Hey, gang,
I've been watching several of the 1897 dvd's recently, and I was struck (and disappointed) on how very briefly Pansy Faye was on the show. Wasn't that an absolutely terrific DS episode when an absolutely smitten Carl Collins introduced his beloved Pansy to Judith and Barnabas at the Old House? Oh man, the look of total surprise and disbelief on their faces as Pansy "regaled" them with one of her trademark British dance hall songs was priceless!
Needless to say, Judith was
NOT pleased with her younger brother's choice for a bride. Judith would have been even less pleased, if she had stayed long enough at the Old House to observe Pansy down that glass of sherry, which Beth graciously provided her with, in one quick and, decidedly, unladylike gulp!
Can you imagine how Charity, the Rev. Trask, and, especially, the toffee-nosed Edward Collins would have reacted if they
had made Pansy's acquaintance?
Oh, to see the cockney Pansy Faye, taking up residence at Collinwood with Carl would have been so much fun, sort of like seeing Hyacinthe Bucket's (pronounce "Bouquet") "slightly" randy sister, Rose, taking up residence with Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace!
And, what of Carl Collins, a man I like to refer to as "Shecky" Collins? Wasn't he like the official clown prince of comedy of Dark Shadows?
I vividly remember watching that classic DS episode back in 1969, when we first get to see Carl, creeping up to an unsuspecting Barnabas in the Collinwood drawing room, and then holding a pistol to Barnabas' head, assuring him that he was about to blow Barnabas' brains out. Poor Barnabas was obviously trying to quickly figure out how he was going to try to "explain" to Carl just why his brains were
not spread all over the finely paneled walls after Carl pulled the trigger.
Thankfully, the gun was just a toy from Atlantic City, that merely dropped a large handkerchief, which read, "Bang!" (I believe), much to Barnabas' great relief and much to Carl's great amusement!
(Incidentally, do you think that this was one of the few times when the DS writers
wanted us all to get a big laugh on this usually eerie and serious Gothic series?)
Or how about the time the stuff-shirted Edward tried to open a can of tobacco and out popped one of Carl's fake, coiled snakes?
Oh, just think of the uproariously funny mischief that
both Carl and Pansy could have perpetrated together in the great house of Collinwood. Sadly, it was not to be.
So, as Pansy might have sung for the great enjoyment of all the fishermen, farmers, businessmen and working girls in attendance at the Eagle Tavern:
I'm going to dance for you, going to dance your cares away. I'll do the hootch-he-koo,and Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay!