Jonathan Frid not yet famous enough for Canada

The results of this year's Canada's Walk of Fame campaign were announced earlier this week. Despite the long-standing effort to get Hamilton, Ontario, native Jonathan Frid recognized in some capacity by the organization, his name was not among the 2014 finalists. Here's who will be inducted during the Dec. 19 ceremony.

• Louise Arbour, a former Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada,
• The Band
• Rachel McAdams
• Ryan Reynolds
• Hayley Wickenheiser (athlete)
• Jeff Healey (Cineplex Legends Award) 

Frid's name was on the ballot this year for the "Cineplex Legends Award." Now, if you're visiting this website, chances are you're a DARK SHADOWS fan. It's pretty easy to make fun of a list of honorees that includes Rachel McAdams, Green Lantern and the guitar player from ROADHOUSE. I mean, HOLY SHIT it's easy. But I won't go there.

Slim Goodbody: The Motion Picture took audiences to some disturbing places.

"As the administrators of Nominate Jonathan Frid to Canada's Walk of Fame, Cathy Robbins, Kathy Colby and I are very disappointed that Jonathan Frid did not make it into CWOF this year," said
Elena Nacanther, who has been canvassing the Internet for several years to get Frid on the walk of fame. "But, since we started our campaign four years ago, we have built momentum and got him on the list for Cineplex Legends Award Nominees, and we will continue this campaign until we accomplish our goal of getting this loyal Canadian son the honor he truly deserves."

"I would say that Jonathan Frid will be recognized, it's a matter of time," said Robbins. "There are many deserving Canadians and Jonathan is one of them. Canada's Walk Of Fame has noticed him and they have told me they realize that he his is a 'Great Canadian.' Persistence is the key here."

Despite the setback, Nacanther said the campaign plans to keep moving forward.

"We would ask everyone to continue nominating Jonathan every day at www.canadaswalkoffame.com/nominate, and together we will celebrate his induction into CWOF in the very near future," she said.

Jonathan Frid makes THE CINEPLEX LEGENDS AWARD ballot

Jonathan Frid is one of nine nominees for this year's CINEPLEX LEGENDS AWARD from Canada's Walk of Fame.

"This is the first time his name has been included, and I can't tell you how excited I was when Cathy Robbins called me to tell me!" said Elena Nacanther, who has spent more than a year helping to organize a grassroots effort to have Frid's legacy recognized by Canada's Walk of Fame. "This is the best chance we have to get him in, because his name is out there and that means they have recognized his importance as Canadian Excellence. I am just bursting with joy."

Nacanther said the campaign is far from over, though, and that fans should continue to nominate Frid as often as possible, as well as taking part in CINEPLEX LEGENDS AWARD voting.

"We are working on getting more publicity and I have many irons in the fire!" she said.

The CINEPLEX LEGENDS AWARD is an annual award given posthumously to a Canadian pioneer in film and television, music, sports, arts or innovation.

Best known for his role as Barnabas Collins on DARK SHADOWS, Frid was a native of Hamilton, Ontario. After serving in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II, Frid set his sites on higher education and a career in acting. He graduated from McMaster University in Hamilton in 1948, and was accepted into  the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. He moved to the United States in 1954, where he received a Master of Fine Arts degree in directing from the Yale School of Drama in 1957.

After several years of well-received work in the theater, Frid planned to leave the New York City stage for a teaching career in California. As he was leaving, Frid was offered a short gig as a vampire on DARK SHADOWS. The "temporary" job would last until 1971, and would make him internationally famous.

The other nominees for this year's CINEPLEX LEGENDS AWARD are Rod Cameron,  Stompin’ Tom Connors, Barbara Frum, Corey Haim, Jeff Healey, Lorne Green, Rita MacNeil and Al Waxman.

Click HERE to vote today!

Collinsport News Bulletins

*  KATHRYN LEIGH SCOTT, LARA PARKER and ANSEL FARAJ will participate in the Famous Monsters of Filmland Q&A panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego, Calif., on Friday, July 19. Faraj will be screening footage from his upcoming film, DOCTOR MABUSE: ETIOPOMAR, as part of theFamous Monsters "Stake of the Union" panel. The event begins at 7:45 pm in Room 5AB.

* The campaign to get JONATHAN FRID elected to CANADA'S WALK OF FAME has re-launched. "If we do nothing and don't promote nominating Jonathan now and for the rest of the year and also 2014 everyday, we will loose all the momentum that everyone has helped to build for him," the administrators of the campaign announced this week on their Facebook page. "Even though Jonathan did not get inducted for 2013, let me assure you everyone at CWOF absolutely knows who and what about Jonathan Frid implicitly. That's the power of all of you working to nominate him everyday. So please lets keep going."

At this stage in the campaign, people can nominate Frid on CANADA'S WALK OF FAME webpage. Vote often, and please help us spread the word.

* DARK SHADOWS: BENEATH THE VEIL is now available on CD and MP3 from Big Finish. The episode sees the return of MARIE WALLACE in the role of EVE, as well as NANCY BARRETT and KATHRYN LEIGH SCOTT (she's everywhere!)

