I also watch the "monster channels," as I call them on Pluto, Bob!  It really does have tons of stuff unavailable on many other streaming services that are beginning to charge the equivilent of a downpayment for an oceanview house in Santa Monica. 

Gerard

Gerard,

I enjoy watching the late Evelyn Ankers in all of those classic Universal horror films; she appeared in “The Wolf Man,” “The Ghost of Frankenstein” and “The Son of Dracula,” among several other Universal horror flicks. In fact, Ms. Ankers was known as one of Hollywood’s great “scream queens.” Ms. Ankers also appeared in several
of the wonderful Universal Studio Sherlock Holmes films with the legendary Basil Rathbone  as the world’s
greatest consulting detective and the beloved Nigel Bruce as Holmes’s faithful sidekick, Dr. John Watson.

Ms. Ankers later lived in Hawaii with her husband actor Richard Denning (who was a familiar sci-fi film leading man during the 1950s), when Mr. Denning appeared regularly as the governor of Hawaii on “Hawaii Five-O.”

I’ve often wondered if Ms. Ankers was a possible inspiration and a role model to the actresses on DS? No doubt, KLS, Nancy Barrett and Alexandra Moltke and several other DS actresses could have picked up more than a few pointers by watching Evelyn Ankers scream her way through all of those terrific Universal horror films.

I’ve related this same anecdote here years before about Evelyn Ankers, but I think that it’s worth repeating:

Apparently, Evelyn Ankers was toiling in one of her innumerable 1940s horror films, and the director supposedly said to her, “Okay, Evelyn, in this scene the Frankenstein monster has just your killed father, the werewolf has just eviscerated your brother and Dracula has just put the ‘bite’ on your younger sister. When I pan the camera on you for an extreme closeup, I want you to facially convey all of the understandably turbulent and horrific emotions you are experiencing at that very moment.”

To which Ms. Ankers allegedly replied: “Are you f#cking kidding me!?!” 

Speaking of game shows, I wonder which DS characters would perform well on “Jeopardy”?

I could see such well-read DS characters as Elizabeth Stoddard, Professor T. Elliott Stokes and, of course, Barnabas Collins (with all of the reading he probably did on those long nights in the Old House) all succeeding on that venerable TV game show.

Now, as to Willie Loomis, Buzz Hackett, Bruno Hess and Matthew Morgan doing well on “Jeopardy,” that’s a COMPLETELY different situation! 

How would some of the other DS characters do as contestants on “Jeopardy” and in exchanging bon mots with
the unfailingly charming and gracious “Jeopardy” host, Ken Jennings? 

If DS were still on the air today, I suspect that during the closing credits of the show, we’d see a line, stating:

fashions courtesy of

LL Bean,

instead of the old and extremely familiar line:

fashions courtesy of

ORHBACH’S. 

Oh, Gerard,

Your recounting of frequenting US malls, where they filmed horror and slasher films got me to wondering if Dan Curtis and his writers had based DS storylines in a Collinsport Mall in April of 1971 and well beyond?

Would we have seen the uber-cool and iconoclastic Buzz Hackett and new girlfriend (maybe Willie’s former and never-seen girlfriend, Roxanne?) chilling out in the mall and goofing on all the local squares shopping at the LL Bean Store and at The Dollar Store. Although, the Buzz-Man himself, might casually stroll into the local Wilson’s House of Leather Store to check-out the latest motorcycle jackets on sale, 

And, speaking of LL Bean, one of my own personal favorite stores, just think of how many proud Collinsport residents, would shop in this legendary outdoor store, which was started in their in their own home state of
Maine!

