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Author Topic: Oh No.....not Betsy Durkin!!!!!!  (Read 8459 times)

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Offline scout75

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Re: Oh No.....not Betsy Durkin!!!!!!
« Reply #30 on: September 06, 2002, 01:56:27 AM »
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I can see Jaclyn Smith making a good replacement Victoria.

Cool idea, VWR!

I suggest that we have a seance...a seance that would send us through space and time, back to the year 1968 to see if we can fix the Vicki Problem.

[spin] [wink2]
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Offline CastleBee

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Re: Oh No.....not Betsy Durkin!!!!!!
« Reply #31 on: September 06, 2002, 01:56:39 AM »
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Betsy Durkin probably thought she made it big time when she got this part...I feel sorry for her.


That's how I was beginning to feel this time around Joeytrom.  She really seemed to be trying too hard.

Well, I guess we could look at it this way...her hyper poodle version of Vicki seems to fit Davis' manic Peter/Jeff character much better. Can you imagine how tense (and dense)  their children would be? They'd be running all over the estate clutching their hair and yelling "I don't understand, I don't understand, I DON'T UNDERSTAND! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!" - right into the sea... [nuts]
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Offline Charles_Ellis

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Re: Oh No.....not Betsy Durkin!!!!!!
« Reply #32 on: September 06, 2002, 05:03:42 AM »
It makes me sooooo happy that so many people just hate Betsy Durkin's "Vicki" as much as I do.  It's a pity that  Carolyn Groves wasn't cast first- she was an Alexandra lookalike who acted the role in a demure fashion like Ms. Moltke.  Betsy was too damn strident and agressive and overplayed her lines.  Worse yet, she was the wrong type physically!!  Considering the VAST amounts of young actresses available in NYC ( a situation that hasn't changed in 34 years!), the DS brass could've done better- MUCH better!!  I'm sure that DC and the other production personnel had advance warning from Alexandra regarding her pregnancy (from what I've heard, she was having a difficult pregnancy and REALLY needed time off!!) and should have invested more time into finding a replacement actress who looked and acted like Alexandra.  The "Durkin Era" is definitely the low point of the 1968/69 storyline, otherwise one of the BEST in "Dark Shadows" history.........
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Re: Oh No.....not Betsy Durkin!!!!!!
« Reply #33 on: September 06, 2002, 05:23:42 AM »
Dan Curtis' wife probably got her the job.

;D
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Offline jennifer

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Re: Oh No.....not Betsy Durkin!!!!!!
« Reply #34 on: September 06, 2002, 07:57:49 AM »
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That's how I was beginning to feel this time around Joeytrom.  She really seemed to be trying too hard.

Well, I guess we could look at it this way...her hyper poodle version of Vicki seems to fit Davis' manic Peter/Jeff character much better. Can you imagine how tense (and dense)  their children would be? They'd be running all over the estate clutching their hair and yelling "I don't understand, I don't understand, I DON'T UNDERSTAND! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!" - right into the sea... [nuts]

you know she really does  go with Jeff  Clark better
Castle Bee  LOL i always thought AM's Vicki was too good for him but this one suits him! Could also see their off spring
like you described,with voices like Hallie /Carrie could be used as secret weapons in war! anyone would surrender after hearing them

jennifer
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Offline Cassandra

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Re: Oh No.....not Betsy Durkin!!!!!!
« Reply #35 on: September 06, 2002, 09:33:03 AM »
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It's a pity that  Carolyn Groves wasn't cast first- she was an Alexandra lookalike who acted the role in a demure fashion like Ms. Moltke.  Betsy was too damn strident and agressive and overplayed her lines.  Worse yet, she was the wrong type physically!!

It sure was a pity! Carolyn Groves was much more reserved and also had a classier way about her, not to mention that she resembled A.M. alot more than Betsy did.  Perhaps the writers realized (a bit late) that Durkin just wasn't the right one. I imagine they must have gotten tons of fan mail over it too. It seems obvious that they found this one in a hurry.
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Online Bob_the_Bartender

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Re: Oh No.....not Betsy Durkin!!!!!!
« Reply #36 on: September 06, 2002, 04:36:42 PM »
Hey gang,

Oh, come on!  (I always seem to find myself in the unenviable position of having to defend certain DS actors, read Addison Powell, Roger Davis, etc.)

