Some Reasons Why I Liked The Dick York Episodes Better - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Chad22 · 06-19-2003, 08:03 PM

I Like the Dick Sargent episodes, But i dont think they are anywhere near as good as The Dick York episodes and heres why.

1. Dick Sargent Was a good actor, But he really didnt look all that much or act much like Dick York. It was kind of weird seeing 2 totally different guys play the same character. Dick Sargent also seemed alot Calmer than Dick York when he got mad.

2. No Aunt Clara. She was always my favorite Relative and its a shame she passed away during the shows run

3. The Remakes. I Dont understand why they remade so many of the early episodes. Were they running out of ideas or something? Why did they do that?

Novarro · 06-19-2003, 10:43 PM

Totally agree with you on all those points.
"Bewitched" suffered a grievous loss with both Dick York's leaving for health reasons and Marion Lorne's passing away all within a little over a year. Both were two of the most beloved characters on the show and those happenings really affected the show.

Marion Lorne was irreplaceable as Aunt Clara and I agree that Dick York was the far better Darrin. He was a more loving husband on the show and he was certainly displayed as a far more affecionate father to Tabitha. I would have loved to have seen him in the birth of Adam episodes instead of Dick Sargent who was a good actor but had an uphill battle in this role after Dick York's wonderful performance.
The reason they remade episodes is that the ideas were running out. The last season in particular was a big mistake.

Crimson and Clover · 06-19-2003, 10:46 PM

i agree. its always weird when a main character is changed to a different actor. and it wasnt right seeing the second Darrin kissing Sam.

also i liked Aunt Clara too.

benjamoon · 06-20-2003, 04:36 PM

In my opinion, the problem with the later episodes was that the plots got too hokey. In almost every other episode, Endora or some relative would cast a spell on someone that would make them do something weird or they'd get sick with some weird disease and Bombay would cure it or Esmerelda would screw up something and Samantha would fix it. It was so repetative the last few years and Dick Sargent is nowhere near as good as Dick York was as Darrin. They seemed to forget the premise of the show and just focus on the gimmick. That's what makes the black and white ones SO superior.

dzadro · 06-21-2003, 07:47 PM

Good point about the writing, the episodes did get a little out of hand in the Dick Sargent era.

But just watching the first and second season, Dick York was honestly fantastic.

Many do not talk about his facial expressions (one eyebrow up the other one down) he was a perfect Darrin.

For example his acting in the episode today (Cousin Edgar) fantastic job.

I love the first 2 seasons of Bewithed. The plots were not as far out and is some cases very little hocus pocus or wacky plots.

catlover79 · 07-14-2007, 05:09 PM

I agree - Dick York was letter perfect as Darrin. To be fair, though, the plots were already being rehashed when Dick Sargent came in. He never really had any original material to work with. But EM and DY really had that special something together: you just knew how much in love their characters were with each other.

dav4463 · 09-15-2007, 03:18 AM

When Dick York kisses Samantha.....he looks like he really enjoys it! I like the later episodes just as much though. Both actors brought their own unique style to the show.

comedyfreak · 09-15-2007, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dav4463

When Dick York kisses Samantha.....he looks like he really enjoys it! I like the later episodes just as much though. Both actors brought their own unique style to the show.

Same here. I also liked the music and special effects plus the interaction between Dick York, Elizabeth Montgomery, and Agnes Moorehead.

OH Nuts! · 09-15-2007, 11:49 AM

I agree. Dick York was far more charismatic. And of course Marion Lorne's passing left a great big dent. Fortunately, there were enough other funny characters for the show not to stumble and die, but it was left reeling and the loss of Miss Lorne's fine contributions WAS QUITE NOTICEABLE. I cherish the Marion Lorne episodes; she truly added another dimension to the humor of a show that was quite funny to begin with.

catlover79 · 09-22-2007, 11:51 AM

To be fair to DS, he came in when the scripts were being recycled left and right - and never got much of a chance to work with anything ORIGINAL. It didn't help matters that he had zero chemistry with EM. Watching the first five seasons again on DVD, the romantic chemistry that EM & DY is still POWERFUL...40+ years after these episodes were filmed.

Mikado · 09-22-2007, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by benjamoon

In my opinion, They seemed to forget the premise of the show and just focus on the gimmick. That's what makes the black and white ones SO superior.

Excellent point!
As far as Darrins go, the fact is, Dick York was just plain a FAR superior actor to Dick Sargent; York's Darrin displayed a host of wonderful emotions and his "rubber" face conveyed every possible expression imaginable; Dick Sargent, on the other hand was rather stiff and seemed to have only one emotion. (He always seemed to be angry and fuming)....you never got the impression that he loved Sam or the kids; he seemed more like a man just WAITING for something to happen, so he could go to his lawyer, with grounds for divorce!

catlover79 · 10-28-2007, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by benjamoon

In my opinion, the problem with the later episodes was that the plots got too hokey. In almost every other episode, Endora or some relative would cast a spell on someone that would make them do something weird or they'd get sick with some weird disease and Bombay would cure it or Esmerelda would screw up something and Samantha would fix it. It was so repetative the last few years and Dick Sargent is nowhere near as good as Dick York was as Darrin. They seemed to forget the premise of the show and just focus on the gimmick. That's what makes the black and white ones SO superior.

