New DS Casting Scenario

[Midnite]

Off-hand I don't recall a second.

The nurse who prevented Nicholas from visiting Tom in the hospital.  She was played by Beverly (Hope) Atkinson and the character was in a recent montage.

[Philippe Cordier]

...I don't know what you're talking about Vlad. Were there two African American actors on DS? And an Asian actor?

Midnite just posted the information on the actress appearing as a Colllinsport nurse (whose credits I didn't have).

Istvan was played by Henry Miller, a black actor who specialized in playing "heavies."  Although he appeared in about four episodes in the 1897 sequence, he never received credit, apparently because his character didn't speak.  Sad, because this was an "extended" appearance or principal role.

Mr. Nakamura, an art dealer associated with Olivia Corey, was played by Japanese born actor Sho Onodera.

Incidentally, I discovered the inspiration for this character a few years ago, but I've lost the specific information.  A little-known series of occult-supernatural novels featured a Japanese art dealer/detective named Mr. Nakamura.

[jennifer]

I take it that you don't adapt to change well, jennifer. 

change what's that [maybe you are right if The Red sox win the World series i might keel over)
i know that storyline poor Alice!

But the sad thing is that he doesn't seem to realize that he's more the brunt of a joke than anything else. When you see him in interviews, he certainly seems like he takes everything very seriously and that people honestly believe he has a talent for dancing and singing. If he does get the joke, then he's one of the best actors I've ever seen...

you are right he is due for a big fall

jennifer

[Philippe Cordier]

From April 9:

I've been thinking during all the casting discussions here how DS was fairly ground-breaking in casting two black and one Oriental actors during the course of the original run.  True, they were small parts, at least one of which wasn't credited, but at least there was some racial diversity.  If the original show managed some cultural diversity 35 years ago, it would be a shame if the new series neglected to follow through on this.

Ms. Hu seems like an inspired casting decision!

[Julia99]

Given that the ethnic actors were bit parts, hardly credited. . i would hardly say TODS (the original DS like TOST) broke any ground at all.  Now the casting of Ms. Hu is a delightful departure in recognizing the mulitfaceted culture of our current populace.

[Philippe Cordier]

Given that the ethnic actors were bit parts, hardly credited. . i would hardly say TODS (the original DS like TOST) broke any ground at all.

My use of the phrase "fairly ground-breaking" may overstate the case. I remember in grade school in 1969 or '70, though, our class and teacher discussing how we had seen a person of color in a commercial or TV show as though it were a big event.  Perhaps someone else has a clearer memory of this era who could comment.  I know it was controversial for Desi Arnaz to be Lucy's husband on "I Love Lucy," but that was probably a few years earlier (and, obviously, his was a much more prominent role than the small parts on Dark Shadows).  Does anyone know just how visible actors of color were in other daytime television in the late '60s?

[Julia99]

How visible actors of color were in other daytime television in the late '60s'?

Not very but bit parts were not uncommon.  It is true that Bill Cosby in I Spy and Diahann Carroll in Julia were groundbreaking and in PRIMEtime.. . but they were leads.