DARK SHADOWS FORUMS
General Discussions => Current Talk Archive => Current Talk '24 I => Current Talk '04 I => Topic started by: Ricky101 on February 06, 2004, 02:49:43 AM
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Which Burke Devlin do you prefer? Even though Anthony looked like he had a mask on (no offense), I like him the best! ;)
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;D Mitch always seemed to be ready to break out into some comedic character. He looked like the Devlin character, but George acted more like him. That doesn't seem to make sense, but that's the way I see it. My pick, then is Anthony George.
Misty
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Misty i see what you're saying. .Mitch seemed more like someone Vicki would be with. . .not Anthony who was waaay too old for her.
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I'm not sure why but I prefer Anthony George in the role. I believe that a vast majority of those who post here prefer Mitch Ryan.
In response to Anthony being way too old for Victoria, I believe Anthony and Mitch are within a year or two of each other in age. I believe they were both too old as they were in their late 30's, early 40's when they portrayed Burke, while Alexandra was barely out of her teens when she portrayed Victoria.
This is another example on this show of a middle aged actor hooking up with a sweet young thing, ala Barnabas and all his SYT's. Is it a coincidence that the show was written by predominitely middle aged men?
I think not.
Murph
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Since Sci-Fi cancelled DS I have been watching my tapes from ep. one. I think Mitch Ryan is very compelling in the role of Burke. His Burke has a wry, sarcastic tone. I get the feeling that the underneath the surface humor is his way of saying--"I can't take this soap opera seriously." I never thought that Anthony George conveyed the embittered Burke who spent 10 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. A favorite Burke Devlin scene from this period--He wants Sam Evans to paint his portrait. A portrait the size of which would fit nicely over the fireplace in the Collinwood drawing room. >:D
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I choose Mitchell Ryan as the best Burke Devlin, Anthony George seemed uncomfortable as the second hand Burke, he was much more at home I would say as Jeremiah Collins, I felt Anthony was then able to make this Character his own...
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IMO, Mitchell Ryan was the better Burke Devlin. His portrayal of the character was edgier, more dynamic, and more charismatic than Anthony George's. Watching the two actors is like watching two totally different characters. I agree with the Ghost of Sarah: George made a good Jeremiah, but could not measure up to Ryan's Burke.
ProfStokes
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I think Mitch Ryan is very compelling in the role of Burke. His Burke has a wry, sarcastic tone.
I never thought that Anthony George conveyed the embittered Burke who spent 10 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit.
My thoughts exactly M.M. Mitch Ryan played out the "bitter man" so naturally, where as Anthony George just didn't seem to be bitter about anything, except of course Barnabas' warm feelings towards Vicky.
I liked Mitch Ryan the best as the role of Burke and was sorry to see him go.
Ghost of Sarah Wrote: Anthony George seemed uncomfortable as the second hand Burke, he was much more at home I would say as Jeremiah Collins, I felt Anthony was then able to make this Character his own...
I totally agree. A.G. was much better & more natural at playing the part of Jeremiah Collins. He fit in so nicely with this role.
Cassandra
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MM wrote:
I never thought that Anthony George conveyed the embittered Burke who spent 10 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit.
I agree. I just finished watching the episodes where Burke is investigationg Barnabas and I wondered how Mitch Ryan would have been in this storyline, particularly the scene where he apologizes to Barnabas for his behavior. Would have been interesting.
Janet
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I'll have to say that even though Mitch was the ORIGINAL Burke, I liked Anthony and Victoria a LOT better. Even though he looked...goofy! ;)
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I personally didn't like either one (Anthony or Mitch) of them. Not beause they were who they were, but who they were playing. Burke Devlin was arrogant, self-centered, Mr. know-it-all (he thought), would go into anybody house, without knocking, and, I've said it before, he acted like the mayor of Collinsport. [5363]
Anyway, Mitch Ryan, he played Burke Devlin great.
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Mitch Ryan all the way.
In the first place, I thought his performance was multifaceted. His Burke was a fully-fleshed character--possessed of flaws and virtues alike. I also thought he was the better actor. Even toward the end of his stint, I think he sold the part far better than Anthony George ever did. It's unfortunate that so many fans have not seen his work from the pre-Barnabas episodes because that's where he shone really.
Never liked Anthony George. I don't think he's a particularly good actor; he's competent as Burke, but IMHO, never anything other than that. Whereas Ryan's Burke seemed to be a strong, independent, usually intelligent guy, in George's hands, the character turned into a man who (I've said this before) wants nothing more than to live in a house with plastic siding.
