DARK SHADOWS FORUMS

General Discussions => Current Talk Archive => Current Talk '24 I => Current Talk '07 II => Topic started by: Roland on November 11, 2007, 06:08:58 AM

Title: Did the Collins Family Own a TV?
Post by: Roland on November 11, 2007, 06:08:58 AM
We all know Collinwood was ON TV, but did the people living there actually own one?  We certainly never see one and no one to my knowledge ever mentions one.  Yet, in all those rooms, not a single television set?

We know they do have a radio since Mrs. Johnson reports hearing about Burke's plane crash on one I believe.

Any thoughts?
Title: Re: Did the Collins Family Own a TV?
Post by: barnabasjr on November 11, 2007, 12:19:55 PM
There has been a lot of chatter here and there on these boards regarding the only TV set that was ever shown, in Buffie Harrington's room in 1970PT.
Title: Re: Did the Collins Family Own a TV?
Post by: Midnite on November 11, 2007, 06:49:12 PM
We know they do have a radio since Mrs. Johnson reports hearing about Burke's plane crash on one I believe.

Carolyn blasted a transistor radio in the drawing room so she could dance with Buzz.  But years later, the radio in the drawing room got broken after she played it for Adam; apparently he much preferred classical over pop music.  ;)

The transistor that Roger gave David got ripped off by Michael.

And Julia had a radio in the Old House basement.  I'm trying to remember what instrumental was playing, but I bet someone here knows.

At the Collinsport Inn, there was one in Burke's room and another in the diner.  Or maybe the same one moved around like the phones at Collinwood.

There has been a lot of chatter here and there on these boards regarding the only TV set that was ever shown, in Buffie Harrington's room in 1970PT.

Page 2 of the active topic "Favorite very brief characters" has a screen cap of one other TV seen.  Or click:
Title: Re: Did the Collins Family Own a TV?
Post by: loril54 on November 11, 2007, 10:37:01 PM
We never saw a family room.  Where would they have put the TV? On top of the Piano? The bedrooms didn't have a TV?

Can you imagine David running around with a Phazer,(sp)?

Title: Re: Did the Collins Family Own a TV?
Post by: Gerard on November 12, 2007, 01:18:26 AM
The entire family probably went over to Buffie Harrington's place (at least in PT) once a week to watch My Three Sons.  Carolyn and David did nag Roger about getting a set of their own, but he dismissed their requests, saying that it was just a "fad" on which the family was not going to waste its money.

Gerard
Title: Re: Did the Collins Family Own a TV?
Post by: David on November 12, 2007, 02:06:27 AM
 [hall2_rolleyes]

I hope they had a TV.
How else would they watch Dark Shadows?

David
Title: Re: Did the Collins Family Own a TV?
Post by: barnabasjr on November 12, 2007, 03:04:53 AM
Page 2 of the active topic "Favorite very brief characters" has a screen cap of one other TV seen.  Or click:
Hmph! Will wonders never cease?! I totally missed that one, or any mention of it! Thanks Midnite! [hall2_wink]
Title: Re: Did the Collins Family Own a TV?
Post by: Gerard on November 12, 2007, 12:25:38 PM
[hall2_rolleyes]

I hope they had a TV.
How else would they watch Dark Shadows?

Mrs. Johnson wouldn't've let them if they had one.  She would've insisted on watching The Galloping Gourmet which came on opposite "on another network."

Gerard
Title: Re: Did the Collins Family Own a TV?
Post by: Mysterious Benefactor on November 12, 2007, 07:57:37 PM
My thought has been that TVs, like bathrooms, are simply in a part of the house that we never see.  [hall2_wink]


Carolyn blasted a transistor radio ... The transistor that Roger gave David ... Julia had a radio in the Old House ... At the Collinsport Inn, there was one in Burke's room and another in the diner ...

And, of course, we can't forget the phonograph in Carolyn's room (and featured in the episode in the current slideshow and in Ep #101 for the 14th's):
In Ep #100, Carolyn actually has a phonograph in her room!

