Wasn’t Dick York well-paid when he worked on “Bewitched”? Why did he end up in financial straits so soon after leaving the show?

Dick York was dealing with health related problems and was unable to continue his role on Bewitched after season 5. Why he then fell on hard times was probably partly because of his health issues.

Poor Dick!!:(

York injured his back in the late 1950s while filming the movie “They Came to Cordura”, one of Gary Cooper’s final films. By the time he was cast in “Bewitched”, he was also addicted to pain pills. York collapsed on the set of “Bewitched” in 1969.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_York

My question was about York’s financial, not physical well-being.

His physical well-being, or lack thereof, along with addiction to painkillers, likely contributed to financial woes he might have had at the time.

There was a falling out between York and Montgomery when York was dismissed from the show. He bad mouthed and criticized a lot of people involved in the production of the show. I think York was frustrated over his health, but I think people took notice and it pretty much killed any chances of making a career comeback had his health improved. I think it was clearly established that York and Montgomery tolerated each other in a professional manner, but never really liked each other. They were never amicable off stage.

Many actors and actresses also only made money while the show was on its “first run” and maybe for six reruns and that was it. Some were quite ahead of their time and would often take a smaller salary in return for a portion of ownership of show and thus would continue to make money for years (decades). Lucille Ball was such an actress as wasn’t Shirley Booth (Hazel).

Here is a Los Angeles Times article from 1989 about York.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-02-08-vw-2079-story.html

Maybe Samantha cast a spell on him

There was a falling out between York and Montgomery when York was dismissed from the show. He bad mouthed and criticized a lot of people involved in the production of the show. I think York was frustrated over his health, but I think people took notice and it pretty much killed any chances of making a career comeback had his health improved. I think it was clearly established that York and Montgomery tolerated each other in a professional manner, but never really liked each other. They were never amicable off stage.

Dick York was not dismissed by the show. He asked Bill Asher to let him quit when his health was at a very low point. ABC was hoping he could continue on but he just could not. Mrs. York in particular was so worried about his health she was in full support of him leaving.

There was one small article from late 1969 or so which "claimed" York had stated that the atmosphere on the set was so bad by the end of his time and he was glad to leave. This seems more like Hollywood gossip since York spent 18 months at home flat on his back recuperating. Hardly seems likely that he gave any interviews.

In his autobiography Dick wrote that he and Elizabeth were very close on set (as he was with David White). Another bit of unconfirmed gossip came from a producer who was fired from the show claiming he "believed" that Dick was "in love" with Elizabeth and it ticked her off because she was a "harsh woman who hated being loved by anyone." That seems even more ridiculous especially coming from a disgruntled producer who was fired. And no one else ever claimed any such things happened.

Sadly we'll never know as Elizabeth never said anything about Dick York other than it was "a shame" that he had to leave. Dick only said positive things about the show and the cast.

After Dick York left Bewitched he spent about 18 months recuperating at home. Then found he could not get any new roles. Something related: Hayden Roark told Larry Hagman (who wanted to quit I Dream of Jeannie) that if an actor leaves a successful series no one in Hollywood will hire him again (this convinced Larry to remain with Jeannie). Dick York seemed to have faced this exact situation as his leaving was viewed by other producers as quitting a hit show. Suzanne Somers would face this too after her salary battle with Three's Company.

The Yorks also owned rental property but rented to low income resident who often couldn't pay rent. With no money coming in from acting they lost the property. Then Mr.s York's mother became ill and she and Dick permanently left Hollywood to care for her. They worked small odd jobs until Dick attempted a come-back in the 1980s. He did an episode of Fantasy Island and a Simon and Simon before a clerical mistake lost his contact information for casting. Upon being diagnosed with emphysema in the mid to late 1980s Dick retired from acting once again.

There was a story (unconfirmed) that talk show host Tom Snyder wanted to reunite Dick and Elizabeth Montgomery on his talk show in the late 70s, but Elizabeth refused. She did not do personal interviews due to her extreme fear of them. She mentions this fear in a much later interview with John Tesh.