Part of that is probably the fault of the writing, but it was sad to watch a man who once wondered if Vicki was more like "a chocolate malted or champagne" to a guy who was constantly hectoring her for being too dreamy.
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I also liked Mitchell Ryan better then Anthony George. If MR had stayed on DS, then Burke may not have sent off in a plane crash and Jeremiah would have lived on in 1795 (maybe even defending Vicky instead of Peter Bradford).
It would have been interesting to see a MR Burke interacting with Cassandra, Nicholas, and Adam.
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MR's Burke would have knocked Adam on his ass.
I like Mitch as Burke. ;D
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I'm a Mitch Ryan as Burke gal myself. I honestly can't explain why, but I never really accepted Anthony George as Burke... even now, I still can't warm up to his version. There's just something very flat and uninspired in his performance as that character (some of which may have been because he was the Burke pinch hitter, so to speak).
Having said that, I have a hard time imagining Mitch as Jeremiah. Maybe I just can't picture him in the period costumes [lghy]
MR's Burke would have knocked Adam on his ass.
Dom, I couldn't agree more! And what fun it would have been to see a knockdown drag out between those two ;D
grayson67 (Melissa)
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I thought Mitch made the better Burke...when Anthony George's Burke kissed Vicky it looked kinda creepy! On the other hand I did like the way George played Jeremiah.
John
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just gonna echo "the ghost of sarah" on this, i thought Mitch Ryan was the better Burke, as is Anthony George played Jeremiah very well. would have been something to see if M.R. went up against adam. i never noticed how M.R. entered a room without knocking, will have to re-watch my earlier tapes. -robert
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Maybe it was because he had the role first or maybe because he just looked right for the part, but I think Mitch was the best Burke. Mitch's Burke was just the right kind of brash, I thought, while Anthony's Burke wasn't assertive enough (though to his credit, he didn't have the part for very long).
Anthony was much better as Jeremiah. He seemed better for a family figure role, I thought. More of the brotherly/uncle type. I couldn't imagine Mitch as Jeremiah though that would have been an interesting change of pace.
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Jeremiah would have lived on in 1795 (maybe even defending Vicky instead of Peter Bradford).
Oh, if only!! (Just imagine the possibilty of a completely RD free DS. [ideag])
And I have to agree that Mitch Ryan's Burke was the best, particularly, as Luciaphil said, during the pre-Barn episodes.
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Mitchell Ryan!!! ;D
Burke Devlin is my favorite DS character and I enjoyed Mitch's portrayal of Burke. I was so disappointed when the role was recast. I thought Mitch should have gotten a second chance. It's a shame that he wasn't a part of later storylines.
Burke was the anti-hero of DS. I wonder what DS would have been like if Mitchell Ryan was on it for it's entire run.
Mitch had some amazing scenes with Louis Edmonds and Jonathan Frid.
I also loved Burke's relationship with David. I always thought that David was Burke's son. And I was a big fan of Burke and Victoria.
Mitch played the role of Burke with so much charisma. He also made Burke an interesting character to watch.
I think the new DS should have Burke Devlin on the show.
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IMO, Mitchell Ryan was the better Burke Devlin. His portrayal of the character was edgier, more dynamic, and more charismatic than Anthony George's. Watching the two actors is like watching two totally different characters
I agree with you 110% Prof. ;) In the role of Burke Devlin, Mitch Ryan had that cocky air about him that made the viewer believe that he believed himself to be a cut above the people who surrounded him. That was an attribute that Anthony George did not portray.
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My vote goes to Mitch. Have to agree he plays a much more convincing Burke. I don't dislike Anthony George but he never seemed to carry the same baggage with him as Burke as he should have. Guess I am just stating what so many others have said before.
Birdie
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Mitch was great as the pre-Barnabas Devlin but would have been unbelievable later on IMO. Anthony George was perfect as Vicki's boyfriend. That role called for a man who was sensitive and understanding and able to relate to Vicki's character. Mitch was just too strong a character and would have run over Vicki like a steamroller. As far as AG kissing Alexandra in such an awkward way, it certainly was strange. However, later when AG played Jeremiah, the kisses and hugs between him and KLS were anything but awkward and certainly conveyed a lot of passion. So, I think Alexandra was probably the problem during the intimate scenes with Anthony and not the other way around. The scenes between AG and David were also very good. I think they compared favorably to those of Mitch and David. Finally, I don't think Mitch would have been able to take the competition of another strong male such as Barnabas on the show. I thought that his scenes with Barnabas were awkward (on his part).
