Dick York died 20 years ago today

[landtuna]

Nice write-up of his life and career at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/tucson/obit-report-article.aspx?t=bewitched%20by%20dick%20york&id=734

 

[Mike Stroud]

I was never a big Bewitched fan, but my sisters loved it when I was growing up, so it was on the TV quite a bit at my house during the afternoon reruns in the 1970s. I am wondering what the critical consensus is regarding comparisons between York's and Dick Sargent's portrayals of Darrin, such as the chemistry between either man and Elizabeth Montgomery, and how well either of them conveyed the sense of an ordinary middle-class father and husband during the fin-de-sicele of the age of domesticity that was the post-World War period. Not exactly an academic subject, but I never could really tell them apart as a kid, other than the different names in the opening credits. All I recall is that Darrin was more or less a henpecked husband who was basically a foil for his wife's (and her in-laws') antics. As we all know, that was a winning formula back in the less sophisticated Sixties.

 

[onairb]

Dick Sargent is often dismissed as the 'other' Darrin, and his episodes aren't as fondly remembered, because the show was in its waning years. However, Sargent did a good job portraying the character, adding an even more sardonic sense of humor.
It's worth noting that Sargent was the second choice to play Darrin when the show premeired, and since he was 'Plan B' in case York had been unavailable, he was the first guy they asked when York had to leave.

If I had to pick a favorite Darrin, I'd say York, just because he had better chemistry with Elizabeth Montgomery(by the early '70s, she was distracted by personal issues, and ready to move on, which affected the quality of the series.) Additionally, the replacement of York led to a lot of rewritten/rehashed story ideas over the last few seasons, turning 'Bewitched' into a pale imitation of itself.

 

[FreddyE1977]

I remember that well. It was kind of sad.

I was living in Michigan at the time and the Detroit News ran a feature on him in their
Sunday edition. He was living in a small two-bedroom ranch home in Rockford, Michigan
with his wife. He was dying from emphysema and basically confined to a wheelchair.
He was just about broke. The house was supposedly an inheritance from his wife's side.
They did not seem to have much else.

He was spending his final days trying to raise funds and other donations for the homeless.
He would call up big companies like Kelloggs and Campbells Soup and pester them to donate
to charities. Since they remembered him from Bewitched he claimed he was fairly effective.

I was always touched by the fact that a guy who seemed to have gotten so many
crummy breaks in his life was spending his final days helping others whom he felt were
less fortunate.