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Post by Zone Fighter on Aug 3, 2004 6:24:06 GMT -8
Dark Shadows (1966-1971)
1225 episodes
Dark Shadows Collection 1 Disk 1 main cast:
Joan Bennett - Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (murderess)
Dennis Patrick - Jason McGuire (blackmailer)
John Karlen - Willie Loomis (would be jewl thief)
Alexandra Moltke - Victoria Winters (governess)
Jonathan Frid - Barnabas Collins (vampire)
David Henesy - David Collins (Roger's son)
Clarice Blackburn - Mrs. Johnson (housekeeper)
Nancy Barrett - Carolyn Collins Stoddard (Elizabeth's daughter)
Joel Crothers - Joe Haskell (Maggie's boyfriend)
Mitch Ryan - Durke Devlin (Carolyn's love interest)
Louis Edmond - Roger Collins (Elizabeth's brother, David's father)
Kathryn Leigh Scott - Maggie Evans (coffee shop waitress)
The first DVD of the series contains episodes 210-219 and a 15 minute "Introduction" which gives a very brief summary of the major characters from the first 209 episodes. The introduction begins with the opening scene from episode 1 and ends with the opening of a tomb, from episode 210.
The vampire Barnabas Collins who becomes one the three most popular characters was not introduced into the series until episode 210. The DVDs begin with that episode. The witch who cursed Barnabas Collins and the doctor who wants to "cure" him do not appear on this DVD.
April 17, 1967: Willie Loomis breaks into the Collin family crypt to rob the tomb of Naomi Collins of the jewels he believes she was buried with. As he lifts the lid, a hand, wearing a black ring, reaches out to grab him by the throat.
Later, the Collins' housekeaper, Mrs. Johnson, answers the doorbell letting in a man who says he is Elizabeth Collins Stoddard's cousin from England. He gives his name as Barnabas Collins, claiming to be a decendent of the Barnabas Collins who died in England 175 years ago. He looks exactly like the painting of Barnabas Collins, even wears the same black ring, and he has intimate knowledge of the old Collins' and their properties. This is because he is the Barnabas Collins who lived 175 years ago. He was trapped in the crypt until Loomis freed him. He only appears at Collinswood, the family home, at night.
A few episodes later Willie Loomis shows up at the local tavern, a changed man. He's weak and frightened. Meanwhile farmers have been finding their cattle laying dead, all the blood drained out of them. At night Loomis sneaks off to the crypt. Barnabas Collins also enters the crypt. A doctor finds that Loomis is suffering from massive blood lose.
I like these 10 epiodes but to see the entire series could take a long time. Netflix has 12 four disk sets covering a little more than half the series. Their descriptions of the DVDs are off though. They list the first disk as having episodes 210-220, actually it has 210-219. So all their decriptions are off by 1 episode. Whether I will like the rest of the series I don't know. I don't care for the modern books, movies or tv shows which try to portray vampires as some how heroic.
There was a short lived Dark Shadows remake in 1990. Now rumor has it that another remake is in the works, to be shown on the WB (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel).
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Aug 3, 2004 8:40:59 GMT -8
Well, it is a soap opera, which means that Barnabas starts out as a villain, but as he got more and more popular he did eventually turn heroic (much like Godzilla did). It would take a long time to watch all of the episodes though, no question.
He had to change, otherwise five years of him being eville would have been boring. There are a few arcs where he isn't even present, so others take his place as main characters.
It covers ALL the "monsters"- vampires, werewolves, man made monsters (like the Frankenstein creature), Mr. Hyde types, ghosts, you name it. All a lot of fun for five years.
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Post by BaronVonMacheimer on Aug 4, 2004 9:32:01 GMT -8
i rather enjoyed the remake in 1990. i was disappointed that it didn't get to realise it's full potential.
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Post by Zone Fighter on Sept 26, 2004 8:10:45 GMT -8
According to www.TVshowsonDVD.comDark Shadows vol 14 will be out September 28 Dark Shadows vol 15 wiil be out November 23 |
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Sept 18, 2005 12:01:30 GMT -8
i saw volume 19 out yesterday.