Dick York was not dismissed by the show. He asked Bill Asher to let him quit when his health was at a very low point. ABC was hoping he could continue on but he just could not. Mrs. York in particular was so worried about his health she was in full support of him leaving.

There was one small article from late 1969 or so which "claimed" York had stated that the atmosphere on the set was so bad by the end of his time and he was glad to leave. This seems more like Hollywood gossip since York spent 18 months at home flat on his back recuperating. Hardly seems likely that he gave any interviews.

In his autobiography Dick wrote that he and Elizabeth were very close on set (as he was with David White). Another bit of unconfirmed gossip came from a producer who was fired from the show claiming he "believed" that Dick was "in love" with Elizabeth and it ticked her off because she was a "harsh woman who hated being loved by anyone." That seems even more ridiculous especially coming from a disgruntled producer who was fired. And no one else ever claimed any such things happened.

Sadly we'll never know as Elizabeth never said anything about Dick York other than it was "a shame" that he had to leave. Dick only said positive things about the show and the cast.

There definitely is more than one article which states there were tensions on the set between Elizabeth and Dick York. Elizabeth Montgomery biographer Herbie Pilato is quoted as saying, "Elizabeth Montgomery didn't get along with Dick York, who played her husband Darrin Stephens. He was in love with her but she was married to the show's producer and it became very uncomfortable for her." Pilato knew Elizabeth in her final years.

There definitely is more than one article which states there were tensions on the set between Elizabeth and Dick York. Elizabeth Montgomery biographer Herbie Pilato is quoted as saying, "Elizabeth Montgomery didn't get along with Dick York, who played her husband Darrin Stephens. He was in love with her but she was married to the show's producer and it became very uncomfortable for her." Pilato knew Elizabeth in her final years.

Unfortunately, Pilato's "researcher" and assistant with the biography book used these exact same references (mainly lots of tabloid articles from the 1960s). There is no evidence Elizabeth confided in Pilato any of her possible negative feelings towards York or any other cast members. Nor was she and Pilato close.

Pilato avoided any negative comments about or attributed to Montgomery while she was alive. Once she died he then sensationalized her "biography" which in my opinion must be taken with a huge grain of salt. He even went so far as to suggest Elizabeth was an alcoholic once she safely passed on. For someone who claims to have "loved" her Pilato had no trouble airing her supposed "dirty laundry" to sell a book.

After Dick York left Bewitched he spent about 18 months recuperating at home. Then found he could not get any new roles. Something related: Hayden Roark told Larry Hagman (who wanted to quit I Dream of Jeannie) that if an actor leaves a successful series no one in Hollywood will hire him again (this convinced Larry to remain with Jeannie). Dick York seemed to have faced this exact situation as his leaving was viewed by other producers as quitting a hit show. Suzanne Somers would face this too after her salary battle with Three's Company.

The Yorks also owned rental property but rented to low income resident who often couldn't pay rent. With no money coming in from acting they lost the property. Then Mr.s York's mother became ill and she and Dick permanently left Hollywood to care for her. They worked small odd jobs until Dick attempted a come-back in the 1980s. He did an episode of Fantasy Island and a Simon and Simon before a clerical mistake lost his contact information for casting. Upon being diagnosed with emphysema in the mid to late 1980s Dick retired from acting once again.

There was a story (unconfirmed) that talk show host Tom Snyder wanted to reunite Dick and Elizabeth Montgomery on his talk show in the late 70s, but Elizabeth refused. She did not do personal interviews due to her extreme fear of them. She mentions this fear in a much later interview with John Tesh.Dick York had legitimate health reasons for leaving, while Suzanne Somers was just acting like a diva.

Dick York had legitimate health reasons for leaving, while Suzanne Somers was just acting like a diva.

Agreed, but the point was York's leaving may have been interpreted by producers at the time as political.It's just something Hayden Roark said usually happened no matter why an actor leaves a show. I don't know this is what happened to York.

If able to work would Dick York have been offered a new contract after Season 5?

