This came up on another thread, but I was thinking about humor on Dark Shadows (not the blooper kind, but situations or dialog that struck me as funny)  The other day I saw on DVD the scene where poor Willie has been gunned down outside Maggie's door and is believed to be the kidnapper.  Barnabas has a scene with Julia where he is really behaving badly and is very put out with Willie for lingering on even after being plugged by several bullets.  He makes some sort of comment about how he expects any minute to hear that Willie is sitting up and writing his memoirs.  That line and the way Frid delivers it always cracks me up.  Then there is another Frid moment when he's out at Widows Hill with Julia when Vicki comes along.  Barn wants Julia to leave so he can be alone with Vicki, Julia is dragging her feet, and Frid says - I think you'd better go inside before you catch a cold - you know how concerned I am about your health.  The way he says the part about being concerned about her health and the look on his face is another moment that makes me laugh.  Can anyone think of any other moments or dialog like this  that struck them as funny?

I also don't understand why Sci-Fi couldn't have aired the few remaining episodes.   Doesn't seem like a very smart idea PR wise.  I also hope everyone has a happy new year.  I don't care for champagne either, but in the words of Hyacinth Bookay I have rather lower middle class tastes when it comes to spirits, never having  acquired a real appreciation for anything but beer.

One thing that puzzles me - in the 1795 flashback we see the family moving into their new house.  So in 1840, just 45 years later there are already large, closed off sections of the house with discarded furniture and cobwebs?

There is a great deal I like about 1840 but the witchcraft trial is absolutely ludicrous.  You have a dynamic talent like David Selby and you put him in a plot where he is confined to a jail cell and a court room where he can only shout No!  That's not true!  etc., etc.  Not a very good use of your cast.  And I'm sure someone has probably mentioned it before, but where did Judah get a psychedelic compositon/theme book to use as his journal in the 1680's?

While on the subject of movie slaps, I've read that Vivien Leigh got a bit enthusiastic when she hauled off and slapped Butterfly McQueen during the filming of GWTW.  It's the scene on the stairs when Prissy admits she's not going to be much help when it comes to Melanie's imminent delivery.  Butterfly is reported to have walked off the set in protest and didn't return until an apology was forthcoming.

1840 starts out with a great deal of promise - I love Flora Collins and Desmond, and the whole family dynamic between Daniel, his sons and their wives provide a great opportunity that is not fully exploited IMO.  Unfortunately the writers fall back on things that were done before.

[spoiler][Letitia Faye is a Pansy Faye retread.  The whole Trask thing is long past its sell by date, there is another trial for witchcraft that is completely ridiculous, another character gets bricked up.  There are some wonderful moments - Julia doing her mad scientist thing again is a big treat, but I think the writers missed some great opportunites and fell instead into retreading old plots.]

I've never understood the connection between Pansy and Letitia except for them having the same last name and singing the same song.  Are they related?  Or is it that every generation or so an English music hall performer decides to spend some vacation time in Collinsport?

I got a big laugh out of the Mama Celeste/Mrs. Johnson comparison.  Good of the kids to supply Daphne with the latest fashions, but as the Ghost of Sarah Collins mentions in another thread, Daphne liked the smell of lilacs, so I wonder if they raided someones dressing table for perfume.  I know Joan Bennett liked something called Jungle Gardenia, but I bet Mrs. Stoddard had a good supply of Chanel No. 5.  I wonder if Mrs. Johnson bought Avon?