I wish to announce an important siting of Mrs Johnson's wig, a topic of special significance for the security of our beloved Nation:

Yesterday evening I was watching a 1966 episode of The Addams Family while eating my dinner.  It featured a guest appearance by the magnficent Margaret Hamilton as Morticia's Mom, Granny Frump (that is the character's actual name).  I had not noticed it in previous appearances, but in this show, Granny Frump was wearing Mrs. Johnson's wig!

I quite like to think of Granny posting it to her dear niece, Sarah Johnson, as "something to liven up your social life a bit, dear."  At the end of the episode, Granny appeared with a new hair-do, so she clearly had sent the wig along to greener pastures--what better choice than Collinsport?

Just thought all you fans would want to know.

Best wishes, G.

Greetings.

I'm aware that there are a few other folks here who are fans of the 1969-1970 Gerry Anderson series UFO (which aired on CBS, I believe, in 1972, and was subsequently seen in occasional syndication, including stints on the Sci Fi channel in the 1990s).  Today I learned that the two lead actors on the series, Ed Bishop (who portrayed Commander Straker) and Michael Billington (who played Colonel Paul Foster) both died last week in a strange coincidence.

Michael Billington, aged 63, died on Monday June 6 in complications from cancer.  Ed Bishop, aged 72, died as a result of a sudden viral infection while in hospital following surgery on Tuesday, June 7.  Marc Martin, a veteran fan of the series, received confirmation from their families that the men died earlier this week.  It was reported on the Scarlet Street magazine site on Wed. I believe.

Apparently, the families are waiting to issue official obituaries due to concerns for privacy.

I'll miss both Ed and Mike a lot.  Their performances on UFO have cheered many otherwise dreary hours in my life.  I like to think of them in some twinkly, silvery heaven, served cocktails from angelic waitresses attired in the trademark UFO purple wigs with matching eyeliner and plunging-neckline space suits.

Steve

Dear Fans,

I checked around and nobody seems to have posted this recent update to Craig Hamrick's site:

http://www.darkshadowsonline.com/photo-featured.html

There are some must-see photos here--GREAT images of Grayson in One Life to Live, along with two other projects; great photos of Louis Edmonds on "Family Feud" (with a wonderful memoir of Louis from the late great Ruth Warrick), a *priceless* publicity photo of Louis with Actress Jan Miner ("Madge" of the old "you're soaking in it" Palmolive commercials) in a 1961 show; candid photos of Sam Hall, Diana Millay, and Matthew Hall from 2001; some gorgeous snapshots of Nancy Barrett as a very young woman; and more I haven't even mentioned!

Many thanks to Craig for sharing these.  That snap of Grayson with that TELEPHONE (said in a tone of voice that suggests it is an obscure and detestable form of venereal disease) made my week!

Best, G.

Yesterday, I needed a break badly, so I exhumed a video of the 1970 film Count Yorga, Vampire (I'd taped it off AMC a couple years back and never gotten around to watching it).  I'd hoped that the story would make more sense this time than on my original viewing of a heavily edited print on the "CBS Late Movies" back in the early 70s.

I noticed some definite nods to DS (some might choose to term them "ripoffs" of our show).  The seance sequence at the beginning is VERY DS.  Count Yorga's home attire of long burgundy silk dressing gown is very Barnabas Collins (though the kimono-styled thing he changes to towards the end of the film is decidedly NOT).  And a scene where the suspicious Doctor (very reminiscent of the Dave Woodward character in the '67 storyline) and two of his friends attempt to keep the Count up and chatting till dawn strongly reminded me of a similar scene involving Barnabas, Burke, and Joe (or was it the sheriff?).

Apart from DS, the movie also stole from The Fearless Vampire Killers (particularly with the ending).  I don't think Count Yorga is a very well-made film, but it's still fun to watch, especially for the cheesy LA '70 sets and costumes, and some of the weird dialogue (occasionally it seems as if they were making a spoof rather than a serious picture).

I've always thought Robert Quarry deserved better than he got.  I enjoyed his performances in this and in "Dr. Phibes Rises Again."

btw, I have no idea what was up with the fangs in this movie.  Especially on the vampire brides, they look more like the results of advanced malocclusion.  Ah well.

G.

A few evenings back, I treated myself to some 1897 episodes.   Among them was the notorious scene of Minerva visiting Collinwood, jar of damson plum preserves in hand.  I must say, Clarice Blackburn took my breath away in that scene.  She was so incredibly nuanced and wonderful a performer.  After Mrs J, Minerva is my favorite CB role.  Even though she has fewer scenes than did Abigail in 1795, I think Minerva's jealousy makes her more interesting psychologically and allows CB to show more of her range.

One of my regrets about the later years of DS is that they never gave Mrs J another storyline comparable to what she had during the Bill Malloy period.  Clarice is one of my personal favorite actresses on the show, and she's definitely getting a vote in the prenoms for the Emmies from me.

G.

I awoke this a.m. from a dream in which I was attending a DS Festival and doing a bunch of Grayson related interviews... I happened to be in the vendors room and spotted a DVD that was fan-produced.  It was a compilation of classic scenes from Liz's various storylines, heavily concentrating on 1966-67.  What a marvelous idea! I thought in the dream, and the thought stayed with me when I woke up.

When I went to bed I was thinking about the scene (from 1966, I think) when Liz tells Vicki a ghost story, and how much I would enjoy watching that again, given the season.  I don't think I own that tape, sadly.  It was on an MPI compilation tape that was called Ghosts and Vampires, which I never purchased.  I will have to look up in my episode guide and see if I can order the Collectors Choice tape with that scene.

Wouldn't it be great if they did a series of "greatest moments of..." DVDs at some point?  When MPI started putting the series out on VHS in 1989, they did a couple of short compilation tapes, including one called the Best of Barnabas, but the footage selected for the tape did not really live up to the title (in my not-so-humble opinion).

This is the kind of project I could see DS to DA and Heather collaborating upon with great results.

G.

Just thought I would ask this here, since there are a few knowledgeable collectors who come here from time to time:

Does anyone know a reasonably priced, reliable source for the 1965 Oscar broadcast video?  I know it's available somewhere, as I have seen jpgs from it on the Net.

Grayson Hall was present at the ceremony, and I read that she had in her personal collection a photograph of herself taken in the audience when her name was announced as a nominee for Supporting Actress.

Feel free to mail me off the boards at my email address:  shutt at fas dot harvard dot edu.

Many thanks,

Steve

For those who are fans of Ben Cross, the English actor who portrayed Barnabas Collins in the 1991 Dark Shadows series, I just learned that he has a role in the new movie The Exorcist: The Beginning (which is due to be released this weekend in the US, I believe).

I have no further info, but wanted to let Ben's fans know.

G.