or HAPPY ‘DARK SHADOWS’ INDEPENDENCE DAY
By WILL McKINLEY
Mark this date on your calendar (preferably in blood red ink): Tuesday, July 3, 2012. That’s the day loyal fans of the original Dark Shadows television series regain our creative independence.
As of this writing, there is only one movie theater left in New York City still showing Tim Burton’s well-intentioned but creatively misguided feature film reboot of the 1960s supernatural soap. On Tuesday that changes. As talentless divorcee Katy Perry and the giraffe-necked, British Spider-Man stumble and swoop into theaters for the 6-day 4th of July “weekend,” the ersatz DARK SHADOWS will finally be re-chained in its cinematic coffin in the United States. And that will be that.
The film may occasionally haunt a few bargain basement matinees in outlying vistas but, in the words of time traveling governess Victoria Winters, our “uncertain and frightening journey” is about to come to a long-anticipated end.
It’s safe to say that most devotees of the original didn’t particularly care for Burton and screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith’s “reimagining.” Personally, I enjoyed the homage to recently departed series star Jonathan Frid that infused Johnny Depp’s performance as Barnabas, though I disliked the film itself.
But, here’s the good news: they didn’t burn the old tapes of the TV show. They still exist, and you can still watch them. And guess what? Thanks to the publicity generated by a big budget, major studio, summer blockbuster release ($227.4 million international gross so far!), the show we all love is now easier to enjoy than ever before.
To wit: a beautiful, full-series, 131-disc box set, currently in its second printing (available July 10) after the first one (autographed by Frid, just prior to his death) sold out; two well-curated “best of” compilations hosted by series stars Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie/Josette) and Lara Parker (Angelique); and 32 “value-priced,” 40-episode DVD sets for sale in big box retailers like Target. Plus, the first 40 shows (beginning with the unchaining of Barnabas) are now streaming on Amazon, Hulu and Netflix. (Yes, I know that Netflix used to offer more episodes to subscribers. But can you blame longtime rights holder MPI Home Video for wanting to sell their DVD sets during this window of huge publicity? I can’t.)
Even better, the interest generated in Collinsport and its spooky inhabitants has led to a boon in licensed products: action figures; model kits; costumes; new audio dramas; a comic book from Dynamite Entertainment; re-issues of two DS novels by Lara Parker; and a new book (Dark Shadows: Return to Collinwood) by Kathryn Leigh Scott. But the best of these “brand extensions” is Barnabas & Company: the Cast of the TV Classic Dark Shadows, a well-researched reference volume by Craig Hamrick and R.J. Jamison.
After three decades as a fan, I rarely hear or read things about Dark Shadows I don’t already know. But this thick publication - at 500+ pages, Professor Stokes could barely get a wooden stake through it - is riddled with veins of trivia that will delight longtime fans. Unlike other books on the series, Barnabas & Co is devoted almost entirely to the show’s talented troupe of actors, with obsessively footnoted chapters on 44 members of the core cast, many based upon personal interviews conducted by co-author Craig Hamrick (who passed away in 2006). Each contains a list of the characters the performer portrayed, the number of episodes in which he or she appeared, and an exhaustive listing of other film, TV and theater credits. In that regard, I believe this is the most detailed and complete summary of the careers of the Dark Shadows cast members, and such a thing is long overdue.
There are also shorter, but equally informative sections on 60 members of the supporting cast, also with characters, airdates and episode totals. Other highlights include a photo gallery, an extensive recounting of the program’s creative history, a list of fan conventions, a section on collectibles and ephemera, and a hilarious chapter simply entitled Nudity.
The following is a list of 10 previously unknown facts about Dark Shadows cast members I learned about from Barnabas & Company:
1. Oscar nominee Harvey Keitel appeared in two episodes in 1966 as a customer at the Blue Whale.
2. Humbert Allen Astredo (Nicholas Blair) got his start as a stand-up comedian.
3. Nancy Barrett (Carolyn Stoddard) was married to David Ford (Sam Evans) in 1967. She was twenty years his junior and the marriage lasted less than two years.