This is a difficult question to answer, it really could be taken in either direction with one or the other
being just as likely as the other to be the answer to it.

After Season 3 William Froug the producer that season said that Elizabeth Montgomery wanted Dick York fired
and replaced as Darrin, both William Asher & Harry Ackerman thought he was so good in the role that and the show was
going so well with the present cast wanted to keep the status co.

They managed to talk Liz into letting York keep the part.
The question is that after season 5 if York had not had to quiet due to physical ailments would William Asher & Harry Ackerman
felt as strongly about keeping him or would they have been more willing to go along with Liz's request he be replaced.

They may have been more sympathetic to Liz's view, as well if they felt York's health problems were getting worse they may have felt now was
the time to cut the cord as well as per their concern of the money it was costing Screen Gems and the Asher's as time is money in the Biz and York's inconsistent
availability affected production schedules and crew idling time caused lost income to all that owned the show.

I am sure it occurred to them that he could only go on so long and that if they signed him up for 4 more seasons and he broke down as he indeed did
,then they could find themselves without a Darrin as in deed happened in season 5, so their concern on such a event taking place would have affected their
view on the matter resulting in their switching and going with Liz on this one.

It has been stated as well that ABC wanted York out for quite some time for much the same reason.
However this would have been more to the tune of the instability he caused on their flagship show that so much
of their profit was based on, he in their view was a threat to the show by his absence at times and by their not knowing
on any given week if he was going to be able to make it to work that week.

I assume ABC paid a flat rate to Screen Gems per episode so if York caused any episodes to be more expensive
by his inconsistency in availability, then that would have been on Screen Gems dime not ABC's.

Liz most likely still felt the same way for the same reasons and would have wished him out as Darrin.

It well might be that his still being only in year 3 of 5 of his contract had contributed to his being kept on in 1967, but with his contract having expired after season 5 that the powers that be may well have felt that simply not renewing his contract rather then firing him would give them cover from the press and fans in letting him go after season 5.

Even if he managed to deal with his back problems through the end of season 5, this all could well have resulted in Dick York being fired and not being offered a new contract, unlike all the other cast members who of course were offered new contracts and were resigned.

At the same time it is quite possible that what had irked Liz in 1967 had faded in her mind and that she would be willing to continue to work with Dick York as she had in the two previous seasons after her request that he be replaced, after all she had problems with Dick York for most of the first 5 years of the show re his availability and yet she and Asher were willing to keep him on the show for the good of the show, this view in Liz's mind may have become paramount once again leading to his getting a new contract.

William Asher and Harry Ackerman could well have still felt the same way on the matter as in 1967 and insisted he be resigned for the good of the show.

ABC could well have felt that he had made it through 5 years so there was no reason to think that would not continue and after all it was on Screen Gems dime not theirs.

As a result if he could have held up a few more months Dick York could well have been offered a new contract with no additional creative power or billing but with a good sized raise for his work well done.

As i say it could go either way one as likely as the other, and one can't know what the truth is about what lay before him if he did not have to quit, unless Andy Ackermen or perhaps Richard Michaels come forward to illustrate the truth in this matter we shall be forever wondering as to the answer to this question.

Myself i don't think York coming back or not had any impact on Elizabeth Montgomery's decision on continuing the show or not.

In the end i believe the concern they had about Dick York's future availability and that his back condition might deteriorate would have let Bill Asher & Harry Ackerman to side with Elizabeth Montgomery and with ABC agreeing have Dick York fired and not offered a new contract and have him replaced as Darrin.

An interesting sub plot to this is that near the end of season four Dick York pulled a Larry Hagman style power & $$$$ grab trying to get a lot more of both with a sick out that was disingenuous in nature.

Basically he hurt his back in a fall and when it was ok after 2 weeks he milked it for several more trying to force a new long term contract when he still had a year to go.

This was not well received by Liz and Bill who spoke publicly in an interview on the matter and expressed the view that York was trying to pull a fast one at that time, he even offered to take York to the Hospital to get him looked at by specialists with York declining the offer.

