Christmas festivals in Collinsport

[Philippe Cordier]

Ah, Christmas and Dark Shadows!  I too would have loved it if Christmas had been worked into a yearly episode.  As I write this, something is tugging at my memory that I dimly recall having been mentioned on the forum way back when ... something about Dan Curtis having written or produced a Christmas episode for the show?  Whatever can I be thinking of, I wonder ...

At any rate, I recall Christmas being mentioned only once, back during the B&W episodes when Victoria Winters was still at Collinwood.  I think Carolyn walks into the drawing room and says something about her and David doing Christmas shopping in Bangor.

I'd like to have seen the Collins family in the present day singing carols around the Christmas tree and sipping wassail (or glogg - or something that warms one up!).  No doubt singing carols would be a bittersweet experience for Barnabas, thinking back to his relatively untroubled life before 1795, spending Christmas with his parents and little sister.  I wonder what sort of facial expressions Angelique or Cassandra would have worn while singing carols?  "God rest ye merry gentlemen ... "

 

The only other Christmas reference I remember that made it on air is that at the end of one of the episodes (I just saw this on one of my tapes), I think just before the arrival of Laura (the Phoenix) in Collinsport, during the closing credits the announcer says something to the effect that "The producers and staff of Dark Shadows wish you and your family a very happy holiday season."  I wonder if they did that each year?  I thought it was a nice touch.  Note, too, in light of some recent political controversy (some would say a tempest in a teapot) that this was nearly forty years ago, and the greeting was for a happy "holiday season" - gasp! - NOT "we wish you a Merry Christmas".  Was DS ahead of its time?

I like Rainey's reminder about the old English tradition of reading ghost stories at Christmas.  Having no British Isles heritage myself, this is not something I ever experienced, but it sounds delightful.  (Though, come to think of it, I did read "A Christmas Carol" every Christmas Eve from about the ages of 11 to 17).  I have gotten into the ghostly spirit this year, rather by chance, when I re-read H.P. Lovecraft's story "The Festival," which is set in a New England village at Yuletide.  Very creepy!

[retzev]

If you haven't checked this out yet, "YOU MUST!"

It's brilliant -

http://members.aol.com/abarnabas/dsxmas.html

[ProfStokes]

As I write this, something is tugging at my memory that I dimly recall having been mentioned on the forum way back when ... something about Dan Curtis having written or produced a Christmas episode for the show?  Whatever can I be thinking of, I wonder ...

It was when the Museum of TV & Radio honored DS, I believe.  Dan Curtis mentioned that he'd always wanted to set aside some time around the holidays to do a DS storyline based on A Christmas Carol.  As I recall, the actors seemled relieved that he hadn't done it.

ProfStokes

[BuzzH]

If you haven't checked this out yet, "YOU MUST!"

It's brilliant -

http://members.aol.com/abarnabas/dsxmas.html

This was obviously created by a sick, twisted individual!  I LOVE IT!!!  Bawahaaa..............

P.S. Love the "must" reference! 

[MagnusTrask]

What the hell are all those things popping in and out of the screen?  One is Q's head spinning around for some reason.

[JosettesMusicBox]

Yeah, I know what you mean...

Did you catch the quick flash of a box of Vivran? 

AND, the baby's head??? What's up with that???

[Midnite]

Attached images require the permission of the copyright owner.  Thanks!

[JosettesMusicBox]

OK - no problem. Thanks Midnite for letting me know.

I have sent an email to the owner of the website requesting permission to use that screenshot.  I will post back when I have a response.

I'm new to webposting and I didn't think twice about the screenshot.  Thanks for keeping me on the right track!

~ JosettesMusicBox ~  

[Midnite]

You're welcome.  Ordinarily I ask before deleting, but a very similar situation came up recently with the same webmaster, who promptly responded, and from China no less!  Anyway, the good news is that the link to the XMas Eve ep is on this page, and the gif is available for all fans to view.  I recommend all of Abarnabas' Stick Figure episodes, btw. 

[Philippe Cordier]

As I write this, something is tugging at my memory that I dimly recall having been mentioned on the forum way back when ... something about Dan Curtis having written or produced a Christmas episode for the show?  Whatever can I be thinking of, I wonder ...

It was when the Museum of TV & Radio honored DS, I believe.  Dan Curtis mentioned that he'd always wanted to set aside some time around the holidays to do a DS storyline based on A Christmas Carol.  As I recall, the actors seemled relieved that he hadn't done it.

Thank you, ProfStokes!

I was wracking my brain after posting that and sometime later it came to me, though what I seemed to remember was slightly different.  What I thought had been posted (by MB?) was that Curtis wanted to actually do a production of "A Christmas Carol" with the DS cast that would air in DS's time slot one afternoon.  In followup comments to the post, I thought that people speculated on which actor would have played which part - but my memory on this could be faulty.

 

[retzev]

The only other Christmas reference I remember that made it on air is that at the end of one of the episodes (I just saw this on one of my tapes), I think just before the arrival of Laura (the Phoenix) in Collinsport, during the closing credits the announcer says something to the effect that "The producers and staff of Dark Shadows wish you and your family a very happy holiday season."

What episode number was this?

[Mysterious Benefactor]

What I thought had been posted (by MB?) was that Curtis wanted to actually do a production of "A Christmas Carol" with the DS cast that would air in DS's time slot one afternoon.  In followup comments to the post, I thought that people speculated on which actor would have played which part - but my memory on this could be faulty.

That wasn't me - but a quick search of the forum reveals that it was ClaudeNorth:

...

Just read the transcript of the webchat with Dan Curtis and I was blown away by his having wanted to present a production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL using the DS castmembers during the series' original run.  That would have been incredible.

...

[MagnusTrask]

How about an It's a Wonderful Life, where one of the Trasks is shown what the world would have been like if he'd never been born.......?

[Philippe Cordier]

It was fascinating to read through the old thread, not only for the content but also seeing familiar names of posters who are no longer active on this forum.

I had thought this conversation took place several years ago on the old VantageNet board, so I hadn't made an effort to search for it.  Thanks, MB (and also for the link to the videoclip of Alec Newman in the other thread).

Retzev, I'm sorry but I can't help you out with the episode number, though I am curious about it myself.  I don't have any of my complete tapes with me where I have carefully recorded all the episode numbers.  This was just a blank tape on which I recorded some episodes during the last SciFi run because my complete set was already stored away.  And I'm afraid I won't have time to go through the tape now to even give you a description of which episode this was because I am getting ready to leave town for a week.

Happy holidays to one and all!

-Vlad

 

[Philippe Cordier]

OK, I had to come back here just to say that I read through the transcript of the online interview with Dan Curtis where he talks about doing "A Christmas Carol."  I don't remember having read it before, although Prof Stokes provided the link in the old thread (which MB has provided a link to in this thread).  I do prefer one of our forum member's casting suggestions though, i.e. David Selby as Scrooge's nephew (rather than DC's choice - Roger Davis).

I also thought Mr. Curtis's comment on his never having known Vicki's history was quite interesting in light of all the speculations we've had online.  I never knew he had said this.

-Vlad