by David Selby
We had a lot of fun in those early days of Dark Shadows. I didn’t think that it would catch on the way it did. After awhile, we couldn’t leave the studio without a mob of teenagers hounding us for autographs. They didn’t care if I was an actor, just as long I was part of Dark Shadows. That was enough. I must have given out hundreds of autographs.
I remained on Dark Shadows until sometime in 1969, when ABC assigned me to shoot major dramatic specials and Wide World of Sports. I received six Emmy nominations for my camerawork during my aegis at the network. In 1978, I left to form my own production company, and finally started to direct and produce, something I longed to do for many years. I am now an award-winning (Emmy, CableAce) producer with offices in New York and Toronto. Interestingly, I recently teamed up with Dark Shadows alumni Kathryn Leigh Scott to produce the two-hour special The Bunny Years for the A&E Network.
I often look back on Dark Shadows and fondly reminisce. I was very fortunate to have worked with such gifted people and to have honed my craft with an exceptional talent like Dan Curtis.
A Profile of Dan Curtis
DAN CURTIS WAS BORN AUGUST 12 IN BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT
He began his entertainment career in the 1950s, working for years as a top sales executive at NBC and MCA. After creating and selling The Arnold Palmer-Gary Player Challenge Golf Show, he created and produced The CBS Golf Classic—his first show as an independent producer. The program ran for ten years, winning an Emmy along the way.
Curtis burst into television drama in 1966 with the creation of the legendary Gothic daytime serial Dark Shadows for ABC-TV That supernatural soap opera launched Curtis’ international reputation as a leading producer /director of first-rate thrillers.
Curtis is equally comfortable whether working in the adventure, drama or horror genres. His horror credits include: Burnt Offerings, starring Bette Davis, Oliver Reed and Karen Black; The Turn of the Screw, starring Lynn Redgrave; Dracula, starring Jack Palance; The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler, both starring Darren McGavin; Trilogy of Terror, starring Karen Black; Trilogy of Terror II starring Lysette Anthony; Dead of Night, three stories starring Joan Hackett, Ed Begley Jr. and Patrick Macnee; and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, starring Jack Palance, which received six Emmy nominations including Best Dramatic Special.
He has also directed When Every Day Was the Fourth of July, a poignant, yet suspenseful drama set in his native Bridgeport, Connecticut; and the quasi-sequel, The Long Days of Summer. Both were based on his boyhood reminiscences.
Curtis has also produced and directed a diverse collection of television films ranging from comedy and drama to adventure. These include: The LastRide of the Dalton Gang, selected Outstanding Fictional Television Program in the National Cowboy Hall of Fame’s Western Heritage Awards; Mrs. R’s Daughter, a tense, dramatic tour-de-force for Cloris Leachman; and such capers as The Great Ice Rip Off; Melvin Purvis, G-Man; The Kansas City Massacre and Me and the Kid.
Curtis spent most of the 1980s directing, co-writing and executive producing the critically acclaimed miniseries The Winds of War and War and Remembrance.
Curtis’ three-way creative involvement with The Winds of War and War and Remembrance was honored with an Emmy from the television industry; as well as by the Directors Guild of America (DGA Award); the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (Golden Globe); and by the public itself with the People’s Choice Award. He also received the Anti-Defamation League’s Torch of Liberty Award; the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Distinguished Service Award; and the American Film Institute’s Producers Award.
In 1991, Curtis executive produced, co-wrote and directed a primetime revival of Dark Shadows for NBC-TV. The following year, he executive produced and directed Intruders, a four hour mini-series about aliens and UFOs. He most recently received critical raves and high ratings for The Love Letter, a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation for CBS.
Curtis’ work has also brought him awards from the Mystery Writers of America, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror, the Count Dracula Society, the Southern California Motion Picture Council, and the International Film Festival of Fantasy & Horror.
Alexandra Moltke as Victoria Winters.
Joan Bennett as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard.
Louis Edmonds as Roger Collins.
Sandy (Katherine Bruce) and Mrs. Hopewell (Elizabeth Wilson). The original Matthew Morgan (George Mitchell) and Victoria Waters (Alexandra Moltke). Carolyn Stoddard (Nancy Barrett) and Burke Devlin (Mitchell Ryan).
David Henesy portrayed David Collins.
Rehearsal with Joan Bennett and Dennis Patrick who portrayed Jason McGuire.
Jonathan Frid as vampire Barnabas Collins.
Director John Sedwick in the
studio rehearsal hall with
Sharon Smyth and David
Henesy; David, Robert
Gerringer and Jonathan Frid.
An aged Barnabas.
Jonathan Frid adjusts his fangs.
Séance at Collinwood :
Elizabeth Collins Stoddard
(Joan Bennett) Carolyn Stoddard
(Nancy Barrett), Roger Collins
(Louis Edmonds), Phyllis Wick
(Margot Head), Dr. Julia
Hoffman (Grayson Hall),
Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid).
1795: Angelique (Lara Porker), Abigail Collins (Clarice Blackburn) and jailors (James Shannon and Howard Hemig).