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Post by Lunkhead on Sept 19, 2005 7:51:43 GMT -8
Ah, I still remember those days of running home from school to catch DARK SHADOWS. Not sure if I'd have the patience to go through all the eps again, but it sure was fun back then.
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Post by Zone Fighter on Nov 15, 2005 17:14:54 GMT -8
The second DVD has an interview with Jonathan Frid in which he says that he's surprised that the series is still so popular since it was actually one of the shortest lived soap operas. He said that there are only so many classic horror stories and they covered them all more than once so they ran out of things to do.
I've found an error in episode 221. Barnabas casts a shadow. As a vampire he should not.
He mentions that his cane is made of gold and silver. Is he going to hit a werewolf with it?
Was Dark Shadows aired live? Or were they just in such a hurry to get a new episode out each day that they didn't stop filming to correct mistakes? I've noticed that if an actor or actress flubs a line but corrects it right away they leave it in. For example Elizabeth Collins Stoddard refers to the unfinished painting of Barnabus Collins as a photograph then catching her mistake the actress says portrait. You'll occasionaly her lines missed in recordings of old radio series which were originally aired live.
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Nov 16, 2005 14:17:17 GMT -8
they didn't have the time or budget to reshoot anything but the worst flubs. there used to be a tape of "bloopers" out there, legit, for viewing pleasure, but i never saw it. if it were a big ol' budget thing, maybe, but when they are shooting like they did, i cut them some slack.
i think it only ran five years, but that's still a lot of episodes.
some other soaps have had horror themes crop up from time to time, Days of Our Lives did a possession theme several years ago.
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Post by Zone Fighter on Nov 16, 2005 15:34:38 GMT -8
One them has a witch. She's played the actress who was the the nanny in The Nanny and the Professor. In that she would tell him the phone was for him before it wrang or have him or one of the kids answer the door before the doorbell rang.
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Post by August on Nov 16, 2005 16:25:01 GMT -8
What sold DARK SHADOWS, to many fans, were the actors and the writing. The show was extremely low-budget and shot live -- all in one go -- no time for retakes. For that, it is a remarkable acheivement. I used to watch DARK SHADOWS with my older sisters when I was a baby, and remember the later years, and watching the last episode in first broadcast.
I later started rewatching the series with my mother when it went into a very successful late-night syndication in the mid-1970s. DS came back again in the late 1980s/early 1990s in early morning syndication, and ran for several years on the Sci-Fi Channel in their morning program.
BTW, the proposed new DARK SHADOWS series has been axed; there were only three episodes and a pilot that were completed.
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Post by Zone Fighter on Nov 16, 2005 19:23:03 GMT -8
Yeah I read last night that the WB had declined to pick up the third version of Dark Shadows.
I watched the 1990 version but I don't remember much about it.
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Post by Zone Fighter on Nov 18, 2005 12:40:24 GMT -8
Disc 3 includes an interview with Kathryn Leigh Scott - Maggie Evans. Watching the show she was surpised how few mistakes they made. There were many times when she wanted to redo a scene. She left the series to get married and move to France. She credits Jonathan Frid as Barnabas Collins with saving the series from oblivion.
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Post by Zone Fighter on Dec 2, 2005 20:11:14 GMT -8
If Elizabeth Stoddard murdered her husband Paul, why doesn't she just murder Jason McGuire?
The DVDs always end at the worst possible point. I knew that when Willie left Maggie in the crypt for Barnabas to turn into a vampire the disc would end there.
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Post by Zone Fighter on Apr 4, 2006 7:56:32 GMT -8
Collection 3 goes into color episodes, however some color prints are lost so those episodes are available only as b/w copies. Those episodes have poorer video than the older b/w episodes. I think b/w actually fits the series better.
I think they are up to the 23rd set. I'm on set 4. I'm alternating between Dark Shadows and first Star Trek.
The movies "House of Dark Shadows" and "Night of Dark Shadows" may be released on a single DVD in 2007.
