Andre DuPres in the 1795 storyline

[TNickey2003]

After the event of Jeremiah's death Andre DuPres seems to have disappeared from the storyline,  being absent throughout the significant events that followed:  Barnabas marrying Angelique instead of Josette,  Barnabas dying, Josette and her aunt Natalie returning to Collinwood, then making plans to return to Martinque,  Sarah dying,  Josette becoming Barnabas' vampire victim, the discovery of the Collins' familiy history book's prophecy of Josette's death,  the actual event of Josette's death. 

How could he not be present during such a significant event as his daughter's death?

Did he fall off the face of the earth?   Did he leave Collinsport in a huff to return to Martinque and tend to his plantation, leaving his own daughter behind?

Also amazing is that no mention is made by any of the other characters of Andre DuPres or his unexplainable absence during these events that followed.  It's hard to imagine that Aunt Natalie wouldn't be vocal about the absence or whereabouts of her niece's father.

[Brandon Collins]

I think there might be a similar topic elsewhere on the board, but I'd have to agree that his absence is quite perplexing. Maybe he just left to go back and tend to the plantation business? Who knows....

Didn't David Ford leave to do a play or something in real life? I can't remember...

[Midnite]

Did he fall off the face of the earth?   Did he leave Collinsport in a huff to return to Martinque and tend to his plantation, leaving his own daughter behind?

Also amazing is that no mention is made by any of the other characters of Andre DuPres or his unexplainable absence during these events that followed.  It's hard to imagine that Aunt Natalie wouldn't be vocal about the absence or whereabouts of her niece's father.

I don't know if Andre's absence was intentional or if David Ford was simply unavailable, but Natalie mentioned that Andre was in New York during each of these 2 events:

Barnabas dying, Josette and her aunt Natalie ... making plans to return to Martinque,

But we didn't see much more of Sam either once the story returned to the present.  And we know how that worked out for the character. 

[Midnite]

Didn't David Ford leave to do a play or something in real life? I can't remember...

He wasn't on Broadway during that time, anyway, according to the IBDB.  1776 opened a year later.

[IluvBarnabas]

The fact Andre left Collinwood and never came back always bothered me too. Surely the man would have liked to have known what had happened to Josette that led up to her tragic fate.

I can see him maybe not getting back in time for her funeral but wasn't he the least curious about the events that led to her downfall?

I mean, sheesh, I'd almost rather they'd kill him off (like maybe having him discover the truth about Angelique and her having to dispose of him in order to protect her secret) than have him forget all about his sister and daughter.

[LeFanu]

I too wish they'd handled the Andre situation better in light of the events that took place in his abscence.  If they took the trouble to have Natalie say he was away, couldn't they have simply written that he'd sent word that he was very ill?  Or (cheesy as this might be) couldn't they have acted like his character had only just exited the room before a scene began, anytime it seemed like  something had happened that he should have been there for?

And yeah, given that he wasn't around anymore, and that the writers seemed to have no compunction about whom they killed off towards the end of the 1795/6 storyline, why didn't they just have Angelique do away with him, or even have Barnabas accidentally kill him?  Certainly would've added a whole other weird level to the Barnabas/Josette storyline.

I really enjoyed David Ford as an actor - wish he'd been around for the rest of the show.

[BuzzH]

Didn't David Ford leave to do a play or something in real life? I can't remember...

He wasn't on Broadway during that time.  1776 opened a year later.

I think he *was* doing a play though, off Broadway probably.  Think I read this somewhere, a teen rag of the day perhaps?  

[Midnite]

He wasn't on Broadway during that time.  1776 opened a year later.

I think he *was* doing a play though, off Broadway probably.  Think I read this somewhere, a teen rag of the day perhaps?  

The original quote, which is shown edited here (by whomever-- it doesn't matter), said that he wasn't on Broadway during that time anyway, etc.  As such, I wasn't implying that he wasn't doing a play; only that we know he wasn't on Broadway, at least not according to the IBDB. 

There's also an off-Broadway db, but I don't see anything listed for David Ford c. 1968.

[Julia99]

He wasn't on Broadway during that time.  1776 opened a year later.

I think he *was* doing a play though, off Broadway probably.  Think I read this somewhere, a teen rag of the day perhaps?  

The original quote, which is shown edited here (by whomever-- it doesn't matter), said that he wasn't on Broadway during that time anyway, etc.  As such, I wasn't implying that he wasn't doing a play; only that we know he wasn't on Broadway, at least not according to the IBDB. 

There's also an off-Broadway db, but I don't see anything listed for David Ford c. 1968.

I would suggest that he might have been touring in a play which wouldn't show up in either IBDB or the Louise Lortel Off B'way database-- http://www.lortel.org/LLA_archive/index.cfm

[BuzzH]

The original quote, which is shown edited here (by whomever-- it doesn't matter), said that he wasn't on Broadway during that time anyway, etc.  As such, I wasn't implying that he wasn't doing a play; only that we know he wasn't on Broadway, at least not according to the IBDB. 

There's also an off-Broadway db, but I don't see anything listed for David Ford c. 1968.

Oops, hit POST before typing my reply.  Anyway, I wasn't implying you were implying, LOL!    I too looked at that off-Broadway database w/the same result.

[Lydia]

I don't know how long it would have taken a) for word to get to Andre in New York that Josette was dead, and b) for Andre to get up to Maine from New York upon receiving the news, given the state of transportation in 1795, but I figure there was no possible way for him to get back to Collinsport in time for the funeral, so there would be no particular rush for him to get there, especially given that Natalie could be assumed to be fully capable of dealing with the situation.  I liked his blunt way of dealing with Jeremiah and with Trask and I would have liked to see him coming to Collinwood later on and asking Joshua, "What the devil has been going on here?" - especially after
[spoiler]Natalie got killed in the revision of 1795 that happened in 1969.  Seems to me that Barnabas told Ben to make it look as though Natalie had up and left, and Andre would have been surprised that she didn't sent him word of where she was going.
[/spoiler]
Maybe Andre did indeed confront Joshua, but after Barnabas had been chained up, so that we didn't see it.

[rainingwolf]

---maybe like Roger's character, he became a cat, and no one noticed...

[adamsgirl]

As far as Andre went as a father, I always thought he looked at Josette more as a business commodity than a cherished daughter. He was also very much a man of his time in that I assume he was NOT happy with Josette's elopement, thus the disappearing act not being explained. Just a theory, though!

[BuzzH]

As far as Andre went as a father, I always thought he looked at Josette more as a business commodity than a cherished daughter. He was also very much a man of his time in that I assume he was NOT happy with Josette's elopement, thus the disappearing act not being explained. Just a theory, though!

And a good one.  I agree too.  Now, if he'd had a SON instead...

[Nelson Collins]

I agree too.  Now, if he'd had a SON instead...

....that certainly would have added an interesting twist to the story.

Let's see.... Joel Crothers as Josef DuPre perhaps....