Dick York ended up leaving his role of Darrin on “Bewitched.” This was for some reason never explained on the show, and left viewers wondering. Of course, though, Dick was not going to just up and leave for no reason. In fact, he had a very good reason.
While filming “Cordura,” Dick York tore some muscles on his back. He never fully recovered from this injury. He was able to mask some of it with pain medication, but it wasn’t enough. He was still struggling, and it was affecting his ability to act.
Cold Shoulder
We shared with you earlier the fact that Agnes Moorehead and Dick York were very close friends. So, of course, it comes as no surprise that Agnes greatly admired York's talent, and thought he was a brilliant actor. Because of her relationship with York, and the fact that she was fond of his talent, she was not at all happy when he was replaced.
York had to leave the show because of a chronic injury that ended with an onset seizure. He was replaced with a different actor, Dick Sargent, who went on to play the role of Darrin. Agnes was not happy with the new Darrin and they even filmed a few episodes with no Darrin in them at all.
Golden Raspberry Awards
The movie rendition of “Bewitched” was such a disaster that it was nominated for a bunch of Golden Raspberry Awards, also known as the Razzies. This award ceremony celebrates the absolute worst performances in films. It is like a backward Oscars ceremony.
The film had nominations in the 26th Annual Golden Raspberry Awards in categories such as worst director, worst screenplay, worst remake, and even worst actor. The film won in the category of worst actors. Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell both won in their respective categories and took home the Golden Raspberry Award celebrating the worst couple!
Acting for Life
The two actors who played the role of Darrin on “Bewitched” where Dick York and Dick Sargent. Dick York was the first Darrin, followed by Sargent. Close to the end of his life, Dick York began to get involved with charities. He spent his last few years of life fighting emphysema. During his life, he smoked three packs of cigarettes a day. He wanted to use his final time before he passed away to do some good.
It was at this time that he founded the charity, acting for life. This charity was to help people in need, including the homeless population. Since he was battling emphysema, he was very sick and working from home because he was bedridden. But even with these limitations, he contacted politicians businessman and many other people to help contribute money to his charity.
The Big Fight
The episode of “Bewitched” that was interrupted due to the announcement of the assassination was entitled “I Confess.” In this episode, Darrin and Samantha get into a quarrel because Darrin accuses her of using her magic excessively. He is worried that if she does too much magic, especially in public, she is going to let everyone know that she is a witch.
In the episode, she uses her magic to dump a bucket of water on someone's head who is drunk. After that, Darrin thinks that everyone is going to know she's a witch, so he decides he's going to tell everyone himself. Samantha, of course, will not let this happen, so she uses her magic to put a spell on Darrin which gives him a dream about what would happen if the world knew she was a witch. When he wakes up, he realizes he is not going to tell anyone.