Hey Patti, In PT 1970, Elizabeth Stoddard had inherited some money, but the main heir to the Collins fortune and the business was Cousin Quentin.  It's never spoken of, but in the PT storyline you have to presume that the 1890s Quentin had been chosen by Grandmamamama Edith Collins to be the heir.  In that alternate reality, Quentin must have been rather better behaved and so escaped being cursed by Magda and, presumably, the whole scandalous marriage to Jenny and very public philandering escapade with Laura (etc.).  So, the head of the family descended through Quentin's children, rather than Jamison's as was the case in our own time-band.

There's a throwaway line that Liz has in one of the first PT episodes where she recalls to someone that she had entrusted Roger to manage her money on her behalf.  He ran through it all, and as a result, they were dependent on a monthly allowance from Quentin.

I agree with you that PT Roger Collins is based on the Clifton Webb character in Laura, which always struck me as a kind of alternate version of Rebecca.  PT Roger is actually "coded" as a closeted gay character.  A rather 1940s touch given that the story is set in 1970.

I'm sure Grayson knew of Judith Anderson's work as Danvers.  I find Grayson's portrayal of Hoffman to be on a rather different groove of sinister, tight-lipped disapproval.  I love it when the KLS character comments something like "Congratulations, Hoffman.  You're the only person who could turn an apology into a testimonial!"

I think Amy Collins is meant to be the sister of Chris Collins, similar to Amy and Chris in our timeband.  If you think of the revised alternate PT storyline I mentioned above, Amy and Chris would have been first cousins of PT Quentin, descended perhaps from a third child (a boy) Quentin might have had with his wife (we could discuss candidates for who Quentin would have married in the 1890s... I doubt whether either Beth  would have gone to the altar with him, but who knows).

Will is Carolyn's husband.  A lot of this is set forth in the first week of PT 1970 episodes.

And yeah, as of 1027, Bruno is still around.
G.

In honor of April Fools day.  I actually read this when it originally came out.  It was in a small comic with a couple of other stories.

http://www.collinsporthistoricalsociety.com/2011/11/darn-shadows.html

G.

That is a very cool shot of Grayson in that scene.

My theory about this scene, for what it is worth, is that Carlotta had actually been recalling her past life as Sarah Castle when Quentin saw Sarah's apparition briefly.  And that the dolls were a kind of psychometric focus for this.  Just as the locket Carlotta wore was another kind of focal point, though not one that was ever explained properly in the final cut of the film.  (There's one scene, of course, that does explain it, but you have to pay really close attention and connect some dots to get this.)

G.

OK, this has to rate as the most bizarre DS 50th anniversary event:  the DANK SHADOWS crew are having a video feature(tte?) version of the Scorcha Collins saga screened on April 2 (which marks the 45th anniversary of the DS final episode airing, of course), at the Boston LGBT Film Festival.

For an extra DS wrinkle, the screening is scheduled to take place at the Cambridge Brattle Theatre, of which Thayer David was one of the founders.

Kooky?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rjiy-IfsX_E

G.

Sad news. My strongest association with Patty Duke is with VALLEY OF THE DOLLS and Anne Wells (portrayed by Barbara Parkins) is so reminiscent of Vicki Winters, to me at least, that I've always considered the movie as somehow connected to the DS Universe.

G.

I think it's all down to several things.  The surviving cast members who are interested or able to attend are really getting on in years.  I was thinking about this and realizing that if what I have read is correct, Lara will be 80 next year.  Sobering but then I myself will be 59.  and I was 10 when I started watching back in 1968. 

Thanks to WorldVision, the series isn't on the air apart from the same small packet of shows periodically run on Decades.  The cult shows that get the marketing are either prominently available such as TZ and Outer Limits, or have more active rebootings such as Trek and the Apes sagas. 

As Michael commented, the marketing angle for DS was always sub-par, at least as far as I am concerned.  The best products in terms of design and flair were the gum cards. What does that tell you?

Hadn't heard about the lunchbox--that could be fun.  Some "Blu Ray" products might have stimulated at least some interest, but home video in physical format is widely regarded as going the way of the dinosaur. I myself am going to hang onto my discs until they are pried from my dead fingers because I don't really trust the "streaming" sites to have the content I want in the way I want it.  but then, I'm antediluvian, at this point.

G.

Hi Patti,

People who knew Danvers well did call her Danny.  Besides Rebecca, this included her forever half-drunk would-be boyfriend (can't recall character's name).  The equivalent of the latter on the DS story is Bruno.

Chris Collins, played by Don Briscoe, was meant to be the estate manager on the PT 1970 grounds, but when Don became ill and had to leave, Cyrus eventually stepped into a role as Quentin's close friend who provided advice or just a friendly ear.

Two adaptations of Rebecca that I think are very much worth watching are one from, I think, the late 70s or early 80s with Jeremy Brett and Anna Massey (as Danvers), and another one from the 1990s with Dame Diana Rigg as Danvers.  The downside of the latter version is that Charles Dance was cast as Maxim but was really too old for the part, unfortunately, though I thought his acting was very good in it.

If I recall correctly, the 1990s version also has Faye Dunaway in a kind of stunt cameo role as the loudly vulgar American plutocrat who is "her" (the heroine's) original employer.

G.

A great scene.  Ange's line to Laura is really quite a put-down.

G.