I actually thought Chris Bernau and Marie Wallace were wonderful in their work as the Todds.  I think the people who wrote those letters may have lacked what we used to call "maturity"--my Mom would say "Don't be so immature."  The Todds were very different from what kids were used to seeing on the show at that point.  The whole set-up was an unexpected step in a very different direction.  I still think the first five or six weeks were really good, some of the best episodes the shows produced. IMO it got bad when DC was told that the ratings were dropping and, more significantly, had to figure out how he was going to do the movie while the series was still in production.  Whoever hit on the whole Parallel Time shtick really should have gotten a bonus because it was a brilliant concept to achieve that goal--have some actors carrying on with the series while most of the heavy hitters were in Tarrytown.  It meant that the wind-up of Leviathan was really speeded-up, though.  I do feel for the writers being given those targets and having to come up with stuff that hadn't been properly planned.

G.

JGL fans will find this of interest:

http://comicbook.com/2015/06/07/sandman-is-going-to-be-a-grand-spectacular-action-film-with-no-p/

I read some of the Sandman books and there was considerable occult content.

G.

That's a really good choice, Josette.

The writers really dropped the ball with Quentin and Chris.

One of my favorite moments is in Leviathan when

[spoiler]Liz looks down at Paul, whom she thinks has been knocked out by a drug, and tells him:  "How did you think I would EVAH take you back?"  And then turns contemptuously away.  It's a great moment for those who have seen the 1966/67 storyline, and probably the Liz character's last moment of glory on the series.[/spoiler]

G.

Sublime, MB.  I loved Chris Bernau and wish he had returned in another role.  He really had the DS affect (however one chooses to define that).  I mean, he got out one of the most infamous lines in the series without cracking even a hint of a smile:  "I'm just... plain ... SCARED."

I also feel that Marie's work as Megan was underrated.  This was a committed, believable performance. 

I do not think the faux "incest" angle would make it onto daytime today.

G.

Sorry to hear about your bereavement, Taeylor.  It's nice to have you back with us.

Yes, Grayson was a truly exceptional actress.  I do think her performance as Hoffman in PT 1970 shows that she could be very understated.  In general, I think fans do not realize that the directors of the series, particularly Henry Kaplan, actually encouraged a really overstated approach to work on the series. In all fairness, I suspect that this was because reading the scripts, the idea of a naturalistic approach to lines such as, "You have BETRAYED me!" or "You will walk the night as one of the living dead... FOR ALL ETERNITY!" or "Julia... YOU MUST!" would have seemed beyond absurd.  The only way those lines work is to recite them, with total conviction, at five hundred percent volume and intensity.  But anyway...

Grayson's performance as Carlotta was a gem.  Her best screen performance ever was probably as Miss Fellows in NIGHT OF THE IGUANA.  Huston had wonderful instincts when it came to directing Grayson.

Best, G.

Wow, maybe the interview was in TWODS.  I wonder if I still have that issue.  Have no idea why I misremembered it having been in ITOH.

Lots of people in the "industry" use ghost writers. 

Thanks!

G.

A few production photos from Depp Shadows have been posted on this most excellent blog:

http://shadowsonthewallzine.blogspot.com/2015/05/behind-scenes-of-dark-shadows-2012.html

For my money, by far the nicest shot is a candid photo of a delighted Depp and Burton chatting with THE Elder Statesman of classic horror, Christopher Lee.

G.