Dick York Was In Love With Elizabeth Montgomery- She Couldn't Stand Him

gays are better

Dick Sargent was horrible. Absolutely not a drop of talent. Watch That Touch of Mink. Astin almost steals the picture. York was very funny. You could see he was hot for Samantha which gave them a lot of on screen chemistry and you could see why he put up with her being a witch despite being upset with her a lot of the time. Also had a great slow burn.

Sargent was about the unfunniest bitter queen you could imagine. It made Endora's dislike of him all the more understandable. If he were alive today he would be a DLer writing about suicide ideation.

gays do it better

R2- By Paul Lynde was a FAR more bitter queen than Dick Sargent ever was.

Wasn't Dick York very ill during his time on the show?

Yes, R5; he essentially destroyed his back while filming High Noon and was in unimaginable pain the rest of his life; that was why he had to leave the show, and why he died fairly prematurely.

R6 He of died of emphysema at 63.

Wikipedia:

"While filming the movie They Came to Cordura (1959) with Gary Cooper and Rita Hayworth, he suffered a permanent, disabling back injury. In York's own words, "Gary Cooper and I were propelling a handcar carrying several 'wounded' men down [the] railroad track. I was on the bottom stroke of this sort of teeter-totter mechanism that made the handcar run. I was just lifting the handle up as the director yelled 'cut!' and one of the 'wounded' cast members reached up and grabbed the handle. Now, instead of lifting the expected weight, I was suddenly, jarringly, lifting his entire weight off the flatbed – 180 pounds[a] or so. The muscles along the right side of my back tore. They just snapped and let loose. And that was the start of it all: the pain, the painkillers, the addiction, the lost career."

Froug goes on to characterize Montgomery as "crazy" w/o much elaboration.

So they fired the straight stalker junkie and hired a fag. Fixed.

Montgomery supposedly tested with three possible Darrens, and really didn’t want York. But his brashness and gruffness was a good foil for her, which must be why she was overruled.

I agree Sargent was very bland, which York somehow wasn’t, he didn’t seem generic. But between his back and his crush on her, I guess I can see why Montgomery found Dick York a chore to work with and to have to work around.

Good Classic TV dish.

When I was a little kid watching these re-runs, I thought Dick York was just about the ugliest uggo I'd ever seen in the world. I had started the series later, watching Dick Sargent, who in my mind was the far better looking (and loved the snippiness of) actor. I loved Endora and Aunt Agatha and Uncle Arthur. Such camp. How Samantha wound up with a bore like Darrin never made sense.

R12- York did look like a FUCKIN MONKEY 🙈🙉🙊

R13 I concur!

Probably how he got the part in "Inherit the Wind" - what better actor for the Scopes Monkey Trial?

(I thought Dick York was good-looking)

Liz must have done something right...to be surrounded by all those Dicks.

Who was the third Darren who was tested? Anyone famous?

^ Who were the two others tested before York got the role? I read R11’s post to long predate the replacement casting of Sargent.

Poor guy.

3 pack a day smoker, serious work-related back injury, drug addiction from the pain meds, unrequited love, dead at 63.

York had a great ass. Sargent, not so much.

York was the better Darren.

York is amiable in My Sister Eillen. And very evil in I forget if it was a Twilight Zone or Hitchcock Presents.

He is very funny in the Bewitched episode where he has to change a tire in the pouring rain in his suit.

In Elizabeth’s defense, her husband was producer of Bewitched and they had marital problems. They finished the show after eight seasons because Elizabeth had left him and moved in with a director.

Is it possible that York was all up in her face at times when she was having problems and Sargent just minded his business and played it cool?

I think Elizabeth may have been more comfortable with drier, more sarcastic humor than York's wild physical expressions.

Moorehead was the opposite; she was unhappy when York left the show and was cool but professional to Sargent.

Neither Dick was a Robert Reed, that’s for sure. Maybe if Sargent got a perm?

R18 The other two actors up for the role were Dick Sargent and Richard Crenna. Sargent supposedly claimed that he had won the role first, but producer Asher denied this. The story goes like this:

[quote] Dick Sargent had claimed he had first won the role of Darrin before York. He was under contract with Universal to co-star in TV’s short-lived The Tammy Grimes Show. As fate would have it, Grimes’ character on the show was named “Tamantha” — with a “t” — and the actress was ABC’s first choice to play Samantha on Bewitched, but she declined. (And instead took the lead in another supernatural-based production, this time on Broadway in Noel Coward’s Blythe Spirit.) However, in 1999, Bewitched producer/director William Asher (married to Montgomery during the original run of Bewitched) said York was “always the first choice” to play Darrin.

