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The Dark Shadows Almanac: Millennium Edition

Page 25

by David Selby


  wear this wig in episodes 3, 7 and 12, but beginning in episode 20, the wig is discarded, and she appears thereafter in her own long brown hair.

  Although Dark Shadows was set in Maine, no snow is shown, nor are trees seen without leaves. No character speaks with a New England accent. Thunder and lightning are constantly present, but rain is shown only in one early sequence: while driving back from Bangor, Roger Collins’ car is caught in bad weather and is abandoned by Victoria Winters and Roger, who take shelter in a deserted shack.

  Two perfumes feature prominently in the Dark Shadows storyline. The ghost of Josette was fond of Jasmine, whereas Daphne’s ghost preferred the sweet aroma of lilacs.It was also established in Episode 657 that lilac was Victoria Winters’ perfume.

  In episode 20, in the Evans Cottage, Sam Evans finds a sketch of Collinwood. Looking at it, he is inspired to get up early the following morning and go to the cliffs at Collinwood to paint. In episode 48, the same sketch of Collinwood, now attributed to David Collins, is described by Victoria Winters as being “good enough to show to a real artist.” David tears it up when Vicki reveals she showed it to Roger Collins.

  When Laura Collins appears in 1966 to reclaim her son David Collins, it is gradually revealed that she is a phoenix who dies in flames every one-hundred years. At that time it was stated that in the 18th century, she was LauraThe portrait of Laura Collins and her son Dovid.

  Murdoch Stockbridge, 1740-1767; in the 19th century, she was Laura Murdoch Radcliffe, 1840-1867; and in the 20th century she was Laura Murdoch Collins, who died in flames in 1967. However, she does not adhere to this sequence when she reappears during the 1897 storyline later in the series.

  At the beginning of 1970, David Henesy’s leg got jammed in a door at the studio. For four episodes, David appears in his own leg cast, seated in a wheelchair. It is explained that Jeb Hawkes, the Leviathan leader, punished David by making him fall off a bicycle, as a warning. David’s shows in the cast and wheelchair are, episode 937, taped January 8, 1970; episode 942, taped February 3, 1970; episode 958, taped February 13, 1970, and episode 959, taped February 6, 1970. He is out of the wheelchair on his next show, episode 979, taped March 12, which is his first appearance in Parallel Time as Daniel Collins. Kathy Cody is seen wearing an arm sling in the 1970 storyline involving the haunting of Collinwood by Daphne and Gerard. Kathy had been hit by a car outside the Dark Shadows studio.

  The bartender, played by Bob O’Connell, is seen during most early scenes set in the Blue Whale, beginning with episode 2. The character was originally named “Andy” in the scripts for episodes 33 and 63, and he was called by this name in episode 33. In episodes 58 and 63, Joe Haskell calls him “Pudgy,” and in episode 58, Sam Evans calls him “Mike.” Apart from these early episodes, the character is not named until episode 319, on September 14, 1967. During the events which lead to Willie Loomis being shot, the bartender Bob Rooney discusses Maggie Evans’ memory loss with Sam and Sheriff Patterson.

  As part of its Haunted Dungeon attraction, New Orleans’ Musée Conti Museum of Wax has featured figures of Barnabas battling the werewolf with Collinwood in the distance and a modem day Angélique preparing to stake Barnabas in his coffin.

  At one point during the original daytime run of Dark Shadows, ABC-TV considered moving the show to its nighttime schedule.

  The title “Dark Shadows” was previously used for a September 15, 1950 episode of CBS-TV’s dramatic anthology Suspense, and for a three-issue horror anthology issued in 1957-58 by Steinway Comic Publications.

  The Dan Curtis collection of original Dark Shadows scripts is on file at the University of Southern California at Los Angeles in the Fine Arts Research Library. A donation from the Dark Shadows Festival enabled the entire set to be preserved on microfilm, which is available for viewing by the general public.

  The Barnabas wolf’s head cane seen on the series is a traditional design. Made of silver sterling with nickel, it is sometimes referred to as a “dog’s head” cane and is available from companies specializing in canes.