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Post by Zone Fighter on Apr 25, 2006 18:54:47 GMT -8
I just finished volume 5. I'm up to the point were Victory Winters is about to be tried as a witch in 1795. Its fun to see the cast playing different characters, example a strong willed matriarch (1960s) becomes a drunk dominted by her strong willed husband (1795), and the moderatly intelligent blonde (1960s) turns into a disty blonde (1795), but the writers have contradicted themesleves. Things have happened differently from what was previously established as the family history. Contracting the written history can easily be explained away be claiming that either it was written by someone who had incomplete information or it was deliberatly falisfied to hide the truth about Barnabis. However, the events of 1795 are not just contrary to the written history, they are also contrary to the eye witness testimony of Barnabis himself. According to him he met Josette after she came to America to marry his uncle, which is what the written history states, but's that's not what we see happen. Instead it was Jeremiah who met her after she was engaged to Barnabis. Based on statements from Barnabis, Sarah should have died before he was cursed, but Barbanis actually died and returned as a vampire before his sister died.
The actual scene of Barnabis being cursed was bad. He just stood there and let a witch prounounce a curse on him, when he if he had just strangled her or shot her again (he had two guns) there would have been no curse.
I liked seeing the witch caught in her own trap, when the ghost she raised haunted her, but they dropped that bit as suddently as they started it, with no explination as to why the haunting stopped. And then made a liar out of Barnabis by having him, as a vampire, say he never saw his wife affraid before, actually he did when Jeremiah haunted her. I'm glad the witch finally died. I was getting tired of that story line.
I liked the lawyer in 1967 but can't stand the self titled "Reverend" Trask in 1795, both played by the same man, who btw hasn't changed much. He looks like an older version of Trask. The only scene I like with Trask is the early one when he's asked what church ordained him then rejected as a fraud when he admits he ordained himself. Its ironic that the self-appointed witch hunter doesn't recognise the real witch when he meets her.
One major problem with these 1795 episodes is the taro card reading countess. She'd have been branded a witch the second she pulled out those cards and claimed to see the future in them, yet Trask not only ignores her use of taro cards but actually wants her as a witness against the innocent Victory. The countess is a nicer person than the pyschiatrist who tried to cure vampire Barnabis, and with that wig she looks better too.
Of course no one knew Dark Shadows would be watched in 2006 and all the flaws noted, but even during the original airing in the 60s regular viewers must have noticed the contradictions.
I was looking forward to seeing Vicky's reaction when she met cousin Daniel, whome I expected to resemble David, but despite his name being mentioned a couple times he's never actually been seen (at least not yet). And the living Sarah appears less often then the ghost. Not having seen the first 209 episodes I don't know why Vicky was intially afraid of the servant , who became the witches pawn, apparently the actor's original Dark Shadow character must have been nasty.
Interesting that the Jason and Willie don't have ancestors they resemble. And no one in the 60s (yet) looks like the witch. Also interesting that two people thought to have left town in both time periods were actually killed by Barnabis and temporarily stored in his coffin.
Trivia: it may have originally been intended that Victoria Winters turn out to be the daughter of Elizabeth Collins Stoddard but from what I've read it seems that was never actually written into the series.
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Post by Zone Fighter on May 15, 2006 14:07:48 GMT -8
Daniel finally appeared, to be accused of being a devil by that false reverend. Then another Collins found out about Barnaba. He silenced her.
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Post by Zone Fighter on May 31, 2006 7:22:57 GMT -8
1795 episodes main cast:
Jonathan Frid - Barnabas Collins
Alexandra Moltke - Victoria Winters
Joan Bennett - Naomi Collins
Louis Edmonds - Joshua Collins
Kathryn Leigh Scott - Josette duPres / Josette Collins
Nancy Barrett - Millicent Collins / Millicent Forbes
Joel Crothers - Lt. Nathan Forbes
Clarice Blackburn - Abigail Collins
Anthony George - Jeremiah Collins
Grayson Hall - Countess Natalie duPres
David Ford - Andre du Pres
Lara Parker - Angelique Bouchard / Angelique Collins
Thayer David - Ben Stokes
Sharon Smyth - Sarah Collins
Jerry Lacy - "Reverend" Trask
Timothy Gordon - Jeremiah Collin's ghost/zombie
Roger Davis - Peter Bradford
David Henesy - Daniel Collins
Craig Slocum - Noah Gifford
Only Lara Parker, Roger Davis and Craig Slocum did not have roles in the episodes before Vicky traveled to 1795. Thayer David's first role was apparently in the first season episodes which did not include Barnabas Collins and are not on DVD at this time. If the IMdb cast list is correct, only Anthony George does not continue on to play a character in post 1795 episodes. Timothy Gordon's role as the ghost of Jeremiah is short however. I wonder if Anthony George was tired of being killed off (twice) and that's why he left. Or was he killed of twice, because he quit twice?
