DARK SHADOWS FORUMS
General Discussions => Current Talk Archive => Current Talk '24 I => Current Talk '06 I => Topic started by: dvlvan26 on May 23, 2006, 06:58:06 PM
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Who is your favorite and least favorite child of DS?
My Favorite: David, Sarah, Michael
Least Favorite: Alexander
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Favorite Sarah. So sweet and innocent
Least favorite Hallie Stokes. I cringe (?) just thinking about her.
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Favorite - Probably David. It doesn't hurt that Henesy was a really good actor. He always made me feel something for David.
Least Favorites - All of the Leviathan children and Hallie. By far. All of them were like nails on a chalkboard or an irritating song that you're forced to listen to over and over again.
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Favorite: David. I find it endlessly entertaining to watch him infuriate all the adults at Collinwood, especially because he seems to be more intelligent that all of them.
Least favorite: Alexanduh ("Mrs. Stah-dud...") and Hallie (who could easily star in Days of Whine and Neuroses)
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Faves: Amy (perceptive and clever child), David (I love how his character grows over the course of the show), and Michael (creepy adolescent)
Least Faves: Sarah (yes, I know! I just don't like her actress very much--it's painful hearing her speak)
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Favorites: David and Amy, by far.
Leasr favorites: Hallie Stokes, nothing against the actress, the character was just kind of tacked on to me.
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Favorite:
David, of course.
Least:
I've only made it to the end of 1897, but every other child actor I've seen on the show is nails on a chalk-board, as another cousin said. Was rule number one in child acting school "speak as loud as possible?" :P
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Favorites: David, Sarah, Amy
Least Favorites: Michael, Alexander
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David is an easy favorite.
I'll prepare myself for crucifixion; I've always liked Sarah about as much as Hallie Stokes.
In one of the DS Christmas round robin stories, I killed Hallie Stokes. And I enjoyed it. A lot.
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When I was a kid in the 60s, I hated the way kids vaguely my age were portrayed on TV. They all spoke like infants and had no thoughts. Exceptions: David from DS (though they fouled him up sometimes), Bill Mumy, and the girl from Mary Tyler Moore and My World and Welcome To It. Adults forget what being a kid is like.
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Favorites: David, Sarah, Amy
Least Favorites: Michael, Alexander
I agree w/this. Haven't *really* seen a lot of Hallie (although I've seen Carrie Stokes in 1840 and 1841 PT and don't recall that I hated Kathy Cody in those roles). But we'll see how she is as Hallie when I get to 1970.
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Well, as usual, I'll go against the grain and say my least favorite is David. I didn't mind him too much until Quentin began haunting Collinwood, and I guess David was supposed to be "posessed", but to me he didn't act posessed at all, he just acted like an utterly intolerable brat.
Most favorite would be the girl who was involved in that whole Rose Cottage thing. I can't remember her name (probably the one everybody hates ;D ) I haven't seen that storyline in years, but I remember her being fairly likable.
Personally, they could have left all the children out of the show and I would have been one happy camper.
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Personally, they could have left all the children out of the show and I would have been one happy camper.
I'll be honest, I'm surprised I like David (though I did get tired of how much he & Amy were featured during Quentin's haunting, and hated David & Hallie during the 1970 Gerard haunting), because in general, I'm not too fond of children in my television shows - especially if it's a baby plot. I'm very thankful there were no baby plots carried out on DS.
I liked Sarah because she was a ghost. I've always found child ghosts eerie.
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I'm very thankful there were no baby plots carried out on DS.
Ah, but we do. Are you forgetting baby Joseph?
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You had to go and remind me. I had managed to forget the horrible memory. :-X ;)
That's one reason why I couldn't tolerate the beginning of the Leviathans. At least he wasn't there long. But I hated all his incarnations afterward too.
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I'll prepare myself for crucifixion; I've always liked Sarah about as much as Hallie Stokes.
You and me both. I always wondered why that kid delivered her lines as tho she was shouting across a river. >:(
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I'll prepare myself for crucifixion; I've always liked Sarah about as much as Hallie Stokes.
You and me both. I always wondered why that kid delivered her lines as tho she was shouting across a river. >:(
I agree that Sharon Smyth had about as much acting finesse as a turnip, but I thought her 'character' was sweet. What bothered me most about her portrayal was her almost constant looks at the teleprompter. She looked at it more than Frid, but unlike when he did it, it didn't LOOK like that's what he was doing. He just looked like a guy caught in a lie who couldn't continue eye contact w/who he was speaking to. She on the other hand would look RIGHT AT the viewer and it was very disconcerting. I realize she was just a little kid, but come on! David, Denise, Michael and yes, even David Jay, could at least get through their dialogue w/out looking at the camera to do it. Having said all this though, Sharon Smyth is very nice. ;)
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Have always really liked David - and David Henesy was an amazing actor, IMO. Esp. liked him when he was posessed by Count Petofi in the 1897 storyline. Another fave is Amy Jennings - she was entirely believable, and fairly natural, considering.