When it looked at that time that he might be replaced with hints from Screen Gems that if the role was too much for him physically then he should just stay home for good he made a swift recovery.

He wanted to report to the set right away but was told by the producers that they were already committed to a Non-Darrin script costing him several thousand $$$ for the episode he missed.

A Majority of Two was the one i am referencing here that he was in effect banned from the set and prevented from doing even when he indicated he could.

Point being that there could well have been some additional resentment on behalf of Liz, Bill & Harry Ackerman towards Dick York as a result of his sickout that would have made them think differently towards his unreliability and from that if they were willing to put up with it and resign him after season five.

Was Dick York Fired or did he resign?

Although i think Dick York would have been fired by both Screen Gems and ABC after his initial 5 year contract expired, i do believe Bill Asher when he said on the day of his collapse that Dick York simply resigned from the show that day.

The delays caused by his absences and the uncertainty of his being able to work any given week due to his back condition cost both ABC & Screen Gems a fair bit of money, so i think they would have been inclined to cut their loses at that point.

Later the following year in late spring Dick York did re-approach Screen Gems and ABC about returning to the cast as Darrin.

He had asked to be allowed a sabbatical till that September to allow his back to heal at which point filming of his scenes would have recommenced.

By that point though Screen Gems had recast Darrin and signed Dick Sargent for the role, in fact 3 or 4 episodes had already been filmed by that point in time and were in the can so to speak.

As well Liz & Bill and Screen Gems did not believe that the time off would make any difference knowing full well the extent of Dick Yorks back problems and how difficult it had been for him all those years.

They correctly believed that he would still be incapacitated after his time off and would be unable to work.

This would have left Bewitched in the Lurch without a Darrin and with most likely all the best candidates no longer available forcing them to take whatever they could get.

They proved to be right as after Dick York's collapse in early December, 1968 he was bedridden and only semi lucid for for more then a year so obviously would have been unable to film scenes for Bewitched in September, 1969.

He was never again able to physically work for any sustained period of time, so the time off would have accomplished nothing.

That summer after he had been rebuffed by the Ashers and Screen Gems he said in an article that he was glad to have left the show and wanted to play other roles, that he felt he was improperly and underused as Darrin and that the atmosphere on the set was very unpleasant.

Talk about burning your bridges, that alone made any further expectation of any contact between Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York in the future unrealistic and not rational.

Why would anyone rush to that aid of someone who in your last interaction with them had slapped you in the face.

Interestingly Dick York in interviews near the end of his life in the 1990's still claimed if they had just given him that summer off he could have finished the run of the show.

So he was clearly in denial on that matter all of his life.

It is sad he was not able to finish the run of the series, it would have been great and preferable if he could have, but it simply was not possible.

At least we do have his wonderful performances of the first 4 2/3 seasons of the show to enjoy over and over, they are all timeless those episodes and never get old.

Who was first cast as Darrin Stephens and by Whom?
Although some have said it is so, the following is not an incorrect story that is being repeated over & over again, rather it is proven & corroborated Documented fact and has been accepted as such over 40 years.

What is incorrect is the revisionist history that is being perpetuated of late by those that can't stand the idea that Dick York was not alone in consideration for Darrin in the initial early time period when Bewitched was created & cast by Liz & Bill Asher in the Fall of 1963.

At no time has Bill Asher said that Dick York was the first & only choice by them as Darrin, quite the opposite is the case actually & it is on the public record & William Ashers comments on the record & on camera state that the Dick Sargent's contractual obligations such as his being on the
Tammy Grimes show were indeed the reasons why he could not be cast as Darrin after he was cast as Darrin by Elizabeth Montgomery & William Asher after they joined the project and Sol Saks left.

There is no reliable proof or corroboration that Dick Sargent was cast prior to Bill and Liz getting involved nor that he was involved whatsoever while Tammy Grimes was being considered as Cassandra (Samantha), no one at anytime, anywhere, that was associated with the show in any way has stated this was the case.