Source at archive.ph link:

Thanks, R26. I’d like to see how Richard Crenna would’ve handled the role. But was being a Dick a prerequisite for the job? I guess Dick Powell had aged out for the part by then.

^ And DVD was already doing his own eponymous sitcom.

Someday, I swear, I'm going to learn to distinguish between them. This thread will be my guide.

Poor Alice Pearce. Dying of cancer but having to play out her contract. In some of those episodes, even the makeup can’t hide how sick she was. And they waited until after she died to award her the Emmy.

Did Bewitched have the most cast replacements? Darren, Mrs. Kravitz, Louise Tate.

It wasn’t “Blythe” [sic] Spirit,” it was “High Spirits,” the musical adaptation of “Blithe Spirit.”

Tammy Grimes would have been an exhausting Samantha, but a fun Serena.

[Quote] the straight stalker junkie

Let it never be said that the Data Lounge is not a place of compassion.

I’m glad R’s 20 and 22 respectively mentioned Dick York’s ass and his role in 1955’s “My Sister Eileen.” In that he plays the young married man who is a physicl fitness nut, always exercising, and he’s mostly seen in sweatpants. That was how I first saw and marveled at his body and his big bubble butt.

He smoked 3 packs a day! No breaks.

R27 Makes you wonder if they considered Richard "Dick" Long. .. He was the right age and was in-between "77 Sunset Strip" and "The Big Valley" at the time.

Dick York was fabulous and stole the show; no wonder Montgomery, a nepo baby with limited talent, didn't like him.

Loved Dick York but Richard Crenna was, I thought, very handsome, sexy and funny. How on earth did he not get the part.

When I watched the show as a kid I could never understand what Samantha saw in Darren - either one - both were so controlling and neurotic. And unattractive.

Dick Sargent appeared on "Broadside" (the female "McHale's Navy") that season under his Universal contract. The execrable "Tammy Grimes Show" came later. Crenna would have been an interesting choice---he could play a full range of emotion (unlike Sargent) and although he usually played in light comedy and tv, he also played heavies in film and had a shortlived dramatic series on tv. He was much loved by everyone who worked with him. He would have been better known than Montgomery at that time--I wonder if that was an issue. York had mostly played supporting roles in films and guest shots on anthology series.

Everything you need to know about the Tammy Grimes Show. Producer William Dozier (best known for Batman)was the outgoing head of Screen Gems when Bewitched was planned so he probably did crib some Bewitched references for this debacle.

Such old news. Anyone who's a BEWITCHED fan has known this since York left the show in 1969 and made this public.

He always reminded me of an ugly version of Bob Crane.

The Gays are better

I thought Elizabeth and her husband came up with the idea for Bewitched, how was Tammy Grimes the first choice?

Montgomery played no role in creating the show. Tammy Grimes was the original choice. It was created by Sol Saks and harry Ackerman, and loosely based on an old movie called "I Married a Witch".

Dick York could have sued the producers of They Came to Cordura and retired with the payout.

I watched a documentary on Bewitched just the other day. It didn't mention anything about Elizabeth Montgomery wanting to get rid of Dick York.

R48: So what?

I was just making a comment. Don't overreact.

R2 is quite the homophobe.

Actually I agree with R2. Sargent was a charmless crank on the show.

Poor Dick was definitely not living the lux life at the end. This was where he lived in Michigan, when he died. The house was finally demolished in 2011.

R38 Crenna didn't really want to do another TV sitcom. "The Real McCoys" had just ended, and during the time it took them to cast Samantha, he was offered the lead in "Slattery's People," where he would be the title character in the drama.

Crenna would have been good. He didn't project Dick York's level of exasperation, but could have done the park with more warmth and subtlety. Sargent was horrible,

Crenna was the best looking of the three. And TV viewers loved his Luke McCoy. He was nominated for an Emmy in that role.

[quote] He always reminded me of an ugly version of Bob Crane.

