MovieChat Forums > Bewitched (1964) Discussion > Normal Darrin (Not Under a Spell)

Normal Darrin (Not Under a Spell)

posted 5 years ago by [email protected] (5854)
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Dick York was hilarious when Endora put him under a spell. But I think Dick York got to show his acting range when Darrin was just himself.

I just watched "The Soapbox Derby" again and I was impressed with how kind and supportive Darrin was to Samantha. He didn't want to get involved if the boy's father did not want him to race. But when Darrin saw how important it was to Sam to help the boy, he lent his support and went to the derby race with her.
The one thing I do wonder about in the episode is, where were the parents of Gladys Kravitz's nephew? It would seem to be an important moment in a boy's life. Where were his parents?
Abner did have one of his funniest lines though. After Gladys told the judges (regarding Samantha), "The things I could tell you", he responds with, "The things I could tell you!"

In "Three Wishes", Darrin is nothing but a loyal husband. Some men might have been tempted by being alone with a bathing suit model in their hotel room. Not Darrin. He gave Buffy the room and headed for the airport.
When Sam angrily tries to leave him, he acts confused, then angry, then really hurt.

At the end, when he uses his three wishes, he could have wished Endora out of their lives forever. But he used restraint and yelled, "ONE WEEK!".

Any other normal Darrin episodes that show him to be a man of good character?

[–] [email protected] (1732) 5 years ago

How weird, PJ! I was just today thinking about how I feel "Soap Box Derby" is a very underrated offering (very
atypical of the series). It's definitely a partial remake of "Little Pitchers Have Big Fears." For years, I argued
that "Derby" was the better episode (because the boy who plays Johnny Mills is so sensitive, sincere and touching
in his performance, while Jerry Mather's brother is sniffling and annoying). I now feel otherwise, and realize
that "Pitchers" has more weight to it, and is an early series gem.

There are a good many episodes of BW where York CARRIES the show. For instance, "No More Mr. Nice Guy"
and "Instant Courtesy" have Darrin as the focus and Sam is the supporting character, with far less screen time.

Dick Sargent may have one or two shows like this, but it's David White and the guest star who are carrying the
episode because Sargent didn't have the same degree of talent or personality.

Incidentally, two Sargent episodes that he carries (very well, in fact) are "You're So Agreeable" and a fave of
mine from season eight: "The Warlock in the Gray Flannel suit" (guest star Bernie Kopel was sexy and cute
as the hippie warlock - what range this talented character actor had!

[–] [email protected] (5854) 5 years ago

I just watched the Mr. Nice Guy and Instant Courtesy episodes. I love the way Larry gets so exasperated with Darrin's overdone courtesy. ("People like to dial their OWN phones! Even if it's just to give their fingers some exercise"). So funny.

Those two were a great comedy team. Darrin was often under a spell and Larry was ALWAYS under the spell of money and success!

Jimmy Mathers was cute or so I thought. For years I thought it was his older brother playing the role. I remember my mom watching reruns of Beaver back in the eighties and laughing a lot. For some reason, I thought he was funny. But humor is subjective.

Little Marshall WAS sniffling but mostly because he thought he was sick! lol His mom had "helicopter parenting" down to a science! The poor little kid was brainwashed. He thought of himself as sickly and delicate and allergic to everything.

I couldn't understand the change in his mom. After all, she used to let Timmy run off with only Lassie for protection all the time. ha ha

It's another instance when Darrin doesn't want to interfere in someone's business, but he saw it was important to Sam to help out a little boy who needed an advocate. And he probably realized Mrs. Burns was a neurotic nutcase!

But I can see where she was coming from. She was widowed and little Marshall was all she had. Maybe her husband died in some type of accident. It might have explained why she was so determined to keep Marshall safe. But it does a child no good to be kept under glass like some lab specimen.

Didn't seen the other ones you mentioned for a long time. I still haven't gotten seasons seven and eight. But I did like Bernie Kopell in everything he did, a very prolific character actor with a wide range of ablities (and voices). Wasn't he Maxwell Smart's German KAOS nemesis? And didn't he play the Apothecary on at least one very early Bewitched episode?

[–] [email protected] (1732) 5 years ago

He played the Apothecary character at lease three or four times. Yes, Bernie was brilliant as Seigfried.