As well Tammy Grimes had never actually signed onto to doing Bewitched & never was happy with a script for a Pilot, even the last one Sol Saks did just prior to Liz & Bill coming on board, as such as in effect the project was in such a initial state with Samantha not even having been officially & contractually cast, that there would have been no casting of the other characters such as Darrin until Tammy Grimes had indeed officially signed on which of course she never did.

In fact Sol Saks the Producer for Bewitched prior to Liz & Bill taking over has stated on tape that no casting was done on his watch nor was it being seriously considered which in effect states that Dick Sargent was considered, auditioned and cast as Darrin by Liz & Bill after they had joined the show.

This makes the whole Dick Sargent being cast back then with Tammy Grimes as being illogical as well.

All this is is second or third hand fantasy or in some cases wishful thinking.

As well there was almost no time in between when Tammy Grimes pulled out to to a Broadway show & Liz & Bill being asked to take over it by Harry Ackerman the shows Executive Producer.

That Dick Sargent stated himself that he was the first choice by Bill & Liz in interviews & as well in Bewitched Forever is proven fact & not merely a wishful assumption.

Likewise so is the fact that this was stated at the time of his joining the show
in 1970 in numerous interviews in magazine articles by himself, ABC & Screen Gems Executives & that Liz herself never said it was not so, these again are facts not wishful thinking that someone merely makes up.

As well in the ET Bewitched special & in the subsequent pieces ET did on the
two Darrin's re Dick Sargent & Dick York it was stated by them in each of them that Dick Sargent was the first choice & that Dick York was only considered when Dick Sargent was not available when they went back to him after their initial interview in order to offer him the role.

Furthermore Bill Asher in the E! True Hollywood Special himself on camera
clearly states that Dick Sargent was the first choice as Darrin, that THEY as in he & Liz
wanted him but that he was unavailable, so there it is fact instead of fiction.

Screen Gems did all the casting themselves for the Pilot & after when the show was sold, Liz & Bill had final say in all casting after they came aboard.

Asher has been utterly consistent over the years on Dick Sargent being his & Liz's
first choice, there are no instances where this has been stated by him
otherwise, nor has there been any offered as proof, why?, because it does not exist.

From 1963 to the last year or two Bill Asher has always said it was Dick Sargent & never said it was Dick York, what he said was that Dick York was the best choice in hindsight & the only choice in that respect, not that he was the first one, there is a difference.

In a recent article on Ebay about Dick Sargent taking over as Darrin it was stated that Dick Sargent had been offered the role and was a prime candidate in 1963 for the role When producer Bill Asher was casting the show but had to turn it down due to a recent contractual commitment to another studio, Universal.

After Dick York left Bewitched he spent about 18 months recuperating at home. Then found he could not get any new roles. Something related: Hayden Roark told Larry Hagman (who wanted to quit I Dream of Jeannie) that if an actor leaves a successful series no one in Hollywood will hire him again (this convinced Larry to remain with Jeannie). Dick York seemed to have faced this exact situation as his leaving was viewed by other producers as quitting a hit show. Suzanne Somers would face this too after her salary battle with Three's Company.

The Yorks also owned rental property but rented to low income resident who often couldn't pay rent. With no money coming in from acting they lost the property. Then Mr.s York's mother became ill and she and Dick permanently left Hollywood to care for her. They worked small odd jobs until Dick attempted a come-back in the 1980s. He did an episode of Fantasy Island and a Simon and Simon before a clerical mistake lost his contact information for casting. Upon being diagnosed with emphysema in the mid to late 1980s Dick retired from acting once again.

There was a story (unconfirmed) that talk show host Tom Snyder wanted to reunite Dick and Elizabeth Montgomery on his talk show in the late 70s, but Elizabeth refused. She did not do personal interviews due to her extreme fear of them. She mentions this fear in a much later interview with John Tesh.

During his brief comeback in the early 1980's DY's back gave out again, this time for good and he never worked again due to this fact and not due to any other.

Re his leaving the show it was widely known in Hollywood in industry circles why he he left and what he was going through all those years on Bewitched, the public didn't know but everyone else did.

He did not work again for about a dozen years simply due to his inability to do so due to his medical condition.

Dick York was not dismissed by the show. He asked Bill Asher to let him quit when his health was at a very low point. ABC was hoping he could continue on but he just could not. Mrs. York in particular was so worried about his health she was in full support of him leaving.

There was one small article from late 1969 or so which "claimed" York had stated that the atmosphere on the set was so bad by the end of his time and he was glad to leave. This seems more like Hollywood gossip since York spent 18 months at home flat on his back recuperating. Hardly seems likely that he gave any interviews.

In his autobiography Dick wrote that he and Elizabeth were very close on set (as he was with David White). Another bit of unconfirmed gossip came from a producer who was fired from the show claiming he "believed" that Dick was "in love" with Elizabeth and it ticked her off because she was a "harsh woman who hated being loved by anyone." That seems even more ridiculous especially coming from a disgruntled producer who was fired. And no one else ever claimed any such things happened.

Sadly we'll never know as Elizabeth never said anything about Dick York other than it was "a shame" that he had to leave. Dick only said positive things about the show and the cast.

DY & EM were never close and never socialized off the set,they got along ok until about 1966 then his infatuation with her made her uncomfortable, she once stated in an interview that he was all wet.

I believe she viewed him as creepy and icky.
Cast members and crew confirmed York's actions re Liz and her negative reaction.
DY was very close to AM & DW on and off the set.

Unfortunately, Pilato's "researcher" and assistant with the biography book used these exact same references (mainly lots of tabloid articles from the 1960s). There is no evidence Elizabeth confided in Pilato any of her possible negative feelings towards York or any other cast members. Nor was she and Pilato close.

Pilato avoided any negative comments about or attributed to Montgomery while she was alive. Once she died he then sensationalized her "biography" which in my opinion must be taken with a huge grain of salt. He even went so far as to suggest Elizabeth was an alcoholic once she safely passed on. For someone who claims to have "loved" her Pilato had no trouble airing her supposed "dirty laundry" to sell a book.

Rubbish, One i was the asst. and two Pilato interviewed more then 150 people who knew Liz over her life for his Bio. of her, dozens of which were Bewitched cast and crew who confirmed all that he wrote of re DY visa vie Liz.

There was nothing sensationalized about his Bio. on Liz's life and he left much salacious facts out of the book out of respect for Liz and her family all of which were told to me.

Your thinking of Rita Piros Bio on Liz which was just a collection of magazine articles and interviews Liz did,primarily in the Bewitched years of her life with no interviews of actual people.

I do know who Pilato's "assistant" was.
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Why York stopped working in the 1980s from Filmfax Magazine interview (issue 32 April/May 1992):

"I had to join AFTRA which cost me $900. (Johnny) Carson gave me $1,000 for half a day of work. By the time I paid the union and my agent the check came to $3.50. Then everything stopped. I didn't get anymore calls and that went on for a year. I started teaching acting in Hollywood. That kept me in money."

York was to discover that his agent had failed to register him properly with the Screen Actor's Guild. Therefore, they had no agent on record for York. York discovered this when he happened to speak to someone at the Screen Actor's Guild on anther matter. He mentioned his dry spell and was told that he had received plenty of calls, but since they had no agent listed for him, and were not allowed to give out home telephone numbers, they were unable to help prospective employers. That was the end of show business for Dick York.
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Another article from the mid to late 1980s from the National Enquirer (sadly) had a tiny interview with Dick York where he mentioned his emphysema diagnosis. Although you never know with the National Enquirer, this time they had his diagnosis correct.

-----------------------------------

I figured you would stop by to tell everyone the "real" truth since you were there in 1964 when filming commenced. You have a psychological need to denigrate Dick York every time on every thread. Whatever.

No i just give the facts just like Joe Friday.
Your the one with the mental illness and obsession with DY and the
need to somehow twist all to make him look other then what he was and did,ignoring that he was simply a flawed human being like the rest of us.