Bob Crane was an ugly version of Bob Crane. York was cute in a quirky kind of way, and like others have said, he had a great ass. I also thought he was underrated in terms of physical comedy. What made Darrin #1 funny was the fact that he wore his emotions on his face. It was perfect for the times when Darrin was frustrated with Samantha and Endora. He was actually very funny and funny is sexy.

R56: IMpressive when you consider it was an awful hick show, a sort of proto-Beverly Hillbillies.

R53- His house at Morning Glory Circle was a much nicer house than that hovel in Michigan.

R53=Gladys Kravitz

Oh you shut your filthy mouth about 'The Real McCoys'. It was a favorite in my 50s & 60s youth. I've been binge watching it on Sling TV for the last several days. Richard Crenna was a dreamboat.

Growing up, watching first run episodes, I assumed the Stephenses lived in California.

I so hoped that Mad Men would have made some sly reference to the competing ad team of McMann & Tate.

If you watch some of the old Hazel episodes you'll recognize the Stephens house as being right next door. And if I remember correctly the Leave It To Beaver house was either across the street or just down the street. The 'I Dream Of Jeannie' house was on the same street. So sad the studio bulldozed all those famous old sets not all that long ago.

I think on the show the Stephens family lived in New Rochelle. Of course his office was in Manhattan.

[quote]I think on the show the Stephens family lived in New Rochelle. Of course his office was in Manhattan.

Was there ever any mention of cold weather or snow?

It was explicitly stated that the Stephens lived in Westport, Connecticut. Also the original title was "The Witch of Westport."

No---they lived in some faked name town in what assume would be Westchester County. The Petries (Dick Van Dyke) lived in New Rochelle.

Now I want to see the sitcom that has the Petries living next door to the Stephenses.

"Oh, Raaahhb!"

"Say-aaam!"

Maybe Elizabeth was freaked out by Dick's incessant blinking.

I agree the first Darren played by York was a better show fit, because as with Ricky to Lucy in the previous drcade’s “ILL” that Asher also worked on incidentally, yes York was a better “threat” to Sam when he caught or suspected her or Tabitha of trying to use witchcraft and inadvertently cause lots of problems—including ones that got his character in trouble! Also those earlier-seasons Samantha seemed more intellectual and seemingly more believable in having maybe a cerebral-component attraction to York.

Then Sargent came along and the show dynamic seemed to shift-adding to and including Sam becoming much groovier and dressing/acting almost like a midlife-crisis liberated swinger..

R27 Richard Long was handsome but kind of dull as an actor.

York was the better Darren. Dick Sargent had a coldness to him (not fitting for the character).

Both Mrs. Kravitzes were good.

Sargent looks like he’s smelling cookies.

The second Mrs. Kravitz was awful.

Both Darwoods were hideous

The Bewitched house itself was a mirror image of a real house in Santa Monica, California. The main difference is that for the TV series, they added a garage on the front of the house, while the real house sits on a corner lot, so the garage is in the rear on the side that is accessible from the side street. While growing up, my best friend's parents owned this house, and I spent many hours there. The house is still there, and I drive by it every once in awhile when visiting my sister who still lives in the area. This house in Santa Monica was also used as the home that Gidget lived in for the original movie with Sandra Dee. They filmed some interior shots in it, but I think it was mainly used for exterior ones.

I like when they go into Manhattan which at that time had hills in the background.

She was sex all over.

He’s right about Elizabeth Montgomery, she was very sexy, and that comes through in all her TV work in the ‘50s and ‘60s before “Bewitched.”

She was a natural before the camera, and into the post-“Bewitched” ‘80s she was a TV movie queen, racking up big ratings and getting regular Emmy nominations. So I’m guessing she was popular with colleagues and executives alike.

R74- You don't like her because she said to Lucy when she had the cup on her head in the subway- Either that or she played tennis with a saw LOSA!

The second Mrs. Kravitz had the unfortunate luck to follow a brilliant performer. Alice Pearce was excellent as the nosy neighbor.

York was just higher manic energy. Sergeant was so much calmer.

York also benefitted by being the first Durwood, when the show was at its best.

R66- WRONG 😑

The episode where Aunt Clara conjures up Queen Victoria in the Stephens house at Morning Glory Circle . The queen says - Where are we?

Aunt Clara responds - You’re in New York your majesty. Plus the license plates of the Stephens cars said New York.

He wasn't calmer he was dead as an actor. A 2x4 was a third rail compared to him.