  When it came to its depiction of vampirism, witchcraft, and other supernatural folklore, Dark Shadows did not always follow the rules. For example, vampires are not supposed to be seen in mirrors, yet when Angélique was a vampire she was prominently featured in a laboratory mirror. The legend of the phoenix revolves around a 100-year cycle, yet Laura Collins did not follow that pattern. When she returned in 1967, it had only been 70 years since her last appearance, in 1897.

  Many Dark Shadows viewers aren’t aware that the kitchen at Collinwood was actually featured on the show. In the 1966-67 episodes, characters were seen dining and discussing in the breakfast room/kitchen. Carolyn even ironed clothes in the kitchen in episode 5. The kitchen was last seen in episode 204, shortly before the introduction of Barnabas. Another set essentially took its place—the Collinwood study, which first appeared in episode 196.

  Dennis Eger applies makeup to Paul Michael as King Johnny Romano.

  In Memoriam

  Syd Andrews

  Frank Bailey

  Bil Baird

  Katharine Balfour

  John Baragrey

  John Beal

  Joan Bennett

  Chris Bemau

  Clarice Blackburn

  Ed Blainey

  Anita Bolster

  Angus Cairns

  Barbara Cason

  Joel Crothers

  Thayer David

  Ronald Dawson

  John Devoe

  David Ford

  Ivor Francis

  Hugh Franklin

  Robert Gerringer

  Paul Kirk Giles

  Timothy Gordon

  Tom Gorman

  Grayson Hall

  Lloyd Harris

  Jered Holmes

  Isabella Hoopes

  House Jameson

  Joseph Julian

  Dorrie Kavanaugh

  James Langrall

  Gene Lindsey

  Vincent Loscalzo

  Patrick McVey

  Kenneth McMillan

  George Mathews

  Everett Melosh

  Edward Melton

  George Mitchell

  Sho Onodera

  Arthur Omitz

  Rudy Piccirillo

  Keith Prentice

  Ed Riley

  Jane Rose

  Gordon Russell

  Stanley Simmons

  Ross Skipper

  Craig Slocum

  Thomas Spratley

  Fred Stewart

  Michael Stroka

  Francis Swann

  K.C. Townsend

  Virginia Vestoff

  Art Wallace

  Chris Pennock and Nancy Barrett playing around on the Lyndhurst grounds during a Night of Dark Shadows promotional photoshoot.

  Dark Shadows Information

  For fan club and convention information:

  DARK SHADOWS FESTIVAL

  P.O. Box 92

  Maplewood, NJ 07040

  For newsletter information:

  SHADOWGRAM

  P.O. Box 1766

  Temple City, CA 91780

  For home video and merchandise:

  MPI MEDIA GROUP

  16101 South 108th Ave.

  Orland Park, IL 60467

  (Toll free: 1-800-323-0442)

  (In IL, call: 708-460-0555)

  www.mpimedia.com/darkshadows

  Other Books by Pomegranate Press

  Charlie’s Angels Casebook

  The Bunny Years

  Entertainment 101

  Dark Shadows Companion

  Dark Shadows Comic Strip Book

  Dark Shadows Music Book

  Dark Shadows Collectibles Book

  Dark Shadows Movie Book

  Dark Shadows Program Guide

  Dark Shadows Resurrected

  Shadows on the Wall

  The Fugitive Recaptured

  The Night Stalker Companion

  The Rockford Files<
br />
  Maverick

  Michael Landon: Life, Love & Laughter

  Following the Comedy Trail

  Hollywood At Your Feet

  Hollywood Goes on Location

  Hollywood’s Chinese Theatre

  Lobby Cards: Classic Comedies

  Lobby Cards: Classic Films

  Fiction: The Art and Craft of Writing and Getting Published

  Rupert Hughes: A Hollywood Legend

  Coya Come Home

  Word of Mouth—Voice-over book and audiocassette

  For a Free Catalog:

  POMEGRANATE PRESS, LTD., P.O. Box 17217, Beverly Hills, CA 90209 Check our website: www.pompress.com

  1 Denotes character in a Dark Shadows Parallel Time storyline.

  2 Cycle III originally included Original Episode 771 out of sequence as Worldvision Rerun 299. It was subsequently relocated to its proper sequence in Cycle V and renumbered as Episode 554A. As a result, there is no longer a show numbered Rerun 299. At the same time, missing Original Episode 509 was added to Cycle III and designated as Rerun 296A.

