Another “Bewitched” actor gone too soon was actor Bernard Fox. He played the character of Dr. Bombay on both “Bewitched” and the spin-off TV series, “Tabitha.” Before his passing in 2016, he had a very full and promising career. He was also on the hit TV show, “The Andy Griffith Show” as well as a role in the film “Titanic.”
He died at the age of 89 (which was considerably older for a “Bewitched” cast member) and died from heart failure at his home in California.
Bewitched Creator, Sol Saks, Reveals His Influence
The TV series “Bewitched” came to life after Sol Saks had a brilliant idea after watching two films. Sol watched ‘I Married A Witch’ and ‘Bell, Book, and Candle’, and that is how “Bewitched” was born! The two films were the inspiration he needed to create his hit show.
Sol created the script for the pilot episode and really just cloned the two films. He was not worried about any lawsuits or copyrights, he knew he was in the clear, since both films were owned by Columbia Pictures - this was not a problem since Columbia also owned Screen Gems, which was the company that was producing “Bewitched.”
The Real Him
Dick Sargent, who was the replacement for Dick York on the hit TV show “Bewitched” appeared on TV at an event on National Coming Out Day in 1991. It was at this event that Dick publicly announced that he was gay.
He was aware that this decision to come out publicly could hurt his career, but he had said in an interview that he was so relieved to finally open up and be himself. He said that it would be worth it even if his career was tarnished. He had come to terms with the fact that he would probably never be a father figure in a roll again and he realized he would probably lose a lot of work, but what was important was that he was true to himself.
Elizabeth Montgomery Almost Didn’t Make The Cut
The creator of “Bewitched,” Sol Saks, had his heart set on casting the lead role in his series. He was hoping to give the role to Tammy Grimes who was an actress. He wanted to cast her in the main role of the witch, Cassandra. At the time the name of the character was not yet Samantha. Tammy, Sol had said, had an elf-like appearance which he was very fond of.
Ultimately, the creator Sol, along with Bill Asher decided to cast Elizabeth Montgomery in the role of the witch for the show “Bewitched,” it was also then that they changed the name from Cassandra to Samantha.
A Plummet In Ratings
Of course, fans everywhere noticed right away that there was a new actor playing the role of Samantha's husband, Darrin. Ratings began to fall drastically over the next three years, and the show ended up ending its run after 8 seasons. The show ended with actor Dick Sargent playing the role of Darrin, which Dick York originated. Who knows if the show would have gone on for longer if Dick York ended up staying.
Fans did not want to accept the change and embrace a new actor playing a role that they already were invested in. And rightfully so, especially because it was never mentioned or spoken of... So weird!