DARK SHADOWS FORUMS

General Discussions => Current Talk Archive => Current Talk '24 I => Current Talk '10 I => Topic started by: Lydia on April 24, 2010, 12:36:37 PM

Title: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: Lydia on April 24, 2010, 12:36:37 PM: I've been thinking about starting a prop project topic on any and all coffins for quite some time, and I got the final push from Lori's question in the Watching Project topic for episode 970:

Quote from: loril54 on April 20, 2010, 05:02:50 PM
I wonder how many coffins they kept in the prop room. How many different sizes did they have. I still think that they were kept in the basement of Collinwood in the locked room. [ghost_shocked]

There are several different coffins. I was thinking of naming or numbering them, but sometimes it's difficult to tell them apart.

Of course, Barnabas’s original coffin, a.k.a. the Hershey Bar coffin, is always easy to distinguish. Here's a view of it in episode 676:

(http://www.dsboards.com/SMF/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=15936.0;attach=13438)

Things get murkier from there. I've seen some metal coffins here and there, but looking around, I have found only one capture of a metal coffin, so I don't know if all the metal coffins are the same. Here's Elizabeth's coffin, from episode 672:

(http://www.dsboards.com/SMF/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=7798.0;attach=3286)

And now we get into the really tough part: wooden coffins with all the proper angles. Consider the following three coffins.

First, there's a nicely carved wooden coffin, used by Tom in his vampire days. Here's a capture from episode 570:
(http://www.dsboards.com/SMF/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=14386.0;attach=10479)

Next we have Tom's post-staking coffin, shown here in episode 630:
(http://www.dsboards.com/SMF/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=15309.0;attach=12145)

And finally we have Dirk's coffin, shown here in episode 773.
(http://www.dsboards.com/SMF/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=17726.0;attach=19316)

I have consulted with a co-worker on these three wooden coffins. (You may, if you wish, imagine us giggling as we pointed at various angles and lines instead of working, and of course I had to tell him the whole story of why Julia was sticking her head into the metal coffin.) My co-worker is quite sure that they are all different coffins. He helpfully pointed out that the lines of the Tom's pre-staking coffin are slightly curved, unlike the lines of the other two, and that the quality of Tom's post-staking coffin is clearly inferior to that of the other two. (He said, "It looks as though it's made from an old door.") He also pointed out that the shoulder angles on Dirk's coffin have a bit of a jog - no doubt in order to accommodate Dirk's manly physique.

So, those are three different coffins. Within the Dark Shadows universe, this raises the question of why Nicholas switched coffins on Tom. Outside of the Dark Shadows universe, I can't help wondering if the reason there were three such similar coffins is that they were not bought but rented, and that each ended up being used by an authentic dead person.

Now for the two usual questions.

First are the coffins real? If they are not, then Dark Shadows just got that much weirder.

Second, are there Dark Shadows coffin collectibles? If not, then I think there ought to be. I'm imagining keychains with miniature coffins hanging from them. And charm bracelets with the complete set of Dark Shadows coffins. And bobblehead coffins. And here's a question raised by my co-worker: Are there Dark Shadows fans who have requested a copy of the Hershey Bar coffin for their own burial?

I really got my co-worker going. He has now informed me that there is a market for used coffins.
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: loril54 on April 24, 2010, 02:18:18 PM: With the metal coffins could it depend on lighting?
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: MagnusTrask on April 24, 2010, 05:27:52 PM: What an honor for some anonymous dead person, to be buried in a Barnabas!
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: michael c on April 24, 2010, 05:38:25 PM: lydia your devotion to the prop project and attention to detail are quite admirable.

let's not forget the coffin willie was making for maggie in 1967 that was supposed to make her "weep with joy" at the sight of. then there was the one that had vicki's name on it when barnabas decided she was fresh josette material.

and there was angelique's in the blair basement during her stint as the undead.

didn't megan todd have one that inexplicably ended up in collinwood's closed off east and/or west wing during the leviathan storyline?

and during the 1995 arc barnabas' was still conveniently located at the old house as if no one would ever stumble across it over decades of disuse.
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: michael c on April 24, 2010, 05:42:26 PM: oh and by all accounts the studio where the series was filmed was tiny given it's expansive premise.

