Discuss: '91 Series - Pilot - Part 1

[Nelson Collins]

What was the deal "letterboxing" it.  Did Sony see all the boom mikes that drifted into shot and assumed that they were meant to be "removed" by the black bars?

BTW, is anyone keeping an eye out for said boom mikes?

[Midnite]

Actually, that entire sequence was shot outdoors on the Columbia Ranch. 

I think it was on the WB studio lot.  This was taken from the VIP tour tram, so sorry it's not the greatest, but I'm 98% sure it's the same house in MB's screen grabs (p. 3).

I have no idea where the building is that was used as the Blue Whale.  I do, however, know exactly where its neon sign is. 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I think it was on the WB studio lot.

Now they're one and the same, but it was once owned by Columbia. Check out: 1164 Morning Glory Circle: Warner Bros. Ranch

This was taken from the VIP tour tram, so sorry it's not the greatest, but I'm 98% sure it's the same house in MB's screen grabs (p. 3).

How wild that you've been there. 

I have no idea where the building is that was used as the Blue Whale.

The exterior is also on the WB Burbank backlot - somewhere. However, Tin Horn Flats, also in Burbank, was used for the interior in the pilot. 

I do, however, know exactly where its neon sign is. 

And I wonder where that is? 

[arashi]

Daphne I always assumed was from another branch of the family, a second cousin or something. Given how large Collinwood is, and how the family's seat of power rests in the town, I think it's easy to believe the extended family would have lived in the house until around the turn of the century, and then still live in the area.

I wish I had my VHS tapes here, and am going to have to figure out how to rip the tapes to my computer, because I really miss the "missing scenes". The scene where Vicki sees Barnabas out the window always struck my as genuinely creepy. The color correction really is something of a bother. I hope at sometime in the future MPI does a proper release of the series.

Joanna Going really is quite striking. She's beautiful, but still very innocent looking. I think they cast her quite well. (interestingly enough, she was raised in Newport, Rhode Island, so she must have been very aware of a certain semi-famous mansion in town). I wish they had elaborated on her past though, because really, unless the Collins family was offering her a substantial amount of money, what reasons would she have for going there?

I'll raise my hand and say that I too was always bothered by Roger sending Willie, drunk and slovenly, to pick up Vicki at the train station in a beat up pick up truck. Though, I took it that Roger wasn't too keen on having Vicki there in the first place, so he might not have cared to roll out the red carpet for her. It'll be fun to speculate about Roger's wife in the future - but at this point we know that she went crazy because of David and a fire.... which still isn't really telling us much.

David is a little monster. He's probably extremely lonely, if he's "been without his Father" for six years, where was Roger? Did he dump him off at Collinwood? Carolyn strikes me as pretty lonely as well. She probably revels in the thought of another woman around her age coming to the estate - and someone whose whole world isn't the town of Collinsport and it's surrounding area.

Ben Cross - I'm still kind of torn about. He just kind of sticks out to me, which could be a good thing, because his character hardly blends in with the locals so to speak.

[Gerard]

David is a little monster. He's probably extremely lonely, if he's "been without his Father" for six years, where was Roger? Did he dump him off at Collinwood?

Wasn't David living with his mother, Laura, in England?  I thought Liz went to get him and bring him back to Collinwood, but not sure here.

Gerard

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I generally think that in places the writing of the pilot (though credited to I think four writer's, including DC) has DCs fingerprints all over it, and shows DC's willingness to sacrifice character and exposition and suspense, to "hurry up and get his vampire freak on."

That's very perceptive of you. And according to Sam and Matt Hall, the series' writing team was split with DC and Steve Feke (the other writer for the pilot and the series' Supervising Producer) being all for emphasizing the the blood and gore and horror, whereas Matt, Linda Campanelli and Shelly Moore wanted the romantic elements to predominate. The contrast between the mini-series eps and the Friday eps (for lack of a better distinction) can be stark at times. Personally, while I steadfastly believe blood, gore and horror definitely have a place in vampire stories - and I particularly enjoy them in Hammer films - I prefer the Hall, Campanelli and Moore approach to the Curtis and Feke approach when it comes to DS.