4. Donald Briscoe (Chris/Tom Jennings) once showed up for work in the midst of an acid trip and ‘ended up sitting in a trash can’ in the production office.
5. Mitchell Ryan (Burke Devlin #1) was fired due to a ‘drinking problem.’ “I was so drunk that year, I barely remember what it was about,” he told TV Guide in 1976.
6. Joan Bennett’s partner for the last two decades of her life was a cross-dresser. Joan knew, and was apparently okay with it. After three divorces and the near murder of her boyfriend by her husband, producer Walter Wanger, this was apparently no big deal.
7. Roger Davis (Jeff Clark) “interfered with the lighting and blocking of scenes, presumably so he could appear on camera more favorably.” About Davis, Joan Bennett once said, “He thinks that he’s Henry Fonda - except he has no talent.”
8. Diana Millay (Laura Collins) believes she has lived many past lives, including one as a phoenix - the supernatural creature she played on the show.
9. Thayer David (Professor Stokes) had a collection of “hundreds of monster movie model kits.” His mother kept them in his bedroom, which was maintained for nearly a decade after his unexpected death from a heart attack in 1978 at the age of 51. According to his nephew, the room was “off-limits” to other family members.
10. Alexandra Moltke (Victoria Winters) left the show when she was pregnant with her first child. Her son was born on June 27, 1969 - the third anniversary of the premiere of Dark Shadows. She was asked to return to the show, but insisted on playing a vampire or a witch. Her request was denied.
In closing, let me also strongly encourage you to buy the Blu-ray of the movie when it’s released, likely around Halloween. (Remember I said you have to buy it. I didn’t say you had to watch it.) If it sells well, Warner Bros. will be more likely to release HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS (1970) and NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS (1971) on DVD or Blu-ray, perhaps even (in the case of NIGHT) with restored footage.
But remember, after all is said and done, Tim Burton’s DARK SHADOWS will likely turn a profit. That means a sequel is a distinct possibility. Now how’s that for a cliffhanger?
Will McKinley is a New York City-based writer, producer and classic film obsessive. He’s been a guest on Turner Classic Movies, Sirius Satellite Radio and the TCM podcast. Will has written for PBS and his byline has appeared more than 100 times in the pages of NYC alt weeklies like The Villager. He watched his first episode of "Dark Shadows" on April 12, 1982 and hasn't been the same since.
By WILL McKINLEY
Mark this date on your calendar (preferably in blood red ink): Tuesday, July 3, 2012. That’s the day loyal fans of the original Dark Shadows television series regain our creative independence.
As of this writing, there is only one movie theater left in New York City still showing Tim Burton’s well-intentioned but creatively misguided feature film reboot of the 1960s supernatural soap. On Tuesday that changes. As talentless divorcee Katy Perry and the giraffe-necked, British Spider-Man stumble and swoop into theaters for the 6-day 4th of July “weekend,” the ersatz DARK SHADOWS will finally be re-chained in its cinematic coffin in the United States. And that will be that.
The film may occasionally haunt a few bargain basement matinees in outlying vistas but, in the words of time traveling governess Victoria Winters, our “uncertain and frightening journey” is about to come to a long-anticipated end.
It’s safe to say that most devotees of the original didn’t particularly care for Burton and screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith’s “reimagining.” Personally, I enjoyed the homage to recently departed series star Jonathan Frid that infused Johnny Depp’s performance as Barnabas, though I disliked the film itself.
But, here’s the good news: they didn’t burn the old tapes of the TV show. They still exist, and you can still watch them. And guess what? Thanks to the publicity generated by a big budget, major studio, summer blockbuster release ($227.4 million international gross so far!), the show we all love is now easier to enjoy than ever before.
To wit: a beautiful, full-series, 131-disc box set, currently in its second printing (available July 10) after the first one (autographed by Frid, just prior to his death) sold out; two well-curated “best of” compilations hosted by series stars Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie/Josette) and Lara Parker (Angelique); and 32 “value-priced,” 40-episode DVD sets for sale in big box retailers like Target. Plus, the first 40 shows (beginning with the unchaining of Barnabas) are now streaming on Amazon, Hulu and Netflix. (Yes, I know that Netflix used to offer more episodes to subscribers. But can you blame longtime rights holder MPI Home Video for wanting to sell their DVD sets during this window of huge publicity? I can’t.)
