Hello from a first time convention goer. Thought I would post my thoughts and say hello to all of you as I have just joined the board. This is an updated version of my review on JF's yahoo group.
Thursday
Living in north-central MA, I decided to take in a Broadway show (Frost/Nixon) before attenting the fest. I leave at a very comfortable 1pm and then have to jet like crazy because I forget my banquet ticket. I just manage to see the show and arrive at my motel (stayed nearby for $110 less a night) and meet my roommate.
Friday
I arrive at the Marriot after a fast bagel and lemonade breakfast around 10am. There's already a huge line for the Tarrytown trip. My first chat is with a rather eccentric guy from Georgia who seems mad as heck the costume party was cancelled. I think about mentioning that was announced months ago but think better of arguing with him and just nod. Finally we all load up into the buses and head to Lyndhurst.
It's a massive estate, easily 60 acres but the house itself is much smaller than the sprawling mansion the first film conveys. Still it's a very impressive house and I spent a lot of time re-imagining the dinner scene in the dining room, Barnabas arrival at the art gallery and Julia's death in her room. After about 90 minutes I do a fast tour of the grounds but can't find the swimming pool or the remains of the Old House. All this time though I am wondering if I should have brought a friend. Jim didn't go to Lyndhurst and meeting new people is never my thing. Finally as we wait for the bus to take us back to the Marriot I join in on a conversation concerning MGM's tendency to edit the heck out of their movies. It helps me a lot at easing the tension and striking up conversations throughout the weekend.
Around 1:45pm we return to the hotel and the registration line has already formed with about 150 people in front of me. I spend much of the next few hours listening to a guy from New Orleans talk about his house being rebuilt by FEMA, he certainly paints a better picture of them than the media does. I have to say the wait is a bit much, even for someone 27 years old, I can only imagine what some of you were going through. After registration it's right back in line to get a photo of KLS and then one of Lara. I take the time to mention to Lara what a great warning about cheating on one's girlfriend her character was back when I started watching at 14. She admits to having never thought about that before. I haven't seen an episode with Marie in years so just politely have her sign my program, then head back to wait for the main convention hall to open.
I sit down and chat with a woman from Chicago there with her 20 year old daughter, both DS fans. I defintely am grateful for a few people my age and younger being present. As we chat Jonathan Frid walks by to applause. He looks at us and says he hopes we do the same after his presentation on Saturday.
Then the doors open and I manage to secure a second row seat all the way to the right. After a bit it's time for DS episodes 209 and 211. I have never seen either uncut before so it's a fun introduction for me. Still I really think they should have shown 211 and 212 since Jonathan is barely in 211. The commercials get a lot of nostalgic laughs, though I have no idea what green stamps were! After that is a tribute to Craig Hamrick, the designer of darkshadowsonline and so many DS stars websites (sadlly these haven't been updated since his death, Diana's is now an add for Viagra!). It's a heartfelt tribute that makes it clear to me how much of a family the DS community must be.
After that KLS, Marie and Lara give their presentations. All are very interesting and although I get up the guts to ask Lara something she decimates my question about underplaying evil to accentuate it with "that's acting" but I don't take it too personally. Like most teachers, including me, she has a healthy sense of sarcasm!
After Lara wraps up around 9:30 there's a video on writing/producing DS. I listen to the first half then run out for a walk. Returning just in time to see House of Dark Shadows on the big screen. The movie plays really well IMO, sure it's a colder highlights reel in essence but that works fine for me. I sit through about 15 minutes of NODS but am getting tired. I step out and continue a conversation with a guy I met at Tarrytown, a doctor and amateur opera singer from Florida in period costume with the ring and cane. We chat for a half hour and I begin the drive back to the motel, getting there around 12:30 am.
Saturday
Skipping breakfast to get to the Marriot early (hah!) I find another massive line has formed around 9:40 am. Around 11am the door opens and I manage to snag a third row seat towards the left. I sit next to the gentleman I talked to in line, who looks rather like Albert Speer after Spandau (the subject of my to be written master's thesis)!
