| |
|---|---|
| Larry Tate | |
| Biographical Information | |
| Nickname | Lar (by Darrin) Cotton Top (by Serena) Old Smoothy (referring to himself) |
| Residence | New York City |
| Occupation | Advertising executive, president of McMann & Tate |
| Species | Mortal human |
| Relationship Information | |
| Spouse | Louise Tate (married circa 1957)1 |
| Children | Johnathan Tate (son) |
| Character Information | |
| Portrayer | David White |
| First Episode | It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog |
| Last Episode | The Truth, Nothing But The Truth, So Help Me, Sam |
| Episode Count | 166 |
| Image Gallery | |
—Howard McMann on Larry Tate, Man of the Year.
Larry Tate (likely born sometime between 1915 and 1925) is the best friend of Darrin Stephens and the husband of Louise Tate. Larry, throughout the whole series, is largely unaware of the witchcraft and witches in Morning Glory Circle. He is the president of the advertising agency McMann & Tate.
Appearance
Larry is 6'1" (as revealed in season five's Samantha's Wedding Present) and has an impressively thick head of mildly curly, white hair. Prior to his hair turning white, Larry was a redhead, as shown in the season eight episode, Serena's Youth Pill. His hair was still red when he reverted to feeling and believing it was 1961 due to the effects of the youth pill, though it had turned mostly white by 1964 at the latest. He has blue eyes and is always seen sporting a thin mustache. In the eyes of Serena, he is a cute sexy beast.
Biography
As President of McMann & Tate, Larry is a seasoned adman. He is very sycophantic and obsequious in the presence of prospective clients, and will change his opinions on a dime to conform to their desires, once evaluating Darrin's presentation by the following metric; "If the client loves it, I love it! If the client hates it, I hate it!".
Larry has a loose code of business and personal ethnics, and he has no qualms about "stretching the truth" or outright fabricating a story (such as Darrin having a bizarre mixed-breed dog to appease a dog food client in Samantha's Pet Warlock) if it will further the agency's chances of landing an account. He has also spied on Darrin by peering through the window of his house on multiple occasions if he suspects something is "off" with him.
However, in Sisters at Heart, he threatened to cancel the agency's account with a racist client, and he was appalled by what he believed to be Samantha (in reality it was a magically conjured copy of her) having an affair with the warlock, Waldo, in Samantha's Bad Day in Salem, revealing Larry to have some morals.
He has a "wine and dine, then sign" philosophy with clients, often inviting them to Darrin's house for dinner and cocktails, generally in spite of the latter's protestations. These evenings usually end in disaster due to some form of magical mishap involving Samantha or her relatives.
Larry often fires Darrin after an apparent account failure, only to promptly reconsider, either due to realizing his hastiness in letting his top man go, and realizing the agency would suffer greatly without him, or more frequently as Darrin manages to miraculously save the account in the end, often thanks to Samantha's witchcraft.
Larry Tate is a wealthy individual, and his lifestyle reflects that. He owns an upscale, 1950s-style decorated house with his wife, Louise, and his wardrobe consists of finely tailored suits, fedoras, tuxedos, elegant golfing attire, and fancy sweaters. Larry is regularly seen driving a yellow, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray coupe.
He can however have moments of stinginess, such as refusing to drink a bottle of wine he intended to share with a client with Louise as it was "too expensive" for them. In And Something Makes Three, he stated he loved a new dress Louise had purchased as it "didn't cost too much".
Larry can never say no to a drink, has a bar at his house, and is generally seen imbibing copious amounts of alcohol while over at the Stephens'. In Toys in Babeland, Samantha also refers to Larry having many favorite bars where he stops for drinks with some frequency.
He is shown on many occasions to be rather jaded with his marriage to Louise, often making indirect jabs at her and their relationship, while offering cautionary advice to the recently-married Darrin ("Take it from an old married man Darrin, these feelings won't last. Pretty soon you won't even remember the day that you and Sam met."). However, Larry was ecstatic upon hearing Louise was expecting a baby in And Something Makes Three, and they shared a tender moment. In Bewitched, Bothered, and Infuriated, Larry and Louise are seen going on their second honeymoon, ten years after Larry broke his leg on their first.
Quotes
“You son of a gun!”
—To Darrin Stephens on many occasions after a perceived act of brilliance or craftiness on his part.
“It's very frustrating when I think of all that charm and sex appeal going to waste.”
—Larry referring to himself in That was My Wife.
“You're no good to me like this. Miserable, sleepy, grumpy. I get enough of that at home.”
—Talking to Darrin in The Magic Cabin.
“Darrin, she's a gem. An absolute gem. If I pulled this on Louise, she'd kick me out of the house!”
—Talking about Samantha in Ling Ling.
“Louise likes me for what I am: rich.”
—Larry referring to Louise's desire for receiving a mink coat for Christmas in Santa Comes to Visit and Stays and Stays.
“You don't get to be president of an advertising agency without... stretching the truth every once in a while.”
—Larry discussing client interactions in Hippie, Hippie, Hooray.
“If Old Smoothy can't handle him, what makes you think you can?”
—Talking about Darrin's desire to interact with a client Larry's been having difficulty with.
“Listen, you two finish dinner, I know my way to the bar.”
—After dropping in at the Stephens' house.
Notes
1. In Bewitched, Bothered, and Infuriated, which takes place in 1967, it is stated 10 years have elapsed since Larry and Louise's first honeymoon, meaning they were likely married sometime around 1957.