I just watched episodes 241/242, and I think that the original cast were awesome. The original premise of Barnabas, Josette, Dr. Woodard, et al., was really something quite special. For instance, anybody notice how stupid the writers made "Josette"? Boy, Barnabas sure likes them stupid! And speaking of stupid, I'm sure all of you noticed the classic gaff "microphone" insted of "microscope" from Mitch Ryan - and you get the feeling in this period that when he looks at his drink, he wishes it's more than just tea - ha ha!   Also, it seems that Jonathan Frid actually studies his scripts the night before. His performances are stupendous, obviously the reason Dark Shadows was given another thriteen weeks of life.  

Dr. Woodard, of course, played by actor Robert Gerringer was note-perfect from the word "go". Also notice that Dr. Julian Hoffman was a man. It seems likely that during this period Dan Curtis was probably hanging out in the control booth. You get the feeling that he was much more hands-on than in the later episodes. While little David's acting skills leave a little to be desired (he'll acquire them later), for the most part all the actors are giving it 110%.   It's interesting to see the crossover from boring, hum-drum daytime soap opera fare into imaginative, surrealistic story-telling. No wonder why they had to change it from 3:30 to 4:00, as the original viewers - mothers and housewives doing their laundry and cleaning house - would't stand for such shenanigans.  

I know all of this has probably been discussed add-nauseum, but I just couldn't help writing how I feel about these early episodes.   If any of you wish to add your thoughts and comments to these wonderful early Barnabas episodes, please feel free - Merry Christmas.