so my guess would be that with the exception of barnabas' "permanent" coffin there was no room to store the myriad others and were rented on an "as needed" basis.
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: MagnusTrask on April 24, 2010, 06:22:53 PM: I think Megan's was just an unvarnished pine box. Still, not bad for last-minute shopping.
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: Midnite on April 24, 2010, 10:36:30 PM: The ultimate DS coffin collectible might be the one that was displayed at the Haunted Mansion in Kissimmee, FL during the late 1990s,which the owner claimed was THE coffin that belonged to Barnabas on the series. There was a photo of it circulating, and I recall that it did resemble a coffin seen on DS, but definitely not Barnabas'-- at least not from the soap. I've never heard what happened to it when his horror house/museum closed, though another of its attractions, Quentin's portrait (the original for sure!), made its way to ebay.
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: Mysterious Benefactor on April 24, 2010, 10:48:40 PM: I have a photo of the coffin that was displayed at the museum. If I recall correctly, I think it was actually one of the ones used in hoDS. And if I can locate the photo, I'll post it...

There are also some photos of other coffins available on the forum - but I'm going to wait to see if others mention/post them before I do so myself. :)
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: Midnite on April 25, 2010, 12:17:30 AM: Cool, MB! I hope you can find it.
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: Taeylor Collins on April 25, 2010, 01:18:22 AM: I have always wondered what the METAL COFFIN Jonathan is coming out of in a picture comes from. I can't seem to find a picture but does anyone know what I am talking about. He never used on the show. Perhaps it was a HODS promo?
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: loril54 on April 25, 2010, 01:53:17 AM: Don't forget the boxes in the Mausoleum.
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: petofi on April 25, 2010, 10:35:12 AM: I know that Tom Jennings fancier coffin was a rental, as I have seen photos of it being delivered to the studio! May Sutherland's "Wyndcliffe Watch" fanzine had the photos back in the 90s. They were provided by a former "studio kid," I believe.

Petofi
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: Taeylor Collins on April 25, 2010, 11:50:43 PM: WW was a great zine with lots of rare pics. I love this project and still wonder about the metal coffin B is exiting...
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: loril54 on April 26, 2010, 04:44:41 PM: There is also Angeliques coffin in Paralell time. I don't think that one has been pictured yet.
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: Taeylor Collins on April 26, 2010, 10:20:08 PM: I can only seem to find one of the inside from the pics I have taken. It's modern of course and looks like the one I have talked about that B coming out of. I am gonna search some more for that pic as well!

(http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c86/Taescharmed/phpOmJQQDPM.jpg)
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: Lydia on April 27, 2010, 08:54:26 AM: Quote from: Mysterious Benefactor on April 24, 2010, 10:48:40 PM
There are also some photos of other coffins available on the forum - but I'm going to wait to see if others mention/post them before I do so myself. :)
Yes, there are others, but a good, full view of a coffin turns out to be surprisingly hard to find. So often the camera is paying more attention to the people than to the coffin. Very strange. But it will be easier to find good captures of coffins (and other things) now that we can see all the page numbers available in an area.

Here's a capture that I chose not to put into the initial post, of Abraham Howell's coffin in episode 819, because very little detail can be seen:
(http://www.dsboards.com/SMF/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=18551.0;attach=21328)
I had thought that it might be the same coffin as Tom's post-staking coffin in one of the captures above, but now I'm not so sure, given what petofi said.

And then there's a coffin of Barnabas's in 1897, in episode 815, which surely is the same coffin as Abraham Howell's, and definitely not the same as Tom's post-staking coffin.
(http://www.dsboards.com/SMF/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=18462.0;attach=21164)

Quote from: mscbryk on April 24, 2010, 05:38:25 PM
let's not forget the coffin willie was making for maggie in 1967 that was supposed to make her "weep with joy" at the sight of. then there was the one that had vicki's name on it when barnabas decided she was fresh josette material.
Here are, first, Maggie's coffin in episode 251, and, second, Barnabas's coffin in episode 250 - or anyway, I think that the first one is Maggie's and the second one is Barnabas's.
(http://www.dsboards.com/SMF/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=6980.0;attach=2698)

(http://www.dsboards.com/SMF/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=9494.0;attach=4076)
I can't remember whereabouts would be found the episode in which we saw Barnabas designate a coffin for Vicky.