Lara Parker and Jerry Lacy rehearse; Professor Stokes (Thayer David) and Roger Collins (Louis Edmonds).
Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans).
Characters
The name of each Dark Shadows character is followed by the episode numbers in which each character appeared and, in parenthesis, the total number of episodes in which each character appeared.
Adam 475-636 (83)
Adlar 915-915 (1)
Ezra Ahern aka Heme 89-99 (2)
Andreas 826-826 (1)
Aristede 791-881 (34)
Audrey 915-915 (1)
Sophie Baker 704-704 (1)
Loma Bell 1142-1145 (2)
Mr. Best 922-932 (3)
Adam Bilodeau 89-89 (1)
Garth Blackwood 878-883 (5)
James Blair 42-95 (4)
Nicholas Blair 521-979 (62)
Reverend Bland 396-397 (2)
Wilfred Block* 1003-1003 (1)
Peter Bradford 404-968 (30)
Ezra Braithwaite 684-764 (3)
Tim Braithwaite 1126-1126 (1)
Tim Braithwaite* 1214-1215 (2)
Reverend Brand 969-969 (1)
Stuart Bronson 27-27 (1)
Reverend Alton Brook 380-380 (1)
Maude Browning 439-512 (4)
Bruno 942-976 (13)
Crystal Cabot 663-664 (2)
Constable Carter 23-32 (5)
Zeb Cartwright 89-89 (1)
Larry Chase* 1006-1020 (5)
Beth Chavez 646-880 (57)
Jeff Clark 465-637 (48)
Victoria Winters Clark 1-665 (348)
Abigail Collins 367-442 (14)
Alexis Stokes Collins* 984-1001 (15)
Amadeus Collins 1140-1144 (2)
Amanda Collins* 1231-1236 (2)
Amy Collins* 983-1049 (11)
Angélique Bouchard Collins aka
Cassandra Collins aka Angélique
DuBois aka Angélique duVal aka
Valerie Collins aka Miranda duVal
368/9-1198 (176)
Angélique Stokes Collins* 1000-1056 (44)
Barnabas Collins 210-1198 (573)
Bramwell Collins* 1197-1245 (28)
Brutus Collins* 1225-1245 (5)
Carl Collins 706-780 (11)
Chris Collins* 977-1001 (5)
Catherine Harridge Collins* 1186-1245 (39)
Daniel Collins 431-1191 (23)
Daniel Collins* 979-1028 (10)
Daphne Harridge Collins* 1186-1238 (16)
David Collins 4-1109 (225)
Desmond Collins 1
117-1198 (26)
Edith Collins 701-1186 (13)
Edward Collins 705-870 (50)
Flora Collins 1086-1198 (16)
Flora Collins* 1188-1245 (18)
Gabriel Collins 1110-1191 (27)
Gabriel Collins* 1189-1237 (14)
Harriet Collins 1131-1131 (1)
Jamison Collins 702-838 (35)
Jenny Collins 716-897 (15)
Jeremiah Collins 367-862 (22)
Josette DuPres Collins 70-948 (48)
Josette Collins* 1206-1238 (5)
Joshua Collins 367-661 (37)
Joshua Collins* 1008-1012 (3)
Julia Collins* 1187-1245 (37)
Justin Collins* 1196-1215 (3)
Laura Collins aka Laura Radcliff
Collins aka Laura Murdock Collins
aka Laura Stockbridge Collins
123-760 (63)
Maggie Evans Collins* 981-1060 (38)
Morgan Collins* 1186-1245 (40)
Naomi Collins 366-467 (37)
Nora Collins 716-859 (16)
Quentin Collins aka Grant Douglas (1897, 1969-1970, 1995) 646-1113 (204)
Quentin Collins* (1970PT) 981-1060 (51)
Quentin Collins (1840) 1086-1197 (48)
Quentin Collins* (1841PT) 1195-1230 (15)
Roger Collins 1-979 (204)
Roger Collins* 975-1055 (17)
Sarah Collins 255-415 (37)
Tad Collins 1065-1165 (14)
Lieutenant Costa 174-174 (1)
Judge Crathome 270-271 (2)
Sheriff Davenport 917-961 (8)
Charles Dawson 1141-1196 (14)
Burke Devlin 1-346 (145)
Diabolos 628-629 (2)
Randall Drew 1143-1544/5 (5)
Roxanne Drew 1081-1177 (25)
Roxanne Drew* 1039-1061 (25)
Samantha Drew* 1192-1193 (2)
Rachel Drummond 705-776 (24)
Andre DuPres 370-394 (10)
Natalie DuPres 368/9-886 (30)
Minnie Duval* 997-997 (1)
Ed the Records Clerk 1062-1062 (1)