I'm sure that Betsy Durkin is a nice Irish girl/lady.  As my late grand uncle Jimmy used to say: "Give the lass a chance.  She'a a good egg.  She's Irish!"

Top of the mornin' to ya!

Bob the Bartender
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Offline scout75

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Re: Oh No.....not Betsy Durkin!!!!!!
« Reply #37 on: September 06, 2002, 05:46:05 PM »
"The part of Victoria Winters is being played by Miss Betsy Durkin..."

Okay, we get it! Do we have to hear that in the opening credits of EVERY episode that she's in?!
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Offline VictoriaWintersRox

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Re: Oh No.....not Betsy Durkin!!!!!!
« Reply #38 on: September 06, 2002, 11:58:39 PM »
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"The part of Victoria Winters is being played by Miss Betsy Durkin..."

Okay, we get it! Do we have to hear that in the opening credits of EVERY episode that she's in?!


I guess it was a way of telling those who throw up at the sight of Betsy to clear the room or to get out the barf bags, lol.
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Offline CastleBee

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Re: Oh No.....not Betsy Durkin!!!!!!
« Reply #39 on: September 07, 2002, 07:04:03 PM »
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I'm sure that Betsy Durkin is a nice Irish girl/lady.  As my late grand uncle Jimmy used to say: "Give the lass a chance.  She'a a good egg.  She's Irish!"

Okay Bob...I'll cut her a wee bit o'slack for that reason and that alone! But I would still never cast her in a DS role beyond a friend to Carolyn and even then it would be a walk on (and right back off again).  
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Offline Ben

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Re: Oh No.....not Betsy Durkin!!!!!!
« Reply #40 on: September 07, 2002, 07:47:53 PM »
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I would still never cast her in a DS role beyond a friend to Carolyn and even then it would be a walk on (and right back off again).  

Yeah, but something tells me that you just might be tempted to have her get hit by a car or something before the end of that episode ...

Poor Betsy could not evoke the understated mood that AM so capably did.  Had she done so, at least it would have been debatable whether she adequately replaced AM.  Even though I am no fan of Anthony George, he at least brought enough direction to the Burke Devlin character to attract a following to defend him.  

To the poster who found BD "shrill," just wait till Kathy Cody arrives.  I always felt that she epitomized "shrill" better than anyone.  

Ben
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Offline VictoriaWintersRox

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Re: Oh No.....not Betsy Durkin!!!!!!
« Reply #41 on: September 07, 2002, 07:51:55 PM »
Ok watching two more episodes of her I've decided she isn't as terrible as I thought but I agree with CastleBee that she would've been best if she was Carolyn's friend in an episode or two.

On the topic of replacements, I thought Anthony George did a very good job replacing Mitch Ryan. I thought they were both equally good, maybe I think this because I saw Anthony George before Mitch Ryan ?!?
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Online Bob_the_Bartender

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Re: Oh No.....not Betsy Durkin!!!!!!
« Reply #42 on: September 07, 2002, 09:20:25 PM »
Dear CastleBee,

Thank you. (I think!)

Bob the Bartender, defender of downtrodden Dark Shadows actors.
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Offline Julia99

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Re: Oh No.....not Betsy Durkin!!!!!!
« Reply #43 on: September 07, 2002, 11:46:46 PM »
The 3rd Victoria isn't soo bad ..right?  I only saw her in one or two eps. .maybe that's all she had when the B-man goes back to save her from the gallows. . .
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Julia99

Offline MikeS

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Re: Oh No.....not Betsy Durkin!!!!!!
« Reply #44 on: September 08, 2002, 11:04:27 PM »
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The 3rd Victoria isn't soo bad ..right?  I only saw her in one or two eps. .maybe that's all she had when the B-man goes back to save her from the gallows. . .

Julia99, I think you're right that Carolyn Groves was only in several episodes.  Still, just seeing her for that short time made me feel that she could have been a successful replacement for Alexandra Moltke.  As I mentioned in another post, it's a shame she didn't replace Moltke first, instead of Betsy Durkin.

As for Betsy Durkin, watching this time around I really tried to be more charitable towards her, but she was just so terrible in the role!  The show should have taken much more care in re-casting such an important character.  In my opinion, this was the worst re-cast in the history of the show (although she faces strong competition from Peter Turgeon!).
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