Some such as yourself more flawed then most!!

Some such as yourself more flawed then most!!

"than" most.

Liz Montgomery & Dick York & Why they never spoke to each other again:
After 25 years of not having anything to do with someone who was never a friend but merely someone she worked with compared to a close longtime personal friend that Dick Sargent was to Liz clearly shows why Liz commented on Dick Sargent's passing as she did as well re close friends Alice Pierce & Agnes Moorehead but did not re Dick Yorks passing as she did not about other members of the cast who passed away such as Paul Lynde (whose funeral she did not attend) and others.

There was no need to make a Public comment on Dick Yorks passing all these decades later & who contributed what success to the show has zero to do with who she should have commented on or not, it should be passed on personal feelings not rating points & $$$$ garnered by a cast member the is irrelevant.

She did not rave about Dick Sargent she spoke very positively about him when he was on the show as she did about Dick York when he was on the show.

She was contacted by the press after DS passed but i don't believe the same interest was there with the media in that respect with DY when he passed in regards to contacting Liz then.

She had no reaction to Dick York's passing but then why would she?????...........as this was by then 25 years later a complete stranger who she simply had once worked with and had not seen or interacted with in almost 25 years, plus at the end Dick York made some very unkind comments towards the show & therefore indirectly towards Liz so her reaction of no comment is the only logical & rational one she could have made.

The fact that in the spring of 1969 when he asked back into the show after leaving, was denied & then said about Liz & the show in an interview about the unpleasant atmosphere on the set, how he was unhappy with how he was being used in the show as in underused & how he wanted to go onto other & better things sure would have made Liz say throughout those 25 years hey i got to give good ol Dick a call, i don't think sooooooooooo.

In the 1988 book "Whatever became of?", York stated: "I left in an amulance and never returned. The atmosphere on the set of Bewitched was extremely unpleasant. I never missed that show."

Dick Sargent had been a longtime close personal friend who she had been very close to in the half dozen or so years prior to his passing so her comment on his passing was a natural & logical one.
Bottom line is that Liz & Dick York worked together & Brilliantly i might add, but there never was a close personal Friendship or any relationship to continue, nor were they friends at all.

You have to understand that they were real people who were actors playing roles that were not them, they were not Samantha & Darrin in real life, sometimes people get that reality confused.

This is not unusual as one could say the same thing about any cast member & the majority of the cast & as well about anyone & most of those that they work with her their never having any contact again after his leaving the show is perfectly natural in my view.

This doesn't mean they liked or disliked each other, they merely worked with each other & had the same working experience that any actor or actress has with 95% of all those they work with.

It was a job & they had a job to do & they did it, then they went their own way, as you must recall that they both had spouses & large young families to tend too, this along with the full time job of carrying a weekly series left little or no time for any other interaction between the two, they both already had a full plate to deal with.

I have heard it said that she strongly disliked Dick York but this is in no way corroborated in the least & there is no basis to think that it is so.

These internet rumors are i feel made up by those that have their own issues & for some reason need to use this fiction to express them.

After DY left the show there was simply no reason for them to have any contact with each other as is the case with all actors pretty much once they finish a project, they just move on with their lives.

Liz had real phobias with anything medical so i can see her not wanting to go the hospital to see him for this reason.

Liz & Dick Sargent had drifted apart & lost touch shortly after Bewitched ended & had not seen each other in about 15 years till they were reunited when both were approached by Herbie J Pilato in regards to interviews for his then upcoming book The Bewitched Book, they reconnected through Herbie as they discussed if they should cooperate or not with him.

When Herbie met David White for the first time in Liz's Garden at her home as a special surprise for him, he was told by David White he had not been there for over 15 years.

So she drifted apart even from good friends as people do when the matter that brought them together in the first place ended.

So these things are natural & normal not anything that should reflect negatively on her, quite the opposite, this is how it is supposed to be & is with everyone in life & was the case as well with any member of this or any other cast of any other show.

