella Saunders English class at Jefferson High School in South Central Los Angeles. A few years prior to production on the first season of Bewitched, Dick had suffered a debilitating and permanent back injury on the set of the film They Came to Cordura. Adam was the name of Darrin and Samantha's second child, but only son. When Jennifer is burned at the stake in Salem, she vows to get revenge on those who ordered her execution. The plot involved unabashed racist Mr. Brockway, owner of a toy company whose million-dollar advertising account McMann and Tate was eager to land. Many have speculated through the years that Dick York's departure from the show had to do with either a dispute with the network or show executives or a clash with the cast, but nothing could be further from the truth. Some theorizing he had a dispute with the network, clashes with his fellow cast members, or a difference of opinion with the showrunner. He had appeared in a movie in 1959 called They Came to Cordura, and during filming he had severely injured his back. [3] In his memoir, The Seesaw Girl and Me, published posthumously, he describes the struggle to break his addiction and come to grips with the loss of his career. 254 half-hour episodes were produced. The story is actually quite sad. I continued to work through it." But the question remains in every person's head who has watched or been a fan of Bewitched: why the two different Darrins? Another young man named Dick Sargant was immediately hired to replace Dick York as "Darrin number 2." People werent the only elements of the show that might have looked a little too familiar. But enough about them. Darrin Stephens. In 1969, with Dick York as Darrin (his final season), the show was a ratings hit at #11, but when Sargent took over the role, ratings soon dropped and the show went to #24. His 1959 role in They Came To Cordura changed his life forever. What's your excuse? A visit fromBill Asher, the producer ofBewitched, sealed his fate. Connie Britton Returns for the Season 3 Finale of '9-1-1', Tom Cruise Pays Child Support, but It's Not as Much as You Might Think. Liz and I were more kissy-kissy. Indeed, Pilato revealed that even York disliked the shouting that went from Darrin to Samantha Stephens and often yearned to calm him down during his time on set. Is it true no mummies were found in the Great Pyramid of Giza? The episode was titled: Darren's breaking point. The injury led to a chronic and debilitating back condition that York managed with a mix of painkillers, sleeping aids, and cortisone shots. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Thanks for the article. How did the producers work around this and just what did this change mean for the character? Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York in Bewitched, Dick York: The Real Reason He Suddenly Left 'Bewitched', Photo: Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Photo Archives/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. It might sound a lot more dramatic than what it is, but people tend to become invested in their shows and when theyre taken off the air some folks dont pay much attention while others experience a type of breakdown as they have to find something to do with their time after this. Funny T-Shirts | Horror T-Shirts | Video Game T-Shirts. For Darrin's "daydream daughter", see Little Endora. The actor explained to PEOPLE in 1989, "I had a board in my trailer where I would flatten out. This prop amusingly played on the title of the popular Harper's Bazaar fashion magazine. While Adam was a warlock on "Bewitched", he was a mortal on the spin-off series "Tabitha". Additionally, Sargent overall felt, To tell you the truth, I think there was a stronger sense of warmth between Samantha and Darrin when I did the show. "We rented to people who were on welfare and a lot of times they couldn't pay the rent. Contracted to Columbia Pictures soon after, York was soon in front of big-screen audiences in the western drama They Came to Cordura (1959), starring with .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Gary Cooper, Rita Hayworth, Tab Hunter and Van Heflin. Here are 5 times the producers used a little TV magic to hide things from viewers: Samantha spent much of the show trying to hide her true, witchy identity from her husband Darrin. Alice Pearce played the part of a nosy busybody so well that even today the local neighborhood buttinski is referred to as a Gladys Kravitz. When Pearce was 9, she fell from a playground swing and landed on her chin, stunting its growth. Can you blame the second Darrin for the show's troubles? Which Darrin did you prefer? Today, we'll recall his biggest overreactions. The show revolves around a witchwho marries a regular, human man and promises to lead the life of a typical housewife. The human body, resilient as it is, doesnt normally respond well to quick and unexpected motions that tweak it in ways that it wasnt prepared to go. Long before he appeared onBewitched, York had been injured on the set of a film. Now, instead of lifting the expected weight, I was suddenly, jarringly, lifting his entire weight off the flatbed 180 pounds or so. But, somehow or other, her name came out 'Tabatha' on the credit roll, and that's the way it's been ever since. The replacement doctor instead gave him B-12, and while filming a scene with Maurice Evans on a scaffold 15 feet in the air, the hot lights, exhaustion and medications combined to send York into a seizure. Sadly, Dick's health did not improve after he stepped away from Bewitched. Vaguely resembling Dick York, Dick Sargent played Darrin with a more defiant attitude toward his witchy in-laws. The Harpies Bizarre name is in reference to a prop from the Bewitched TV show. To hear Sargent tell it, Asher offered him the part during the shows initial casting. On the day of filming the Daddy Does His Thing episode, he skipped lunch to see his doctor, who was out. All Rights Reserved. However, Sargents former co-star, Tammy Grimes, apparently was the first choice forSamantha StephensonBewitched. The book is in large part a love letter to his wife, Joan (ne Alt), the seesaw girl of the title, who stuck with him through the hard times. Some actors grow disillusioned with their roles on TV and want something more, while others might find themselves in a dispute over money, screen time, or something else. Imagine being part of a show where people expect you to be energetic and full of life and this is next to impossible since you cant move on account of the pain. According to York, it was during filming on Cordura when he sustained a severe back injury. He gamely tried to run his lines during the run-through, but he started to "zone out" and feel woozy and funny. He is the only child of Frank and Phyllis Stephens. One of the most memorable recastings in TV history is also one of the oldest: the two Darrins of Bewitched. That's about all I remember of the incident and I'd managed to bite a very large hole in the side of my tongue before they could pry my teeth apart. Specialty T-Shirts:
Darrin Stephens, son of Frank and Phyllis Stephens, (originally Dick York, seasons 1-5; later Dick Sargent, seasons 6-8) is a mortal married to Samantha.He did not know she was a witch until she told him after they got married, and tries to dissuade her from using witchcraft as much as possible, preferring to live an ordinary, mortal life.