* And last, but not least, BARNABAS COLLINS MEETS ALF.

Canada's Walk of Fame: Jonathan Frid out, Alan Thicke in

Wow, this is disappointing. Not just because JONATHAN FRID didn't make the cut for CANADA'S WALK OF FAME this year, but because its board of directors stepped over him to welcome ALAN THICKE into the fold. You know ... the guy who wrote the theme song to DIFF'RENT STROKES and shares some blame for introducing the loathsome KIRK CAMERON to the world.

It's not my intention to pick on Alan Thicke, who didn't ask to be put in this position. He's probably a nice guy, and his "Random Roles" interview at THE AV CLUB is a fun read. But c'mon. He's Alan Thicke. He's never been the most popular part of any project he's been involved in.

It feels a little hypocritical to lobby for an actor to be recognized by one of these fame-based institutions and then slam said institution when things don't go your way. My contributions to the campaign were meager when compared to the time and effort of others involved. I think Jonathan Frid deserves to be on this list, but there are a ton of political aspects that make his induction a difficult task. No, Alan Thicke and That Guy From Titanic never had their likenesses on board games, puzzles, comicbooks and whatever, but they also never withdrew from their chosen profession (which Frid did for many years.) Also, That Guy From Titanic has tons of recent credits to his name, while Thicke ... well, I really don't know what the hell he's doing these days. Fashion, pragmatism and cronyism play a large part in the selection of these candidates, and it wouldn't be a surprise to find out CANADA'S WALK OF FAME paid zero attention to the write-in votes that were cast.

If you want an idea of how strange and weird the CWOF nomination process is, read this 2012 news story about how difficult it was to get PHIL HARTMAN elected.

So, Frid didn't make the cut. Should we try again next year? Sure! I met some interesting people throughout the course of the campaign, as I'm sure others did. These connections certainly won't hurt our chances in 2014 if the primemovers behind Frid's campaign decide to do it again. If the CWOF board has permanently stacked the deck against us, the least we can accomplish is to rub their noses in their own corruption.

The Streets of Ancaster

CATHY ROBBINS, one of the masterminds behind the campaign to get JONATHAN FRID on Canada's Walk of Fame, has been visiting the actor's hometown of Ancaster, Ontario, this week. She's been sharing photos of her trip on the group's Facebook page, giving us all a better look at where Frid spent the first and last years of his life.

Historically, Frid's personal life and professional life have been neatly divided. Because DARK SHADOWS wasn't broadcast in Canada during its original run, many people from his hometown had no idea how big of a hit the show really was. Meanwhile, it's unlikely that many Americans could even find Ancaster on a map, creating a separation between personal life and career that Frid undoubtedly enjoyed. Thanks to the Internet, many fans now know that Frid's family was quite successful, but Robbins' photos are giving us a better idea of exactly how prominent they are in the local community.

Robbins has quite a few photos of her trip on Facebook, but interest in her trip (as well as the Canada's Walk of Fame campaign) has spread to other Facebook pages originating in Ancaster.

UPDATE: Canada's Walk of Fame

Jonathan Frid's "Walk of Fame" campaign poster, on display at Sammy's Restaurant in Ancaster, Ontario.

The nominating process for this year's Canada's Walk of Fame campaign ended April 30. Since then, we've all been waiting to find out if the campaign to get JONATHAN FRID inducted this year was a success. The organization has made no formal announcements about the names of this year's inductees, and it looks like we'll have to wait a little longer to see if Frid made the cut. CATHY ROBBINS, one of the administrators of the NOMINATE JONATHAN FRID TO CANADA'S WALK OF FAME page, says we probably won't find out until much later in the summer:

"I just called Canada's Walk Of Fame headquarters in Toronto, May 6, 2013 and they are now telling me announcement of the 2013 Inductees will be well after June 25th. The board of directors of CWOF is having a meeting right now 5/6/13 @10:19am. They will hold a press conference after the 25th and will release their decision to all of their media outlets then. Sign up for CWOF's Email and you will be notified on your FB news page. We will notify everyone here too."

Collinsport News Bulletins

* It's safe to say our recent JONATHAN FRID podcast is a hit. After only two days, it's already our third most downloaded episode of the year.

* Today is the last day of the CANADA'S WALK OF FAME nomination campaign, so please take a moment to nominate JONATHAN FRID.

* Director ANSEL FARAJ is asking folks who attended last weekend's premiere of DOCTOR MABUSE at the Dark Shadows Island Weekend event to stop by IMDB and leave a spoiler-free review of the film.

* LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE has a Q&A with KATHRYN LEIGH SCOTT about her new novel, DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLY HEELS.

* POMEGRANATE PRESS is also holding a huge sale, which features deep discounts on various DARK SHADOWS books and CDs. Among the selections are the Dark Shadows Companion CD, Dark Shadows: Return to Collinwood, Dark Shadows Companion, and the Dark Shadows Movie Book.