Same thing with her good friend Carol Burnett when Carol moved to Hawaii, they just lost touch after being great friends since they did
Who's Been Sleeping in my bed? together in 1963.

She had not seen or talked to Kasey Rogers after Bewitched until at Dick Sargents funeral 22 years later.

She kept in touch with Erin Murphy mainly because Erin was such great friends with her kids, but when they all grew up Liz lost touch with Erin as well.

Life happens & means nothing other then that, as was the case when Liz & Dick York lost contact with each other & they were not even friends like she & Dick Sargent & David White were.

Why York stopped working in the 1980s from Filmfax Magazine interview (issue 32 April/May 1992):

"I had to join AFTRA which cost me $900. (Johnny) Carson gave me $1,000 for half a day of work. By the time I paid the union and my agent the check came to $3.50. Then everything stopped. I didn't get anymore calls and that went on for a year. I started teaching acting in Hollywood. That kept me in money."

York was to discover that his agent had failed to register him properly with the Screen Actor's Guild. Therefore, they had no agent on record for York. York discovered this when he happened to speak to someone at the Screen Actor's Guild on anther matter. He mentioned his dry spell and was told that he had received plenty of calls, but since they had no agent listed for him, and were not allowed to give out home telephone numbers, they were unable to help prospective employers. That was the end of show business for Dick York.
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Another article from the mid to late 1980s from the National Enquirer (sadly) had a tiny interview with Dick York where he mentioned his emphysema diagnosis. Although you never know with the National Enquirer, this time they had his diagnosis correct.

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His emphysema was moot, it was the pain of his degenerative back & spine that caused such pain as to no longer allow him to endure the grind of a weekly TV show or much acting at all, this was well known in the industry and resulted in his not receiving offers.

York even states in the article that after he was on his feet again the no contact info re him was only in place for a year and was then corrected, thereafter his lack of calls were for the reasons mentioned by me.

York was constantly in denial and even delusional about many aspects of his life, such as Liz's view of him, his ability to recover with just a summer off after his collapse and as to why the offers stopped.

He was weird and often lost in his own fantasy world rather then reality.

He was weird and often lost in his own fantasy world rather then reality.

Pot meet kettle.

Pot meet kettle.

I see you have gone back the future and met yourself............must have been very depressing for both of you!
I didn't know you were Black.............?

I see you have gone back the future and met yourself............must have been very depressing for both of you!
I didn't know you were Black.............?

Thanks. You can always make me laugh...at you, of course, not with you.

When did Dick York resign from Bewitched?

We know #167 Daddy Does his thing was his last appearance on the show, this is where he collapsed on the set leading to his resigning from the show.

#159 Samantha the Sculptress with Dick York completed filming on 11/27/68.

#167 Daddy Does His Thing completed filming on 2/25/69, but that was the portion that Dick York was no longer present for after he had left the show.

I believe around Dec..4th is the logical time that he collapsed on the set as that is when #167 Daddy Does His Thing should have completed filming a week after #159 Samantha the Sculptress.

They then filmed #160 Mrs. Stephens, Where Are You? 12/11/68 before shutting production down for a month as Bill Asher has said several times they did before deciding how to carry on with the show leading to their deciding to cast Dick Sargent as Darrin.

Although Dick York's departure from the show was not officially announced till around the 24th of January he had actually left the show during the first week of December and the announcement was delayed till they figured out how to proceed.

It was only a few days later that it was announced
that Dick Sargent had replaced Dick York as Darrin and as we know from Bill Asher that there was about a month between Dick York's departure and Dick Sargent's arrival this further confirms that Dick York left around December.4th the previous year and that he never returned to the set after his collapse nor did he film or even attempt to film any more scenes after his collapse.

Dick York himself said that right after that collapse on the set that after having been rushed to the hospital he told Bill Asher he was resigning from the show the same day he had a seizure.

But it was his back problems and addictions that caused him to be forced to leave Bewitched.

In the end, it was York’s smoking habit, not his back problems, that killed him.