Dark Shadows - General Discussion

[Jan Spears]

1 hour ago, kitmerlot1213 said:

I would love to see how Nancy Barrett looks now--Caroline was always one of my favorite characters.

You Tube has plenty of clips from the more recent reunions. Nancy Barrett is a regular attendee.

[azshadowwalker]

Was on the DS wiki today because I am watching the early episodes again, and I randomly went to Mitch Ryan's page. Blinked a couple of times when I saw a recent death date. I mean, these folks had long lives, but it still kind of hits me when another one dies. Maybe because they are my parents' age or a little older and I am anxious about their mortality. 

[Jan Spears]

I recently took the train to and from New York. As we passed through Tarrytown, I could see the Lyndhurst mansion a.k.a. Collinwood from the House of Dark Shadows movie looming ominously on a hill above the rail line. Lyndhurst is actually quite small and somewhat unimpressive - certainly in comparison to Seaview Terrace in Newport (Collinwood in the series).

[Jan Spears]

I was rewatching episodes 289-290 this weekend (original air dates: August 3rd-4th, 1967). (These are the episodes where Julia puts 2 and 2 together and figures out that Barnabas is a vampire.)

Rewatching these episodes made me realize that there are some extraordinary lighting effects in 289. After Vicky goes to sleep, Barnabas pays her a visit in the early hours of the morning. Even though the power has failed at Collinwood and the "lightning flashes" from a storm raging overhead are supposedly providing the only light during Barnabas' visit, Alexandra Moltke is bathed in this beautiful overhead lighting. It's a stunning effect although completely implausible!

When Carolyn enters after Vicky wakes up to the sound of her music box playing (Barnabas opened it before departing), she's carrying a candle and explains that there is no power at Collinwood. Nancy Barrett and Moltke are bathed in that soft lighting but, again, there's no way that a single candle and lightning flashes would create that kind of illumination. But it's all tremendously atmospheric and it's also the kind of effect that was lost once the show transitioned to color.

One other thing: Vicky only has a sheet and a flimsy looking blanket on her bed. Even though it's supposed to be summer in Collinsport, it would still be cold at night given Collinwood's proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and there being a storm blowing. In that rambling and erratically heated house, Vicky would freeze to death with just a sheet and a blanket and no fire in her bedroom fireplace!

[JAYJAY1979]

There's a YT page that has the final scenes of Alexandra M Isles as Vicki..and it was as if the writers knew she was leaving.

From episodes 624 to 627, we have several close scenes between Vicki and Liz, Vicki talking of always feeling alone, her feelings as she arrived at Collinwood, how she felt a part of the family, remembering being led to being hung, her and Jeff arguing about their tragic love story, and finally how Vicki supports Jeff after the discovery of Eve's body.

So many soap opera moments pulled from history and I always believe her departure severed the traditional soap opera thread..making the show more like an anthology than a soap opera.

https://youtu.be/VskkdOr79Cw

[Jan Spears]

On 8/14/2022 at 6:05 PM, JAYJAY1979 said:

There's a YT page that has the final scenes of Alexandra M Isles as Vicki..and it was as if the writers knew she was leaving.

So many soap opera moments pulled from history and I always believe her departure severed the traditional soap opera thread..making the show more like an anthology than a soap opera.

I always think of Alexandra Moltke's departure as the dividing line in the series.

Before she left, there was still some attempt to keep the Collinwood/Collinsport dynamic alive even though such "town" characters as Burke Devlin and Sam Evans had been written out. But with the departure of Moltke (and the show's inability to recast the part of Vicky satisfactorily), the bottom soon fell out of the town part of the show. Joel Crothers left the show soon after Moltke, the Maggie Evans character moved to Collinwood to become (implausibly) the governess/tutor to David, and the Evans Cottage became a thing of the past.

These changes must have seemed insignificant at the time. But I believe they hurt the show over time as the concentration of events at Collinwood caused the show to lose any grounding in reality. As the show became detached from the town part of the show, it became more and more implausible.

[Jan Spears]

November 19th, 1968 was the 54th (!) anniversary of Alexandra Moltke's last appearance on Dark Shadows.

Even though Moltke's tenure on the show was only 2 1/3 years, she still ended up in the Top 5 in terms of number of appearances on the show:

Jonathan Frid - 593 (4 years)

Grayson Hall - 474 (short of 4 years)

Nancy Barrett - 403 (entire run)

Joan Bennett - 391 (entire run)

Alexandra Moltke - 335 (2 1/3 years)

[JAYJAY1979]

So I've been watching the early episodes of Dark Shadows long before it went supernatural...and I was wondering about the weeping lady that was heard quite early in the run.

I was wondering if the bible ever mentioned what the weeping woman at Collinwood was supposed to be?  I know in Jane Eyre (original source material for the soap) that it was the 1st wife of Rochester so perhaps someone was locked in collinwood?

[peacheslatour]

23 hours ago, JAYJAY1979 said:

So I've been watching the early episodes of Dark Shadows long before it went supernatural...and I was wondering about the weeping lady that was heard quite early in the run.

I was wondering if the bible ever mentioned what the weeping woman at Collinwood was supposed to be?  I know in Jane Eyre (original source material for the soap) that it was the 1st wife of Rochester so perhaps someone was locked in collinwood?

I'm not sure but I think she was meant to be David's mother?

[JAYJAY1979]

Interesting read (show bible).

 

This reads more like a Gothic Edge of Night/Peyton Place. It's a shame this concept was abandoned after the first year because I think it would have ensured a longer run.

 

https://archive.org/details/shadows-on-the-wall-1/page/n96/mode/1up

[peacheslatour]

On 1/1/2023 at 8:57 AM, JAYJAY1979 said:

Interesting read (show bible).

 

This reads more like a Gothic Edge of Night/Peyton Place. It's a shame this concept was abandoned after the first year because I think it would have ensured a longer run.

 

https://archive.org/details/shadows-on-the-wall-1/page/n96/mode/1up

Paywalled.

[Jan Spears]

I rewatched episode 938 this weekend. (Original air date: 1/28/70)

Episode 938 is essentially a recap/clips show in which Barnabas explains to Julia - at last - everything that's happened because of the Leviathans. (The clips are from the very end of the 1897 storyline and feature - in addition to Jonathan Frid as Barnabas - Roger Davis as Charles Delaware Tate and Kathryn Leigh Scott as Kitty Hampshire.)

There are two very compelling visual things about this episode. First, as Barnabas recounts the storyline up to that point to Julia, both Frid and Grayson Hall are filmed in extreme close-up throughout the present day sequences at the Old House. I can't think of another Dark Shadows episode which consisted almost entirely of close-ups.

The other striking thing about this episode is the use of color and lighting. I prefer the B&W episodes to the color ones but this episode is an exception. Using candles, the fireplace and studio lights (including "lightning" effects outside the Old House sitting room window), the production staff were able to illuminate the colors of the Old House (and even Hall's orange blouse) to create this unearthly but beautiful glow on the Old House set.

[Gharlane]

I found this oddly amusing:

Woman Plunges To Death From 100-Foot Cliff After Marriage Proposal

[Tippi]

I just read that the incredibly beautiful and talented Lara Parker has passed away at the age of 84.  I was one of those kids who ran home from school to watch Dark Shadows.  This show was one of those vivid memories of my childhood.  Lara Parker as Angelique was so epic, just an amazingly compelling and charismatic character.  I am the type of person who is usually rooting for the good guys, but Lara was able to add such layers of vulnerability and yearning for love to her delicious evil ways.

Ms. Parker, you could truly do magic.  RIP dear lady.