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What actor played a role so iconicly that it's unimaginable anyone else could replace them?
- Thread starter hbarcat
- Start date
I still prefer the first Darrin (Dick York), although Dick Sargent took over the role admirably.
I just read something interesting about Dick York.
I've always been critical of his acting on that show for the sole reason that his character was constantly yelling at Samantha and treating her like she was a child. I don't think it's inaccurate to say that his character treated her character like a bully.
Yes, I know that was a different time (the 60s) and women were generally treated like 2nd class citizens, and husbands would often "disciipline" their wives, but Darrin's constant berating and yelling at Samantha just struck me as gratuitous and detracted from the inherent charm of the show.
The interesting anecdote I discovered was that Dick York himself wasn't comfortable having his character yelling at Samantha so much but was only doing what the script dictated. He frequently objected to the portrayal and wanted to tone it down a lot to make the couple seem more agreeable.
But the director, William Asher, absolutely insisted on the character of Darrin being so frustrated with all the magical shenanigans going on in his house (which he has no real control over) that he can't help but lash out at Samantha (and especially Endora).
York would intentionally tone down the rhetoric from the script, but Asher would break in and tell him to be more aggressive. He specifically told him not to take it easy with Elizabeth Montgomery because she was strong and could take it.
What's funny is that York didn't realize that William Asher and Elizabeth Montgomery were actually married in real-life and Asher was telling York to act like a jerk to his wife for the purpose of the show.
Their marriage wasn't really a secret, but they didn't exactly advertise it either. Eventually York figured it out, and the rest of the cast had a good laugh at his expense.
I always thought of Dick York's Darrin as being specifically frustrated with all the in-laws meddling (especially the mother-in-law, who was especially nasty to Darrin), so he really just wanted a ban on all magic, which of course would include the in-laws! And he wanted the household to seem "normal" to all of the visiting mortals.
It's interesting (and amusing) to hear about the director's role in all of this.
To me, another amusing tidbit is the fact that not only did they replace Darrin with a different actor and not acknowledge the difference in the storyline, but they did the same thing with the nosy neighbor lady, Mrs. Gladys Kravitz.
She was played by the accomplished comedic actress Alice Pearce during the first two seasons of Bewitched, but she died of cancer and was replaced by Sandra Gould.
Actually any role he played.Brian Blessed as Vultan in "Flash Gordon":
He basically took it over...
Not related to any acting or Bewitched, but an interesting musical connection, Wiliam Asher and Elizabeth Montgomery's son, Bill, is a highly regarded luthier, with an impressive client list…
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A long time ago, he had a retail shop in Santa Monica; in the 90's I'd go in occasionally, he was one of the earliest vendors of George L products.
I read somewhere that the Olive Oyl character was based on a real life waitress who worked in a diner near the studio where the cartoon artist ate lunch and hung out. They lampooned her, drawing her mannerisms and general appearance into the cartoon. Looks like the character has come full circle with a human being back in the role.
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I think the only conceivable excuse for this movie was that he urgently needed the money.
