Dark Shadows

[SFK]

Forgive me if this is a repost/old news as I'm not up on my DS knowledge, but I thought I'd share this program I stumbled upon. It's a 1969 failed pilot (that aired as a TV movie) from Dan Curtis called Dead of Night: A Darkness at Blaisedon starring a young and beautiful Marj Dusay. The reviews say it wasn't much to write home about, but perhaps it'll interest DS and Dusay fans nevertheless.

http://veehd.com/video/3561715_Dead-of-Night-A-Darkness-at-Blaisedon-1969

[DRW50]

Thanks. I'll have to check that out. Marj looks so stunning. I see they also have an Emmanuele video there under horror, which is...random? Then again, they made that movie 4000 different times, I guess they did become a horror.

Edited May 25, 2010 by CarlD2

[SFK]

That's funny because I was wondering about the site's sketch factor. I just Google'd the name of the movie after reading about it on Marj's site (was watching some old Capitol in Italian on YouTube which got me to thinking of Marj ) and was surprised to see that it was actually available to watch online.

I'm about half in and it's a fine way to pass 50 min. on a rainy Saturday afternoon while you poke around on your computer. The main guy and his sidekick are like grown up Jonny and Hadji, the caretaker guy is straight outta Scooby-Doo.

I love watching soap-like, taped programs from this era though. Little time capsules, and you think things like, "OLTL had been on for a year at this point, AMC was a year away..."

[EricMontreal22]

That's how I think too--about the current airing soaps. It kinda looks like a higher budget (not too much higher tho ) Dark Shadows from a superficial POV... Interesting, Sam Hall scripted.

Speaking of Dark Shadows I'm finally down the second box set (I started with the Beginning episodes and it's just now starting to get legitimately supernatural)

Edited May 25, 2010 by EricMontreal22

[Drew]

He messed up the continuity and sabotaged one of the core characters.

[DRW50]

That's interesting. Which character did he sabotage?

[SFK]

Yeah, the set was pretty impressive and I assumed it was where the show would have taken place but I guess I was wrong. I had read that Louis Edmonds was in it, yet I didn't even realize who he'd played until the closing credits rolled. Guess I spaced out.

[DAMfan]

So tell me DS fans - were you Team Barnabas or Team Quentin??

[DRW50]

Team Angelique.

[Bright Eyes]

That's what I'm talking about.

[Soaplovers]

I was watching some of the minisodes of Dark Shadows and I'm up to the part where Victoria has been recast. Based on the episodes I watched, it looked like Victoria was going to continue as a character (based on her presence at the start of the Quentin storyline) but then vanishes into the past.

I was wondering if the plan was to continue the character with Betsy Durkin playing her or was Betsy Durkin just bought in to usher out Victoria? Do you think the character would have served more purpose in the Quentin/david/Amy storyline then Maggie did?

[DRW50]

I imagine that they probably initially considered keeping Victoria around, but quickly realized this wasn't going to work. Victoria basically was Alexandra Moltke. If they had brought in Carolyn Groves from immediately after Alexandra's departure, that might have worked, although Vicky still would have been a reduced presence. But hiring Ruth Buzzi Jr? No thanks.

I think the story worked as well with Maggie as it would have with Vicky. Vicky and David had a strong relationship but that had been downplayed the last 5 or 6 months before Moltke's departure anyway.

[Chris B]

I actually liked the first Vicki recast a lot. I thought she had potential. Certainly wasn't bad enough to just write the character off.

[DRW50]

I thought she was all wrong for Vicky. I thought she had a strange voice and she was a weird combo of too weak and yet brittle. I think they also ended up showing the world her panties when Adam (hated him) carried her away for yet another failed experiment.

She might have worked in another role but by that time Victoria had become a very bland character and I think it was mostly Moltke which kept her together. The only story I was looking forward to was her being revealed as Liz's daughter and that wouldn't have had much impact with a new recast.

Edited July 15, 2010 by CarlD2

[drasticmeasures]

I didn't mind Betsy Durkin all that much. My main problem with her was purely superficial and was that she came across to me as even younger than Alexandra Moltke (though I believe they were roughly the same age). In that one scene where Barnabas proposes to Vicki after Jeff Clark disappears, I am so glad he doesn't touch her or even stand close because I get this very strong Chester the Molester vibe. "Let me take care of you." lol

I think when a character is strongly identified with one actor, it's always a shock when somebody else is suddenly there. I've always wondered--if Alexandra Moltke left because of her pregnancy--why didn't they have time to write Vicki out with AM in the role? It must have been a sudden decision on Moltke's part.