I hate Hallie Stokes with white-hot passion, but not sure I really see her as a child. Hell, if she'd been only a couple years older, the powers-that-used-to-be might've even hooked her up with Barnabas! :-X
So, for least favorite child on DS, I'm going to have to go with Michael-the-Leviathan. He was a right little sh*t!
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Agree that Sharon is lovely, sweet, and a great lady. It was so cute when she appeared in a Cheep Productions video about ten years ago.
As for Sarah, I have to admit that I usually fast forward through her scenes. Her voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me.
cheers, G.
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It was so cute when she appeared in a Cheep Productions video about ten years ago.
I know the skit, Save Our Cemetary! Funny as sh*t and her in her little 'Sarah' costume as a grown woman was too funny. Love the part where, while she's leaning on a tombstone, she goes, "Cool!" Can't remember what was going on at that point of the skit, maybe Barnabas was vamping someone? ;)
But you know, their BEST skit ever was Barnabas Versus The Bed! ;) They filmed part of one in the summer of '97 at Seaview while we were all there. Too bad it never got finished, it promised to be even funnier than BVTB!
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As for Sarah, I have to admit that I usually fast forward through her scenes. Her voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me.
Funny you should mention that. Sharon Smyth is from the Philadelphia area and she has a strong Philly accent, so it always takes me out of the show when I hear her speak.
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I liked Sarah because she was a ghost. I've always found child ghosts eerie.
I think the girl who played Sarah must have been hired for her looks. She did have a surreal pre-raphaelite quality about her, with her long hair and dark serious eyes but ... I agree with the rest that she was the worst child actor on the show and literally stared at the prompter through most of her dialogue. The kid who played Davide Collins was just fine, bratty as most boys are, and believable as an aristocratic Collins. But my favorite was Chris Jennings little sister (forget her name).
edited by moderator
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I think the girl who played Sarah must have been hired for her looks. She did have a surreal pre-raphaelite quality about her, with her long hair and dark serious eyes
I think you're right, she had a "look" about her and quite frankly, to me at least, she looked like she could actually be biologically linked to Jonathan/Barnabas. They had the same exact, sad, puppy-dog eyes.
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Favorites: David Henesy(the second half of his portrayl of David gave everyone a run for their money acting-wise), Sharon Smyth (acted like a real child, not an actual actress), David Jay (loved the part when he said "It's my birthday. Carolyn's gonna be there. Wanna cahhhme?"), Kathy Cody (she's not all that bad, besides, Dad had a crush on her when he was 10). ^-^
Least Favorites: Denise Nickerson (voice like fingernails on a chalkboard), The creepy kid who played Micheal (evil) and Carolyn as an eight-year-old played by Lisa Ross (her objections to her father's pleas got old fast). :P
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I'm not too fond of children in my television shows - especially if it's a baby plot. I'm very thankful there were no baby plots carried out on DS.
What about Jenny and Quentin's twins? They were never shown (except as swaddled bundles), but they were definitely babies. I thought their storyline was fantastic, and probably would have been even better if they were able to get some actual footage with real babies.
Misa
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I'm with Midnite on this one: the best "child" on Dark Shadows was Carl....hands down, no doubt about it......[lghy]
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You and me both. I always wondered why that kid delivered her lines as tho she was shouting across a river. >:(
Exactly. Amy Jennings does the same thing, I can hardly stand it :P
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Favorite Amy
least favorite tie:HALLIE (belonged as Greg's groovy chick girlfrend on Brady Bunch)
and Alexander(he needed to fall in a well)
least favorite props Jenny's babies they couldn't get better dolls those
were pretty lame ;)
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Amy was my fav. I really missed Denise Nickerson almost as much as I missed TLATKLS when she left the show.
My least fav? Hallie, of course. She was Jan Brady gone mad.
Gerard
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My least fav? Hallie, of course. She was Jan Brady gone mad.
" Jan Brady gone mad" this is too funny. Halle screaming " David! David! David!" instead of "Marcia! Marcia! Marcia!" What a hoot.
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Amy was my fav. I really missed Denise Nickerson almost as much as I missed TLATKLS when she left the show.
