MovieChat Forums > Bewitched (1964) Discussion > Did Bewitched in a way, ruin Dick Sargen...

Did Bewitched in a way, ruin Dick Sargent's career?


He didn't exactly have it as badly as Dick York, I mean Sargent was able to work consistently after Bewitched. But he was always going to be seen as the guy who abruptly replaced Dick York (in probably the most infamous recasting in TV history). On that end, Sargent was for the rest of his career, pretty much a journeyman/working actor, who usually got guest-star walk-ons. Down to Earth, a fantasy sitcom that aired on TBS in the '80s was probably Dick Sargent's most high profile post-Bewitched role. And again, Sargent replaced another actor in the same role.

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If anything it probably helped his career..
He, like Dick York, was a character actor and character actors are only as successful as their ability to fit certain types that are popular at the time.
But being on a sitcom wasn't exactly the road to the big time especially then..

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Dick Sargent was a very bland actor, pleasant to look at and, admittedly, a good
replacement. But Dick York he wasn't. The difference in their dramatic/comedic talents were quite measurable.
But I do like Sargent, and he was never, ever less than convincing, and offered his own dry, sly take on the role.

I don't see him as a character actor, as he wasn't all that talented.

York may have only done two shows after BW ("Fantasy Island" and one other dramatic show that I can't recall),
but his pre-BW work was fairly distinctive. He was wonderful in "Inherit the Wind" with Spencer Tracy, and did
fine work on "Twilight Zone", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", and many other great shows. He played heavies,
oddballs, and romantic roles. His TZ ep, "A Penny For Your Thoughts" shows off his amazing versatility alone.

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York was much more animated than Sargent. I mean, with his facial expressions, his exasperation with Samantha, he was just funny to look at. Sargent did o-k, but York was a better comic actor.

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It was the highlight of his career. Always saw him as a (tv series) character actor who got this one lead part, probably because he ressembled York.

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Good grief. Edward G. Robinson was a character actor. Sargent was a minor, bland TV actor.

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There are tv character actors and film character actors.

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I think Sargent was lucky to get Bewitched. To answer, no.

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Frankly, I thought he was lucky to get ANY work. I don't mean this in an offensive way, it's just that there was nothing
distinctive about him. He somehow defines the word "adequate."

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Word on the street is that he had a bad intro with Shelly Hack on her debut episode (Charlies Angels).
DS: "are you nervous"?
SH: "no, why should I be nervous"?

Asked why Hack replied that way, she said she thought it was a stupid question. Well, sounds like they deserved each other. Yes, his question was kind of condescending, and yes, she could not act and WAS nervous--or rather, should've been nervous.

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I don't understand why that's such an offensive question. A veteran actor asking a newcomer if they're nervous
doesn't sound strange to me. Depends on the context.

I wrote Sargent when he announced he was dying of prostate cancer. I wasn't a fan of him, but I'm a HUGE
fan of Bewitched, and praised him for his courage, both with his disease, and with coming out. He wrote me
back a nice note, along with an autographed still (of him AND Liz). He wrote: "Thanks for understanding our
show's value."

I enjoy him more now on the DVDs, as I've seen them so many times, and he is just part of the show's
legacy. He had lovely timing. He just wasn't anything great.

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I don't understand why that's such an offensive question. A veteran actor asking a newcomer if they're nervous
doesn't sound strange to me. Depends on the context.
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You'd need to be inside her head; in her early 30's, she had come off at least two feature films (however, mediocre) with Joe Brooks, along with any ego plumped from being a top-fashion model and "Charlies"-perfume, so she likely thought she was being condescended to. A case of believing your own publicity (Or, she was insecure because she could tell she was in over head by that point, and that was the reason for being defensive).

He just wasn't anything great.
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Didnt' feel the innate passion or sensitivity that York had.

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