Joan Crawford Was A DS fan?!

[David]

JC could easily have played the vulnerability of the JB characters: look at her work in Baby Jane. But JC could never have learned lines on 1 days notice, as Secret Storm proved!                                        JB 4 EVER!                                                                                       David

[CastleBee]

Joan Crawford always gave me the creeps (long before I read “Mommie Dearest”).  Still, I could see her in a temporary (Jason McGuire length) role as (I believe Gerard) mentioned because her inherent creepiness (IMO at least) could have worked I think.  Even though she was very believable as the weenie Blanche in Baby Jane I could definitely see her as a one of the more evil villains.

[Sandor]

And to imagine Joan Crawford, determined at all costs to be seated in front of her TV set every Monday thru Friday at 4pm on ABC, no matter what else was happening in her life at that moment, so she could get her daily DS fix. Love the image!

Pity no one has ever unearthed the videotapes of Joan C's week on The Secret Storm back in 1968 (other than, as Gothick mentioned, the re-creation of its dark-but-hysterical moments in "Mommie Dearest"). Perhaps they just don't exist, or Joan had the only copies (a gift from CBS) and promptly burned them!

[Joeytrom]

If Christina Crawford appeared on DS instead during that time, it sure would have been interesting!

[CastleBee]

Christina could have played the disturbed young woman shut away in the attic who kept refusing to eat her steak dinner. Basically a believable DS storyline based entirely on her actual life experiences.

[Joeytrom]

We should be grateful she never auditioned for Carolyn and got the part.  Imagine Joan Crawford playing daughter to Joan Bennett!

[markyboo]

Also, JC married a bigshot with Pepsi and became their spokeswoman. Just imagine - instead of brandy, Roger would have been pouring Pepsi for everyone at Collinwood, it would be the drink of choice at the Blue Whale, and after digging graves and other assorted tasks, Willie would kick back with an ice cold bottle of Pepsi! DARK SHADOWS brought to you by the Pepsi Generation!

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Thankfully product placement wasn't that invasive back in those days. But it might have been hysterically funny if it had been played out the way you describe...

Somehow, though, I can't imagine Roger giving up brandy for anything.  

[David]

If JC played Liz, she could have turned to Jason and said: DONT F WITH ME, FELLA!! This aint my first time down by the rodeo!

[Charles_Ellis]

....and don't forget her wearing those F**K Me pumps, either!  She would've chewed out both Dennis Patrick and Mitch Ryan and spat them out, with a Pepsi chaser (in her case, mixed with 100 proof Smirnoff vodka)!

[markyboo]

Maybe Pansy Faye would have gotten to sing "I've Written a Letter to Daddy" instead of "I Wanna Dance with You"...

[David]

Ann Blyth as Carolyn to JCs Liz?                                               Joan Blondell as Mrs Johnson?                                    Lauren Bacall as Julia?                                                                 David

[markyboo]

I was thinking that if Crawford played Elizabeth, her ol' rival, Bette Davis, could play Julia. I would give anything to hear Bette Davis-as-Julia see the Old House cellar for the first time and say: "Barnabas, what a dump!".