That's absolutely right - that's why Danny Arnold quit (or was fired, whatever) as writer/producer after the first season. He wanted to keep the magic to a minimum and focus more on the witch/mortal marriage. The network wanted more, more, more of the magic.

I think it's a real testament to Danny Arnold's talent and range as a writer that he went from romantic comedy with Bewitched to gritty cop comedy as the co-creator/writer/producer of Barney Miller. The fact that he did both WELL speaks volumes. To this day, millions of fans who weren't even born when those shows were on the air have fallen in love with both through syndication and DVDs. What a cool legacy.

06-19-2003, 08:03 PM	#1
Chad22 Captain Juke N Jive Moderator Forum Addict Join Date: Nov 23, 2002 Location: Caribou, Maine Posts: 71,661	Some Reasons Why I Liked The Dick York Episodes Better I Like the Dick Sargent episodes, But i dont think they are anywhere near as good as The Dick York episodes and heres why. 1. Dick Sargent Was a good actor, But he really didnt look all that much or act much like Dick York. It was kind of weird seeing 2 totally different guys play the same character. Dick Sargent also seemed alot Calmer than Dick York when he got mad. 2. No Aunt Clara. She was always my favorite Relative and its a shame she passed away during the shows run 3. The Remakes. I Dont understand why they remade so many of the early episodes. Were they running out of ideas or something? Why did they do that?

06-19-2003, 10:46 PM	#3
Crimson and Clover Member Forum Star Join Date: Jun 09, 2002 Location: NC Posts: 17,345	i agree. its always weird when a main character is changed to a different actor. and it wasnt right seeing the second Darrin kissing Sam. also i liked Aunt Clara too.
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07-14-2007, 05:09 PM	#6
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	I agree - Dick York was letter perfect as Darrin. To be fair, though, the plots were already being rehashed when Dick Sargent came in. He never really had any original material to work with. But EM and DY really had that special something together: you just knew how much in love their characters were with each other.
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

06-19-2003, 10:43 PM	#2
Novarro Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 02, 2002 Location: Melbourne Australia Posts: 191	Totally agree with you on all those points. "Bewitched" suffered a grievous loss with both Dick York's leaving for health reasons and Marion Lorne's passing away all within a little over a year. Both were two of the most beloved characters on the show and those happenings really affected the show. Marion Lorne was irreplaceable as Aunt Clara and I agree that Dick York was the far better Darrin. He was a more loving husband on the show and he was certainly displayed as a far more affecionate father to Tabitha. I would have loved to have seen him in the birth of Adam episodes instead of Dick Sargent who was a good actor but had an uphill battle in this role after Dick York's wonderful performance. The reason they remade episodes is that the ideas were running out. The last season in particular was a big mistake.

06-20-2003, 04:36 PM	#4
benjamoon Bewitched Senior Member Join Date: Jun 15, 2000 Location: New York Posts: 1,450	In my opinion, the problem with the later episodes was that the plots got too hokey. In almost every other episode, Endora or some relative would cast a spell on someone that would make them do something weird or they'd get sick with some weird disease and Bombay would cure it or Esmerelda would screw up something and Samantha would fix it. It was so repetative the last few years and Dick Sargent is nowhere near as good as Dick York was as Darrin. They seemed to forget the premise of the show and just focus on the gimmick. That's what makes the black and white ones SO superior.

06-21-2003, 07:47 PM	#5
dzadro Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Apr 06, 2002 Posts: 19	Good point about the writing, the episodes did get a little out of hand in the Dick Sargent era. But just watching the first and second season, Dick York was honestly fantastic. Many do not talk about his facial expressions (one eyebrow up the other one down) he was a perfect Darrin. For example his acting in the episode today (Cousin Edgar) fantastic job. I love the first 2 seasons of Bewithed. The plots were not as far out and is some cases very little hocus pocus or wacky plots.

09-15-2007, 03:18 AM	#7
dav4463 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: May 18, 2003 Location: texas Posts: 252	When Dick York kisses Samantha.....he looks like he really enjoys it! I like the later episodes just as much though. Both actors brought their own unique style to the show.

09-15-2007, 11:49 AM	#9
OH Nuts! Member Forum King Join Date: Feb 15, 2005 Posts: 133,383	I agree. Dick York was far more charismatic. And of course Marion Lorne's passing left a great big dent. Fortunately, there were enough other funny characters for the show not to stumble and die, but it was left reeling and the loss of Miss Lorne's fine contributions WAS QUITE NOTICEABLE. I cherish the Marion Lorne episodes; she truly added another dimension to the humor of a show that was quite funny to begin with.

09-22-2007, 11:51 AM	#10
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	To be fair to DS, he came in when the scripts were being recycled left and right - and never got much of a chance to work with anything ORIGINAL. It didn't help matters that he had zero chemistry with EM. Watching the first five seasons again on DVD, the romantic chemistry that EM & DY is still POWERFUL...40+ years after these episodes were filmed.