It was interesting to see Barnabas as an ordinary man before the curse turned him into a vampire. Sarah was alive until she got sick and died. I was pleased to see Angelique caught in her own traps then disappointed when she refused to stay dead. I despised the self proclaimed "Reverend" Trask. Odd that in the 1960s the Collins' cook Sarah Johnson resembles Abigail Collins. I have to add a correction (to my previous post), Barnabas says she had a heartattack that he did not kill her. So has not actually killed a blood relative (at least not directly). He has killed two blackmailers (in different centuries), a witch, a religious fanatic pretending to be a minister and several women. If the women were all prostitutes then it appears Barnabas has only killed one innocent person, the doctor in 1966. He did bite two relatives, but left them alive, Millicent Collins in 1795 and Carolyn Collins Stoddard in 1967 (on camera the order is reversed), both played by Nancy Barrett.
Note: these 1795 episodes changed some of what had previously been established as the Collins family history. First the events took place in 1795 not the orignally stated 1882. Also Sarah Collins was originally said to have died BEFORE Barnabas was cursed, he was supposed to survive the same disease, but she actually dies AFTER Barnabas had already been "dead" for seveal months. The worst contradiction though is that in 1966 Barnabas himself said he had not met Josette until she arrived in America, to marry Jeremiah. But it turns out that it she was originally engaged to Barnabas and it was Jeremiah she met in America. Her marriage to Jeremiah becomes part of the witch's evil scheme. Also in 1966 Barnabas said he had wanted to kill Jeremiah but was unble to. But in the 1795 episodes Barnabas actually does kill Jeremiah, in a dual.
My guess as to how Vicky would return to her own century was correct.
I last saw Barnabas about to bite Vicky in 1967. He thinks she learned about him being a vampire in 1795, but in fact she did not. All she learned was that the Barnabas Collins of the 1795 did not move to England but died at home in America. Had she not been distracted by being on trail for witchcraft and being seduced by her jailor turned lawyer, perhaps she may have wondered how there could be a decendent of Barnabas Collins living in England in the 1900s when the original died in America in 1795. Or maybe not, Victoria Winters isn't that bright.
That whole witch trial was absurd, Trask had no evidence at all. To make matters worse, Dr. Hoffman says she looked up the records and found that Peter Bradford was hung for murder. How could he be? There was no witness against him after Forbes was murdered and Daniel Collins could testify to who actually killed Noah. Of course it wouldn't surprise me if she lied.
I may be giving the impression that I don't like the series, actually I do, I just find these plot holes and inconsistancies to be annoying.
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Jun 1, 2006 19:54:08 GMT -8
well, they also didn't know people would be able to watch all the episodes one after the other either, tho a bit tighter writing couldn't have hurt.
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Post by Zone Fighter on Jun 2, 2006 8:09:21 GMT -8
1968 (after "1795" episodes) cast:
Jonathan Frid - Barnabas Collins
Alexandra Moltke - Victoria Winters
Joan Bennett - Elizabeth Collins Stoddard
Louis Edmonds - Roger Collins
Nancy Barrett - Carolyn Collins Stoddard
Joel Crothers - Joe Haskell
Clarice Blackburn - Mrs. Johnson
Grayson Hall - Dr. Julia Hoffman
Thayer David - Professor Timothy Stokes
Jerry Lacy - Tony Peterson
Addison Powell - Dr. Eric Lang
Roger Davis - Jeff Clark
Craig Slocum - Harry Johnson
Kathryn Leigh Scott - Maggie Evans
David Ford - Sam Evans
David Henesy - David Collins
Sharon Smyth - Sarah Collins
New characters:
Professor Timothy Stokes - descendent of Ben Stokes, researching family history.