[–] [email protected] (5854) 5 years ago

Seigfried! Yes, couldn't remember his name.

Another Darrin (not under a spell) episode was when Endora lost her powers because of her allergy to the Macedonian Dodo bird. Darrin just couldn't resist needling her. You think he'd know better! She was going to get her powers back sometime.

My favorite line is when he suggests that Endora go to a home for senior citizens.

"If you're as senior a citizen as she must be, they're sure to give her the best room in the house!"

[–] [email protected] (1732) 5 years ago

Yes, great episode.

Speaking of Darrin, I enjoy ALL of the Darrinless episodes from seasons three and four, but only ONE from season
five ("Mrs Stephens, Where Are You?").

Just last night, after returning home from dinner with a friend, I watched "Playmates" for the first time in years.
William Asher directed this show with great skill and aplomb. First, there are NO "jumps" in the scenes where
Tabitha zaps Michael into a cage, then INTO a bulldog. Asher also handled the sandbox scene so well! True,
Teddy Quinn couldn't act (at all), but he was cute in the role, and the marvelous Peggy Pope and Mabel
Anderson more than compensate.

Look quick or you'll miss it: When Gretchen says another one of her dippy psycho-babble lines, there's a
quick shot of Michael looking at her, like "Wtf? Are you for real, lady?" Asher must've carefully coached
Quinn because while fleeting, his reaction is spot-on and hilarious.

[–] [email protected] (5854) 5 years ago

Interesting, i never thought of Teddy Quinn as a bad actor. But of course he was no Ronny Howard either! To me it seemed that little Michael, the character he played, was "acting" all along because he knew he could get away with anything. So he was behaving badly on purpose and thought he was doing a good job of it

It sort of reminded me of my one sister when she was little. Now, she never acted bratty like Michael. But she was a pint sized "drama queen". She could turn on the tears when she didn't get her way. Or she'd start to "act up" as our parents used to call it.
Our dad would just tell her, "Stop your acting!" because he knew she was full of it.

[–] phoebemunster (14) 5 years ago

"Playmates" is one I usually think of as boring in my mind for some reason, but I'll have to give it another shot based on your recommendation. It's one I've skipped a lot, so I probably haven't seen it in a long time.

[–] NorthernLad (472) 5 years ago

Gbennett, it's so funny that you bring up "The Warlock in the Gray Flannel Suit." I watched that one not too long ago and for the first time ever...I found him sexy in that particular role. Not sure why after all these years...but yeah, I saw it. I'm not, nor was I ever a huge Bernie Kopel role...but something about that role made me see it after all this time.

[–] [email protected] (5854) 5 years ago

I can't believe that I didn't mention one of the classic Darrin "not under a spell" episodes, Charlie Harper, Winner.

Darrin showed absolutely no sign of envy that his old friend always bested him in everything. He accepted the fact that Charlie was a nice guy and simply a "winner" in so many ways. But after meeting Charlie's wife Daphne, Darrin probably realized that he was a "winner" when it came to wives.

Darrin felt so hurt and frustrated that he couldn't give Samantha a lot of material things. He had the problem that some men have if they marry a rich girl with a trust fund. They can't compete with her wealth. Here, Darrin couldn't compete with Sam's magical abilities.

Sam was able to prove to Darrin that she didn't care about all the "things" he couldn't give her. She could zap them up all day long. What she really loved was him. Darrin was man enough to finally understand that.

[–] phoebemunster (14) 5 years ago

Glad to see people are still posting here! I always enjoy Darrin in "Take Two Aspirin and Half a Pint of Porpoise Milk," where he's understandably very concerned about a pregnant Samantha having Square Green Spots disease and losing her powers for the first time. He goes out and acquires all the crazy ingredients for Sam's antidote, even breaking into a client's home and going to jail without much complaint.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 5 years ago

But why didn't the writers have Gladys question a room over the BACKYARD, rather than "the front lawn??"
So easy to fix this line, especially when it was so obvious to regular viewers how the house was laid out.

[–] phoebemunster (14) 5 years ago

I know, especially since they don't even show the yard. I think "Sam in the Moon" might be the only episode where they show the windows that actually would be facing the front yard.