Posted on 11/02/2024 5:43:18 PM PDT by DallasBiff
It's a question that continues to puzzle people 50 years after it happened: why did the TV show Bewitched suddenly and seemingly inexplicably replace the actor who played Darrin in the middle of its run?
(Excerpt) Read more at grunge.com ...
Bewitched was always on after Gilligan’s Island when I was a kid (either on channel 17 or 29, I can’t remember which). I usually watched it, but when the show came on it always left me depressed because it always punctuated that afternoon cartoons were over for the day.
I got to know Dick York for a few years before he passed. He was kind and very open about the show, his many issues and regretful for the heavy cigarette habit that eventually claimed him by emphysema. He said the Bewitched years were some of the best of his life and enjoyed performing with his talented co-workers. Modern medical approaches may have made all the difference yes, IMHO.
In 2024 I’m amazed that we haven’t yet found a real way to deal with cancer. It’s a plague. In my stepdad’s family (100% Irish) EVERY SINGLE FAMILY MEMBER has come down with skin cancer. I lost my uncle Bobby (who was also my optometrist) to it. I HATE cancer — hate it with a passion.
She used to stay at the resort where I worked in the ‘90s. Unlike many of the other celebs who stayed there, she was SO nice!
Kind of like Vincent Price style. Loveable, nonetheless.
Mrs. Kravits would be known today as Neighborhood Karen.
One of my favorite lines in the usual script was delivered by Darrin’s boss, Larry Tate. Larry was married to this nagging hypochondriac named Phillis, who had a habit of phoning him every time she felt a ‘sick headache’ which was quite frequently.
When he couldn’t dodge his (attractive) secretary who answered the phone, Larry would listen for a few minutes and wrap the call up with ‘Phillis, take a pill!” then hang up. He knew that’s where she was leading to anyway. Not the most nicest of husband responses, but it was quite funny to my family anyway,
We called it We*itched!
Gladys Kravitz was memorable. So much so that we gave our next door neighbor at our last house the nick-name, “Gladys”. I had to be careful not to call her than when I talked to her.
I liked Samantha’s sister ...
Mrs. Kravitz was like, genius. The voice. The face. She could make you laugh just by showing up.
I was so sorry she got cancer and had to leave the series. She so owned that part
Could you be speaking about dear Aunt Clara? The eldery Witch who wore pearls and tended to mumble as she wandered through the house, searching for other people’s Door Knobs to steal and collect. She ‘died’ on the show and in real life kind of early in the series. She was not replaced.
She seems it. Kind. That must’ve been fun to see her around.
She’s on X btw and does answer some posts to her.
I found this 1989 LA Times column that shows what a kind man he truly was. Thought you would enjoy it.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-02-08-vw-2079-story
It was Abner Kravitz.
An anecdote of mine, I worked at a casino hotel as a bellman, Smokey Robinson was the nicest person, and when Paul Anka was there we were sternly told not to make eye contact with him.
That batty aunt was Bruno’s mother. With a son like that you have to expect her to be a bit off in the belfry.
It gave me a turn to see Aunt Clara in Strangers on a Train.
How strange. Never recognized the Pontiac GTO on the show. Wonder if that’s why my husband had one back then. Hmmm.
the first two seasons were the best...it was pretty much done in the normal sitcom formula - just happened to have characters with supernatural powers. The later seasons got too much focus on the “witch’s council”, etc. and other gimmicks too focused on the powers themselves in some episodes.
Aunt Clara was probably my favorite character, though my favorite episodes did not include her - they were the episodes with the private investigator.
York wore a back brace and had chronic pain from an injury on a movie set. It got worse and he left the show because of it.
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