The Collinsport Inn: You Can Check Out Anytime You Want to...

[Bob_the_Bartender]

but you can never leave (or so it seems).

Did you ever get the feeling that the Collinsport Inn was not the most "salubrious" of quaint New England inns to stay at?  It always seemed to me that the various guests at the inn over the show's run, did not have happy visits to Collinsport.

The very first guest we got to see at the Collinsport Inn was Burke Devlin, who seemed to take up permanent residence in the top floor room (or rooms) of the inn right up until the time his plane, tragically, went down in flames, somewhere over the vast Amazon jungle.

The next guest, albeit extremely briefly, was Roger Collins' "better" half, Laura Collins.  (Okay, to be accurate, Laura checked into the inn, but immediately moved out when Mrs. Stoddard agreed to let her stay at Matthew Morgan's old cottage in order to be closer to young David.)   "Sadly," Laura eventually went up in flames in that fishing shack on the Collinwood estate.

Of course, who can forget the beautiful actress Oliva Corey (a/k/a Amanda Harris), who after failing to restore Quentin Collins' ( a/k/a Grant Douglas') 1897 memory of her as Amanda, left the Collinsport Inn for limbo (?) after the mysterious Mr. Best called for her at the inn?   (While Olivia/Amanda ultimately did not make it back from Never/Never Land, thankfully Grant/Quentin did.)

And, Paul Stoddard hardly had a "fun" time, while he was a guest at the Collinsport Inn.  Do you remember all those creepy phone calls he kept receiving in his room, ostensibly from Mr. Strak (even with the receiver off of the hook)?  Mr. Strak must have also snuck into the room and circled that fateful date on the wall calendar in Paul Stoddard's room.

Heck, the Collinsport Inn maid must have been really ticked-off when she found all of those those candles and that arcane pentagram symbol, etched onto the floor of the room, don't you think?  It's just as well that the maid did not run into Mr. Stoddard and that sailor after that stunt!  You knew that it would not turn out well for Mr. Stoddard after he eventually ended up in the basement of the Todds' antique shop, only to be "slimed" by Jeb Hawkes' "higher" form.

And, what of the good people, who worked at the Collinsport Inn?  We all recall that it was while Maggie Evans was working at the inn's coffee shop, that Maggie first made the acquaintance of Mr. Barnabas Collins.  (Things quickly took a turn for the extreme worse after that encounter for Ms. Evans.)

Finally, poor Mr. Wells, the Collinsport Inn desk clerk, who should have listened to Chris Jennings' request that he (Mr. Wells) ignore any strange noises coming out of Chris' room at the inn.  Remember that Chris told Mr. Wells that he sometimes "acted out" his ideas for his book?   (By the way, I wonder where "Chris" disposed of Mr. Wells body after their bloody and tragic encounter in that room?)  

Can you imagine if Burke Devlin had still been a guest at Collinsport Inn when Chris "acted out" some of those ideas in that tiny room of his?  Heck, Burke would have probably stormed down to Chris' room, pounded on the door and shouted, "Hey, buddy, why don't you cut out that 'expletive-deleted' racket, for Christ's sake!?!"  

At least, Susie, the so-called silent waitress at the Collinsport Inn, did not also "share" in Maggie and Mr. Well's bad luck while working at the inn (as far as we know?).  

Somehow, I don't think that either Arthur Frommer or the late, lamented Eugene Fodor would have given a four-star recommendation for the Collinsport Inn as a charming and relaxing destination while vacationing in Collinsport.  Better to try your luck at the local Days Inn, if only to insure your peace of mind and survival.

[Brandon Collins]

Exploring the trials and tribulations of the maid(s) of the Collinsport Inn would've proved as an interesting aside to the series as a whole, I'm sure. The amount of sheer craziness they probably encountered while working there was sure to be obscene, and they are the only ones who probably knew the secrets of everyone in Collinsport but never told because they knew what was good for them!

Also, besides being a Collinsport prostitute, the Inn probably had the highest turnaround rate of any employer in the town!

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Of course, who can forget the beautiful actress Oliva Corey (a/k/a Amanda Harris)

I know of many who would like to forget her.  

Heck, the Collinsport Inn maid must have been really ticked-off when she found all of those those candles and that arcane pentagram symbol, etched onto the floor of the room, don't you think?