No doubt, such outdoor, local macho guys like Joe Haskell, George Patterson and Matthew Morgan would buy all of their rugged (and SPF-treated) hunting and fishing attire at the venerable LL Bean’s. And, of course, the always sartorially-splendid Bob Rooney would also shop at that same LL Bean Store, where he bought all of those seemingly limitless assortment of LL Bean flannel shirts, which he wore while tending bar at the Blue
Whale. I tell you, even today in 2024, I aspire to even attempt to, albeit, vainly try and match the style, class and unfailing fashion sense of my personal role model in life, Mr. Bob Rooney, Collinsport’s own Beau Brummell, extraodinaure! 

And, let’s not forget Sarah Johnson, the faithful, albeit, perpetually-grumpy Collinwood housekeeper/cook. While the practical and frugal (to put it mildly) Collins family employee would be a regular shopper at The Dollar Store, I suspect that she would occasionally splurge and buy some rather stylish and decidedly provocative ladies’ undergarments at the local Victoria’s Secret to wear under those staid and matronly black dresses of hers.


I bet that even the eternally-youthful Grand Ma-Ma Edith Collins would have gleefully dispatched the prim and proper Judith Collins to pick Edith up, the latest daring and sophisticated ladies’ lingerie IF there had been a local Victoria’s Secret store in Collinsport, circa 1897!  Heck, Edith was probably QUITE the stunning dresser back when she was blossoming into beautiful, young womanhood back during the War of 1812! 



And, finally, what would Barnabas be shopping for today in a local Collinsport shopping mall. I remember that the late actor Ben Cross wore a cool and stylish leather jacket, when he portrayed Barnabas Collins on the 1991 NBC DS series. Wouldn’t the late, great Jonathan Frid also have looked like a million dollars if he, too, had worn a leather jacket from Wilson’s House of Leather as Barnabas entered the great house of Collinwood? 

And, instead of his traditional black dress shoes (bought at Brooks Brothers, of course), Barnabas decided to wear a pair of more youthful, comfortable and definitely “with-it” slider/shoes? Heck, they would have been so much easier to slip-on and slip-off whenever Barnabas was getting in or out if that under-sized coffin of his.

Oh, I could drone on and on about how cool, a contemporary Barnabas would look like, sporting a nose ring and other body jewelry, in addition to assorted tattoos all-over his body, but I won’t.

Suffice to say, I do worry about what might have happened to the venerable and truly beloved Brewster’s Department Store, IF a brand new shopping mall did pop-up in Collinsport, Maine. 

Hey Bob, wondered the same thing I hope Barnabas didn’t fall out of his coffin. Ouch.

Anne,

Yes, that would have been a great scene to have seen on the show, an angst-ridden Willie trying to help his understandably ticked-offed master back into his undersized coffin. 

By the way, it might not have been the best of ideas to have taken a walk along Widow’s Hill right when the earthquake hit at 10:23 AM (EST)! 

Bob

PS I wonder if they also felt the earthquake over in Parallel Time? If they did, I hope that the unbelievably insufferable Quentin Collins got knocked on his keester. 

Wouldn’t it have been great if RD had portrayed a werewolf on DS? I can just see him, preening even more than Cher or the late Farrah Fawcett, as he stroked and even caressed that magnificent head of lycanthropic hair during his transformation into the “wolf man” of Collinsport!!! 

And, as far as the mezza-mezza (so-so) Tim Burton 2012 DS film is concerned, well, at least it wasn’t as nearly disappointing as “Godfather III” was. 

Anne,

I loved “Barnaby Jones” when it was on CBS during the 1970s. And, this must have been an especially exciting episode of BJ featuring Buddy Ebsen and the ubiquitous Dennis Patrick; it must have been like crafty, old Barnaby (remind you of another guy with a very similar Christian name?) matching wits with business tycoon Paul Stoddard, a very successful man, who is haunted by a terrible secret from his past.

Bob

PS Grecian Formula would have been a very appropriate commercial sponsor for that particular episode of BJ, in my opinion.

I guess that the McGruder Mansion, a/k/a ”Rose Cottage,” was too far out in the sticks for the Collinsport Fire Department to save that old dump in time?