R84 There were allusions to NY throughout the show, obviously since Darrin worked in Manhattan. However the only time a specific city is mentioned is in S7 E23 when Endora has a line about Westport, Connecticut. Aunt Clara was a clueless old bitty so I'm taking Endora's word for it.

I've always said that York was the 'first husband' which we, the family, liked but the wife (Samantha) didn't. Sargent comes across as the second husband that the wife likes, but we, the family, don't have the heart to tell her we don't like him.

If Sargent Dick was cast as the first Darren the show would never have gotten renewed after the first season.

Paul Lynde was such a talent and he seemed like such a huge part of the show. I think he was only in like 10 episodes and two of those weren't as Uncle Arthur.

I fantasized about Richard Crenna when I was a boy and watched The Real McCoys in reruns.

I fantasized about Monster.

Jeopardy had a "Sargent/York" category (Double Jeopardy round at the link).

By the end of the series Tabitha was carrying more of the shows than Derwood.

Dick York had a Ryan Seacrest smile.

Wasn’t Richard Crenna the owner of the biggest dick in Hollywood? Like Berle/Sinatra class but even bigger than them? Maybe that’s why he always went by Richard and not Dick.

York comes off like a creeper in R78's video. I can only imagine how creepy he was while still in Montgomery's presence. I can see why she was annoyed by him.

Paul Lynde was supposed to be a frequent reoccurring character on the show starting in September, 1965 as Asher and Montgomery loved his work so much from season one as the driving instructor. They convinced ABC they needed to bring him in for multiple episodes per season as 'Uncle Arthur' for the rest of the show's run (it was contracted for five seasons at that time).

In July, 1965, just as season two was ready to start production (and ABC was negotiating with Lynde), Lynde made headlines in Hollywood over his involvement in the tragic death of actor James Davidson at the St Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco. Since the Davidson investigation was in its beginning stages, ABC decided to play it safe and contracted him as a guest character, averaging just two episodes per season (Asher and Montgomery stood by their friend's innocence, and was not happy with ABC's offer).

Lynde was proven innocent when the investigation ended months later, and his career took off shortly after. On October 16, 1966 he joined 'The Hollywood Squares' in its second week of the premiere season - where he stayed for many seasons. Incidentally, Agnes Moorehead was on the very first episode of 'THS' but had to leave the show, as she found it would be difficult to continue with the show and film 'Bewitched' over at ABC.

In his latter years.

[quote] Wasn’t Richard Crenna the owner of the biggest dick in Hollywood?

Not when Harry Belafonte was around.

They only used to play the color episodes when I was a kid, so Sargent was always the "real" Darren

[quote] St Francis Drake Hotel

Didn’t know he’d been canonized.

R86- Wrong again. Samantha was standing right next to Aunt Clara when she told the queen they were in New York. Samantha did not correct her because Aunt Clara WAS correct.

R102 What exactly is that supposed to prove? She was standing right next to Endora in the scene I mentioned as well. Also, once again, THE SHOW WAS ORIGINALLY CONCEIVED AS "THE WITCH OF WESTPORT."

SHEILA WAS A CUNT!

Both episodes where Sheila gets her comeuppance were among my favorites. I also loved when Endora got pie'd.

I liked the episode when Endora lost her powers and had to pour her own coffee.

"it's heavy"

Samantha's first takedown of Sheila.

Her second takedown. Sheila to her credit does some amazing work with her eyeballs.

Actress Nancy Kovack, who played "Sheila," went on to marry conductor, Zubin Mehta in 1969. Both are still alive, age 89 and 88, respectively. Photo from five years ago when he retired from the Israeli Philharmonic:

My favorite episode is the one when Darrin's best friend is super rich. The wife is always rubbing Sam's nose in it. So Sam whips up a rare fur coat. Ends up giving it away to the bitch wife. The big bonus is Endora defending Derwood.

R109: I thought Mehta and Kovack divorced many years ago.

R111 No, they're still together, and I'm unaware of any past split. As far as I know they still consider the compound they bought in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles back in the mid-70s their home base. They love that place. It used to be Steve McQieen's house. You can find photos of them together from last year in India when Zubin accepted some award. Also, they made the news in Italy in 2022 when they jointly announced that they were donating $1 million (in Tesla Shares) to some music theatre where Zubin is director emeritus.