Gerard,
I hear you on Denise "Amy Jennings" Nickerson!!! [cheers] [thumb]
As far as my own personal favorite and least favorite DS bambinos:
Favorite: Alexander - Okay, the kid does "fracture" the American version of the English language (or is that the American/English "patois"?) with his "Big Apple" accent. Yet, Alexander "fractures" the English language with as much "eloquence," and, I daresay, as much "elan" as any other kid, who had the GREAT fortune, to grow up in the greater New York City-area, I'll have you all know!!! [spin] [wavey] [beer]
Least Favorite: Jeremy Grimes - If ever there was a more self-absorbed, preening-narcissistic, pretty boy/teenaged-dimwit than this character on the show, then I don't know who he (or she) was!!! [silly] [Wolfie]
Bob the Bartender, proud graduate/lifelong devotee of the woild-acclaimed "Leo Gorcey School of Elocution and Articulation"
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My least fav? Hallie, of course. She was Jan Brady gone mad.
" Jan Brady gone mad" this is too funny. Halle screaming " David! David! David!" instead of "Marcia! Marcia! Marcia!" What a hoot.
I must say, I'm intrigued and looking forward to seeing this horrible girl. I've only seen 1840 and 1841PT Carrie so have no frame of reference for Hallie.
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Well, I'm already on record as saying how important I feel David Henesy is, not only as David Collins, but as Jamison. [gramophone] The most recent episodes i watched were those where Jamison was possessed by Count Petofi. Henesy is marvelous in the way he manages to channel Thayer David without doing a cheap or easy impression. He could be creepy, a pain in the ass, sincere or vulnerable depending on exactly what was called for.
Denise was probably the other best child. She managed to do pretty good jobs with a sufficient range. She was really quite good when at looking genuinely scared. Denise is Dark Shadow's Wednesday Addams.
My third place would be Michael Maitland. I think he has kind of a cross between "Christopher Walken as a child" and the kid who plays Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films. [a233]
As a southerner, Alexander's accent puts me off my hush puppies. Sharon Smythe wasn't as naturally talented as Denise, but she did well enough. Lastly, while I can understand why Kathy Cody's roles can irritate people, and the Jan Brady thing [flower] is right on, I think she was also a victim of the "if its worth doing, its worth OVERDOING" era of Henry Kaplan directed episodes. For my money, one of the best and favorite moments of the series is where [ghosty] [spoiler]David and Hallie are taken over in full possession by Tad and Carrie. Its genuinely spooky and one of the series best moments of the horror of loss of identity. [grim] Performed well by both.[/spoiler]
Michael [grim] [/b]
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I didn't really like Sara Collins, the little ghost. I mean, she reminded me of a girl I knew in elementary school. Kinda aloof and superior acting. lol.
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My favorites:Sarah David and Amy
Least favorite:Hallie
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My favorite children characters are David, Amy, Sarah and Hallie :)
Least favorite: Alexander (spoiled brat) and Michael, especially Michael, he was so obnoxious and so awful to Maggie. >:(
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Favorite: David-wonderful child actor. Least favorite: Alexander-but a good actor even if the character was a horrible brat!
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Favorites: David: He could definitely play a number of emotions, bratty, scared, innocent, and yes loving. It was completely believable, and I am impressed by his acting skills at such a young age. Not to mention it was great watching him portray when Jamison was taken over by Petofi.
Amy: She is so very sweet! I love watching her. IMHO she performs everything perfectly! With her sad little voice or angry high pitched tones, she is excellent! I can't say enough good about her! [santa_cool]
Now here's where it gets complicated... I like Sarah as a character, she was sweet and earnestly loved her big brother, but the actress who played her, for some reason I just can't quite get accustomed to her. Don't get me wrong, I am sure she's a great person, it just seems like she didn't quite fit the ghostly, longing little girl who only wanted her family back. That having been said, I still very much enjoy Sarah, and I don't mind watching her. [santa_undecided]
Hallie: I don't quite understand why there is such a strong dislike of Hallie. I never found her shrill or annoying. IMHO, she played her character quite well, and it is especially creepy when she gets completely possessed by Carie.
Least favorites: The little kid in leviathan who spoke with an accent, (apologies for not remembering his name) His character drives me nuts! In fact, most of the characters from leviathan drive me crazy!
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Favorite would have to be Amy. Denise Nickerson was an amazing child actress who had the range of Patty Duke. She could play anything.
Love Sharon Smyth. She is a lovely person with a wicked sense of humor. Unfortunately, she isn't much of an actress. But she's Anne Bancroft compared to David Jay. Cute kid but hardly credible as the leader of a cult.