Great Liz moments today in episode eleven and episode two hundred-something.  I particularly love the shot of a fearful Liz feeling Collinwood shaken to its foundations by what is transpiring in the cellar.  Just grand stuff.

G.

Just a line to mark the occasion forty years ago of the last episode of Dark Shadows.  I literally could not believe the series was going off the air and actually tuned in the following Monday at 4 p.m. to see if the familiar crashing surf and music that seemed like a scream turned into a melody would blast across the airwaves with more stories from our beloved Collinwood.  But alas, it was gone for good, and instead that following Monday, April 5, 1971, we got the annoyingly chirpy and misplaced intro to Password (a popular game show moved into the DS slot by the ABC suits).

One of the most frustrating things about the final weeks of the series was that every day, I would tune in wondering if they were going to switch away from Parallel Time 1841 and show what was happening with Barnabas, Julia, and the family in our own time band of 1971.  But they never did.  Evidently I wasn't the only one who wanted to know how the story of the people we knew and loved best in our own time at the Great House continued; a few months after the show went off the air, Sam Hall's article offering a possible wrap-up of the various "present day" storylines was published in TV Guide.

Happy memories to all,

G.

Dear Fans,

I noticed today that a few clips from the obscure Oliver Stone film "Seizure", starring Jonathan Frid,  have been posted on Youtube.  Here's one that includes what the person uploading the clip describes as a blooper from Frid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gSWlSH0yio&feature=related

This scene includes the original working title of the movie, "Queen of Evil," in one of Jonathan's lines.

I remember watching this scene the one time I saw the movie, at a DS fan party, and having not a clue what was supposed to be going on...

G.

Hey fans!  Let's spread the Grayson love around even a little more and talk about our favorite Magda scenes.  A couple that spring to mind:

(1) Jamison comes to the Old House and Magda tells him to go, she needs to get on with the housekeeping and something Barnabas has introduced her to--floorwax!

(2) Magda tells off Gregory Trask in words of one syllable and practically spits in his face.

(3)  After Sandor's death, Magda, in a dramatic black veil, takes an axe and chops the hand of Count Petofi in two.

There's more, so much more, but I'll see whether other fans chime in before continuing.

cheers, Gothique
Member of Grayson's Legion since June 1968!

Close to 25 episodes of the cult Gothic daytime drama series Strange Paradise have been loaded onto Youtube on this channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/strangeparadise69

Enjoy!

Best wishes,

G.

Fans of the Divine Grayson Hall will enjoy the diva's role in this 1974 episode of Kojak:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/44719/kojak-hush-now-or-youll-die

I love it when Grayson's character informs her wayward son:  "I am DOING ... the BEST I can!" And when she takes a call for him:  "Really, I am NOT an answering service!"

This version of the episode is somewhat more complete than the version syndicated in the 1980s and 1990s, with more scenes of Grayson not seen in that previous cut.  This really is priceless stuff.  If I'm not mistaken, this season of Kojak has been released (or will be soon) in Australia but has yet to be released here in the US on DVD, unfortunately.

I would presume that Lara Parker's episode can be found on hulu, too--if I have a chance to look up the title, and I'll check and post the link soon.

Enjoy:

G.

This brings back fond memories for those of us old enough to have been around back when this was "the cerebral fan's alternative" to Famous Monsters:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_L5fa2CwoCuY/SrFrhaB2PmI/AAAAAAAAAdE/uGo3ZFl5E34/s1600-h/CoF16.jpg

I think of this painting as "Barnabas and the Leviathan Queen"--perhaps even Carolyn as she would have been after her "transformation"?

If you go back to the gallery of other mag covers for this zine from the Sixties, you'll see that images of Barnabas figured several times over the years in the cover layout.

Enjoy!

G.