  3 Cycle IV originally included Original Episode 736 (Worldvision Rerun Episode 520), but that show was moved to Cycle V when missing Original Episode 683 was added to Cycle IV and designated as Rerun 467A.

  4 Cycle V originally included Original Episodes 868-873 (Worldvision Rerun Episodes 646-651), but those shows were moved to Cycle VI when the out of sequence Original Episode 771 was moved to Cycle V and designated as Rerun 554A, and when missing Original Episodes 797, 801/202, 805, and 813 were also added to Cycle V, designated as Reruns 579A, 582A, 585, and 592A respectively.

  5 Cycle VI originally included Original Episodes 1002-1007 (Worldvision Rerun Episodes 776-781), but those shows were removed after Original Episodes 868-873 were added to Cycle VI as described the the preceding paragraph.

  6 This is not an unusual occurrence. Once a film has finished principal photography, all of the still photography negatives and material are delivered to the publicity department who spend several weeks selecting photos for the presskit and creating an advertising campaign. Copies of several reels of the unfinished motion picture film are given to the trailer department who spend several weeks editing various shots together to create the movie trailers (previews of coming attractions) and tv spots. While those departments are working on those materials, the director and editor are editing the picture into its final form. As most of the trailers and promotional material are distributed before the final cut of the picture, they usually contain shots of scenes ultimately deleted from the final cut.

  7 Surprisingly, this is not an unusual or rare occurrence. A recent DVD release of 2001: A Space Odyssey accidentally deleted lines of dialogue.

  8 Oddball rumors occasionally circulate among fans which have no basis in reality. The most outrageous are claims to have seen the “Nancy Hodiak” scene from House of Dark Shadows during the film’s original release back in 1970 even though the scene was never shot.

  9 When Variety and Hollywood Reporter reviewed the film in August 1971, they listed the film’s running time as 97 minutes. Copies of reviews from regional magazines and newspapers several weeks later report the film as 94 minutes. What most likely happened was this: several prints were probably made of the final 97 minute cut for press screening and internal studio purposes. After it was screened for the Hollywood trade papers, studio head James Aubrey must have went back into the cutting room with it and ordered the other trims. All of the material trimmed from the 97-minute version is either violence or sexually oriented scenes, so Aubrey probably cut it in an effort to tone it down for the Dark Shadows’ younger fan base. The MPAAs records show that the film they rated GP back in 1971 was never given a stronger rating(Such as an R), so the cuts must have been made after the rating was granted. Somehow several 97-minute prints were accidentally distributed to theaters. After the film finished its run the returned and battered prints were most likely destroyed which is standard studio practice. This explains why the running time for the film is 97 minutes in most reference books, including Leonard Maltin’s Movie and Video Guide. The current video release and available rental prints run 93.5 minutes, shorn of roughly 3-3.5 minutes of material.

  10 At least as far as the MGM/Warner archive is concerned. 35mm prints of the 97-minute cut may be in the possession of private collectors who somehow obtained an original release print.

  11 Because the film was trimmed so hastily, the audio for a few cut scenes was accidentally left intact on the original element so there are around three cut scenes with complete audio.

  This is a Pomegranate Press, Ltd. book.

  Dark Shadows Almanac:Millennium Edition

  Copyright ©2000 Pomegranate Press. All rights reserved.

  Dark Shadows© Dan Curtis Productions, Inc.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

  in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including

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  system without written permission from the author and publisher,

  except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

  Library of Congress Card Number: 00-101705

  eISBN : 978-9-388-17531-9

  First Printing 2000

  Printed and bound in the United States of America

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