First up around 11:30 am is a fan panel with Marcy Robbins. I listen to it, still waking up and regretting no breakfast. After her Diana Millay comes out to talk about her love of animals and travel. She seems like a very interesting lady whom I get to know better later on! (can't tell though, some of her comments were amusingly honest). Having never seen an episode with Betsy I skip her presentation to buy DSM by KLS and thank her for being the inspiration for Christine Daae in my version of POTO done at college. She seems interested, she's either the nicest lady ever to seem so charming and into meeting her fans or still a great actress (or both and she looks great). I wanted to buy the Salem Branch from Lara at this time but her line is still long so instead I pick up Jonathan's DVD from Nancy.
Returning for the end of Betsy's presentation we await the arrival of the man himself. Jonathan enters to massive applause around 1pm. Honestly the energy and love in that room (and attendence seems to me up to 1000) was like nothing I have ever felt, it was really an electric atmosphere. Jonathan presents a kind of academic look at his and Barnabas evolution, using clips mostly from his early days and the 1795 flashback. I would have included one of his early scenes with Grayson but other than that the clips are a good selection and he really seems to care about Barnabas, something I wondered about.
Then it's the charity auction which I watch. I almost bid on a VHS of NODS but it ends up going for like $75! The highlights are Lara's debut episode and script going for $550 and Dan Curtis lil black book going for $1100! I wonder what the value of any of these items are. Personally selling clothes from DC seems a touch morbid to me and I remark that perhaps Williie Loomis was enlisted in acquiring the auction's selection, a rather tasteless joke I guess but it gets laughs.
The man himself returns for a series of readings. His first story I just couldn't get into but the rest are great. Very funny are the dinner story and Groucho's letter to a studio. My really special moment comes next. Jonathan reads a story about a ghost urging his friend to commit suicide. I have had a rough couple of years and gotten very depressed I honestly thought Jonathan looked right at me during his last line of this story. Imagination no doubt but still special. The Tell-Tale Heart is gripping of course but Here there by Tygres is my favorite, so brilliantly drawing memories of my years at a Catholic grade school (few nuns by my time). I wish he had read something of his own or something from Shakespeare but from what I gather he cut his presenation short to allow for questions from the fans, a very generous thing to do. Unfortunately the questions are rather mixed, his memories of KH are great but asking him to return to the part (well MAYBE for an audio or something) seems silly if you ask me. Asking his opinion of Letterman at the Oscars is too much!
After this the Collinsport players do a Golden Girls meet Dark Shadows skit. Not to be a critic but I honestly felt the actor playing Barnabas should have not sent the part up, played straight the incongruity would have been even funnier IMO. Then I snag a quick photo of me and KLS at the foyer (and lord do I look tense, well heck I had a huge crush on her in the mid 90's) and get in line for the banquet. I heard a lot of complaints but honestly what could be done while the room was transformed?
I sit at table (errr....28 or 29 I think) along with the guy from LA, a superfan who posed the Oscars question, two teachers and a few other slient people. We have a great chat during dinner. Eventually my table is called. I think I catch a fast glance from Jonathan as I sputter out a thank you sir and back off, photo in hand, back to my table and then the room darkens. KLS gets up for some memories, Jonathan puts one last bite on her to deafening applause, they kiss and then Lara and Marie give some last Joanthan stories. Finally the man himself comes up to thank us all, he seemed really touched by the experience of signing all those photos.
As has been reported Jonathan didn't finish (and lord who expected him to? Why the names weren't signed in earlier and we got the pics during the weekend is beyond me) but in a great gesture came back Sunday.
Sunday
Up at 9am to help my roommate get his pic signed. I snapped a few photos of Jonathan and he seemed more chatty with people so to me it wouldn't have mattered when it was signed. Left around 11am after opening a door for KLS and getting the Bunny Years from her.
All in all I had a lot of fun this weekend. I wish there was a New England DS club to meet every other month or so. I assume this is JF's last convetion and that makes this historic. I will def be there in Burbank next year, hopefully David Selby and John Karlen will attend and I still need to buy that book from Lara!