Incidentally, Hall Powell and Bill Taub's only job was condensing storyline from existing DS source material. They added absolutely no new storyline ideas of their own - and they only worked on the mini-series eps.

David is a little monster. He's probably extremely lonely, if he's "been without his Father" for six years, where was Roger? Did he dump him off at Collinwood?

Wasn't David living with his mother, Laura, in England?  I thought Liz went to get him and bring him back to Collinwood, but not sure here.

During the restored scene when Vicki questions Elizabeth about David and Vicki asks how long David has been without his father, Elizabeth replies for almost six years and that she went to England and brought David back to Collinwood shortly after his mother "took ill." However, according the concordance for the '91 series, the part about asking about David's father was a mistake in the script that didn't get corrected before it was shot. Vicki was supposed to have asked how long David had been without his mother. The writers were actually happy that that goof had been cut from the mini-series.

It's been so long since I've watched the '91 series that I don't recall all the other bits of background we'll be getting concerning David and his parents - but it will be interesting to discover them again...

[Gerard]

That's where I remember hearing about it, MB!  (Meaning David in England and all that.)  I thought I was suffering that bout of FDSMS (Faulty Dark Shadows Memory Syndrome) again.  Now, here's another FDSMS question:  when '91 was re-aired (a few times, I think) on the Sci-Fi Channel, was it with the restored scenes or not?  I keep thinking I saw them there, or was it just because I read about them in the Resurrected book and my left brain crossed with my right brain?

Gerard

[Midnite]

Now they're one and the same, but it was once owned by Columbia. Check out:

Thanks, point taken.    The ranch and larger studio are separate facilities, though; that page says they're a mile apart and I think it's closer to a half mile, but they're on opposite sides of the Ventura Fwy.  Anyway, the Studio has frequent public tours that include a visit to the WB Museum (a must for Harry Potter fans), but the Ranch only has private tours and photography is prohibited.

The exterior is also on the WB Burbank backlot - somewhere. However, Tin Horn Flats, also in Burbank, was used for the interior in the pilot.

Thanks again!  I didn't know that. 

[Taeylor Collins]

and i find the tone of these comments,whether intended or not,to be quite insulting.

I for one apologize for the harshness of my comment about tax fraud.  No disdain or insult was intended.  I simply did not see how you could read tax fraud into the playful banter of that scene, but even though you yourself dismissed the comment later, you put it out there.  It's only fair that others will remark on it.  (TBH, I'm surprised no one has blasted me for suggesting that Carolyn was trying to seduce Vicki ....  )

Hey guys I have been feeling rough so I haven't really been able to sit long enough to type out my review! Hopefully I will tomorrow.  I wanted to comment on your comment Nelson.  I actually read (and maybe someone can back this up) that Barbara Blackburn played her first scene with Victoria very flirtatiously!!  I think it would be par for the course though for a 90's Carolyn!!  However if her and Victoria [spoiler]turned out to be sisters that would have been very ICKY![/spoiler]

Hope to post more tomorrow!

Night cousins!

MSCBRYK please don't leave.  I for one meant no harm or malice when I questioned your statement about tax fraud.  I was just commenting on your comments.  You are entitled to your opinion and I just read over my post and didn't feel it bullied anyone.  I extend my deepest regret if you felt this way.  Try to remember emotions are hard to convey over a machine.  It's even pointed out by our lovely mods in the Rules for the boards.

[Philippe Cordier]

I rewatched "Scene 5" last night and thought it was well done ... but now I can't remember anything about it!  Except, does anyone else think it strange that Barnabas' coffin is so exposed?  Anyone walking down the basement stairs would easily see it, and why is it on some sort of pedestal?  You'd think it would have been hidden a little more out of sight.

Great line (though unfortunately I'm forgetting the entire line):  Mrs. Johnson:  "Barnabas Collins must be a wonderful man."

