Joel Crothers - The Often Photographically Overlooked DS Actor

[Mysterious Benefactor]

While posting again about the fact that Joel Crothers doesn't appear in the 1967 cast photo, it occurred to me that, unlike the vast majority of the other long-running actors on the show, there are very few official photos of Crothers at all. Off the top of my head, the only official, non-behind-the-scenes photos I can think of are:

1966: Joe sitting on the back of the drawing room couch at Collinwood. B&W. (2 versions)
1968: Nathan with Naomi in Collinwood's drawing room. B&W.
1968: Joe and Maggie. Color, against a blue background. (2 versions)
1968: Joe and Maggie at the Blue Whale after they've broken up. Color.
1968: Joe unconscious on the floor after stabbing himself with a letter opener, with Barnabas bending over him and Angelique standing by. Color.

Are there any others that I'm forgetting? If not, the truly sad and even bizarre thing is that Bobbi Ann Worenko as Nurse Pritchett has more official photos than Crothers does! Who knows why he appears in so few?


Although, as I write this I'm wondering if David Ford even has one official photo. Absolutely nothing is coming to mind. Not Sam, not Andre. And if that's the case, then good heavens, he's even worse off than Crothers is.

[michael c]

this reminds me of why i was somewhat dubious when "new" rare photographs were mentioned as part of the new KLS/Pompress book on the film.

if you think about it, with the exception of frid at the height(68-69)of barnabas-mania, there are remarkably few official shots surrounding the series at all. they only gathered the entire cast together TWICE during the five year run resulting in the now-famous 1967 drawing room shot(recreated for the film)and the classic 1968 staircase shot. that ain't much.

no one knew at the time that the program would be aired, and discussed, and dissected into perpetuity. it was meant to be seen ONCE and of the photographs taken they were largely intended for soap-trade weeklies and tiger-beat type teen rags.

still crothers is notable for his absence in the cast shots and individual shots too. there are the nice 1968 one of him and kathryn. ironically they look like they were taken shortly before their characters broke up and joel left the series.

they seemed to do the barnabas and his current damsel-in-distress-love-interest setup on the collinwood staircase twice. once with alexandra(in the plaid dress)and later with kathryn. there are some similar poses with both.

as for david ford what i think is interesting is that while he was not included in any official cast photography they sent BOTH actors playing sam evans(ford and mark allen)out to essex to shoot exterior shots in 1966. notable for a secondary character.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I just remember two other Joe photos:

1968: Barnabas attempts to give Joe poisoned medicine. Color.
1968: Joe attempts to strangle Barnabas while Mrs. Johnson tries to stop him. Color.

Those used to be exclusively part of the View Master reels, but they've since been published as photos. But even with those two, Crothers still comes up much shorter in the photo department than the majority of his fellow long-time cast members. There are seemingly dozens upon dozens of photos of Jonathan Frid, David Selby, Joan Bennett, Louis Edmonds, Grayson Hall, Alexandra Moltke, Nancy Barrett, KLS, Lara Parker, David Henesy, John Karlen, Jerry Lacy, Humbert Allen Astredo, Robert Rodan, Don Briscoe, Denise Nickerson, Thayer David, Marie Wallace, Roger Davis, Kate Jackson, James Storm, Christopher Pennock, Michael Stroka. Even Clarice Blackburn or Lisa Richards probably has more than Crothers.

[Gothick]

MB, I am trying to remember any articles featuring Joel in 16 or Tiger Beat from 1968 and I can't recall a single one.  Granted, it's been a long time, but I have seen some of the issues as an adult (a generous friend presented me with a few issues as a gift many years ago) and there was very limited coverage of Joel--some stray photos if I recall aright (including one of him as a child in 16) but no feature articles such as were done for Frid, Selby, Don Briscoe et al.  Michael Stroka actually got more coverage in 1969 than did Joel and Stroka was in far fewer episodes.

Interesting, isn't it?

G.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

It's very interesting. And I only remember two articles in 16/16 Spec that ever featured Crothers - and neither was solely about him. The first was from 1967, I believe, and featured something about four of the actors (though I'll have to look up exactly who they were) - but it didn't feature DS photos or even photos taken by 16, which was most often the case - it simply featured the actors own headshots. And the second was a behind the scenes article that was done in 1968 - and in that one I think the only part to feature Crothers was him reading a fan letter. And it may not have even been a fan letter specifically to him.

[Gothick]

That was a wonderful interview you posted some years ago with Joel from a year or two after he had left DS.  I was fascinated to learn that he had written several episodes for the series, though never received screen credit due to union issues.

There was so much more to Joel than met the eye... a truly rare and beautiful soul.

G.

[Sunny_Collins]

I never knew he wrote some episodes. I've always liked his acting, and especially Joe. He is always overlooked, or pushed aside, simply because people think he's too boring. I think he was a wonderful steadfast character.

[Uncle Roger]

Does anyone know which episodes he wrote?

[Mysterious Benefactor]

If I'm remembering correctly, he implies that at least one of the eps was one in 1795 during Vicki's trail in which Nathan takes the stand against Vicki. Crothers makes a joke in the interview that one of the actors cross-examining Nathan couldn't remember his lines but Crothers knew his own lines as well as the actor's because he'd written them.

Now, I wonder who the other actor could have been? Crothers doesn't give any hints. But, well, just from watching DS ourselves I suspect we all have a very good idea.    I mean, one of the actors in question rarely if ever went up, while the other often rambled his lines and often accompanied that rambling with a gesture that I suppose he thought helped to convey every emotion possible, so what need did he have of words.   

[Willie Loomis]

OOO, OOO, I KNOW WHO YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT.  THE FLY EATER AND THE HAIR MUSSER!