After three decades as a fan, I rarely hear or read things about Dark Shadows I don’t already know. But this thick publication - at 500+ pages, Professor Stokes could barely get a wooden stake through it - is riddled with veins of trivia that will delight longtime fans. Unlike other books on the series, Barnabas & Co is devoted almost entirely to the show’s talented troupe of actors, with obsessively footnoted chapters on 44 members of the core cast, many based upon personal interviews conducted by co-author Craig Hamrick (who passed away in 2006). Each contains a list of the characters the performer portrayed, the number of episodes in which he or she appeared, and an exhaustive listing of other film, TV and theater credits. In that regard, I believe this is the most detailed and complete summary of the careers of the Dark Shadows cast members, and such a thing is long overdue.
There are also shorter, but equally informative sections on 60 members of the supporting cast, also with characters, airdates and episode totals. Other highlights include a photo gallery, an extensive recounting of the program’s creative history, a list of fan conventions, a section on collectibles and ephemera, and a hilarious chapter simply entitled Nudity.
The following is a list of 10 previously unknown facts about Dark Shadows cast members I learned about from Barnabas & Company:
1. Oscar nominee Harvey Keitel appeared in two episodes in 1966 as a customer at the Blue Whale.
2. Humbert Allen Astredo (Nicholas Blair) got his start as a stand-up comedian.
3. Nancy Barrett (Carolyn Stoddard) was married to David Ford (Sam Evans) in 1967. She was twenty years his junior and the marriage lasted less than two years.
4. Donald Briscoe (Chris/Tom Jennings) once showed up for work in the midst of an acid trip and ‘ended up sitting in a trash can’ in the production office.
5. Mitchell Ryan (Burke Devlin #1) was fired due to a ‘drinking problem.’ “I was so drunk that year, I barely remember what it was about,” he told TV Guide in 1976.
6. Joan Bennett’s partner for the last two decades of her life was a cross-dresser. Joan knew, and was apparently okay with it. After three divorces and the near murder of her boyfriend by her husband, producer Walter Wanger, this was apparently no big deal.
7. Roger Davis (Jeff Clark) “interfered with the lighting and blocking of scenes, presumably so he could appear on camera more favorably.” About Davis, Joan Bennett once said, “He thinks that he’s Henry Fonda - except he has no talent.”
8. Diana Millay (Laura Collins) believes she has lived many past lives, including one as a phoenix - the supernatural creature she played on the show.
9. Thayer David (Professor Stokes) had a collection of “hundreds of monster movie model kits.” His mother kept them in his bedroom, which was maintained for nearly a decade after his unexpected death from a heart attack in 1978 at the age of 51. According to his nephew, the room was “off-limits” to other family members.
10. Alexandra Moltke (Victoria Winters) left the show when she was pregnant with her first child. Her son was born on June 27, 1969 - the third anniversary of the premiere of Dark Shadows. She was asked to return to the show, but insisted on playing a vampire or a witch. Her request was denied.
In closing, let me also strongly encourage you to buy the Blu-ray of the movie when it’s released, likely around Halloween. (Remember I said you have to buy it. I didn’t say you had to watch it.) If it sells well, Warner Bros. will be more likely to release HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS (1970) and NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS (1971) on DVD or Blu-ray, perhaps even (in the case of NIGHT) with restored footage.
But remember, after all is said and done, Tim Burton’s DARK SHADOWS will likely turn a profit. That means a sequel is a distinct possibility. Now how’s that for a cliffhanger?
Will McKinley is a New York City-based writer, producer and classic film obsessive. He’s been a guest on Turner Classic Movies, Sirius Satellite Radio and the TCM podcast. Will has written for PBS and his byline has appeared more than 100 times in the pages of NYC alt weeklies like The Villager. He watched his first episode of "Dark Shadows" on April 12, 1982 and hasn't been the same since.
