And so it begins, the first appearance of one the most beloved character actors to appear on Dark Shadows.  A man well remembered for his inimitable portrayals as an attorney, a learned judge, and, of course, as the greatest medical doctor  (this side of Dr. Hoffman) who ever put up a shingle in the village of Collinsport, ME.

Actually, Mr. Powell is also known for being a Tony award winning actor, a frequent character actor in films (Three Days of the Condor comes to mind), and the onetime Gortons of Gloucester fisherman in those classy commercials of the 1970's and 1980's.

Bob the Bartender, who once bumped into Randall Drew while crossing Sixth Avenue and 43rd Street.

I was hooked when my personal hero, Robert Rooney, resplendent in his flannel shirt, delivered that memorable line to Nancy Barrett in the Blue Whale, "Miss Stoddard, your mother is on the phone for you."

Gerard,

Welcome back.  I'm looking forward to discussing the existentialist ramifications of Bathia Mapes' arrival at Collinwood with you.  By the way, what the heck does existentialist mean?

Bob the Bartender, who reads the National Enquirer religiously and swears by every word.

Well, on behalf of Burke Devlin and Bob Rooney, I'd like to say:, (albeit belatedly), "Erin Go Bragh!!!"

By the way, I celebrated St. Patty's Day by having Grandma's pasta fazule soup before chowing down on the corned beef.  It was kind of like of having hot sauce with cold beer.  Buon appettito!

Bob the Bartender

Mark,

Three Dog Night had a terrific drummer.  I believe that his name is Floyd Sneed.  (I have to check the linear notes on some of my old albums.)

Three Dog Night reunited several years ago to go on the oldie's circuit.  However, I haven't heard anything about them recently.

Bob the Bartender, who wonders if Roger ever drove his son, David, into Portland to see the double bill of Three Dog Night and the Strawberry Alarm Clock.  Imagine Roger grooving to "Celebrate, Celebrate, Dance To the Music."  

Hey Stuart,

What about Michael Hadge, a/k/a/ Buzz Hackett as a country squire?  That's kind of like Andrew "Dice" Clay as the younger brother of the Rev. Trask!

Sincerely,

Bob the Bartender, who wonders why Millicent and Daniel don't sound like a true New Yorker like Fran Drescher?

Dear Mark, Minja and Ben,

Sorry, I must have been having a "senior" moment when I reflected back on those poignant and insightful lyrics of Chuck, Danny and Cory(?), a/k/a Three Dog Night.  

You know, I wish that Dan Curtis had let Louis Edmonds (as Roger Collins) sing "Try To Remember" with Nancy Barrett (as Carolyn, of course) on piano in the drawing room of Collinwood (with Barnabas, Liz, Julia and Stokes as Roger's captive audience).  

I can see Roger, with one hand supporting himself on the side of the piano, and the other hand holding a rather large snifter of brandy as he intoned the lyrics of El Gallo.  It's a shame that Dark Shadows never made use of Mr. Edmonds' considerable vocal talents.


Now, please excuse while I groove to the sounds of "Momma Told Me Not To Come."

Bob the Bartender, who wishes Mr. R. Rooney would play Three Dog Night's tremendous version of "Easy To Be Hard" on the Blue Whale's jukebox.