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I still haven't seen a lot of the early episodes with Mitchell Ryan, but I liked him a lot better as Burke. Anthony George was good, but there was always something about his Burke that I didn't like. I know he and Ryan were around the same age, but I always thought he looked too old for Vicki. I'm not sure if the character of Burke changed but I hate the way Burke talked to Vicki sometimes. I did like a lot of the back and forth exchanges between Anthony George and Jonathan Frid though!
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If MR had stayed on DS, then Burke may not have sent off in a plane crash and Jeremiah would have lived on in 1795 (maybe even defending Vicky instead of Peter Bradford).
You know, this is what I thought they were heading towards when Vicky first met up with Jerimiah Collins in 1795. You could see that the two of them had a genuine liking towards one another. This became more evident as they had more scenes together during that time, more so, that even Joshua had taken some notice of it and in so many words made some kind of remark to Jerimiah about it.
Miss Winthrop Wrote:However, later when AG played Jeremiah, the kisses and hugs between him and KLS were anything but awkward and certainly conveyed a lot of passion.
Amen to that!! I remember saying this in another post awhile back that I've never Josette look so happy when kissing a guy!! Must have been that "spell" stuff, but she sure seemed to be enjoying it. I also thought the chemistry between these two was very good.
Cassandra
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You know, this is what I thought they were heading towards when Vicky first met up with Jerimiah Collins in 1795. You could see that the two of them had a genuine liking towards one another. This became more evident as they had more scenes together during that time, more so, that even Joshua had taken some notice of it and in so many words made some kind of remark to Jerimiah about it.
What a good observation. It was another missed opportunity for a nice side story. Joshua wanted to fix Jerimiah up with Millicent(and her money). Anthony George would have been the better actor to play her lawyer than RD. The character Peter Bradford would not have been needed. Jeremiah could have continued to harass Angelique even in 1968.
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Mitch Ryan was my favorite Burke. And talk about small worlds and Six Degrees of Separation, Mitch ended up playing the father-in-law on "Dharma & Greg" in the 90's, and his character on that show was married to Susan Sullivan's character, and Susan once played a ghost on Dark Shadows. Susan also played opposite David Selby (Quentin) on "Falcon Crest," but I'm digressing here.
I'm with the gang who supports the opinion that Anthony George appeared a little long in the tooth compared to Alexandra Moltke, especially since AG went on to "Search For Tomorrow", and married that show's heroine, Jo, who was old enough (at that point) to be Victoria Winters' mother.
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Ryan all the way, except i could never see him dressed circa 1795, or attending Barnabas costume party in 1967. Wish he woulda stayed on until after intro of Barn----now that would of been trippy seeing Ryans Devlin and Barnabas trading lines and inuendos. (sic?) ::)
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I liked both of them. Mitchell Ryan was great in the early episodes. I have to agree with Miss Winthrop -- IMO, Anthony George was perfect when it came to being Vicki's boyfriend. I liked the George's Burke/Vicki pairing better than when Ryan's Burke and Vicki were together. *shrugs* I always thought Mitchell Ryan looked older than Anthony George.
During 1795, it seemed at first like Jeremiah and Vicki would be hooking up, but then Angelique put that spell on Jeremiah and Josette. Also, it seemed like Burke could possibly returning since the bodies on the plane in Brazil were unrecognizable.
I personally wish Anthony George had stuck around longer. If anything, he was way better than Roger Davis.
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If anything, he was way better than Roger Davis.
That's an understatement! ;)
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I got used to Anthony George as Burke, but when he took over the role, Burke did lose just about all of the fire that Mitch had infused the character with. And I agree it was hard to buy Anthony as the bitter harden ex-con (as a matter of fact they pretty much dropped the whole Burke's prison past when Anthony assumed the part. He made one reference to it but that was all).
And I also didn't care for the way he treated Vicki at times.expected Vicki to stay away from Barnabas on his say so without offering any reason why he wanted to. [spoiler]When Vicki wanted to accept Elizabeth's offer to move into the west wing to be close to David, Burke unfairly (at least IMO) accused her of just wanting to stay there to fix the place up. He got annoyed with her when she wanted to put off the wedding date so she be there for David (since Burke was so fond of David himself this is the one thing I would have thought he would have been more understanding about).[/spoiler]
Did like Anthony as Jeremiah though, probably because that was a role he originated and was able to make it his own without comparisons to anyone else. I always thought they killed off Jeremiah too soon. I too think he would have made a more competent lawyer for Vicki than Peter. I did think Peter did the best he could, but he hardly had any experience seeing as he was just starting out as a lawyer.