Dameon Edwards* 994-1006 (6)
Leona Eltridge aka Danielle Roget 594-595 (2)
Maggie Evans 1-1108 (197)
Sam Evans 5-530 (105)
Eve 595-633/4 (16)
Leticia Faye 1113-1198 (21)
Pansy Faye 771-778 (4)
Laszlo Ferrari 1130-1158 (3)
Mrs. Fillmore 810-810 (1)
Janet Findley 647-649 (3)
Thomas Findley 962-966 (5)
Doctor Fisher 335-335 (1)
Amos Fitch 89-89 (1)
Portia Fitzsimmons 193-193 (1)
Victor Flagler 1062-1062 (1)
Millicent Collins Forbes 373-886 (25)
Nathan Forbes 366-666 (47)
Suki Forbes 419-512 (5)
James Forsythe* 1231-1236 (2)
Doctor Franklin 191-191 (1)
Deputy Fred 323-329 (3)
Donna Friedlander 674-674 (1)
Frank Gamer 92-180 (19)
Richard Garner 92-246 (6)
Noah Gifford 439-455 (5)
Horace Gladstone* 987-1010 (8)
Otis Greene 1124-1124 (1)
Jeremy Grimes 1163-1185 (4)
Mordecai Grimes 1154/5-1184 (2)
Nelle Gunston 951-951 (1)
Lawrence Guthrie 949-949 (1)
Doctor Peter Guthrie 160-186 (25)
Buzz Hackett 252-262 (4)
Michael Hackett 913/4-929 (9)
Insp. Hamilton* 1040-1057 (5)
Kitty Hampshire 844-885 (19)
Evan Hanley 708-878 (24)
Judge Hanley 427-452 (5)
Buffie Harrington* 996-1023 (11)
Second Coachman-Harris* 1245-1245 (1)
Amanda Harris aka Olivia Corey 812-934 (24)
John Harris 44-44 (1)
Harry 2-2 (1)
John Hart 963-965 (3)
Joe Haskell 2-658 (123)
Carolyn Stoddard Hawkes 2-1113 (274)
Jeb Hawkes 935-980 (35)
Haza 886-887 (2)
Bruno Hess* 976-1040 (15)
Doctor Julia Hoffman aka Doctor Julia
Hoffman Collins 265-1198 (344)
Julia Hoffman* 969-1044 (24)
Mrs. Hopewell aka Miss Hopewell 1-8 (2)
Abraham Howell 821-821 (1)
Mrs. Hutchins 928-928 (1)
Istvan 821-827 (4)
Nurse Jackson aka Miss Jackson 265-(483) (5)
Mr. Jarret 656-656 (1)
Amy Jennings 632-1003 (46)
Chris Jennings 627-978 (54)
Tom Jennings 554-658 (11)
Johnson 1196-1197 (2)
Harry Johnson 471-669 (13)
Reverend Johnson 1194-1195 (2)
Sarah Johnson 67-1104 (57)
Julianka 794-797 (4)
Tessie Kincaid 808-830 (3)
Doctor Eric Lang 466-546 (31)
Cyrus Longworth* 978-1035 (32)
Carolyn Loomis* 975-1049 (15)
William Hollingshead Loomis* 971-1045 (11)
Willie Loomis 199-1106 (118)
Bill Malloy 3-126 (15)
Bathia Mapes 449-451 (3)
Marco 826-826 (1)
Jason McGuire 193-276 (46)
Mike 2-2 (1)
Joanna Mills 1150-1182 (13)
Mrs. Mitchell 1-1 (1)
Mr. Mooney 419-439 (2)
Matthew Morgan 6-127 (33)
Mr. Nakamura 903-903 (1)
Claude North* 1050-1056 (4)
Oberon 886-938 (4)
Professor Henry Osmund 910-910 (1)
Emory Pace 963-964 (23)
Nurse Packard 261-261 (1)
Wanda Paisley 857-857 (1)
Sheriff George Patterson 54-675 (44)
Frank Paxton* 989-989 (1)
Pedor 826-826 (1)
Tony Peterson 357-578 (19)
Count Andreas Petofi aka Victor
Fenn-Gibbon 786-883 (53)
Mr. Prescott 401-623 (2)
Mrs. Purdy 1132-1132 (1)
Magda Rakosi 701-887 (61)
Sandor Rakosi 701-827 (15)
Doctor Ian Reade 868-868 (1)
Doctor D. Reeves 17-158 (2)
Riggs 383-425 (5)
Lt. Dan Riley 143-174 (6)
Amos Ross 963-964 (2)
King Johnny Romano 820-828 (5)
Widow Romano 880-880 (1)
Bob Rooney aka Andy aka Bob 1-951 (60)
Sky Rumson 923-980 (13)
Sandy 1-1 (1)
Sergio 826-826 (1)
Sebastian Shaw 1073-1108 (14)
Tim Shaw 731-879 (29)
Ezra Simpson 512-512 (1)
Hortense Smiley 1128-1128 (1)
Stefan 826-826 (1)
Steve* 996-997 (2)
Daphne Harridge Stiles 1067-1197 (57)
Gerard Stiles 1063-1197 (79)
Gerard Stiles* 1207/8-1209 (2)
Samantha Drew Collins Stiles 1110-1193 (30)
Elizabeth Collins Stoddard 1-1198 (261)