[michael c]

it wasn't so much the 'tax fraud' comments...that i probably deserved...that prompted me to opt out of this particular discussion.

but more other points that were repeatedly corrected/contradicted that i had grown weary of having to justify.this is supposed to be fun.

but no matter.there's always next weeks' discussion.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Continuing in the forum's long standing belief that it's always fun to learn behind the scenes/production tidbits, thinking and facts, and given that the way some of the characters have been dressed has been discussed a bit in this topic, I figured it might be interesting to share some of Rosalie Samplin Wallace's thoughts (anything between [] are my comments) that I recently rediscovered:

From the '91 series' concordance:
Costume designer Rosalie Wallace described how they came up with Barnabas' look: "We've tried to romanticize him by giving him a soft, fluid line." She used sensual silks and cottons in dark olive, maroon and navy blue for his shirts. His charcoal-grey fine wool pants had double pleats. For indoors, he wore a paisley quilted smoking jacket in gray and black velvet, or a long quilted velvet bathrobe in navy. [Well, what would Barnabas be without a smoking jacket?!    ]
The women in Collinsport wore a variety of styles. Victoria wore romantic soft crocheted sweaters and lacy feminine blouses. Julia wore severe straight skirts and jackets. For Carolyn's "a little trash, with class" Rosalie chose skirts that "are too tight and too short. Her sweaters are cut too low." And "Elizabeth favors silk blouses, sweaters, soft dark blazers and fine wool pants. [Apparently she and Barnabas share a similar taste in pants.  ]
Wallace "buys for look and not for the label." Barnabas wears multipleated pants from Giorgio Armani and an occasional Ralph Lauren jacket. Dr. Hoffman wears Ralph Lauren skirts and Joan Vass sweaters and shirts. Victoria is seen in a Kanji organza skirt and top.
Wallace frequented Neiman Matrcus, Bullocks, Nordstrom and I. Magnin. Some of Joanna's costumes came from Kanji on Melrose, and a lot of Jean Simmons' wardrobe was bought at Ron Ross in Encino.

[Cassandra Blair]

Sorry I'm late to the party - just didn't have time to watch the pilot (or is it mini-series?) until yesterday afternoon. Then I made the mistake of watching the whole thing, instead of just the first hour. Guess I'm caught up for next week, right?

Anyway, I so enjoyed seeing this again. Yes, it's true that things are a bit rushed, and there isn't much character development thus far, but they've definitely established a feeling of foreboding that I think works. And I don't mind that they just jump right into the supernatural. I get the feeling maybe some things have already happened in town that make people say "hmmmm..."

One thing I couldn't figure out is what season of the year is all of this supposed to be happening? There's a scene in which Vicki is wearing a heavy coat and gloves, I think. Yet the trees have green leaves on them. Kind of an oversight in my book, but not as glaring as the obvious 'day-for-night' shots near the end of the episode.

[spoiler]I loved the scene which takes place at the roadhouse or whatever it was; Carolyn's out doing a slutty dance with whoever, and that cheesily-dressed female who becomes Barnabas's next victim says to him in the parking lot: "Where are you from? You talk kinda funny." Doesn't the woman know not to trust a dude in a cape?[/spoiler]

And why is Barnabas's accent so definitively English? I don't know how the 'quality' in America spoke in the late 18th century, so maybe that's just me.

My other question is would they really have had the capability to bring Collinwood over from England brick by brick so long ago? But I did love the speech Barnabas gave about how it happened. I think Ben Cross was a really decent choice for the part, he's got a manner about him that is certainly otherworldly.

(edited by admin)

[Nelson Collins]

Has anyone else ever noted or commented on the irony of an actor named "Cross" being cast as a vampire?   

[Nelson Collins]

Re: accents - Liz sounds extremely English as well, which is rather odd, since absolutely no one else in the family (that was born in the 20th century, that is ) sounds English at all.

I have a friend who grew up in rural Arkansas with an Arkansan father and a Cockney mother and his accent was the strangest mix I have ever heard from a US born American!

So, I suppose at some point after Carolyn learned to talk, Liz decided to put on a few airs!