Quote
and there was angelique's in the blair basement during her stint as the undead.
I looked around for a capture of that, but in vain.
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: loril54 on April 27, 2010, 02:11:00 PM: How about the infamous Peter Bradford's coffin. Also the one for Quentin in 1897.
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: Taeylor Collins on April 27, 2010, 02:58:59 PM: What about Grandmama's?? Wasn't hers and Quentin's both metal. And was metal coffins in use in those days?
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: loril54 on April 28, 2010, 02:38:21 AM: http://www.casketinfo.com/casketinfo/History.htm

This is the best I could find on caskets
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: Cousin_Barnabas on April 28, 2010, 06:40:38 AM: Some other caskets:

Laura's coffin in the crypt (1966)
Maggie coffin in the dream (1967)
Sam's Coffin in the Dream Curse (1968)
Other dream coffins... probably Elizabeth's.
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: Mysterious Benefactor on May 09, 2010, 06:19:26 AM: Quote from: Mysterious Benefactor on April 24, 2010, 10:48:40 PM
I have a photo of the coffin that was displayed at the museum. If I recall correctly, I think it was actually one of the ones used in hoDS. And if I can locate the photo, I'll post it...

[6184] I actually did come across this photo back on April 24th without even realizing it was the photo I was looking for. I suppose I was too, uh, fascinated by the Barnabas figure to even notice the coffin behind it. But while I was searching for DS mothers captures tonight, I came across the photo again and finally noticed the coffin. Well, better late than never I suppose. [lghy]

(http://www.dsboards.com/images/coffin.jpg)

And as anyone can see, that coffin most definitely doesn't resemble any of the coffins Barnabas used on the daytime DS or the one in hoDS. (It resembles them about as much as the Barnabas figure resembles Frid. ::)) If anything, it *might* be the coffin Barnabas intended for Maggie in hoDS. But even that might be questionable...
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: Lydia on May 10, 2010, 09:55:00 PM: The lifesize coffin is very nice looking. Was that miniature coffin ever sold in quantity? I just remembered that Angelique once crafted a miniature coffin - in 1795, I think.
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: Miss_Winthrop on May 13, 2010, 02:52:53 AM: Not to be too indelicate, but the box (doubled as a coffin) Jason Maguire was supposedly put into and buried in the cellar of Collinwood. In the room that only Elizabeth had the key for. I don't suppose that qualifies as a coffin. [ghost_undecided]
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: Lydia on May 13, 2010, 11:17:18 AM: Miss Winthrop, I had thought about the big box (which I shall call Box B) in which David and Amy carried a certain set of old bones downstairs and out the door for burial, but I had decided I was too lazy to go see if I could find a capture of it. Now you've got me wondering if Box B was the same as the box (which I shall call Box A) that you're talking about, though it wasn't that Jason McGuire was supposedly put into Box A, but rather that Jason McGuire supposedly put someone into it. (It's a delicate distinction, but I suspect Jason would have appreciated it.)
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: loril54 on May 13, 2010, 05:06:12 PM: There is the fancy box for Roxanne in regular time. It had all the fancy symbols on it.
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: Lydia on May 14, 2010, 01:35:05 AM: Parallel time Angelique has a very nice coffin, shown in episode 999, wooden, no extra angles, with a smooth arched lid.
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: Miss_Winthrop on May 15, 2010, 10:50:02 PM: Ah yes exactly. Not Jason but Paul Stoddard. Jason and Paul could've passed for twins [ghost_tongue2].
Title: Re: Prop Project: Coffins, Consolidated
Post by: Lydia on May 21, 2010, 01:29:28 AM: I note with pleasure that, according to the calendar, today (May 20) is the Annual Used Coffin Sale, an event that deserves a mention in this topic. It seems only right that the annual sale should take place at this time of year, when spring housecleaning will have turned up many coffins that no longer are of use, or that the owners have tired of. I'm imagining the Collinsport folk spreading out their old coffins on the common (isn't it lucky that it never rains in Collinsport!) and people coming from miles around to see what there is this year. The event is probably mentioned in all the Maine tourist guides.

I daresay that the weekend after next, having gotten rid of the moldy oldies, the families of Collinsport will put on their Sunday best and flock to the stores for the huge Memorial Day savings on the latest models, unless they've already cleaned out the factory outlet stores in Freeport.