A while back, I ran across a Facebook tribute site to Gloria Stavers, who pretty much invented the pop phenomenon known as 16 Magazine. The site was running a contest that involved sharing your memories of 16. Naturally, I wrote about DS. I was reasonably sure that I would win something, as apparently only one other person entered.
What I won was a copy of Who's Your Fave Rave, which tells the history of both Gloria Stavers and her magazine. Gloria had no real experience in journalism. But that was okay, as 16 never aspired to anything close to journalism. What 16 produced was largely a fantasy, meant to give its readers access to their faves, but not too much. Were the articles truthful? To an extent. But unless you saw something that was written in the celebrity's own handwriting, it was usually concocted by Gloria or her staff, with the celebrity's cooperation.
Gloria cultivated friendships with people like Annette Funicello. She sort of barged into Herman's Hermits hotel suite and told them what to do. She is rumored to have had affairs with Dion, Jim Morrison, Mickey Mantle and Lenny Bruce. Coverage in 16 was considered to be very helpful to those who Gloria liked. But those who did not cooperate could find themselves in trouble. When Paul Revere of the Raiders got to be uncooperative, Gloria threatened to reveal his real name. Which turned out to be Dick.
Which brings us to Dark Shadows. Prior to DS, the only afternoon program with a significant teen following was American Bandstand, which was a very different type of show. The show's popularity dictated that someone would emerge as a teen idol. But who? No one in the cast in 1967 really fit the usual 16 criteria. David Henesy was an authentic teenager but a bit too young. No one on the show ever picked up a guitar and serenaded the audience. By default, the idol status fell to Jonathan Frid, who, at over 40, was positively elderly in the context of 16.
In later years, Frid would sometimes say that 16 made it all up. But Steve DeNaut, the editor who covered Frid, said that Jonathan was "extremely cooperative, a willing participant in the frenzy; more flattered than anything else." It's certainly possible that both points of view were valid at different times.
Lightning struck twice when David Selby joined the show. Selby was new to television and to the amount of press coverage. He was also somewhat older than the usual 16 idol and was married. While 16 did acknowledge that David was married and later had a child, that was not dwelled upon.
Gloria was extremely supportive of David, assuring him that this was the first stop in a great career. She gained his trust and he went along with her. There's no better example than the time that she showed up at his apartment for a photo shoot, bringing along a white ruffled pirate shirt. It wasn't something that David himself would have worn but Gloria assured him that he'd look terrific in it. He did. The photos are iconic.
Sadly, Gloria passed away of cancer in 1983. But her legacy does indeed live on.
