I'm surprised that no one has noticed the unusually high ratio of red-haired actress on DS.  There have been many a legendary flamehaired beauty on TV shows as regulars over the decades ( Lucille Ball, Amanda Blake, Linda Kaye Henning, Gillian Anderson, Stefanie Powers, Bonnie Franklin, Carol Burnett, Tina Louise, Cynthia Nixon, Gates Mc Fadden, Alyson Hannigan), but for one show to have over three redheads in its cast over five years is most unusual!  Consider the following:

Kathryn Leigh Scott
Clarice Blackburn
Grayson Hall
Marie Wallace
Donna Wandrey
Virginia Vestoff

Most of these actresses worked in several different storylines in major roles- sometimes in dark wigs (Clarice as Mrs. Johnson, Grayson as Magda), but sooner or later you saw that red showing.  (Yes, we did get to see Clarice's natural hair color in NODS!)   Even Grayson herself realized that there was at least one redhead too many on the show when she first met Donna Wandrey and said "Oh, God- not another redhead!"

That got me thinking:  Hitchcock had his blondes, but perhaps on DS Dan Curtis had his redheads!  Does anyone know if Dan's wife Norma is a redhead???

Julia: I'm certain that this gun can kill Angelique.  I got it from a former patient of mine named Jack Ruby!!

On the other hand, I do wish there had been a swimming pool.  Having seen the series of NODS publicity photos of Nancy Barrett in a bikini, it's truly a misssed opportunity.  I also have a cheescake photo of Marie Wallace in her lingerie (bra, panties, garter belt) from a play she did back in the 60s.  If only KLS had been asked to become a Playmate- many a Bunny did!

OK, back to the style discussion.  This remind me of my childhood in the 70s- those who have watched the later seasons of "The Brady Bunch" will know exactly what I mean.  All those contrasting/clashing colors and textiles were considered the height of fashion back then.  I remember my mom taking me to Robert Hall for the latest polyester suit, those things itched after a while and you dare not put an iron to them!  I loved bell-bottoms and platform shoes (a must for dancing on "Soul Train"!), and huckapoo shirts.  As for the 80s- well, I had a "Members Only" jacket that I think I may have worn to a DSF with white Reeboks.  That was my fashion moment that time- my only real positive fashion memory from the 80s can be summed up in one word: "Dynasty"- Nolan Miller was the Adrian of the Reagan years.

On DS, I didn't see any real 60s fashion statement during its early years except for the hairstyles.  You had Joan Bennett's wiglet, Nancy Barrett's obscene flip (Dusty Springfield once took responsibilty for global warming from all the hairspray she used in the 60s to maintain her beehives, but that's nothing to what Nancy must've used in 1967) and Grayson's rather odd '67 hairstyle.  But after the 1795 story, the cast returned to the present day with a vengeance!  David Henesy was in a Nehru suit, Nancy stopped using Final Net and let her hair loose, Kathryn took to shorter skirts and tons of eye makeup and false lashes, and by late '68 Joan finally got rid of that damn wiglet and took years off her face by doing so.  And of course, the legendary "Julia haircut" episode in April '68- the most celebrated cut on TV since Mia Farrow's  on "Peyton Place"!  Even the guys got hip- Roger began wearing turtlenecks while Joe Haskell went naturally curly (a predecessor to the Brady men!) and Willie's hair grew longer.

The 1970PT storyline is the absolute best in terms of contemporary fashion-  a time caspule of "mod" with all those micro-minidresses, men's ascots on Will Loomis and Roger, and Roxanne's shag hairdo-MONTHS before the same look on Jane Fonda in "Klute" and yes, Florence Henderson!  The skirts were so short in that storyline, that when Quentin carried his bride Maggie over the Collinwood threshold her panties were showing!!!  I kid you not- look at the episode!  How that got past the ABC censor is beyond me.

That's right- ME!!  On Friday the 10th I'll be officially middle-aged (Where did the years go?), and I haven't a clue as what to do.  I am planning to see a Broadway show (If I can get a vacancy for a matinee performance of "Spamalot", "Hairspray", "Virginia Woolf", "Doubt", oe "The Producers"!), but how else should I celebrate this milestone.  Any suggestions?


PS- does anyone know of any website on the subject of hitting the big 4-0?

I was watching a tape of HODS the other day, and as was watching Julia's death scene for the umpteenth time, I realized something that I should've realized from Day One-

If you've just given a vampire a really nasty injection and are planning to leave town, be sure to wear a cross!  (or at least have one nearby)

I mean, when Julia first confronted Barnabas with the truth about his vampirism, she carried a cross for protection.  Okay, one can argue that when Julia gave Barnabas that triple injection it was "spur of the moment", but logically one must think that Julia should've been aware of the consequences to a better degree.  Yes, she's packing her bags to get away from Barnabas right afterwards, but she should've put garlic all over her room, wore at least one cross on her person, and packed some Holy Water, too!

I wonder- were Hall & Russell aware of this plot loophole?

Here's a story from my own past- and it's DS-related!  I was at a DS Festival some years ago and they were showing an original Summer 1970 episode with original commercials.  First I saw an old Cherrios ad with that jingle I loved so much as a kid "a pow-pow-powerful good-good feeling from Cheer-Cheer Cherrios".  And then something I hadn't thought about in years-Funny Face!  I  shouted out, "I remember that!"  Yes, I remember drinking gallons of that stuff before my mom switched to Kool-Aid

The real tragedy here is Thayer David.  He was on the brink of major stardom when he suddenly died of a heart attack in 1978.  Things were looking up as he had just done a Nero Wolfe pilot and from all indications it would've been picked up as a series, giving him lasting stardom.  Playing the urbane detective would've done for his career what playing Perry Mason did for Raymond Burr.

In his personal life, her and his ex-wife, actress Valerie French were planning to remarry.  If he had lived, he would have finally found true happiness in both in his career and love life.  So close, so close.......