I've never thought about that - but it's certainly amusing to picture what the maid's reaction would have been.  

Can you imagine if Burke Devlin had still been a guest at Collinsport Inn when Chris "acted out" some of those ideas in that tiny room of his?  Heck, Burke would have probably stormed down to Chris' room, pounded on the door and shouted, "Hey, buddy, why don't you cut out that 'expletive-deleted' racket, for Christ's sake!?!"

If Burke had still been around, I suspect that expletive laced complaint might have been the very last thing he'd ever said because all he would have gotten out after that would have probably been a few screams as the werewolf mauled him into just being slightly more recognizable than his burned body had supposedly been.

At least, Susie, the so-called silent waitress at the Collinsport Inn, did not also "share" in Maggie and Mr. Well's bad luck while working at the inn (as far as we know?).

Hmmm - makes one wonder how did she avoid the Inn's curse. Perhaps there was more to Susie than met the eye.    

Somehow, I don't think that either Arthur Frommer or the late, lamented Eugene Fodor would have given a four-star recommendation for the Collinsport Inn as a charming and relaxing destination while vacationing in Collinsport.

I suspect not.  

[Uncle Roger]

The Inn probably would not have rated the 5 Diamond award from AAA either!

[Gerard]

I wonder how much they charged at the Collinsport Inn. 

The only time I missed huge chunks of DS growing up was when we went on our annual family summer vacation trip.  In June 1970, we drove (four of us) from Wisconsin to Yellowstone and back.  At one motel, they charged five bucks a person for one night, meaning it came to twenty smackers.  My parents were shocked at the price, my mom saying:  "Let's get out of here."  Was the Collinsport Inn as equally pricey?

Gerard

[Bob_the_Bartender]

Gerard,

That's a good question about the prices for rooms at the Collinsport Inn.  Judging by the menu (and costs of meals) offered at the inn's coffee shop/restaurant, I don't think that the Collinsport Inn's rates were anywhere near those of the Hotel Essex or The Plaza in NYC (probably more like those of Spike's Motel, located in "beautiful" Elizabeth, NJ on "scenic" Route 1&9 near Newark Liberty Airport!).

I think it was in the pre-Barnabas 1966 episode guide, that is was mentioned that Collinsport's normal population of 3,000 swelled to 4,500 people during the summer vacation months.

After all of the bloody carnage of 1968 (where we saw Mr. Wells, Donna Friedlander, and that lady who worked as a waitress at the Blue Whale get eviscerated, literally!), do you think that the usual summer tourists  
 to Collinsport may have opted for, say, either Bar Harbor or Kinnebunkport, rather than Collinsport?

Incidentally, perhaps Chris Jennings also did not avoid the sad fate of people, who stayed at the Collinsport Inn;  Dark Shadows writer Sam Hall, in his T.V. Guide Magazine piece on the conclusion of the 1971 Real Time storyline (after the show's cancellation), speculated that after Chris, Sabrina Stewart, and Chris' sister, Amy, left Collinsport for parts unknown, Chris somehow escaped from his area of confinement and murdered Sabrina.  And, afterwards, in the depths of unspeakable depression and guilt, Chris tragically took his own life.

You know, I've often wondered how Chris could continue to cope with his seemingly never-ending curse, knowing that he was responsible for the savage murders of so many innocent people (aside, of course, for the abhorrent Bruno Hess)?  I mean, most of the time Chris was able to "function" around other people.  However, once the moon was full, Chris knew that he was all too capable of inflicting terrible carnage on others.  Quite a burden and guilt trip to handle, imo.

[Gothick]

Since Susie was mentioned here, I'll share this little tidbit rather than making a new thread.  Susie was played by actress/singer Carol Crist.  I just saw an episode of the 1965-produced series Coronet Blue, co-starring Frank Converse and Brian Bedford, which was aired finally in the Summer of 1967 after sitting on a network shelf for a couple of years.  Carol showed up in an episode that bore the rather Shadowy title "Presence of Evil" as a cheery, guitar-strumming folk-singer in the coffee-house, The Searching I, which was part of the show's set-up.  She's only onscreen for a few minutes but does get a nice lingering closeup around the end of her time in the show.

I tried Google but couldn't retrieve more info.  I really wonder just how long she was in the city and where her career went from her time on Coronet Blue and DS--if anywhere.

G.