All the better to practice her Blue Whale dance moves in the privacy of her bedroom.  [hall2_grin]
Title: Re: Did the Collins Family Own a TV?
Post by: loril54 on November 12, 2007, 08:54:40 PM
All the better to practice her Blue Whale dance moves in the privacy of her bedroom.  [hall2_grin]

She probobly watched Where the Action is, with Paul Revere and the Raiders. Or maybe it was Shindig.
Title: Re: Did the Collins Family Own a TV?
Post by: Lydia on November 13, 2007, 11:53:29 AM
If there was a TV at Collinwood, then residents can't have watched much on it, what with no cable back then, and daily thunderstorms.  If there was an antenna on the roof, then somebody (Julia, maybe) spent half of his or her waking hours up on the roof in the wind and the lightning, re-attaching it after every gust of wind.  And if the antenna was in the attic, then the ghosts would have a glorious time wiggling it around in order to entice people upstairs for some fun and games.
Title: Re: Did the Collins Family Own a TV?
Post by: loril54 on November 13, 2007, 11:47:04 PM
If there was a TV at Collinwood, then residents can't have watched much on it, what with no cable back then, and daily thunderstorms.  If there was an antenna on the roof, then somebody (Julia, maybe) spent half of his or her waking hours up on the roof in the wind and the lightning, re-attaching it after every gust of wind.  And if the antenna was in the attic, then the ghosts would have a glorious time wiggling it around in order to entice people upstairs for some fun and games.

Thank You,  LOL
Title: Re: Did the Collins Family Own a TV?
Post by: Luciaphile on November 14, 2007, 09:02:46 PM
I like to think that Mrs. Johnson had a set in her room and that the family would sneak in and watch their favorite shows. I also like to think that Mrs. Johnson was a huge fan of Rawhide...
Title: Re: Did the Collins Family Own a TV?
Post by: markyboo on November 15, 2007, 06:02:06 PM
I have to agree that as isolated as Collinwood (and Collinsport) seemed to be that television reception was probably very poor in the days before cable. I lived in rural Virginia as a wee one in 1964 & we were able to get only ONE station on our television! For a solid year we were able to watch programs only on the NBC affiliate! I remember how thrilled I was when I would visit my grandmothers & be able to watch shows like THE MUNSTERS & THE ADDAMS FAMILY that were on other networks.

Also, DS took place only a few years after Newton Minow's infamous "vast wasteland" speech about television. It's easy to imagine a sophisticated, cultured grande dame like Elizabeth Stoddard sharing such sentiments & discouraging Carolyn & David from spending too much time in front of the tube. I would imagine Liz would have handed them one of the thousands of books that were seemingly everywhere in Collinwood. And let's be honest - can you imagine the Collins family settling down in front of the TV on a Sunday night watching Ed Sullivan like one big, happy family?
Title: Re: Did the Collins Family Own a TV?
Post by: MagnusTrask on November 15, 2007, 07:58:44 PM
I think they should have had a scene where David and whoever was the girl that storyline, running home from school, anxious not to miss their favorite show at 4:00... they say all the kids at school do the same thing...they run into a previously unseen TV room and switch on "The Galloping Gourmet".
Title: Re: Did the Collins Family Own a TV?
Post by: loril54 on November 15, 2007, 09:24:55 PM
I think they should have had a scene where David and whoever was the girl that storyline, running home from school, anxious not to miss their favorite show at 4:00... they say all the kids at school do the same thing...they run into a previously unseen TV room and switch on "The Galloping Gourmet".

Very Funny, LOL

Title: Re: Did the Collins Family Own a TV?
Post by: michael c on December 16, 2007, 10:53:45 PM
hard to believe but it's true...

it's often said(and indeed i always believed)that the only television set ever seen on the show was in buffie harrington's room in 1970 parallel time.

but there is yet one more!i have been watching the 1966 episodes and on dvd set one episode 27 there is a scene where burke devlin visits his private dick stuart bronson at the 'bangor pine' hotel...and lo and behold there is a t.v. set in his room(small consolation for having to miss a play when burke summoned him from new york).

i wonder what bronson watched(while drinking warm alcohol from a glass with no ice)during those dreary days and nights up in bangor snooping around for burke?
Title: Re: Did the Collins Family Own a TV?
Post by: Bob_the_Bartender on December 18, 2007, 03:53:38 PM
i wonder what bronson watched(while drinking warm alcohol from a glass with no ice)during those dreary days and nights up in bangor snooping around for burke?

I imagine that old Stu got a kick out of tuning into Boston Celtic basketball games (against the Knicks. of course), "Truth or Consequences,"  "Bozo the Clown," "The Dating Game,"  "Firing Line" (a great sure-cure for insomnia) and repeats of "The Honeymooners." [b054] [lghy]
Title: Re: Did the Collins Family Own a TV?
Post by: Midnite on December 18, 2007, 04:19:38 PM
hard to believe but it's true...

it's often said(and indeed i always believed)that the only television set ever seen on the show was in buffie harrington's room in 1970 parallel time.

but there is yet one more!i have been watching the 1966 episodes and on dvd set one episode 27 there is a scene where burke devlin visits his private dick stuart bronson at the 'bangor pine' hotel...and lo and behold there is a t.v. set in his room

Page 1 of this topic, reply #2 links to a screen grab of it.   [santa_wink]