Dr. Eric Lang - treating Barnabas, claims to be able to cure him, up to something shady. Only new character (so far) not a duplicate of some one from 1795.
Jeff Clark - works for Dr. Eric Lang, as a grave robber, released from asylum for the criminally insane, murderer? Victoria believes he's actually Peter Bradford. Not surprisingly Jeff has fallen for Vicky.
Harry Johnson - Mrs. Johnson's son, Victoria screamed upon meeting him because he looks like Noah Gifford, the man she shot in 1795. Spent time in prison for theft. Planning to rob the Collins?
Dr. Hoffman has finally revealed that she is a doctor but lied about why pretended to be a historian. Changed hairdo, she's still not attractive. And Barnabas still not romantically interested.
Barnabas temporarily restored to being a normal human, has seen sun for first time in nearly 200 years. Wounds on throats of Carolyn and Victoria have healed. Presumably same for Maggie. Carolyn acting more like her old self. Barnabas requires weekly transfusions to keep from reverting to vampire.
Vicky bought a painting of Angelique. Barnabas cut it out of frame and tossed in fire but painting restored itself. Roger staring at painting fell under spell, thought he was Jeremiah. Tried to kill Dr. Lang. Came to senses and tried to give painting to Professor Stokes, but found frame empty. Barnabas found painting back at the "new house". That's as far as I've gotten at this point.
The first few episodes with Vicky back in her century do not feature Maggie, Sam, David or Sarah's ghost. Angelique has not made an appearance at this point, though was heard laughing when Barnabas tried to destroy her portrait.
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Post by Zone Fighter on Jun 9, 2006 6:44:55 GMT -8
On volume 7, disc 3 Roger disappears and then reappears with a new wife, even though his first wife has not been missing long enough to be declared legally dead. The dark haired woman calls herself Cassandra, but is recognisable as Angelique. Barnabas recognised her instantly, though she refuses to admit to him that she's Angelique. Vicky was a little slower but she figured it out too. Maggie appeared to become the first victim of Angelique's "Dream Curse". Angelique was stunned when she met her because Maggie looks just like Josette. Maggie tells the dream to Jeff who then has the dream but with an extra bit. He'll tell some one else who will continue the dream. According to Angelique when the dream is finally told to Barnabas he will see the ending and be recursed.
"Through sight and sound and endless terror, through endless corridors by trial and error, a head of blazing light does burn and one door leads to the point of return."
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Post by Zone Fighter on Jul 11, 2006 22:39:52 GMT -8
David returned to find he had a new mother. He did not like her so she put him under a spell to make him like her.
At the end of volume 7 Barnabas is cured and a Frankenstein's monster type creature which Barnabas named Adam has been created.
On volume 8 disc 1 Sam Evans has been struck blind by the witch. I was so happy when Barnabas found a way to get rid of her and so biterly disapointed when she foiled his plan. Its not so much that I despise Angelique (I do) but more that I'm bored with the whole witch storyline. By the end of the disc Barnabas is seaking to kill Adam not realising, because he keeps managing to be out of the room when Adam plays the tape with Dr. Lang's last words on it, that if Adam dies the curse will return. Adam has abducted Caroyln, to use as a shield so Barnabas can't shoot him. In the mean time Angelique's dream curse is still working its long way around to Barnabas (his querstion to Angelique as to why she's doing it this long way was a good, too bad she declined to answer it). Willie Loomis (who was released from the insane asylum, prematurely. Barnabas and Dr. Hoffmann don't realise that he's obssesed with Maggie and plans to murder Joe) is the last to have the dream on this disc. After showing the full dream the first few times they've started shortening it. For example Willie did not see the headless body which laughed, the bats or the spider's web which trapped David when he had the dream. They've also cut out people actually describing the dream to the next victim. David's telling Willie was simply covered in the opening narration. Carolyn is scheduled to have the dream next. If Adam doesn't manage to hold on to her that is. I'd like it if Willie couldn't get to her and ended up back in the asylum and the dream curse broken but I don't suppose it will end that way.
I almost didn't recognise Sam Adams, David Ford had changed his hair, but when he spoke I knew it was him and not a different actor.
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